'Breeders' Episode 5 Preview: Will talking about death to children be harder than what the Worsleys thought?
Mr and Mrs Worsley continue to prove that parenting is indeed like walking on glass. A misstep can make it all come down. And yet, a parent can never be careful enough. Take the upcoming episode for example. The promo of 'No Dad' shows that their family pet, a gerbil named Sprout, is dead. While the parents are glad (in fact thrilled), their son, Luke is extremely sad. The little kid is in tears.
The loss of a pet is surely hard for children to cope with. Paul and Ally try hard to console their son but to no avail. Everyone deals with death differently. But when it comes to explaining loss to children, it can get quite difficult and this episode is proof. While Ally’s father Michael (who continues to stay with them) suggests that they replace the dead animal with a new one and help Luke feel better, Ally has a different argument. Her belief is that children should know about life and death from a young age so they can cope with loss better as they grow up. Now, that might be a logical thought but that doesn’t necessarily apply to their children. It has already been established that Luke is sensitive to the most trivial things, asks too many questions, almost to the point of getting on his parents’ nerves, and can be very stubborn. Lest he gets himself into trouble, Paul and Ally do not also want to be too hard on him.
Elsewhere, their toddler daughter, Ava, who was quieter so far, has now started showing the classic signs of a "terrible two". In 'No Dad', while her parents struggle to deal with her brother, she also makes their life more difficult.
With grief of a dead pet reflecting in everyone’s behavior, the Worsley couple will once again be on a rollercoaster ride of family issues. This is a clear proof that parenting is the biggest paradox of life possible. One on hand, you love your children unconditionally, on the other, they can push you off the edge at times, making you want to throw them off the bridge, metaphorically speaking.
Sneak a peek at what's coming to the Worsley family next.
'Breeders' Episode 5 will air Monday night, 10pm/9c, only on FX, followed by a rerun on FX on Hulu the next day.