http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/togetherness-not-so-together-216021

Realizing that one day of pre-K isn’t actually going to make a whole hell of a lot of difference in the development of his daughter, especially compared to a quality day with her dad and her brother, Brett wisely takes his kids to the beach, and has the best day he’s had in a while. (Sophie’s nod to her brother in the back of the car is about the cutest moment in the entire season.) For Brett, you can also feel a palpable relief, after all his rejection from Michelle, that at least somebody in his family wants to spend some time with him.
As far as the Togetherness of the title goes, that’s the togetherness that’s the most valuable. The kind that is unforced, the kind that we need. Brett and Alex fall into this category as well. The kind when we are actually better for being with these people. ... Alex was probably at our lowest point at the beginning of the season: evicted, unemployed, considering moving back home. Now he’s third-billing in a movie, getting flown to New Orleans, and able to admit his love to Tina. She still rejects him, but he was strong enough to say it (and to make the effort to bike all that way to find her). Like Brett, he is now in a place to realize what really matters.

I have one prediction for the next season or future seasons of the show. Based on personal experience (with pretty much the same exact situation, minus the marriage), I see a way that this could play out and continue to be a very non-together togetherness: Alex & Tina will get together. Brett & Michelle will break apart. Alex's relationship with Brett will suffer because of his newfound loyalty and association with Tina. The prospect of having to spend time or even see or hear about Tina on a regular basis, will keep him at a distance, because of his profound sadness from losing Tina's sister, Michelle. Tina doesn't upset him, but it is too close to home and a constant reminder of the life he once had and wants to have back. Through this process, he loses a wife (whom he realizes he loves, yet too late) and semi-loses a best-friend, which will be a double-whammy for someone trying to reconcile who they are and what their life has become. It won't be Alex that doesn't want to see Brett, it will be Brett that doesn't want to see Alex, because of the sadness that their reversal of roles brings with it. Of course, maybe that's just my own stupid sadness talking.

http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/togetherness-not-so-together-216021#comment-1896175940

There’s this line from The Accidental Tourist that’s always stuck with me: “It’s not just how much you love someone. Maybe what matters is who you are when you’re with them.” With Brett, as much as she tries, Michelle appears to be an ungrateful wife who doesn’t appreciate her husband (remember last week when she kept calling him ”nice”? Death knell). With David, she’s a kick-the-can champion.

http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/togetherness-kick-can-215246

But really the word I'm looking for is "forced." As in, most of the drama around the marriage feels forced; most people who are this far into the woes of being together have long since split.
Relationship advice: it should feel natural - all of it, the physical, the communication, the whatever. When you make it weird, make it unweird. If you can't make it unweird, it's not you, or them, it's y'all.

http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/togetherness-houston-we-have-problem-214844#comment-1843042267 MD: What I would like to do is be Therapy Man. I would like to be able to fly over cities and sprinkle dust on people. And when the dust hit them, I would turn them into sensitive, emotionally involved humans who know how to listen and validate the feelings of their loved ones. http://www.avclub.com/article/mark-duplass-why-mcdonalds-better-bad-rewrite-job-215650 Erik Charles Nielsen olivececile • a year ago I mean, as a fat young non-balding weirdo, I had a few friendships like this. Chaotic women befriending me, pushing me out of my comfort zone, with the attendant infatuation. I've seen them happen with other people too.
I'm going to go ahead and say that Tina is fully aware of the attention, and likes it -- not saying she doesn't enjoy Alex's company, but she also likes feeling like she's doing something good for a guy down on his luck, and she likes the fact that that guy feels devoted to her. I'm not saying it's malicious, or at least it hasn't usually been when I've seen it. But I will say that if what I've seen is any indication, if and when Alex gets his act together, Tina will probably be weirdly territorial about it. Not saying that's the way this is going, just saying that I can map out a version of it in my mind that seems pretty realistic. http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/togetherness-insanity-214076#comment-1822311668