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Episode discussion ( May contain spoilers)

posted 17 years ago by Wardman3
9 replies | jump to latest

What I love about this show (besides most everything) is the lack of resolution sometimes. Sure there were episodes that were neatly tidied up but some important ones weren't. The episode were Zeke comes out to Willie was real well done, at least for a 70s level. At the end, you could tell the Willie really wasn't so much in the accepting mode despite the cordialness. This was quite clear when Willie yells to Zeke "I'll call ya" as Zeke walks away. Zeke did the 70's equivalant of "Whatever" by raising his hand up as he was walking away.
The episode with Doug's sister, Emily, was another well crafted episode. To me, it was quite evident from the moment she walked in the door she disliked Kate, sorta subtle. However, Emily's awful diatribe to Kate in the driveway was confirming. Alcohol sure brings out the truth. You could tell how hurt Kate was at those words.

[–] taylorje 17 years ago

Yeah, one of my favorite episodes was like that, the lack of resolution. It was in the first season, the name of it was "More Things in Heaven and Earth." Kate always wondered what happened to her favorite aunt who had gone missing in France during World War II. At a party, she meets an obnoxious psychic who offers her hope and a consultation. Doug is against the idea, he feels the aunt is long dead. Kate meets with the psychic at his house and is less and less impressed with him. Meanwhile, she thinks about her aunt often and realizes that if there is any way at all to learn what happened to her, she has to try. She invites the psychic to her house. He complains because the family is making noise in the yard, breaking his concentration. Suddenly Kate realizes she's had enough and she tells him to leave. He says "I can tell you everything about your aunt" but Kate says she's no longer interested, that it's been too many years and if her aunt is still living, Kate has no wish to contact her.

The psychic leaves in a huff and Kate realizes how lucky she has to have her family. But to me, it was a strange ending, one full of holes. Kate was really obsessing over her aunt for years, she said that her mother died calling the aunt's name. All attempts to find her after the war were futile. But the psychic told Kate her aunt was definitely alive. If so, why didn't she ever get in touch with Kate or her mother? Why didn't Kate hire private investigators to search for her aunt after she learned the woman was alive? Kate wants to know for years and years, then suddenly decides she's not interested. That episode has always haunted me a little.

[–] adam-1589 16 years ago

That episode was very good because it reflects the way middle class stable people would interact with a psychic such as this one. I think the episode is very well put together because it allows the possibility of gaining insight into the subtle world but at the same time shows our instinctive caution towards it; to leave well alone. The pyschic was played very well too.

It's great storytelling like this that let us think for ourselves. (No need to say I'm a huge fan of Family!)

Wellington, New Zealand

[–] fentress 15 years ago

I would tend to agree with you. That episode has a lot of good moments and some well portrayed sentiments. But I didn't quite understand why Kate wouldn't want to find out more about her long lost sister, whether by psychic or other means. I understood Doug's point about Kate's husband and children was her what her life was about in the present. But I don't see the two things as exclusive. She could have her continuing life but still be pursuing her sister. I think the writers had some genuine inspiration for this episode, but failed to think it through completely.

On the plus side, I think as Adam-1589 said in his post, the psychic was well portrayed. I think it was neat that they had the originality to make the character well meaning but socially uncouth. He held my attention in every scene.

As for the scene you talk about the end with Kate looking out the window, to me it felt slightly contrived but it still worked. Kate watched Mr. Lawrence play with Timmy out in the yard and Kate realized what Dough was saying, that this is her life now. Good moment.

[–] fentress 15 years ago

I agree with everything you said, especially about the episode of Zeke coming out as gay. However, I do have one bone to pick with about that episode.

I found it a little hard to buy that middle-class people like Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence would have so little trouble accepting homosexuality, especially in the 70's. Granted it's entirely possible, but somewhat improbable. I think it would have been more believable if they had at least initially expressed some puzzlement as to why a guy would want to be with other guys. They could have still been sympathetic in the end.

Don't get me wrong; personally I'm all for accepting gays. But realistically lots of straights who are otherwise good people have trouble with it even today, let alone in the 1970's. I think the creative team was probably excited about presenting a ground-breaking progressive view (for TV of the era) and lost their perspective.

But it was still good. I liked that they focused on Willie's perception that his trust was betrayed.

[–] Sylviamoon 15 years ago

I feel a bit differently. Not to dismiss your observations. But this is how I felt:

I remember the 70's America as beng much more accepting than any time after that, until recently, of gays and lesbians. And, I would especially believe this opennness existing in people living in C.A. - Educated, relatively urbane people at that. Besides, the Lawrences were generally very accepting folks - "(almost) anything for a friend!" :)

Too, people on TV were much more accepted as role models than they are conciously accepted as such now; where we would be too aware of propaganda etc., back then, a show like this could seriously be considered as a life lesson (and in a way, back then, it was more deservedly true). I have heard more than a couple women who were mothers back then express intense admiration of Sada Thompson/ Kate Lawrence, for instance!

The whole focus on Willie's trust being betrayed never made any sense to me and felt like a cop-out -BUT, I speak as a lesbian so I am admittedly limited in my understanding of a straight friend's perspective after such a revelation. It's just something I dont "get" myself.

Perhaps "We Love you Miss Jessup", a family episode about a lesbian teacher at Buddy's school (in wich Kate does indeed have some trouble being accepting) would strike you more realistic, but we will have to wait for those later episodes to be released as far as I know.

"You must learn to leave us alone!"

[–] fentress 15 years ago

I still stand by my earlier comment, but I can understand your way of looking at it too.

You've touched upon a very delicate area. I'm a straight man, but have long had a progressive stance on gays. With straights who practice outright meanness and hatred, I don't in any way condone that. But in another category, there are many straights who are sincere well meaning people, but who struggle with accepting homosexuality on a gut level. It just seems strange and foreign to them. If I'm perfectly honest, I was the same way before I learned to be accepting. But I can easily understand how anyone who is lesbian or gay would obviously find it difficult to empathize with that.

Before watching the DVD's that are presently available, my only experience with "Family" was when it ran in new episodes on ABC, and I was only able to vaguely recall the series. I'm not sure I can place the episode you're referring to about Kate and the gym teacher. But that does sound more like an example of the realism I was talking about. I hope to be able to see it someday ... if they ever release any more episodes on DVD!

[–] Sylviamoon 15 years ago

LOL. I'm laughing, literally out loud, and I think you'll appreciate why - the teacher wasn't a gym teacher! Miss Jessup was an English teacher. An understandable mistake.

Actually I do empathize with well meaning straight people who want to be true to their own way of working things out, and aknowledge they are not altogether sure how they feel about homosexuality. Some of my best friends are staright.
;) I'm sure you know or have heard of some gays/lesbians who aren't- or once weren't - even sure they themselves wanted to be who they felt themselves to be.

I didn't much understand, viscerally, why Willie felt betrayed, though they explained it, but, as Stuart Smalley says "THAT'S OK." Willie is entitled to his feelings too.

I do think that fans of a show like Family are almost all very likely to be thoughtful people who appreciate the complexities of life, which says a lot for the show I think.

"You must learn to leave us alone!"

[–] fentress 15 years ago

LOL. I'm laughing, literally out loud, and I think you'll appreciate why - the teacher wasn't a gym teacher! Miss Jessup was an English teacher. An understandable mistake.

Oh, my goodness ... that is funny! Looks like I stepped right into a sterotype there!

I do think that fans of a show like Family are almost all very likely to be thoughtful people who appreciate the complexities of life, which says a lot for the show I think.

I think that's true for the most part. I appreciate your thougtful and broad-minded comments.

[–] fentress 15 years ago

I recently watched the episode where Nancy is being stalked and showered with gifts by some unknown guy, and I thought it was a great example of the refraining from clear resolution you speak of. I don't want to ruin this for anyone who hasn't seen it and wants to, so ... read no further if you're in that category.

Remember when Nancy finally figures out it's a classmate and she makes a big scene out on the campus courtyard. We only saw the guy for a minute and he barely had any dialogue. But even from that brief scene - and from some of the earlier speculative comments from the psychiatrist and policeman - my impression what that this guy was probably some well meaning decent guy but shy and a loser in the romance department (though I don't condone his actions). You could just see it all in his face. Then when someone asks Nancy what the guy did to her, she found herself at a loss of comprehension as she answered the question, stammering out something like "Well, he ... he sent me gifts."

That scene said so much by saying so little, leaving all the ramifications to your imagination. Much better than if it had some corny happy ending where the guy ended up explaining and apologizing.

Incidentally, I loved the subplot of the Alvin character who wouldn't leave the Lawrence's home. What a great character. But he wasn't ridiculed. In the end, the episode treats him as a person with value like anyone else.

Brilliant episode.