MovieChat Forums > My So-Called Life (1994) Discussion > If Patty had let Angela do whatever she ...

If Patty had let Angela do whatever she wanted...

posted 13 years ago by JLMlover
19 replies | jump to latest

would she have been more liked? I don't get it. I thought Patty was too soft on Angela sometimes. That girl was really disrespectful at times. And the way she got off for playing her Dad into letting her go to that party was ridiculous. She's a teenager, she needs parents, not some old people trying to be her friend and trying to be her favorite.

And one poster here said that Patty was selfish, how was she selfish? By leaving her parents' party to go save Reyanne's life when her own mother didn't give a damn? Was she selfish when she took Rickie in and treated him better than his own family? Patty is a human being so she isn't perfect but she most definitely wasn't the monster everyone is making her out to be.

I thought the Chases was one of the most realistically portrayal of a family on tv that i've seen.

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[–] chillbill 13 years ago

I didn't so much find the character annoying as the actress who played her - her awful haircut irritating voice and she pulls some terrible faces. The part where Angela has the dream sequence folowing Jordan and then her parents appear at her aunts funeral - Aggghhh! Pattys acting is terrible I just wanted to slap her;)

I think Patty was an ok mum, not too strict other than when she wanted to meet Jordan before Angela was allowed to go out on a date with him which was kind of ridiculous.

Also a lot of the parent scenes were boring and unnecessary and just seemed a bit clunky

[–] JLMlover 12 years ago

You think it's ridiculous for a parent to want to meet the boy who's going on a date with their teenage daughter? C'mon now... that's completely understandable.

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[–] tblackfacebook 11 years ago

Actually I completely understand Patty not letting Angela go out without meeting the boy. My mother always wanted to meet the people that I hung out with when I was fifteen. The only part I did not get was Angela even insisting that it happen. Why tell her parents it was a date? She went everywhere else without telling them the truth.

[–] BlueMoon89 13 years ago

She was just being a typical teenager who thought she was never getting enough, when infact, she was getting more than she needed.

Even though she was disrespectful at times, all teenagers will admit to doing it at least once.

Patty just tried to understand Angela too much. She wanted to be a mum who listened to her daughter's issues, but Angela too advantage of the trust Patty once had and sometimes was able to manipulate her. All teen girls can admit to at least trying this!

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[–] blankk23 11 years ago

What's that line from Heathers? Something like, "usually whenever a teenager complains she wants to be treated like an adult, it's because she *is* being treated like an adult".

[–] hubble-hallow 11 years ago

I didn't like how she wanted to meet jordan before angela could go out with him. That caused angela so much heartache. And i didnt like how drunk and stupid she got on that skiing holiday. I cant stand women who start a riot when they cant hold their liquor.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] blankk23 9 years ago

Meeting the person your son or daughter is going out with is just standard for parents of teenagers.

At least, for good parents.

[–] nobodies666 13 years ago

Shes a good mom. Angela is a self-righteous jerk most times.

"I did everything you asked. You broke my heart."-Imogen
"I want you to see my best"-Eli

[–] blankk23 13 years ago

Patty is how I knew I had grown up. Back when the show was on, of course it was all about Angela, but when I watch it now, I totally empathize with Patty.

[–] jodisturdevant-5-86053 13 years ago

Not me, Patty is a fool and a complete control freak. She even treats Graham that way...proof is there.

[–] jodisturdevant-5-86053 13 years ago

I can't stand Patty. She's just a good example of some Mom who thinks that just because she's a parent that she's all knowing and can be a total bitch control freak. I had similar issues with my Mom. And I never started being disrespectful until I started getting accused of crap I did not do and harassed just for wanting to play dungeons and dragons. Basically, Patty's issue is that she wants everyone to act the way she wants them to act and even dress how she wants them to dress. Parents freak out about the dumbest stuff. I'm 29 years old and I still have not forgotten how ridiculous my Mom was about me dying my hair black, wanting to get piercings done or etc. It's completely silly. All it is is feeling the loss of obsessive control. I wanna fight Patty lmao!

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] blankk23 12 years ago

To start with, because her short haircut was adorable.
Her longer hair was dated, and it dragged her face down.
Plus, in the Mothers episode, you see all of her female relatives, and they all have short hair. She was growing into the role of the older woman, trying to find the balance of being a mother but letting her daughters grow up.
But the only reason she needed was that the short haircut looked great.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] blankk23 11 years ago

As I said, the only reason she needed was that it looked great.

[–] BlackVelvetGlove 12 years ago

These are great responses. I wouldn't necessarily say that Patty was selfish, but I do think she was often self-absorbed, had control issues, and didn't know how to talk with Angela (of course, that's difficult with most teenagers). She was used to people catering to her because of her looks when she was younger; however, she also was insecure (because of being adopted, how her father treated her, balancing her feelings about growing older with parenting, etc.).

Because of her control issues and being used to having her way, I thought she tended to emasculate Graham and missed cues to his needs. That's why he would have gone forward with the affair with Hallie. While she was a self-described pain, Hallie listened to Graham and she was "in the now," whereas Patty was always obsessing over details and didn't respond to Graham, but expected him to listen to her ramblings and self-inflicted crises.

Still, I don't think Patty was a monster, either. She definitely had her faults as a mother and wife, but she was full of compassion when she saw suffering. She was human and humane.

---
"Will you be okay on the futon?"
"Oh, the futon. Isn't that Japanese for 'insomnia'?"

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] 12 years ago

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