What An Idiot: Stupid TV Moments

[Spartan Girl]

We really don’t have TV version of this thread? Okay then, I’ll start one. What are some of the dumbest things you’ve seen a character on a show do ever?

While Homer Simpson would probably own this thread, I don’t think Marge gets enough crap for all the stupid and insensitive things she’s done and said, so I’ll start with a recent one from “Fan-ily Feud”: she thought it would be a good idea to run her mouth off about Homer to Ashlee Starling, the pop star whose fan army (which included Lisa) was torturing him because he said he didn’t like her…and then acted shocked that Ashlee used it to publicly humiliate Homer with a bad boyfriend music video.

No, Marge does not get off the hook because Ashlee got her drunk! Marge has done this kind of bullshit tons of times when she was stone cold sober. She had no business telling all that to someone she just met, let alone a famous person! That’s just stupid.

[Blergh]

If one wants to go back to vintage, then I think that the two who own this thread would have to be Theodor ' Beaver' Cleaver (of Leave It to Beaver (1957-1963) and Laura Ingalls ( of Little House on the Prairie 1974-1983). They constantly fall the lies and tricks of their respective nemeses Eddie Haskell and Nellie Oleson . However, I think Laura winds up being the dumber of the two because Beaver is somewhat pressured to try to be civil to Eddie due to Beaver's older brother Wally inexplicably considering Eddie to be his best friend while Laura has no such pressure but just stays gullible to Nellie's stunts right through the mud wrestling episode! Oh, and they both openly dislike their respective tricksters so it makes it all the more frustrating that they each continue to let their guards down and get scorched again and again!

[Zella]

3 hours ago, Blergh said:

Oh, and they both openly dislike their respective tricksters so it makes it all the more frustrating that they each continue to let their guards down and get scorched again and again!

I've ranted about this on the LHOTP thread numerous times, but I stopped feeling sorry for the entire Ingalls clan when it comes to the Olesons within a couple of season. Time and time again, the whole family keeps expecting Harriet and Nellie to act differently, only to be absolutely gobsmacked when they don't. This isn't rocket science or brain surgery, people! 

[JustHereForFood]

Catelyn Stark's decision to kidnap Tyrion in the first season of GoT turned out to be one of the more unfortunate ones. Then again, we wouldn't have the story otherwise, so it was an example of holding the idiot ball for plot reasons.

[Zella]

22 minutes ago, JustHereForFood said:

Catelyn Stark's decision to kidnap Tyrion in the first season of GoT turned out to be one of the more unfortunate ones. Then again, we wouldn't have the story otherwise, so it was an example of holding the idiot ball for plot reasons.

One of the things that I find interesting about Catelyn as a character is her decisions undertaken on their own are almost always really bad and indicate a complete lack of understanding of her world's politics (kidnap Tyrion), but her advice to other people is often quite sound and politely astute (don't trust Theon, don't backstab Walder Frey). 

[AimingforYoko]

To paraphrase Jessica Rabbit, she wasn't an idiot, she was written that way.

[Danielg342]

I'm going to copy and paste this (with some edits) from what I wrote in the "Oh HELL No!" thread because the winner of "TV Idiot of All-Time" to me will always be Fire Country's Bode Donovan Leone:

I've seen a lot of moments on TV that made me irate, but none have ever made me so mad that I decided to quit watching a show. Until now.

It's here I present the idiocy of the S1 finale of Fire Country.

Before I begin, I may have a detail or a few wrong because FC's writers wouldn't know "consistency" if it hit them in the face. Anyway, the story goes like this:

FC's main character is Bode (played by Max Thieriot, one of FC's executive producers and a co-creator), who once lived in the fictitious small California town of Edgewater until he made a choice that landed him in prison. To get his sentence reduced, he decides to volunteer for a state-run program where inmates are used to help fight fires. It's all gravy until he learns the program will send him to an inmate camp near his old hometown, where Bode has- supposedly- a ton of baggage.

Anyway, Bode settles in at this camp and makes a best friend along the way, a man named Freddy (played by the electric W. Tre Davis). For reasons that don't need to be expanded upon (because it will make your head hurt), Bode becomes a model inmate and a shining star at the camp, and, wouldn't you know it, Bode gets a parole hearing at the end of S1.

Meanwhile, Freddy is wrongfully convicted, because he couldn't provide his alibi that would take him away from the crime scene. Don't bother trying to figure out the details because the show didn't bother themselves. Anyway, two people agree to look into Freddy's case and they actually make progress. The first one was an inmate who was once a lawyer (and inexplicably killed off by the show) and the second was an Edgewater firefighter (named Eve) for reasons I still don't understand.

While that stuff is going on, Freddy and Bode fight numerous fires and are quite good at their jobs. Along the way, they meet some vagabond who hands them a bag of cash (containing tens of thousands of dollars).

Also along the way the inmate camp gets a new addition- a man named "Sleeper" (the show never gave him a name). Sleeper is heavily into drugs and drug running, and he continues his tricks at the camp. Bode tries to stop him, but Sleeper retaliates by trying to frame Freddy for the crime, but Bode foils that attempt.

Should be the end of the story, but, like the one-dimensional villain that he is, Sleeper promises Bode that "this ain't over"...and, sadly, it's not.

In the penultimate episode of the first season, Eve tells Freddy that, while she was able to find proof of his alibi, the courts are so backed up that the new trial date would only happen after his sentence concludes. So Freddy is resigned to his fate, even though going through with an appeal might actually benefit him (since he could clear his record).

We get to the final episode. Bode's parole hearing is coming up. However, a complication arises in that Bode- somehow- tested positive for drugs. What drug we're not told. Bode knows right away that Sleeper had something to do with it, but no one believes him (except Freddy).

That's not the only complication. Just before his parole hearing, an investigator comes up to him and accuses Bode of running a drug ring. Her only proof? Bode's failed test and that bag of money. This investigator also says that the delays in Freddy's appeal aren't due to a "court backlog" but the investigator's investigation, and if Bode would just fess up to running the drug ring, Freddy walks out of camp a free man.

What does Bode do?

Well, despite:

• Knowing the whole thing is a setup
• Invoking his right to an attorney
• Likely knowing the investigator has no actual proof that Bode ran a drug ring at the inmate camp (the show doesn't say that anyone else tested positive for "drugs", just Bode)
• The fact that Freddy's case is easy to solve, so the investigator can't hold up his appeal for that much longer
• The fact that Sleeper himself was caught red-handed dealing drugs since he was caught on camera doing so (the show did make that clear)

Despite all that...Bode decides to use his parole hearing to fess up to his non-existent crime and go back to regular jail, just so Freddy can be released.

The show tried to frame this as a "noble sacrifice", but all it did was make Bode look incredibly stupid. Bode knows a few more weeks' worth of investigating- proper investigating- would reveal Sleeper's involvement and Freddy gets to walk out a free man anyway.

Plus Freddy could get a lawyer himself and get the investigator off his trail because the investigator has no proof that Freddy was involved at all, apart from being Bode's best friend.

So why did Bode make his choice? I can only surmise it's because the writers- and Thieriot- wanted to have this big "angsty" moment where the writers think they're being clever by ripping away Bode's happy ending from under his nose. All so Thieriot make his best attempt at crying and looking sad (which occurred at the end of the episode) so he can get that Emmy.

I can only hope the Emmy committee would look past that obvious pile of hubris.

Could the show bounce back in S2 and make up for this metaphorical train wreck? Maybe, but the odds are not high. Bode's decision means that the same story that played in S1- where Bode had to repair all the bridges he burned in Edgewater- is going to play in S2, since his "confession" burned all those bridges again.

Having sat through shows who have hit "the reset button" before, I know those narratives don't end well, so it's highly unlikely I'll return to this slog. 

[Spartan Girl]

A bunch of characters from the new Accused show belong on this thread. Specifically the mom who decided to take the fall from her son who killed the conspiracy theory bitch harassing their family instead of letting him tell the truth. Especially when both his age and his emotional state—and the general awfulness of the “victim”—could have been mitigating factors in how much time he would have received.

But no, far better for her to confess to the crime and let him spend the rest of his life knowing his mother is in prison for the crime he committed. That’ll solve all his problems! 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

[Blergh]

1 hour ago, Spartan Girl said:

A bunch of characters from the new Accused show belong on this thread. Specifically the mom who decided to take the fall from her son who killed the conspiracy theory bitch harassing their family instead of letting him tell the truth. Especially when both his age and his emotional state—and the general awfulness of the “victim”—could have been mitigating factors in how much time he would have received.

But no, far better for her to confess to the crime and let him spend the rest of his life knowing his mother is in prison for the crime he committed. That’ll solve all his problems! 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

That kind of reminds me of one of the most infuriating L.A.Law  (1986-1994) episodes in which an old millionaire gets murdered and his estranged daughter appears to have done the deed- and the firm get hired by his much-younger widow to gather evidence during the stepddaughter's murder trial . But what they find is that it was the widow herself who murdered the old millionaire AND  was framing the estranged daughter. .but rather than immediately go to the authorities with the evidence, they approach their client who immediately threatens to SUE them for $26 million in damages (the late husband's estate)  if they don't play along and help her to railroad her innocent stepddaughter- and instead of telling her that they're willing to take the chance to call her bluff (and point out that few if any judges would have sided with her)  they actually participate in a televised press conference in which she gloats about having the stepddaughter imprisoned . Yep, rather than actually show ANY guts (much less brains)  and try to investigate legalities  to cover themselves while preventing an evil person (albeit a client)  from profiteering from a murder AND framing & railroading an innocent person, the minute she threatens to sue them, they turn tail and chicken out! ARRGGHHH!!!!!!!!! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Spartan Girl]

Chucky: Jake thinking that a brainwashed Chucky could be genuinely good and not revert back to evil once the brainwashing wore off. That proved to bite him in the ass in a big way--RIP Nadine.

[Blergh]

OK, to bring some humor back to this subforum, I'd like to nominate Mr. Theodore J. Mooney (Gale Gordon)  of The Lucy Show (1962-1968)for a classic nomination in this category. Almost as soon as he'd met Lucy Carmichael (Lucille Ball)  (whose monthly allowance from her late husband for herself and their kids, the banker Mr. Mooney was responsible for managing) and he'd sniffed at her latest attempt at an advance, she 'accidentally' locked him in a bank vault for two days (after having gotten herself out after one day). This was but the first of many mishaps and abuses he'd endure at her hands in their hometown of Danfield, New York before the show's format drastically changed in 1965. Long-short is that Lucy's longtime co-star Vivian Vance had gotten remarried and living in Connecticut with her last husband which meant that she had to commute to LA to film the show. Miss Vance got tired of doing this while still being the show's 2nd banana and rather unpleasantly parted ways as a permanent cast member of the show. Someone at the network told Lucille (the star AND the Desilu Executive Producer) that the network would pay her MORE money for an existing but drastically revamped show. Hence, she got her writers to concoct the following changes for her character:

Over the course of the summer of 1965, Viv had met and married a 2nd time and moved out of the Danfield house AND Lucy's teen daughter was in college in LA while her preteen son had gotten admitted to military school in LA. This got Lucy to sell her Danfield house and move to LA into a studio efficiency one-bedroom apartment . .and she soon ran out of money. In no time flat, she wound up having to seek a job so  who wound up hiring her as his secretary despite his own loud misgivings? Who else but Mr. Mooney himself who'd taken a bank exec job saying he'd been given the choice between 'the state of California or the state of unemployment'!  Yes, and in addition to remaining a trouble-prone character, Lucy quickly proved to be a very incompetent, tardy, and unprofessional employee!   Yet, Mr. Mooney not only hired her but, despite frequently bellowing 'Mrs. CARR-michael, you're FI-I-ERD!!', he inevitably would RE-hire her for the rest of the show's run!

Yes, I get that Mr. Gordon was a major asset to the show and Lucy wanted to keep him (and, in fact, those two got along great offcamera) but it still staggered the mind they couldn't come up with a better way to keep him as a regular!

 I have to admit that when I was a kid, it was fun seeing Lucy get the curmudgeonly Mr. Mooney's goat. However, having been in the workforce for many decades with a slew of unprofessional, tardy and incompetent fellow employees, I have to admit being a LOT more sympathetic to Mr. Mooney's plight but now I think that, via him knowing what she was (in)capable of yet still hiring AND rehiring her, he was definitely a contender for the Sitcom Dumbbell Award!

 

[magicdog]

On 6/25/2023 at 4:49 PM, Blergh said:

but rather than immediately go to the authorities with the evidence, they approach their client who immediately threatens to SUE them for $26 million in damages (the late husband's estate)  if they don't play along and help her to railroad her innocent stepddaughter- and instead of telling her that they're willing to take the chance to call her bluff (and point out that few if any judges would have sided with her)  they actually participate in a televised press conference in which she gloats about having the stepddaughter imprisoned . Yep, rather than actually show ANY guts (much less brains)  and try to investigate legalities  to cover themselves while preventing an evil person (albeit a client)  from profiteering from a murder AND framing & railroading an innocent person, the minute she threatens to sue them, they turn tail and chicken out! ARRGGHHH!!!!!!!!! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm no legal eagle, but I think that's grounds for disbarment isn't it?

[Blergh]

8 hours ago, magicdog said:

I'm no legal eagle, but I think that's grounds for disbarment isn't it?

Possibly but they could have at least tried to fight it. Moreover, during the course of the show, most if not all the legal eagles were depicted doing some borderline if not outrightly illegal stunts. Hence, that they turned tail instead of making the slightest attempt to defend themselves against an evil sociopath - to say nothing of trying to save an innocent person from being framed and railroaded for a murder she didn't commit was maddening- and stupid!

[proserpina65]

13 hours ago, Blergh said:

Possibly but they could have at least tried to fight it. Moreover, during the course of the show, most if not all the legal eagles were depicted doing some borderline if not outrightly illegal stunts. Hence, that they turned tail instead of making the slightest attempt to defend themselves against an evil sociopath - to say nothing of trying to save an innocent person from being framed and railroaded for a murder she didn't commit was maddening- and stupid!

They could've been disbarred for going along with their client's outrageous actions, at least in the real world.

Edited July 5, 2023 by proserpina65

[Spartan Girl]

Everything Andrea did in season 3 of The Walking Dead. Her willful blindness about the Governor, even when she finally saw his room of heads, her “both-siding” her own group, blaming Michonne instead of taking responsibility for her own actions..all that and she had the nerve to act shocked that her friends didn’t welcome her back with open arms! 

And to top it all off, when she’s trapped in the basement with the dying Milton, she apparently thought it was more important to just yak about everything than, you know, free herself ASAFP before Milton turned! Being a moron is the ZA is going to get you killed, and she learned that the hard way.

[Zella]

2 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

Everything Andrea did in season 3 of The Walking Dead. Her willful blindness about the Governor, even when she finally saw his room of heads, her “both-siding” her own group, blaming Michonne instead of taking responsibility for her own actions..all that and she had the nerve to act shocked that her friends didn’t welcome her back with open arms! 

And to top it all off, when she’s trapped in the basement with the dying Milton, she apparently thought it was more important to just yak about everything than, you know, free herself ASAFP before Milton turned! Being a moron is the ZA is going to get you killed, and she learned that the hard way.

I never liked Andrea in that show. She was so smug yet so stupid. I used to visibly recoil when I saw her in stuff afterward because I hated her character so much in The Walking Dead. LOL I ended up rather liking her in The Americans, which is funny because that character has its own baggage, but thinking of her as Renee rather than Andrea helped me immensely when I see the actress. 

[Spartan Girl]

And while on the subject on that show, it really would have saved everyone a LOT of trouble had Lori just let Shane leave when he wanted to. He tried to rape her at the CDC, she knew he was growing obsessed with her! But no, beg him to stay for “emotional support” and just go on pretending like their hookup never happened. I’m sure that won’t leave him mixed signals or anything! 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

[Blergh]

OK, here's another classic sitcom nom: Maxwell Smart of Get Smart (1965-1970) who worked with alluring 99 for years, married her and even sired twins with her- yet somehow NEVER learned her actual name- not even when her clueless mother came to visit (and somehow never uttered her own daughter's name).

[magicdog]

2 hours ago, Blergh said:

Maxwell Smart of Get Smart (1965-1970) who worked with alluring 99 for years, married her and even sired twins with her- yet somehow NEVER learned her actual name- not even when her clueless mother came to visit (and somehow never uttered her own daughter's name).

THIS!  I loved this show (saw it on reruns and my Dad not only watched it first run, he could still laugh at it decades later!) but I think even Max deserved to know 99's real name.  The fact that her mother appeared, one would think she would have used her name at least once - even a nickname!  I guess TPTB were afraid of taking all the mystique out of the couple by revealing it. 

I remember an episode in which 99 was engaged (it was actually another job to catch a Kaos spy) and her name was revealed as "Susan Hilton", only for her to reveal by episode's end that it wasn't her real name.  I think it would have been fair if it had been whispered to Max so that only he knew it after they married.

[Blergh]

5 hours ago, magicdog said:

THIS!  I loved this show (saw it on reruns and my Dad not only watched it first run, he could still laugh at it decades later!) but I think even Max deserved to know 99's real name.  The fact that her mother appeared, one would think she would have used her name at least once - even a nickname!  I guess TPTB were afraid of taking all the mystique out of the couple by revealing it. 

I remember an episode in which 99 was engaged (it was actually another job to catch a Kaos spy) and her name was revealed as "Susan Hilton", only for her to reveal by episode's end that it wasn't her real name.  I think it would have been fair if it had been whispered to Max so that only he knew it after they married.

I agree! They could have had her (and/or the Chief) whisper it to Max who could have then cracked  a joke like 'and I thought Walburga would have missed it by that much but that one  truly takes the cake!' (letting  the viewers try to imagine a more unwieldy name for 99).

[merylinkid]

6 hours ago, magicdog said:

I think it would have been fair if it had been whispered to Max so that only he knew it after they married.

Did .... marriage licenses not exist?   Did the cleric performing the ceremony say "Do you Agent 99 take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband."

I get it.  It was a sitcom and it was a schtick, but some of them defies belief.   There's suspension of belief and then there's ... the title of this thread.

[Blergh]

3 hours ago, merylinkid said:

Did .... marriage licenses not exist?   Did the cleric performing the ceremony say "Do you Agent 99 take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband."

I get it.  It was a sitcom and it was a schtick, but some of them defies belief.   There's suspension of belief and then there's ... the title of this thread.

During the wedding service, when the minister asked 99 if she took Max to be her lawfully wedded husband, right when she was supposedly uttering her name the focus cut to someone on the floor SNORING (which got the laugh track amused while infuriating the viewers).  Oh, and 99's mother was an honored guest but somehow throughout the service avoided the utterance of her daughter's name (and no one referred to her as  'Mrs.  Such-and-Such' just '99's Mother').

Yep you said it ' and then there's the title of this thread'!

[Wiendish Fitch]

On 6/25/2023 at 8:02 AM, Blergh said:

If one wants to go back to vintage, then I think that the two who own this thread would have to be Theodor ' Beaver' Cleaver (of Leave It to Beaver (1957-1963) and Laura Ingalls ( of Little House on the Prairie 1974-1983). They constantly fall the lies and tricks of their respective nemeses Eddie Haskell and Nellie Oleson . However, I think Laura winds up being the dumber of the two because Beaver is somewhat pressured to try to be civil to Eddie due to Beaver's older brother Wally inexplicably considering Eddie to be his best friend while Laura has no such pressure but just stays gullible to Nellie's stunts right through the mud wrestling episode! Oh, and they both openly dislike their respective tricksters so it makes it all the more frustrating that they each continue to let their guards down and get scorched again and again!

Piggy-backing off this point, what the Everlasting Gobstopper HELL is up with TV kids inviting the class bullies-their established enemies-to their parties?? On Doug, both Doug and Patti invited Roger-you know, loud and proud class bully- to their respective parties!

Why?! Roger torments them (especially Doug) ever chance he gets, and it's pretty clear that neither Doug nor Patti even like him!! Similarly, Carmen invited the Glamazons to her slumber party on Popular, even though Nicole is basically a sociopath and Mary Cherry her eager minion (oh, and the party goes exactly as well as you'd expect it to)!

Again.... WHY?!?!

Now, it could be that I'm a bitter ol' crabapple who all but has a death grip on grudges, but when I was a kid, you can bet dinner and a dessert that I was not about to invite kids who were mean to me to my damn house! My home is my sanctuary, and I'm not going to let just any asshole cross its threshold! How strongly do I feel about this? Even to this day, I would never invite my school bullies to my house! I don't care if they've changed, those wounds still feel fresh, you jerks!

Ahem.

Anyway, it's dumb.

[Spartan Girl]

20 minutes ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

On Doug, both Doug and Patti invited Roger-you know, loud and proud class bully- to their respective parties!

Why?! Roger torments them (especially Doug) ever chance he gets, and it's pretty clear that neither Doug nor Patti even like him!! Similarly, Carmen invited the Glamazons to her slumber party on Popular, even though Nicole is basically a sociopath and Mary Cherry her eager minion (oh, and the party goes exactly as well as you'd expect it to)!

Again.... WHY?!?!

I think the answer can be summed up by Spaceballs:

[Mabinogia]

5 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

Now, it could be that I'm a bitter ol' crabapple who all but has a death grip on grudges, but when I was a kid, you can bet dinner and a dessert that I was not about to invite kids who were mean to me to my damn house!

I would rather not have a party than have to invite people I hated to it. Then again, I never cared if the other school kids liked me and spent most of my time with my teachers. 

I mean, obviously it's done in tv for the drama (if it's a teen drama) or hijinx (if it's a comedy) but I agree, if you invite a bully to your party, don't be surprised if they go around bullying you and your actual friends. I am not victim blaming, but also, don't be an idiot. If I don't want to get murdered I'm not going to invite the stranger with the axe into my home, and if I don't want to get bullied even more than I am at school, I am not inviting the school bully into my home. It isn't going to stop the bullying. 

[Zella]

4 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

I would rather not have a party than have to invite people I hated to it. Then again, I never cared if the other school kids liked me and spent most of my time with my teachers. 

You and I probably would have gotten along well as children. I usually found other kids annoying and much preferred the company of adults. When I was 6, I was at a family event and having a grand old time sitting with the adults and listening to them. One of my great-uncles was worried I was being excluded and asked me if I wanted to go play ball with the other kids. I was so horrified with the suggestion. I asked him why would I want to do that, and he just nodded and patted me on the head. I later found out he needed to go wander off where I couldn't see him, so he could laugh his ass off at how solemn and offended I was about the prospect of being forced to play with other kids. LOLOL 

Edited August 1, 2023 by Zella

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, Zella said:

You and I probably would have gotten along well as children. I usually found other kids annoying and much preferred the company of adults.

I enjoyed being with one or two friends, or occasionally a small group, but I found large groups of kids annoying and would gravitate to the adults.  I definitely spent more time with adults than the average kid.

I remember when I was about 20 years old, visiting relatives on a long weekend that coincided with a kid's birthday party.  Most people were outside, but a group of us - mostly adults, a couple of kids, probably 10 total - were around a big kitchen table.  At some point, my mom looked around and noted that all of us at that table, kid and adult, were only children and/or the parents of only children (my mom was both).  And yep, that would have been me had I attended that party as a kid, too -- play for a while, but then wander into the house and hang out among the adults.

Edited August 1, 2023 by Bastet

[Zella]

20 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I enjoyed being with one or two friends, or occasionally a small group, but I found large groups of kids annoying and would gravitate to the adults.  I definitely spent more time with adults than the average kid.

I remember when I was about 20 years old, visiting relatives on a long weekend that coincided with a kid's birthday party.  Most people were outside, but a group of us - mostly adults, a couple of kids, probably 10 total - were around a big kitchen table.  At some point, my mom looked around and noted that all of us at that table, kid and adult, were only children.  And yep, that would have been me had I attended that party as a kid, too -- play for a while, but then wander into the house and hang out among the adults.

I was okay with one-on-one, and those tended to go better. It's also my preference as an adult. I have tended to have a much better social life as an adult in general, though it may not seem that way to someone very extroverted. I was a pretty weird kid but not in a way that other kids apparently find appealingly weird. LOL I wasn't even bullied. I was just ignored. I don't even think they were necessarily trying to be mean a lot of times. As an adult, that exact same personality is apparently much less off-putting if you find the right group of nerds. I was completely gobsmacked when I got to college and found out people existed who wanted to hang out with me. I was, however, not an only child.

Edited August 1, 2023 by Zella

[Anduin]

11 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

Piggy-backing off this point, what the Everlasting Gobstopper HELL is up with TV kids inviting the class bullies-their established enemies-to their parties?? On Doug, both Doug and Patti invited Roger-you know, loud and proud class bully- to their respective parties!

Why?! Roger torments them (especially Doug) ever chance he gets, and it's pretty clear that neither Doug nor Patti even like him!! Similarly, Carmen invited the Glamazons to her slumber party on Popular, even though Nicole is basically a sociopath and Mary Cherry her eager minion (oh, and the party goes exactly as well as you'd expect it to)!

I remember hearing a few years ago, that for primary school kids, it was the done thing to invite all the kids in your class to your bday party. But I agree with everyone else. I would never do that! Never invite people I disliked.

[Zella]

4 minutes ago, Anduin said:

I remember hearing a few years ago, that for primary school kids, it was the done thing to invite all the kids in your class to your bday party. But I agree with everyone else. I would never do that! Never invite people I disliked.

I agree with not being compelled to invite everyone in class. But I don't think you should rub it in the noses of the uninvited kids by passing out the invites in front of them. Yes it does happen. I think there's a balance to be had between making sure there are people you actually want there and not being mean to the other kids who don't fit that. 

Edited August 1, 2023 by Zella

[Blergh]

This deal of inviting bullies and pains to parties got me to thinking about an episode of Clifford the Big Red Dog I once caught (2000-2003) [yes, I know I was a bit old to watch it but I had liked the books as a kid so I had to see how these played out]. Anyway, there was an episode in which Clifford's extra nice human Emily Elizabeth had a party and the whole time her rather snotty acquaintance Jetta kept putting it down as somehow being beneath her and blowing off Emily Elizabeth's invites. You see ,Jetta was planning her OWN party that she was sure was going to be THE shindig of the year. OK, I thought since she'd blown off Emily Elizabeth's initial invite that meant that Emily Elizabeth was off the hook- especially since Jetta had been her usual rude self in rejecting the invite. Meantime, no one showed up at Jetta's shindig [surprise!] and Jetta was starting to get a bit . .. humbled by this. Did Jetta learn that she'd reaped what she'd sown for being such a snobby pill? Nope because somehow goody-goody Emily Elizabeth decided to check up in Jetta , saw Jetta had wallflowered herself and issued a last-minute invite- which Jetta accepted! OK, Jetta played nice for the last minute of the episode as she let herself enjoy Emily Elizabeth's party  but she went back to being a snobby pill right by the time of her next episode! One would have thought that via caring for such a HUGE canine that Emily Elizabeth would have understood that it was best to just let sleeping dogs lie re folks like Jetta and that them accepting one's invite was on THEIR call rather than the invitee's mission to try to keep them from being hurt via their own hubris . ..but no.

I hated the concept that if you don't keep  going out of your way to keep extending yourself to snobby pills,etc, then YOU alone are a bad person because you didn't keep giving them chances to try to redeem themselves.

Edited August 1, 2023 by Blergh

[Wiendish Fitch]

19 minutes ago, Blergh said:

I hated the concept that if you don't keep  going out of your way to keep extending yourself to snobby pills,etc, then YOU alone are a bad person because you didn't keep giving them chances to try to redeem themselves.

I completely agree. It's called the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated. 

[Spartan Girl]

I get being the bigger person, but there is a fine line between compassion and doormattery. Just like in Tangled the Series when Cassandra stabbed everyone in the back for stoooopid reasons, and yet Rapunzel still bent over backwards to try to “save” her, even when all of Corona almost was destroyed because of her. I love Rapunzel, but girl COME ON. 

Anyway, I’d also like to add everything that Nick Fury did in Secret Invasion. Turns out using an alien race for your own spy network (after failing to get them a planet of their own) and using Avengers DNA for your own super serum will both come back to bite you in the ass.

Seriously, what the HELL is up with the MCU? Fury used to be on top of things, and now he’s a Game of Thrones-level idiot!!

Edited August 1, 2023 by Spartan Girl

[Shannon L.]

I've never seen Gilmore Girls, so I decided to watch the pilot and first episode yesterday.  I'm interested enough to keep watching for now, but I can't believe that they wrote that Lorelai, a woman smart enough to run an inn, didn't know how much money she'd have to pay up front before Rory could start at the private school. Who doesn't understand the financials before even applying to a school like that?

[GHScorpiosRule]

12 hours ago, Anduin said:

I remember hearing a few years ago, that for primary school kids, it was the done thing to invite all the kids in your class to your bday party. But I agree with everyone else. I would never do that! Never invite people I disliked.

Oh yeah, this brings back memories. BUT. I was the kid who was bullied, beaten, and mocked, from 1st-6th grade. But for the birthday party I had (first grade, the parents had the "party" and it was with kids of our community friends, family and it was great from what I can remember) in the 4th grade, I only invited a handful of friends, and some friends who were kids of people we knew and socialized with and who were my friends.

7th and 8th were just as bad. Except the small lining was I didn't get my ass kicked. By the time I hit high school for the 9th grade, well, I was in the Outdoors Club (hiking, rock climbing, camping), and it was also filled with 90% of the ROTC guys (mostly sophomores to seniors), so no one MESSED with me. I was their "adopted" kid sister. What can I say? I got along better with guys than girls. 

I think I talked about his in the Everything Else forums, so I'll stop here before it gets too off topic. But yeah, watching shows where bullies are invited or treated as not the assholes they are, peeves me to no end. 

Edited August 1, 2023 by GHScorpiosRule

[Notabug]

39 minutes ago, Shannon L. said:

I've never seen Gilmore Girls, so I decided to watch the pilot and first episode yesterday.  I'm interested enough to keep watching for now, but I can't believe that they wrote that Lorelai, a woman smart enough to run an inn, didn't know how much money she'd have to pay up front before Rory could start at the private school. Who doesn't understand the financials before even applying to a school like that?

If you keep watching, you will discover Lorelai does that kind of stuff all the time.  I guess having grown up with wealthy parents who provided well for her, she never was able to understand the concept of needing money to pay for things and would get all bent out of shape if she wasn't accommodated because she really did think she was the bee's knees.

[Shannon L.]

57 minutes ago, Notabug said:

If you keep watching, you will discover Lorelai does that kind of stuff all the time.  I guess having grown up with wealthy parents who provided well for her, she never was able to understand the concept of needing money to pay for things and would get all bent out of shape if she wasn't accommodated because she really did think she was the bee's knees.

Good point- I didn't think of that. 

[Spartan Girl]

Ah @Shannon L. I could fill a whole thread about the many stupid (and selfish) things Lorelei’s done…but I think I’ll just let you watch more episodes first. 😉 

Edited August 1, 2023 by Spartan Girl

[Spartan Girl]

Okay, I know I already mentioned Tangled the Series and how stupid Rapunzel was for relentlessly trying to redeem Cassandra when she no longer deserved it, but Cassandra was even more of an idiot. She knew what Gothel did to Rapunzel and how the abduction messed up not only Rapunzel’s life but also her parents too.

And yet the second Cassandra found out she was Gothel’s daughter, she automatically decided to betray everyone, blaming Rapunzel for the fact that her mother abandoned her—despite the fact that her she was a literally infant and Gothel was an evil bitch and a shitty mother to boot. Oh, and that she suddenly has more faith in an evil spirit clearly manipulating her for her own plans than the friends she’s known throughout the whole show?!

Not to mention all this was suddenly one giant microaggression for how jealous she was of being second best to Rapunzel. Bitch, you got adopted by the captain of the guards and had a nice normal childhood while Rapunzel was locked in a goddamn tower! Who had the rawer deal here?!

It was so OOC for Cassandra, who up til then had been so sensible and level headed. Yet I guess being evil means throwing away all your brain cells as well. 

[meep.meep]

How is Utred son of Utred, the main character in The Last Kingdom not front and center in this thread?  I'm about halfway through the second season and in every episode so far he's managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, just by getting angry at the wrong time.  He even jokes about his stupidity at one point.

[proserpina65]

19 hours ago, meep.meep said:

How is Utred son of Utred, the main character in The Last Kingdom not front and center in this thread?  I'm about halfway through the second season and in every episode so far he's managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, just by getting angry at the wrong time.  He even jokes about his stupidity at one point.

Between Uhtred being Uhtred and Alfred constantly thinking he can just jerk Uhtred into line every time he needs him to keep Wessex alive (and it's a lot), the first season and a half is sometimes a bit of a slog.  It does get better, however.  I mean, Uhtred still Uhtred's all over the place, and Alfred is still kind of inflexible about his Christian vision and how everyone including Uhtred just HAS to fit into it, but their actions aren't always quite as stupid and well, the interaction of the characters makes up for it.  Plus, you get the Finan/Sihtric/Osferth team which brings the humor the show definitely needs.

But yeah, Uhtred does belong here.

[Blergh]

Another classic comedy one coming up from The Beverly Hillbillies (1962-1971) is when they had Phil Silver as Shifty John Shafer who made the Clampetts to be his personal cash cows that he kept milking but they kept coming back for more! ARGHH!

OK, I actually liked Mr. Silver in his earlier series and, yes, he played a charming con to the hilt. However, the main premise of the Clampetts was that they were naive rubes who not only had struck it rich BUT they also had 'country sense' and somehow outsmarted the greedy snob Mr. Drysdale and others who thought they were easy pickings. So for them to fall for Shifty John's schemes again and again but keep coming back for more trashed their characters and turned them from being naive but shrewd to being willfully ignorant punching bags who embodied the saying 'a fool and his money is soon parted!' What were the writers THINKING?! Yes, I know that they somehow squeaked by without having him cheat them out of ALL of it but that didn't make his 'wins' via ill-gotten gains funny. Jethro maybe once in the early years but Elly May, Granny and even JED falling for these cons over and over? Bogus- and about as funny as seeing a puppy keep wagging its tail and trailing after someone who did nothing but kick it! LOATHED that storyline!

[magicdog]

13 hours ago, Blergh said:

However, the main premise of the Clampetts was that they were naive rubes who not only had struck it rich BUT they also had 'country sense' and somehow outsmarted the greedy snob Mr. Drysdale and others who thought they were easy pickings.

To be fair, Mr. Drysdale came from humble rural origins himself and earlier in the series was actually kind to them (he did get flanderized by the color seasons but that happens to a lot of characters when they've been on too long).  It was his wife who was the real snob of the family.  

[Blergh]

7 hours ago, magicdog said:

To be fair, Mr. Drysdale came from humble rural origins himself and earlier in the series was actually kind to them (he did get flanderized by the color seasons but that happens to a lot of characters when they've been on too long).  It was his wife who was the real snob of the family.  

I'll grant that re Mr. Drysdale himself but at least he didn't constantly swindle the Clampetts sans consquences AND have them keep coming back for more- unlike the infuriating Shifty John.

Ironically enough, the cast  adored Harriett MacGibbon (1905-1987)offstage who played Margaret Drysdale but weren't all entirely chummy with Raymond Bailey [1904-1980](Milburn Drysdale).

[Zella]

I love Margaret Drysdale as a character. She makes me laugh so hard. Especially the look on her face anytime her plots to rid herself of these burdensome hillbillies blow up in her face. 😂😂😂

[ABay]

Those who, like me, were bullied in school, I offer this clip from Sarah Millikan.

 

[andromeda331]

13 hours ago, ABay said:

Those who, like me, were bullied in school, I offer this clip from Sarah Millikan.

 

That was hilarious. Great email back. Love the title for the ugly duckling and the bit about the glasses. So true.

[Shannon L.]

8 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

That was hilarious. Great email back. Love the title for the ugly duckling and the bit about the glasses. So true.

That's why one of my favorite moments in Wonder Woman is when Steve is trying to make Diana look a little less conspicuous and puts a pair of glasses on her and Etta says with an eye roll, "Spectacles?  Really?  And suddenly she's not the most beautiful woman you've ever seen?"

[Wiendish Fitch]

That Sarah Millican bit deserves legendary status! The nerve of that woman, trying to worm her way back into Millican's life as if nothing happened. People are unbelievable. Glad Millican was having none of it. 

 

[Quof]

Sarah Millican is fabulous, allow yourselves a trip down the YouTube rabbit hole.