Faux Life: Things That Happen On TV But Not In Reality

[Ohiopirate02]

1 hour ago, Dimity said:

On the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, the mother, Marie is an obsessive clean freak but even though she spends most of her time cooking and cleaning she is always dressed to the nines with every hair in place.  Except in the one episode where she is depressed.  In that one she is shown eating store bought (the horror) donuts and wearing a wrinkled and probably food stained robe.  

One thing I will give the wardrobe department of ELR credit for is how relaxed the characters's wardrobes were, well except for Debra after Patricia Heaton did her whole body makeover in the later seasons.  Marie was always dressed neatly, but the show had her wear the same blouses and earrings in multiple episodes.  She even mixed and matched them in different episodes, sometimes she wore her cherry earrings with her cherry-printed blouse other times she wore them with a different one.  She was neatly dressed, but never overdressed.  And in that one episode where she is in her bathrobe during the afternoon was the one where Frank lost his sense of taste.  She was having an identity crisis in her own Marie way.  Not to mention Frank had previously joked in more than one episode that the reason why he stayed married to Marie was her cooking.  

[Notabug]

28 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

One thing I will give the wardrobe department of ELR credit for is how relaxed the characters's wardrobes were, well except for Debra after Patricia Heaton did her whole body makeover in the later seasons.  Marie was always dressed neatly, but the show had her wear the same blouses and earrings in multiple episodes.  She even mixed and matched them in different episodes, sometimes she wore her cherry earrings with her cherry-printed blouse other times she wore them with a different one.  She was neatly dressed, but never overdressed.  And in that one episode where she is in her bathrobe during the afternoon was the one where Frank lost his sense of taste.  She was having an identity crisis in her own Marie way.  Not to mention Frank had previously joked in more than one episode that the reason why he stayed married to Marie was her cooking.  

Marie also dressed in clothing that was typical of her age and economic status.  The stuff she wore looked like the stuff that middle aged women could purchase at a reasonable cost for everyday wear.  So often, on TV, we see the women dressed in clothing that is far too expensive and/or formal/ and/or fragile for their lives.  Sex and the City was big on that.  I have no idea where Carrie would've stored her hundreds of pairs of designer shoes in her tiny apartment. let alone been able to explain how she could afford them.  Even on the Golden Girls, they were overdressed for the occasion most of the time, wearing stuff for everyday that most women would save for special occasions.  And no woman, except maybe a prime minister or the first lady, would ever need that many coordinated dressy outfits in the first place.

[Dimity]

1 hour ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

One thing I will give the wardrobe department of ELR credit for is how relaxed the characters's wardrobes were, well except for Debra after Patricia Heaton did her whole body makeover in the later seasons. 

So true!  And  they rewore the same clothes from episode to episode which is something that always makes me twitchy in shows where the characters are not meant to be wealthy but seem to have Veronica Lodge's clothes closet!

Speaking of Debra and dresses badly when depressed there was the episode where she thinks the women of the PTA are critical of her clothing choice so we see her slumped on the sofa in a sweat suit eating IIRC a bag of chips.  Well I don't want to shock anyone posting here but that ensemble was way closer to what I wear around my house most days than anything else Debra wore (not that she overdressed, but tight pants or skirts with nylons for hanging out in the house are definitely not happening around here!)

Edited April 29 by Dimity

[proserpina65]

On 4/27/2024 at 7:42 AM, Haleth said:

Imagine Jack Bauer saying, "Eh, I'll finish up tomorrow," and we get to watch him sleep for the next 8 episodes.

I wanted to see him spend an entire episode in traffic just once.

 

Edited April 29 by proserpina65

[Haleth]

47 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I wanted to see him spend an entire episode in traffic just once.

 

The 405 at rush hour. 🤣

[Angeltoes]

18 hours ago, Dimity said:

I always get a kick out of how well dressed the average woman is when she's supposedly kicking back and relaxing at home.

You rarely see a character in bare feet.

[SoMuchTV]

12 minutes ago, Angeltoes said:

You rarely see a character in bare feet.

Or a household where folks take their shoes off indoors. I know not everyone does, but surely it’s more common than you see on tv. 

[Ohiopirate02]

14 minutes ago, Angeltoes said:

You rarely see a character in bare feet.

That costs extra, and I'm not going to say anymore.

[Raja]

8 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

That costs extra, and I'm not going to say anymore.

I have to ask, on set safety or wiki feet has to pay a license fee?

[Quof]

27 minutes ago, Angeltoes said:

You rarely see a character in bare feet.

Boring fact - that's because the floors on television sets aren't safe for bare feet.

[Unclejosh]

I think the shoes off thing is a cultural or regional thing. I am 51 and I have never ever been to a house or residence that asked to take shoes off before entering. I only had 1 rich relative growing up who had 1 specific room called the white room with all white plush carpeting and a grand piano that you couldn't wear shoes in but every other part of the house was fine. In Massachusetts, suburbs of Boston.

[Raja]

3 hours ago, Unclejosh said:

I think the shoes off thing is a cultural or regional thing. I am 51 and I have never ever been to a house or residence that asked to take shoes off before entering. I only had 1 rich relative growing up who had 1 specific room called the white room with all white plush carpeting and a grand piano that you couldn't wear shoes in but every other part of the house was fine. In Massachusetts, suburbs of Boston.

True, but then again TV characters are now more multicultural than ever. I'm not suggesting an establishing shot to remove shoes like Jack Webb as a public service took a broadcast second  and showed Officers Reed and Malloy buckle up in 1970, but just walking around the house in their slippers/flip flops.

Right now indoor shoes only seems to come into play when cops are dealing with a diplomat who are trying to get them off of their soil.

Edited April 30 by Raja

[Dimity]

1 hour ago, Unclejosh said:

I think the shoes off thing is a cultural or regional thing. I am 51 and I have never ever been to a house or residence that asked to take shoes off before entering. I only had 1 rich relative growing up who had 1 specific room called the white room with all white plush carpeting and a grand piano that you couldn't wear shoes in but every other part of the house was fine. In Massachusetts, suburbs of Boston.

I always figured it was a Canadian thing. I don't think I've been anywhere in Canada where people wore shoes in the house but I think the American homes I've visited they were commonly worn.  Of course this is a sample of not all that many! 

[Zella]

My American family is a mix of both. I run around barefoot all the time because I'm a hillbilly. My grandparents are hillbillies too, but since they didn't have money for shoes growing up, shoes are a point of pride for them, and it baffles them that I don't wear them much.

[SoMuchTV]

3 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

Or a household where folks take their shoes off indoors. I know not everyone does, but surely it’s more common than you see on tv. 

I actually notice it most when I see women going about their normal household stuff in their heels or chunky boots. I mean, I don’t have a big problem with wearing shoes in the house, but why not go for something more comfortable?

[Ohiopirate02]

35 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

I actually notice it most when I see women going about their normal household stuff in their heels or chunky boots. I mean, I don’t have a big problem with wearing shoes in the house, but why not go for something more comfortable?

The only time I wear my heels or chunky boots in the house is right after I buy them, and I need to break them in.  I'm also wearing thick socks to aid in the process.

[Trini]

4 hours ago, Quof said:

Boring fact - that's because the floors on television sets aren't safe for bare feet.

Yeah, it's a workplace safety issue.

[ETA:] If you do see bare feet, it's usually NOT a scene where the characters are walking around.

Although, I have seen a few shows occasionally have characters in cozy socks as a compromise.

Edited April 30 by Trini

[Kel Varnsen]

5 hours ago, Angeltoes said:

You rarely see a character in bare feet.

Quentin Tarantino doesn't direct a lot of TV.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

8 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

That costs extra, and I'm not going to say anymore.

Alicent, is that you?

[andromeda331]

Patricia Heaton's character on the Middle was such the opposite of ELR Frankie was always in comfortable clothes when she was home. Her going out later at night usually depended on whether she wanted to put her bra back on. In one episode they have to go look for their kids and she's happy when Mike picks the car that has a bra already in it. 

The house is always a mess. At one point their neighbor calls the cops because she thought they had been robbed. Nope, it was the same mess it always was. Frankie's too embarassed to tell her neighbor and the cops that it was normal. She decides the family is going to clean out their house and donate a bunch of stuff. But the cops find it and assume it's the stuff that was stolen during the "robbery".

Similar to Debra on ELR Frankie is a terrible cook but relies on take out food to feed her family. On the rare times she does cook her kids think their being punished. They'd rather starve.

Edited April 30 by andromeda331

[Browncoat]

There was an episode of The West Wing where Mandy (I think) was walking around in bare feet.  At some point, we got to see the bottoms of her feet, and they were absolutely filthy.  I don't remember which episode that was, though.

[Raja]

There was an episode of The Punisher, then on Netflix, where a barefoot character was a punchline to a joke. So I guess show runners/directors choosing to break safety is on a case by case basis. Sort of like saving a single F bomb to keep a film under a "R" rating

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, Browncoat said:

There was an episode of The West Wing where Mandy (I think) was walking around in bare feet.  At some point, we got to see the bottoms of her feet, and they were absolutely filthy. 

It was Amy, and that's what often happens, as set floors are notoriously dirty.  So then there's all sorts of "Ew, her feet!" commentary, making it understandable as an uncommon occurrence on TV.  I have no problem with more people keeping their shoes on in the house on TV than I see in real life, but it is distracting to me when characters put shod feed up on the bed. 

[JustHereForFood]

I don't understand why do people make it into an issue of outdoor shoes vs. bare feet like those are the only two options. Do they not sell slippers in the US or what?

[Quof]

In the early days of the pandemic, Canadian singer songwriter Jann Arden tweeted "Things I never thought I would say 'I have a load of slippers in the wash' ".  

I love slippers. 

[Mabinogia]

12 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

Her going out later at night usually depended on whether she wanted to put her bra back on.

That is me every time I have to go grocery shopping on the weekend, thinking "how much do I really need bread, can't I just eat the tuna out of the can?" because I'm in my pjs, and while they could technically pass as clothes I just can't bring myself to go out braless. lol

I'm a slippers or comfy socks person. I don't care if people wear shoes in my house, but I tend to sit cross-legged or with one foot under me, or curled up in my chair and sitting with a shoe up your butt isn't comfy. I am the anti-Tarentino as barefeet repulse me, so I tend to think too many people on tv go barefoot. 

I'm always amazed when it's clearly winter, cold, they are in warm cozy pjs, but running around in bare feet, like, dude, put socks on and you won't be half as cold. (and I won't have to keep looking away to avoid seeing your feet!) 

[andromeda331]

I live in my slippers.

[Browncoat]

As soon as the temperature moderates in the spring, and until it starts to get cold in the fall, I am barefoot in my house.  In the winter, it's usually socks and slippers (or house shoes as we say in these here parts).  I don't go barefoot outside except at the beach, although when I was a kid, I was barefoot outside most of the time in the summer.  I did wear shoes to ride bikes.

[Bastet]

28 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

but I tend to sit cross-legged or with one foot under me, or curled up in my chair and sitting with a shoe up your butt isn't comfy.

I wouldn't think so (I am always barefoot in the house, so I have not personally experienced it), so that's the other instance in which characters leaving their shoes on distracts me.

17 minutes ago, andromeda331 said:

I live in my slippers.

I don't own any, or a robe, so that's another thing I notice (and I think it's been discussed here before) -- how many characters have robe and slippers at the ready as soon as they get out of bed.  That's certainly not an only on TV thing, just another thing where it happens a lot more than I am used to seeing in real life.

[ABay]

I've never had a robe and didn't wear slippers until last year when my cat developed incontinence. So many wet socks. OTOH, my feet were never cleaner because I was washing them a few times a day until I got slippers.

Edited May 1 by ABay

[BlueSkies]

I liked/definitely still like Eddie Winslow from Family Matters.  He always seemed deep down a good person despite what trouble he would get into....  which leads me to a lot of episodes involve him getting grounded/punished by his Dad.  If you added up all his punishments...  he would have been grounded his whole life!

[Unclejosh]

At home I don't typically keep my outside shoes on unless I am doing work which requires support or I am going in and out constantly. I don't like being in bare or socked feet. I have to either wear slippers that resemble shows with solid soles and full foot coverage or I wear my crocs occasionally.

As a kid I was barefoot a lot more but once I got older my sensory issues got worse and I just do not like being barefoot at all. I sleep with socks on too most of the time unless it is really hot or I showered before bed.

[Zella]

4 hours ago, JustHereForFood said:

I don't understand why do people make it into an issue of outdoor shoes vs. bare feet like those are the only two options. Do they not sell slippers in the US or what?

I know people who do, including some relatives, but I don't wear slippers myself. I always found them super uncomfortable. I have big feet, too, so the idea of spending even more time finding something to fit doesn't appeal to me. 😂

[Ohiopirate02]

14 hours ago, Bastet said:

I don't own any, or a robe, so that's another thing I notice (and I think it's been discussed here before) -- how many characters have robe and slippers at the ready as soon as they get out of bed.  That's certainly not an only on TV thing, just another thing where it happens a lot more than I am used to seeing in real life.

My bathrobe lives on a hook in my bathroom, so it is ready every morning for me.  I mostly wear it after my shower, but when we have company or I know I am going to hibernate on the couch in the morning with my coffee I will put it on.  Bathrobes come with something that most pajamas for women lack--pockets.  

[proserpina65]

17 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

I live in my slippers.

I almost exclusively wear slippers at home, unless it's really hot and then I go barefoot.

2 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Bathrobes come with something that most pajamas for women lack--pockets.  

Unfortunately the robe I wear most of the time, except when it's really cold in the winter, does not have pockets.

[DXD526]

I never, ever, go barefoot. Outdoors it's shoes or sneakers, and indoors, flip-flops or slippers, depending on the temperature. Never barefoot, except in the shower or bed. It genuinely makes me uncomfortable to see anyone on TV going barefoot.

[Notabug]

27 minutes ago, DXD526 said:

I never, ever, go barefoot. Outdoors it's shoes or sneakers, and indoors, flip-flops or slippers, depending on the temperature. Never barefoot, except in the shower or bed. It genuinely makes me uncomfortable to see anyone on TV going barefoot.

Having had heel spurs, I rarely go barefoot myself.  The pain is much worse without footwear.

[Affogato]

21 hours ago, Zella said:

I know people who do, including some relatives, but I don't wear slippers myself. I always found them super uncomfortable. I have big feet, too, so the idea of spending even more time finding something to fit doesn't appeal to me. 😂

I have indoor sneakers. 

[Zella]

15 minutes ago, Affogato said:

I have indoor sneakers. 

Too much shoe for my taste inside, but if I had to pick between sneakers or slippers, I would pick the sneakers. 

[Shannon L.]

I've been to different cities over the years,  I've lived right off off of Hollywood Blvd and I've never seen groups of prostitutes hanging out. And, the few that I've seen haven't been wearing most of what I see on tv either. But, maybe I just haven't been by the right areas. 

[Raja]

10 minutes ago, Shannon L. said:

I've been to different cities over the years,  I've lived right off off of Hollywood Blvd and I've never seen groups of prostitutes hanging out. And, the few that I've seen haven't been wearing most of what I see on tv either. But, maybe I just haven't been by the right areas. 

They were all over Sunset with men on Santa Monica until the 1984 Olympics cleanup. Somehow they never returned in the pre Olympics numbers 

[Ohiopirate02]

1 hour ago, Shannon L. said:

I've been to different cities over the years,  I've lived right off off of Hollywood Blvd and I've never seen groups of prostitutes hanging out. And, the few that I've seen haven't been wearing most of what I see on tv either. But, maybe I just haven't been by the right areas. 

I remember visiting my older brother's girlfriend in Richmond, Va. back as an undergrad. I would have to drive by the stretch of road where the trans sex workers in order to get to her place.  I knew they were definitely sex workers, but they worked alone not in groups.  They definitely were wearing clothing that signaled their profession.  I actually did not immediately see they were trans until my brother pointed it out.  I'm a 5'10 ciswoman, most trans women don't initially read as trans to me especially when it's at night and I am driving by them.

[DoctorAtomic]

I like how "I go barefoot in my house in the summer but love my slippers when it gets cold" segues neatly into "there were sex workers on the way there".

fwiw, I have a regular office (not a cubicle), so I change into slippers when I get in. Very common practice when I was in Japan. It's nice in the winter when you have to wear boots. 

And I actually chatted up some trans sex workers when I was in Hawai'i while I was out and about. 

Somehow I feel I should I win something because I have accounts of both. 

[Raja]

1 minute ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I like how "I go barefoot in my house in the summer but love my slippers when it gets cold" segues neatly into "there were sex workers on the way there".

Well TV of today is different from TV of the 70s when I remember the pimp Rooster on Baretta and ex pimp Huggy Bear on Starsky and Hutch as friendly characters.

[proserpina65]

On 5/3/2024 at 7:57 PM, Shannon L. said:

I've been to different cities over the years,  I've lived right off off of Hollywood Blvd and I've never seen groups of prostitutes hanging out. And, the few that I've seen haven't been wearing most of what I see on tv either. But, maybe I just haven't been by the right areas. 

Some friends and I went to an Orioles home game about 10 years ago and got lost trying to get to I-95 afterwards.  At one point we passed a group of such ladies on a corner near the Block.  The driver, annoyed at his wife's suggestion to stop and ask for directions, mockingly suggested we ask them.  Thing is, they'd probably would've known, although they'd have charged us for the info, I'm sure.

On 5/3/2024 at 10:26 PM, Raja said:

Well TV of today is different from TV of the 70s when I remember the pimp Rooster on Baretta and ex pimp Huggy Bear on Starsky and Hutch as friendly characters.

I forgot about Rooster - my parents didn't watch Baretta much - but I remember Huggy Bear very well.

[Browncoat]

37 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

Some friends and I went to an Orioles home game about 10 years ago and got lost trying to get to I-95 afterwards.  At one point we passed a group of such ladies on a corner near the Block.  The driver, annoyed at his wife's suggestion to stop and ask for directions, mockingly suggested we ask them.  Thing is, they'd probably would've known, although they'd have charged us for the info, I'm sure.

 

[Raja]

3 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

 

I forgot about Rooster - my parents didn't watch Baretta much - but I remember Huggy Bear very well.

What I didn't remember about Rooster was that he started as a flamboyant gay man who was transformed into a pimp in the next season. Huggy was much better known. I wonder if he was a pimp in the pilot movie? I know that in the last episode of Starsky and Hutch that I saw they had him hook up with one of his ex workers and then she got murdered and the detectives were racing a vigilante Huggy Bear to get the murderer.

[proserpina65]

19 hours ago, Browncoat said:

 

I definitely would not have denied a hardworking woman payment for her time.  I'd gladly have paid for directions at that point in the nightmare.

[merylinkid]

On 4/30/2024 at 5:12 PM, Mabinogia said:

I just can't bring myself to go out braless. lol

That's me.   My husband does not understand it.   Especially in winter, "you're wearing a sweatshirt and will have a coat on, no one will know."   He doesn't get that the bra is not just for coverage.

On the other hand, he is an indoor/outdoor sneaker person while I am barefoot in the house as soon as its warm enough.   When its cool I wear slippers.   I will even go out on the deck barefoot, although the number of times I have had to hop around because of how hot the boards were is a non-zero number.

[andromeda331]

People especially cops are such work alcholics if they have a medical procedure or surgery. They'll work right up until it's time for the procedure or surgery. Then they will leave immediately out afterwards. If the hospital staff won't let them leave they'll just leave on their own. Yanking out IVs and other stuff and leaving. No matter how serious it is to do so or how much pain.