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

[Annber03]

I've seen "Something So Right", too :D. My mom used to watch reruns of that show when it aired on the USA network. It was a cute show. And I definitely remember the scene Katy mentions from it.

[Bastet]

Cybill did good stuff about menopause, laughing at some of the physical stuff, but also skewering the ridiculous attitudes about it, and the pressure to just take the hormones and shut up about it.

[MaryMitch]

12 hours ago, Bastet said:

Cybill did good stuff about menopause, laughing at some of the physical stuff, but also skewering the ridiculous attitudes about it, and the pressure to just take the hormones and shut up about it.

She did entire episodes about going to herbalists to find natural ways to deal with symptoms.  Gosh, I loved that show!

The first time I remember "the change" being mentioned on TV was when Edith Bunker went through it on "All In The Family".  The normally appeasing Edith started arguing and fussing at Archie, to the point where he said he was TIRED of it and she should "CHANGE RIGHT NOW!"

[Jaded]

I loved Cybill. Wish it had lasted longer. That show handled a lot of real life situations well.

[Haleth]

37 minutes ago, Jaded said:

I loved Cybill. Wish it had lasted longer. That show handled a lot of real life situations well.

I still think the episode where she gave birth (screw you, Dan Quayle) is one of the funniest half hours on tv.

The stapler.  Lol 

[dargosmydaddy]

27 minutes ago, Haleth said:

I still think the episode where she gave birth (screw you, Dan Quayle) is one of the funniest half hours on tv.

That was Murphy Brown...

[Bastet]

Speaking of Murphy Brown and menopause, though, when it was decided that Murphy would battle a serious disease in the final season, a network exec suggested menopause.  Diane English had to explain that menopause is not a disease.

[Haleth]

8 hours ago, dargosmydaddy said:

That was Murphy Brown...

Oh my gosh, how did I mess that up?  Never mind. (Still one of the funniest half hours.)

[Sandman87]

On Friday, August 04, 2017 at 4:49 AM, Moose Andsquirrel said:

On screen, anyone waking up from a nightmare sits up in bed.  Does anyone really do that?

I've done that twice that I can remember.

[shapeshifter]

On August 4, 2017 at 6:49 AM, Moose Andsquirrel said:

On screen, anyone waking up from a nightmare sits up in bed.  Does anyone really do that?

My ex would jump up and down on the bed yelling. Does that count?

[janie jones]

On 8/4/2017 at 4:49 AM, Moose Andsquirrel said:

On screen, anyone waking up from a nightmare sits up in bed.  Does anyone really do that?

I have, exactly once in my life.  I have nightmares (apparently) relatively frequently, so I'm guessing that most people don't.

[topanga]

On 8/3/2017 at 8:59 PM, CoderLady said:

 

Adding on, women always stand still and scream their heads off when they unexpectedly come face-to-face with something horrible and/or dangerous. 

I've done that in dreams but never in real life. I wonder how I would react in that situation 

[CoderLady]

1 hour ago, topanga said:

I've done that in dreams but never in real life. I wonder how I would react in that situation 

Why it tweaks me so much -- besides the fact that male characters act instead of standing there doing nothing other than going off like a siren -- is that all they're doing is calling attention to themselves in dangerous situations. That always seems so utterly stupid that when the villain frequently pops up and shuts down the screamer in the most unpleasant way possible I'm not entirely sympathetic.  A shocked gasp followed by a rapid about-face and speedy retreat seems more realistic, but rare on TV. I wonder if women showing more of an inclination to self-preservation on TV might translate to real life, or if I'm overthinking this 'cause I'm feeling cranky today. 

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, CoderLady said:

Why it tweaks me so much -- besides the fact that male characters act instead of standing there doing nothing other than going off like a siren -- is that all they're doing is calling attention to themselves in dangerous situations. That always seems so utterly stupid that when the villain frequently pops up and shuts down the screamer in the most unpleasant way possible I'm not entirely sympathetic.  A shocked gasp followed by a rapid about-face and speedy retreat seems more realistic, but rare on TV. I wonder if women showing more of an inclination to self-preservation on TV might translate to real life, or if I'm overthinking this 'cause I'm feeling cranky today. 

When you're scared, you often don't think or act rationally.  Sometimes, you're body even betrays you.  I can give you a RL example of the opposite.  When we were kids, this man attempted to kidnap a friend of mine and her other friend.  Her friend got in the car when he said he had a gun and my friend took off running towards her house. She told me afterward that she tried to scream, she kept opening her mouth, but nothing would come out. so, I can see how you might want to run away,but all you can do is scream.  Your body is frozen with fear.

[Annber03]

And sometimes, when you encounter something scary, even if you know on some level you should probably turn and run, sometimes that whole, "can't believe I'm seeing this with my own eyes" thing kicks in, too. You want to look away but you can't, and want to make sure you're actually seeing what you think you're seeing. It's almost hypnotizing. 

[CoderLady]

Those are real life examples, but I'm bitching about what TV characters do. As far back as the black-and-white movie era women just stand there and shriek their fool heads off until the killer grabs them. That is, except for the ones who try to run but quickly just fall down and lie there helplessly until fate catches up. I'm just losing my tolerance for women being written as easy victims, because women characters who fight are IMHO thrilling as hell.

[shapeshifter]

I'm pretty sure that most episodes of Bones opened with a male character finding a disgustingly decomposed body part—often a head—which resulted in the male character screaming. I never thought about it before, but that was probably because the show also stars a strong, intelligent, fearless woman. 
Currently there are quite a few fearless female superheroes in the media; Wonder Woman and Super Girl come to mind.
But even before this current wave, Rizzoli and Isles have had quite a few seasons. The end of The Closer series had Brenda shoot the serial killer without any help from her FBI husband, who always seemed to be little more than arm candy. The spinoff series, Major Crimes, stars Mary McDonnell, aka Madam Airlock from Battlestar Galactica, who, in her role as Captain Raydor in the first season of Major Crimes on The Closer, safely took down a criminal with a beanbag gun before he could flee into a crowd.
And none of them scream in terror. So, cheer up, @CoderLady, times are changing in spite of the toads in seats of power.

As for me, IRL, I've screamed when attacked in a neighborhood where the attacker would have reason to fear people calling the police, but when attacked in a remote area, I distracted him just enough to get a few seconds to get away and then easily outran him.

Edited August 9, 2017 by shapeshifter
Wrong episode/series

[Anela]

2 hours ago, Katy M said:

When you're scared, you often don't think or act rationally.  Sometimes, you're body even betrays you.  I can give you a RL example of the opposite.  When we were kids, this man attempted to kidnap a friend of mine and her other friend.  Her friend got in the car when he said he had a gun and my friend took off running towards her house. She told me afterward that she tried to scream, she kept opening her mouth, but nothing would come out. so, I can see how you might want to run away,but all you can do is scream.  Your body is frozen with fear.

When something really scared me back in March, I felt like my feet were glued to the ground. (and there were no weapons involved - just a scary situation. I'd had a really hard week.) I was walking all heavy-footed, and wondering if I should call the police, googling for the phone number of the local police. I was out of it for days.

When we had a fire, four years ago, though, I just ran to the bathroom downstairs, soaked a large towel, and ran towards it. Luckily, putting it out (a bed was on fire, mostly the quilt - we were incredibly lucky). I got all shaky afterwards. 

Edited August 9, 2017 by Anela

[Bastet]

18 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

The spinoff series, Major Crimes, stars Mary McDonnell, aka Madam Airlock from Battlestar Galactica, who, in her role as Captain Raydor in the first season of Major Crimes, safely took down a criminal with a beanbag gun before he could flee into a crowd.

That was actually back in her Closer days (season seven's Death Warrant), but it was one of my favorite things ever on TV.  And your point stands -- then-Captain, now-Commander Sharon Raydor wouldn't scream in terror at anything.  Not even finding her living room full of Provenza's ugly household furnishings.

I think this another one of those Things That Sometimes Happen in Real Life, But Happen Far More Often on TV gripes, and it is, indeed, quite frustrating.  There may not be anything wrong with any given female TV character screaming her head off - not for help, not to scare the perp away, not in conjunction with or for a couple of seconds before taking action, just standing and screaming - given the circumstances (or even regardless of the circumstances since, as others have said, sometimes the mind/body responds in ways we wouldn't have expected and cannot control), but it is a problem when this is how so many women - and so few men - on TV respond to frightening/threatening situations.  There are pleasant exceptions, of course, and I do think the TV landscape in general is slowly but steadily improving on that front, but it remains a recurring annoyance.

[riley702]

Katy M, hope your friend's friend was OK!

[BoogieBurns]

On 7/18/2017 at 11:47 PM, methodwriter85 said:

When a girl gets her first period, it's always a major deal. There's a bit of trauma, including a talk from their mother (or mother figure adjacent), and there may or may not be some kind of celebration. There's also a good deal of angst as the tween girl realizes that she's no longer a little girl.

Because of this expected drama, I didn't tell anyone in my family for almost a year after getting my period. I have older sisters and just took their products without asking, they didn't seem to care. I wanted no one to ever know. I was the same with shaving my legs. I just shaved them with my sister's (unused) razors instead of telling my parents it "was time" for me to learn to shave. I feel like the two moments happen at a similar time in one's life, so I saw needing to shave as a way of admitting I got my period. 

90's sitcoms messed me up.

[Annber03]

I don't remember there being any big drama when those moments came around for me. I think I just told my mom I was ready for shaving and told her what I'd need when it came to periods and she was like, "Oh, okay" and that was that. 

I don't blame people for wanting to avoid that kind of potential drama and fanfare, though. It can be an awkward conversation in some ways, for sure, depending on how it's handled. 

[BoogieBurns]

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

I don't blame people for wanting to avoid that kind of potential drama and fanfare, though. It can be an awkward conversation in some ways, for sure, depending on how it's handled. 

My parents were divorced, so I figured my dad would know when I turned 30. I think my mom put the pieces together when I went from small sports bras to 34Ds. Hard to hide them thangs.

[Sandman87]

I know for a fact that my stepfather was terrified of the prospect of having "the talk" with me, and that would just be the easy guys' version. He never did get around to it. No big deal, since Mom had covered that back when I first announced that I had a girlfriend...when I was in first grade.

[Lugal]

My dad never did have the guy's version talk with me either.  But weirdly enough, we did have the Other Talk (that you never see on TV) where the P-word is PSA.

[Anela]

I don't remember having the talk. We had those embarrassing videos to watch in class, watching naked people run around on a beach, and then they had diagrams come up on the screen. So embarrassing, shared humiliation (and giggling, lots of giggling). 

[proserpina65]

12 hours ago, Anela said:

I don't remember having the talk. We had those embarrassing videos to watch in class, watching naked people run around on a beach, and then they had diagrams come up on the screen. So embarrassing, shared humiliation (and giggling, lots of giggling). 

My mother had the talk with me - it was all kinds of embarrassing.  Especially since I'd learned it all when I was 8 or 9 by reading a set of medical encyclopedias we had for some reason.

[BoogieBurns]

4 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

My mother had the talk with me - it was all kinds of embarrassing.

My mom had the talk with my sisters when I was too little. They said I'd get it once I was older. Guess who forgot to give me the talk. Youngest children get the short end of the parenting stick so often. We are forgettable at best.

[kiddo82]

Preach, @BoogieBurns

[Jamoche]

On 8/8/2017 at 3:23 PM, CoderLady said:

Why it tweaks me so much -- besides the fact that male characters act instead of standing there doing nothing other than going off like a siren -- is that all they're doing is calling attention to themselves in dangerous situations. That always seems so utterly stupid that when the villain frequently pops up and shuts down the screamer in the most unpleasant way possible I'm not entirely sympathetic.  A shocked gasp followed by a rapid about-face and speedy retreat seems more realistic, but rare on TV. I wonder if women showing more of an inclination to self-preservation on TV might translate to real life, or if I'm overthinking this 'cause I'm feeling cranky today. 

The very first scene of Miami Vice I ever saw: big bad guy grabs a young woman - a street missionary of some sort, because she's carrying a huge Bible. Does she scream? No. She reacts straight out of what I was teaching in my karate class - slams an elbow into him, then whomps him with the Bible when he doubles over.

I fell in love.

[andromeda331]

So...parents really did have the talk with their kids? I didn't think that was real. My mom never had the talk with me, I ask her a question once and she so completely thrown. I was in high school, taking health class and had a question. She was so shocked and all she said was we'd have a talk later. I told her it wasn't necessary I just had one question. Thanks to the halls of high school I heard a lot. Which seemed to surprise her and we never talked about it ever again. My friends' moms never had the talk with them either. I assumed that was only on TV.  

[riley702]

Mom never talked to me, either. And neither did the school in health class. Mom realized a couple of days into my first period when she found wrappers in the trash. She was very embarrassed and asked if there was anything I wanted to know. I said no and that was the end of it.

[Proclone]

On 8/12/2017 at 1:37 AM, andromeda331 said:

So...parents really did have the talk with their kids? I didn't think that was real. My mom never had the talk with me, I ask her a question once and she so completely thrown. I was in high school, taking health class and had a question. She was so shocked and all she said was we'd have a talk later. I told her it wasn't necessary I just had one question. Thanks to the halls of high school I heard a lot. Which seemed to surprise her and we never talked about it ever again. My friends' moms never had the talk with them either. I assumed that was only on TV.  

I find it very interesting how different everyone's experiences are.  I never had "the talk" with my mother, either.  Or at least I never had a formal talk with my mother.  If I had questions, my mother had no problem answering them and somethings I think I just may have learned by osmosis.  I don't remember a time when I didn't know what a woman's period was or that I was going to get it.  Nor was getting my first period in anyway traumatic.  I just got it, and told my my mom, who's response was, "I'll run out and get you pads."  I did have to a health class in fifth grade, where boys and girls were separated, where we were "taught about our changing bodies" and also how boys' bodies were different.  I can't remember learning anything earth shattering in that class either.  I had younger cousins who had no qualms about peeing in front of me so,, male anatomy was not a mystery to me.  I really had no desire to talk to my mom about sex (I was certainly more uncomfortable about it then she was and she'd tease me about being prudish) and I don't think we ever had a talk about specifics, but my mother always stressed that I never owed anyone anything and anything I chose to do should be completely my choice and whatever I chose to do I should be safe about.  Once again when she told me these things it was a formal sit down conversation, it was usually in response to something we watched together on TV or a story she was telling me about when she was growing up.  I think that was probably a more effective way to get the message across anyway, instead of making the both of us sit down for an uncomfortable talk.

[shapeshifter]

7 hours ago, Proclone said:

but my mother always stressed that I never owed anyone anything and anything I chose to do should be completely my choice and whatever I chose to do I should be safe about

Best. Sex talk. Ever. (On or off TV.)

[kiddo82]

On police procedurals:  The specialist commissioned by our team of fearless heroes to help solve the crime did it.  The arson expert that we never me before?  He set all the fires.  The FBI agent who just shows up and has dedicated her career to catching the X-killer?  Is the X-killer!  The kidnapping expert guy?  Has the congresswoman's daughter tied up in a cabin off the interstate.

[CoderLady]

9 minutes ago, kiddo82 said:

On police procedurals:  The specialist commissioned by our team of fearless heroes to help solve the crime did it.  The arson expert that we never me before?  He set all the fires.  The FBI agent who just shows up and has dedicated her career to catching the X-killer?  Is the X-killer!  The kidnapping expert guy?  Has the congresswoman's daughter tied up in a cabin off the interstate.

Every. Single. Time.

[Bastet]

Oh, speaking of law enforcement officers on TV:  Only on TV does every single pair/team of investigators include one who has apparently memorized the entire bible, so that when a killer scrawls a citation in blood (or carves it into his victim, etc; TV killers are particularly brutal and creative, yo), she/he can rattle off the content of the verse.  Hell, they don't even need the book to be listed; just a number can be left behind and they'll translate that to chapter and verse before reciting the text.

[2727]

So many throne rooms. Monarchs on TV idly spend their days lolling about on gold and velvet thrones amidst a roomful of guards, just waiting for someone to either bust in or be brought before him/her.

[ABay]

To be fair, in the one I was watching, the monarch was actually waiting for people he knew were coming. And he didn't spend all day on the throne; sometimes he was pouring them drinks and breaking their hearts. 

Edited August 19, 2017 by ABay
EMphasis. P.S. Thanks, whever went to the Costco and got light bulbs for the set.

[Rockstar99435]

On 8/11/2017 at 10:37 PM, andromeda331 said:

So...parents really did have the talk with their kids? I didn't think that was real. My mom never had the talk with me, I ask her a question once and she so completely thrown. I was in high school, taking health class and had a question. She was so shocked and all she said was we'd have a talk later. I told her it wasn't necessary I just had one question. Thanks to the halls of high school I heard a lot. Which seemed to surprise her and we never talked about it ever again. My friends' moms never had the talk with them either. I assumed that was only on TV.  

The only talk I got was when my mom turned to me in the car and said, "Don't you dare come home pregnant" and then changed the radio station and subject, and never mentioned it again.

[ChromaKelly]

You can get a job by just showing up at the place and acting like you work there. The manager will then sigh and say "OK, job is yours!".

[Danny Franks]

1 hour ago, ChromaKelly said:

You can get a job by just showing up at the place and acting like you work there. The manager will then sigh and say "OK, job is yours!".

That kind of happened to me as a teenager. My girlfriend worked in a coffee shop, and called me one day because she'd been left in the lurch by two other staff members. So I went down to help her out, just cleaning cups and clearing tables. She asked me to help out the following day too, and it just so happened that the area manager turned up that day. He had a brief chat with me, then asked if I wanted to keep working there and actually be paid for it. 

[shapeshifter]

2 minutes ago, Danny Franks said:

That kind of happened to me as a teenager. My girlfriend worked in a coffee shop, and called me one day because she'd been left in the lurch by two other staff members. So I went down to help her out, just cleaning cups and clearing tables. She asked me to help out the following day too, and it just so happened that the area manager turned up that day. He had a brief chat with me, then asked if I wanted to keep working there and actually be paid for it. 

Sitting at a table in that coffee shop was a future show writer. 

[ChromaKelly]

3 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

That kind of happened to me as a teenager. My girlfriend worked in a coffee shop, and called me one day because she'd been left in the lurch by two other staff members. So I went down to help her out, just cleaning cups and clearing tables. She asked me to help out the following day too, and it just so happened that the area manager turned up that day. He had a brief chat with me, then asked if I wanted to keep working there and actually be paid for it. 

Did the other co-workers get a mysterious phone call, then take their aprons off mid-shift and run out the door saying "I'm sorry, it's an emergency!" ?

[kiddo82]

Are we all going to receive our superpowers after the eclipse?  Isn't that how many origin stories go?  I think I'd want super speed/agility.  That always looks so cool.

[Chaos Theory]

12 minutes ago, kiddo82 said:

Are we all going to receive our superpowers after the eclipse?  Isn't that how many origin stories go?  I think I'd want super speed/agility.  That always looks so cool.

Only if you fell into green goo first or any of us have genetic mutations that have yet to be revealed.

::::Fingers crossed:;:::

[Katy M]

15 minutes ago, kiddo82 said:

Are we all going to receive our superpowers after the eclipse?  Isn't that how many origin stories go?  I think I'd want super speed/agility.  That always looks so cool.

If we ALL get superpowers, then nobody has superpowers.

[kiddo82]

Very true.  I hope I'm one of the ones though.

Edited August 21, 2017 by kiddo82

[ramble]

I'm going to rush out of work. "It's an emergency" and stand under the eclipse while twirling around singing "I believe I can fly." Who needs to worry about special glasses and mass hysteria when I'm about to power up! 

Edited August 21, 2017 by ramble

[Katy M]

1 minute ago, ramble said:

I'm going to rush out of work. "It's an emergency" and stand under the eclipse while twirling around singing "I believe I can fly." Who needs to worry about special glasses and mass hysteria when I'm about to power up! 

You totally live in my town, don't you?  Yo were the one skipping down the street a couple of years ago singing "I have a magic wand."