Season 10: All Episode Talk

[Emily Thrace]

I wonder if any of the researchers mentioned to Megan Mullally that Elisabeth and Richard probably came to America because of the Great Famine. She did say she wanted to know the root of her family's dysfunction I'd say that is a likely candidate. I can see how the show might have edited it out since the show has had a couple of episodes that dealt the Famine and it fallout already.

Elizabeth would have been around 7 when the famine hit and Richard 9 or 10 it obviously had a profound effect on them. At a bare minimum it meant they moved countries and left everything behind. More likely they went from a rural life in Ireland to a slum in New York or Montreal and lost most of their families along the way. The Famine has been compared to The Holocaust in terms of upheaval and loss inflicted on its victims. It likely helped fuel the alcoholism in Elizabeth and her husband. That's something that's heartbreaking about these shows sometimes how things reverberate over the generations. It been 171 years since The Great Famine came to Ireland and Megan is arguably still feeling its affects on her family.

Something else I wondered about "Richard" is if that was actually his name. I don't see how even taking into account an accent and illiteracy you get Ira from Richard. (It actually makes less sense in an Irish accent) I wonder if it was actually Padraic or something like Aloysius that got anglicized to Richard.

Edited May 30, 2018 by Emily Thrace
Bad at math

[sempervivum]

17 hours ago, meep.meep said:

But I was appalled at her taste in clothing.  I'm the queen of comfy clothes but that red sweatshirt with the monkey heads?  And the sweater with the giant swan?  What was she thinking?

That top was cat heads, I think, not monkeys! But yeah, she seems to be a 'Noted Kook', as the Fug Girls call them. Startling, since I only know her from Will and Grace, where Karen is usually severely tailored (though low cut) and always in dark colors.

I was expecting something more interesting for Meghan, this was just another 'history repeats itself' episode. I would like to have heard her talk about the way her own ambition and wealth had given her the freedom of choice her ancestors lacked. (Not that rich women never marry abusive men...)

[alexa]

In some ways I liked the Meghan episode because she actually was able to learn some personal details that seemed to repeat itself in her family history.  It was a nice change from some of the other stories, but certainly not a happy story...

[chitowngirl]

20 hours ago, Emily Thrace said:

Something else I wondered about "Richard" is if that was actually his name. I don't see how even taking into account an accent and illiteracy you get Ira from Richard. (It actually makes less sense in an Irish accent) I wonder if it was actually Padraic or something like Aloysius that got anglicized to Richard.

One of the researchers said that through other documents, we know that Ira and a Richard were the same person.

[Yeah No]

18 hours ago, sempervivum said:

That top was cat heads, I think, not monkeys! But yeah, she seems to be a 'Noted Kook', as the Fug Girls call them. Startling, since I only know her from Will and Grace, where Karen is usually severely tailored (though low cut) and always in dark colors.

I was expecting something more interesting for Meghan, this was just another 'history repeats itself' episode. I would like to have heard her talk about the way her own ambition and wealth had given her the freedom of choice her ancestors lacked. (Not that rich women never marry abusive men...)

Yep, the sweater was cat heads for sure.  I agree about Megan being a kook.  I wasn't thrilled with either her or her episode.  The only reason I know her is from a short-lived talk show she had on NBC back in 2006.  Why they picked her and her whiny voice to host a talk show is beyond me.  I remember after it was cancelled (after only 4 months) one of the criticisms was that fans were expecting her to be more like her character on "Will and Grace", which she is not.  I never watched that show so I don't have any opinion on that.

I almost thought she was going for a running dark humor "joke" about the inter-generational wife abuse on her father's side of the family.  Too bad it was anything but funny.

One thing I think they should have brought out is that alcoholism and wife abuse was rampant in the latter half of the 1800s, which is what gave rise to the temperance and the women's movement, and also Prohibition.  At least give that aspect of her family history some historical context and not make it seem like it was only about how messed up her father's side of the family was.

[Yeah No]

I liked Hillary Duff's episode, but it was a lot like other episodes where they get all fascinated finding out they're descended from royalty 22 generations ago.  It was an interesting history lesson, but even Blackbeard himself couldn't really rescue this from being a little bit of a snooze-fest, and I like history.  They had her zig-zagging back and forth to Virginia so many times she even joked about it and my husband made a drinking contest out of it, loudly proclaiming "VIRGINIA" and tipping his wine glass every time it was mentioned, lol.

I think most people of European descent are probably descended from Royalty somewhere along the line.  I do like Hillary, though.  She has a modest, poised way about her that's very attractive.   I like her on her role on "Younger", which probably not-so-coincidentally is starting its 5th season tomorrow.

[rhys]

I found HD's episode very interesting but wondered if she was unread or playing a bit of a part for the episode. "Who is this Blackbeard fellow? " And "Who is Robert the Bruce?" Yikes 

not that I know details about those 2 but she made it sound like that was her first time reading both names.

[kassygreene]

8 hours ago, Yeah No said:

...

I think most people of European descent are probably descended from Royalty somewhere along the line.  I do like Hillary, though.  She has a modest, poised way about her that's very attractive.   I like her on her role on "Younger", which probably not-so-coincidentally is starting its 5th season tomorrow.

Here's a good analysis of being descended from European royalty.  (It helps if the Royal in question was randy.)

[iMonrey]

See . . . Hilary Duff's episode is exactly the kind of episode I'm tired of seeing. Now, I realize people watch this show for different reasons, so it just depends on what you like to see. But for me, this was just an excuse to give us a little history lesson. I'm not interested in hearing about some Scottish battle that took place in the 1300s. And sure, it's sort of neat that she can trace her lineage all the way back to Robert the Bruce. But it's so far removed from Hilary herself it just doesn't feel personal, at all. By her own admission her mother grew up poor so the fact that she could trace her lineage back to a Scottish king has zero affect on her life. There is no real connection there - and the show knows that, on some level, because they don't even SHOW us how that connection is made. They start with her mom's parents then move a few spots up the tree, then just dissolve upwards a few generations until the find the person they want to tell a story about.

This episode was contrasted by the repeat of Christina Applegate's directly afterwards, and that's the kind of episode I really enjoy. It's immediate, it's personal, there's a real connection with real consequences. It's a mystery that's finally solved. It's not "let's just meander around the family tree until we hit on someone interesting enough to tell a history lesson about."

[Granny58]

I really liked the connection of Hillary to Robert the Bruce.  I even saved it to show my husband.  I loved the irony that her mother was looked down upon as a "nothing" when she was descended from a king.   However, I was very annoyed at the way she finished people's sentences for them.  

[morgan]

I am not fussy and generally like most episodes.  I am working on my and my husband’s family trees and I can relate to so much that is found in the more personal and more historical episodes.  The thing that stood out to me about Hilary Duff’s, other than how cool it was so be able to trace back so far, was where the went in Scotland/where Robert the Bruce is buried, is where I believe my 3x great grandparents came from.  So for me it was cool to see a bit of the town.

Edited June 5, 2018 by morgan

[Yeah No]

4 hours ago, iMonrey said:

See . . . Hilary Duff's episode is exactly the kind of episode I'm tired of seeing. Now, I realize people watch this show for different reasons, so it just depends on what you like to see. But for me, this was just an excuse to give us a little history lesson. I'm not interested in hearing about some Scottish battle that took place in the 1300s. And sure, it's sort of neat that she can trace her lineage all the way back to Robert the Bruce. But it's so far removed from Hilary herself it just doesn't feel personal, at all. By her own admission her mother grew up poor so the fact that she could trace her lineage back to a Scottish king has zero affect on her life. There is no real connection there - and the show knows that, on some level, because they don't even SHOW us how that connection is made. They start with her mom's parents then move a few spots up the tree, then just dissolve upwards a few generations until the find the person they want to tell a story about.

I agree completely.  So far I'm a little underwhelmed this season in the personal connection category.  Even on Brooke Shields' episode a few years ago they at least went on about her grandmother and some really personal stuff in her family before they ended on how she's related to royalty at the end like a cool footnote.  Surely this show is capable of better, because they've already done better, so what's the problem this season?  

[absolutelyido]

5 hours ago, iMonrey said:

See . . . Hilary Duff's episode is exactly the kind of episode I'm tired of seeing. Now, I realize people watch this show for different reasons, so it just depends on what you like to see. But for me, this was just an excuse to give us a little history lesson. I'm not interested in hearing about some Scottish battle that took place in the 1300s. And sure, it's sort of neat that she can trace her lineage all the way back to Robert the Bruce. But it's so far removed from Hilary herself it just doesn't feel personal, at all. By her own admission her mother grew up poor so the fact that she could trace her lineage back to a Scottish king has zero affect on her life. There is no real connection there - and the show knows that, on some level, because they don't even SHOW us how that connection is made. They start with her mom's parents then move a few spots up the tree, then just dissolve upwards a few generations until the find the person they want to tell a story about.

This episode was contrasted by the repeat of Christina Applegate's directly afterwards, and that's the kind of episode I really enjoy. It's immediate, it's personal, there's a real connection with real consequences. It's a mystery that's finally solved. It's not "let's just meander around the family tree until we hit on someone interesting enough to tell a history lesson about."

I watched the Christina Applegate episode for probably the third time last night. I still cried. I just lose it when they discover that her paternal grandmother had purchased a burial plot for Christina's father even though his mother hadn't seen him since he was very young. And then when they show that they purchased a headstone for the family plot that didn't have one. Very compelling episode.

[Emily Thrace]

6 hours ago, iMonrey said:

See . . . Hilary Duff's episode is exactly the kind of episode I'm tired of seeing. Now, I realise people watch this show for different reasons, so it just depends on what you like to see. But for me, this was just an excuse to give us a little history lesson. I'm not interested in hearing about some Scottish battle that took place in the 1300s. And sure, it's sort of neat that she can trace her lineage all the way back to Robert the Bruce. But it's so far removed from Hilary herself it just doesn't feel personal, at all. By her own admission her mother grew up poor so the fact that she could trace her lineage back to a Scottish king has zero affect on her life. There is no real connection there - and the show knows that, on some level, because they don't even SHOW us how that connection is made. They start with her mom's parents then move a few spots up the tree, then just dissolve upwards a few generations until the find the person they want to tell a story about.

 I feel like when the show does the personal stuff it can veer into manipulative or even schmaltzy. That's a big part of why I quit Long Lost Family.  I don't really care about the celebrities themselves that much so their part of the story is only a bonus. I like learning about the history and how it impacts people and moves them around more than anything. This show gives history a story and face in a way a History Channel documentary doesn't. It also tends to focus on the personal things like what peoples beliefs were and how many kids they had rather than just their deeds and military records. 

19 hours ago, rhys said:

I found HD's episode very interesting but wondered if she was unread or playing a bit of a part for the episode. "Who is this Blackbeard fellow? " And "Who is Robert the Bruce?" Yikes 

not that I know details about those 2 but she made it sound like that was her first time reading both names.

Robert the Bruce I understand. I'm Canadian and we don't mention him in school so I doubt the US does. I know who he is because I read about Scottish history and Braveheart is one of my Mom's favourite movies. Hillary Duff is a little young to have watched that movie. 

Blackbeard is a little odder since she mentioned the Pirates of the Caribbean and Blackbeard is a villain in the fourth movie. I wonder if maybe she was just surprised that he was an actual person and not someone Disney made up.  Or she never saw the fourth movie

[Suzn]

I really disliked the Hilary Duff episode.  She seemed so dim and uneducated.  I was tired of hearing how everything was "amazing" and "insane".

I agree with others who don't like when it turns into a history lesson with very little personal connection to the celebrity.  I realize that many people seem to want  to find royalty and famous people in their ancestry, but when it is so many generations removed, it is barely any connection at all.  Mathematically 21 generations back would result in a  minuscule genetic sharing. If Robert the Bruce's descendants had even small families, there would be millions of people who could claim him as an ancestor - hardly anything worth getting excited about.

The more personal stories can get too sentimental and the celebrities are too quick to appropriate the good qualities of ancestors as explanation of why they are so brave, adventurous and strong. at least there is some possibility of genetically shared traits.

The Christina Applegate episode was a strong contrast with Hilary Duff's.  She was able to fill in the history of her father's life in a way that had real meaning.

I  do enjoy the ones covering early days of this country because I have ancestors who arrived in Massachusetts in the mid-1600s.  Anything that illuminates the lives of those people is always interesting and a balance of history and personal stories are the best.

[Lovecat]

On 6/5/2018 at 12:25 AM, rhys said:

I found HD's episode very interesting but wondered if she was unread or playing a bit of a part for the episode. "Who is this Blackbeard fellow? " And "Who is Robert the Bruce?" Yikes 

not that I know details about those 2 but she made it sound like that was her first time reading both names.

 

15 hours ago, Emily Thrace said:

Robert the Bruce I understand. I'm Canadian and we don't mention him in school so I doubt the US does. I know who he is because I read about Scottish history and Braveheart is one of my Mom's favourite movies. Hillary Duff is a little young to have watched that movie. 

Blackbeard is a little odder since she mentioned the Pirates of the Caribbean and Blackbeard is a villain in the fourth movie. I wonder if maybe she was just surprised that he was an actual person and not someone Disney made up.  Or she never saw the fourth movie

 

10 hours ago, Suzn said:

I really disliked the Hilary Duff episode.  She seemed so dim and uneducated.  I was tired of hearing how everything was "amazing" and "insane".

Bless her heart, Hillary Duff's little brain sure was working hard, but her child star tutor/tour bus education just didn't serve her very well in this endeavor.

It was like having another Chris O'Donnell...sorry, I just can't get over him standing at Fort McHenry, being spoon-fed the story of Francis Scott Key and the Star-Spangled Banner, and STILL NOT GETTING IT.  

[luna1122]

23 hours ago, iMonrey said:

See . . . Hilary Duff's episode is exactly the kind of episode I'm tired of seeing. Now, I realize people watch this show for different reasons, so it just depends on what you like to see. But for me, this was just an excuse to give us a little history lesson. I'm not interested in hearing about some Scottish battle that took place in the 1300s. And sure, it's sort of neat that she can trace her lineage all the way back to Robert the Bruce. But it's so far removed from Hilary herself it just doesn't feel personal, at all. By her own admission her mother grew up poor so the fact that she could trace her lineage back to a Scottish king has zero affect on her life. There is no real connection there - and the show knows that, on some level, because they don't even SHOW us how that connection is made. They start with her mom's parents then move a few spots up the tree, then just dissolve upwards a few generations until the find the person they want to tell a story about.

This episode was contrasted by the repeat of Christina Applegate's directly afterwards, and that's the kind of episode I really enjoy. It's immediate, it's personal, there's a real connection with real consequences. It's a mystery that's finally solved. It's not "let's just meander around the family tree until we hit on someone interesting enough to tell a history lesson about."

Me too, on everything you just said here. Christina Applegate's episode is the most compelling of all seasons to me...haunting and heartbreaking. I don't care much about the long ago historical stuff. Yay, I'm related to some royalty. Meh, whatever. I liked Megan Mullaley's for the same reason: it was personal, it felt relevant and actually important for her to know, like a piece of a puzzle. Those are the episodes I love.

[Suzn]

Quote

Bless her heart, Hillary Duff's little brain sure was working hard, but her child star tutor/tour bus education just didn't serve her very well in this endeavor.

LOL!

It's just cringe-worthy when the episode is removed from any personal connection and they choose to give a history lesson to someone who has not one single clue.

[iMonrey]

I also noticed that the Scottish guy who was so excited to show her her family tree going back to Robert the Bruce said "If this were the 13th century you'd be a princess! I feel like I should bow!"

Um . . . no. Assuming she were still 22 generations removed from a former king, even  in the 13th century, she would not be a princess. I'm not sure what the hell that guy was talking about unless he meant "if you were alive in the 13th century but were the daughter of this guy, or the granddaughter of this guy, instead of 22 generations removed from him, then you'd be a princess." But, that would be true even today, so WTF.

[zoey1996]

We watched Hillary Duff's episode last night.  I live in Williamsburg, Virginia, so I was excited to see that portion of the show.  Also liked that her mother's family,

who weren't highly regarded in contemporary times, actually had a colonial lieutenant governor and Robert the Bruce in there.

47 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I also noticed that the Scottish guy who was so excited to show her her family tree going back to Robert the Bruce said "If this were the 13th century you'd be a princess! I feel like I should bow!"

Um . . . no.

I assumed he was talking about, if she was a daughter (or granddaughter), she'd be a princess, so didn't bother me.

1 hour ago, Lovecat said:

Bless her heart, Hillary Duff's little brain sure was working hard, but her child star tutor/tour bus education just didn't serve her very well in this endeavor.

Yes!  

[Arynm]

Hilary had no idea who Robert the Bruce and Blackbeard were. I could not believe that.  I was just in Edinburgh and went to Dunfermline Abbey. His tomb is very cool as is his skull. I love when they go to places I have been to. She needs to pick up a book or two.

[Mom2twoNonna2-3]

I read alot, a ridiculous amount, but, I didn't know who Robert the Bruce was. However, I've never been into Scottish history. But, I did know about Blackbeard.

[iMonrey]

Quote

I assumed he was talking about, if she was a daughter (or granddaughter), she'd be a princess

But . . . that's rather obvious, no? What he said was that if she were in the 13th century she'd be a princess. That doesn't make any sense, assuming she was still 22 generations separated from Robert. If she were the daughter or granddaughter of a King she'd be a princess in any century. Putting her back 800 years wouldn't make her a princess. I'm not sure he knew what he was talking about. He might have been trying to say that Robert's immediate female descendants in the 13th century would have been princesses but . . . she's not that. More like "if you were your own great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great grandmother, you'd be a princess!"

Edited June 6, 2018 by iMonrey

[bybrandy]

I have a degree in history.  I love history.  And I knew who Robert the Bruce and Blackbeard were but I'm not sure I ever learned about either of them in any classes.   I wondered if Hilary Duff's problem was less an incomplete education and more an incomplete working knowledge of the kinds of popular culture where you first encounter those figures.  I literally don't know where I picked up knowledge of either of these figures.

But, I too thought she came off as pretty  uneducated, I just wasn't sure how fair an assessment that was.  It still wasn't quite as uneducated to me as Chris O'Donnell though.   

I don't mind the history episodes (have I mentioned how much I love history?) especially if they have some place cool to take me.like they did in this episode.  To me I figure they try to tell the most interesting story they can and if it is one that is 22 generations away fine and if it is one 3 generations away that is good too.  But I do appreciate how your 22nd great grandfather is a lot harder to bond with than your 3rd great grandfather.  

[Yeah No]

6 hours ago, Mom2twoNonna2one said:

I read alot, a ridiculous amount, but, I didn't know who Robert the Bruce was. However, I've never been into Scottish history. But, I did know about Blackbeard.

Me too, and I was kind of surprised that I'd never heard of Robert the Bruce as I know plenty about English and even Irish history.

Not to know about Blackbeard would be uncommon given how popular that lore is in the US, which includes a 1968 Disney movie entitled, "Blackbeard's Ghost" that I remember so well!

[ChicagoCita]

I agree with the people who were surprised that Hillary Duff had no clue who Blackbeard and Robert the Bruce were. But... I'm a history nerd.

I like the eps best where you can see how historical events affected the ancestors. Germany was having a terrible Depression in the 1890s - hey, maybe that's why my ancestors came to the US then. Germans were reviled in this country when WWI broke out - hey, I bet that's why my ancestor changed around a few letters in his name and Gustav Machann was thereafter known as Gus MacHann. Prohibition happened - hey, that's why my great-grandfather was known as a handyman in the 1930 census, rather than a beer bottler, which he'd always been before.

I didn't like the Megan Mullalley ep at all. I'm embarrassed to say I think it was her voice that made me tune out.

I wish they had more eps this season. I may have to start digging around the eps from other countries to continue my WDYTYA habit.

[Chippings]

Molly Shannon's episode really got to Mr Chips and myself. His gt-gt-grandparents came from the North of Ireland ca 1850, and he has always wanted me to find their "wee village" or even better their "wee cottage."   I knew they would find Molly Shannon's wee cottage - we are so jealous.  Now he wants me to start researching again and see if we can find his.  (Highly unlikely!)  The sight of her standing on her own family's land really has him ready to go on the hunt again.  Being Irish does mean a particular lot to people, I think - maybe because of the dire circumstances that caused them to leave, and the vast number who did.  This one was particularly moving for us. 

[redpencil]

Molly's episode really got to me, too, particularly at the end meeting the various cousins and standing on the land that was still in her family. I could tell how much it sincerely meant to her to l earn about her mother's family, after losing her so young.

[iMonrey]

Molly Shannon is one of those people who seems to be constantly "on." However, I'm trying not to be overly critical, because you have to be fair: if your profession is television acting, you have to figure it's just a reflex to go into performance mode whenever there's a camera pointed at you. Though, oddly, I'd think it would be a lot easier for a professional actor to forget there are cameras there. 

I did find her story utterly compelling, however. I had no idea her family had been the victim of such a tragic car accident and that she knew so little about her mother's family. And the history of Ireland is indeed devastating, although I'm already quite familiar with it.

One thing that was odd, however, is that when she showed up at her ancestral family home it seemed as though her cousin was fully expecting her. Someone obviously contacted her and told her Molly was coming over but it just played out weird.

[Suzn]

I thought Molly Shannon's was one of the better episodes.  She may have been "on", but she seemed entirely genuine to me, not putting on the bug-eyed, "it's insane" act.  It certainly was prearranged to find cousins (who expected her) in her ancestral home), but Molly didn't seem to know she would find such close relatives.  To meet a 1st cousin of her mother's is a quite close relationship.  Molly seemed grateful to make those connections, since she lost her mother so young.

I found it quite touching because she was emotionally moved.  That's not what I am usually looking for in this show, but it mattered so much to Molly and I could appreciate what it meant to her.

I knew some of what the potato famine did to Ireland.  When I hear details of it, I can't imagine how anyone survived such devastating circumstances.  It's so bad, it is nearly unbearable to think about. 

I had recently been trying to imagine the lives of one of my ancestral families who had 16-18 children (can't verify the last two), pioneered in Illinois in the mid-1800s and lost 5 children in a cholera epidemic.  Think of all those children - no Pampers, no ready to eat food, no ready to wear clothes, no washer, nothing to make bare survival anything but back-breaking and often tragic.  How did they do it?  What kept them going?

[Quof]

Oh, come on....

"I wonder why he left Ireland?" 

"Why did the Irish Census track Catholics and Protestants?"

"Were there problems between Catholics and Protestants?" 

Tell me this was scripted.  And if it were, presumably Molly Shannon was cringing as she said it.  

[Suzn]

51 minutes ago, Quof said:

Oh, come on....

"I wonder why he left Ireland?" 

"Why did the Irish Census track Catholics and Protestants?"

"Were there problems between Catholics and Protestants?" 

Tell me this was scripted.  And if it were, presumably Molly Shannon was cringing as she said it.  

Oh sure - I guess I've gotten used to the fact that none of it is spontaneous and so it doesn't stand out to me.  The celebrities are not doing any research on their own and of course it is scripted.  I just responded to the parts in which Molly Shannon seemed to emotionally connect with so much of it.

It would be a better show if there was no pretense of the celebrity doing research.  I think Finding Your Roots is a far superior show for the way in which the information is presented.

[Quof]

It's not about research.  As a second generation Irish American, I would hope she would have some very basic knowledge of why the Irish left home in droves, and that there is a historic divide between Protestants and Catholics there.  

[Suzn]

3 minutes ago, Quof said:

It's not about research.  As a second generation Irish American, I would hope she would have some very basic knowledge of why the Irish left home in droves, and that there is a historic divide between Protestants and Catholics there.  

I hope that's where the scripting came in, that she, in fact,  had some idea of why people left Ireland and some idea of the conflict between Protestants and Catholics.  This is hardly obscure history.

You are coming close to talking me out of liking  this episode...

[Emily Thrace]

5 hours ago, Quof said:

Oh, come on....

"I wonder why he left Ireland?" 

"Why did the Irish Census track Catholics and Protestants?"

"Were there problems between Catholics and Protestants?" 

Tell me this was scripted.  And if it were, presumably Molly Shannon was cringing as she said it.  

I think what Molly said was something like "I realized there were issues with religion but I never thought it was here". A lot of people think only Northern Ireland really has religious issues. The south is always portrayed as strictly Catholic in any modern media. A lot of other sources put emphasis on the divide as English oppressors versus the Irish rather than the religious angle. She knew about the Famine which is more than most American's if this show is anything to go by. I think expecting the celebrities on this show to know everything is a little much. Also for her the whole point was that she didn't know about her mother's history and was trying to find out more.

I feel like that was one of the best episodes the show has had.  It was poignant ad the story was fascinating. There have been other Famine stories on the show but the Mangle story was a new one and a particularly interesting one. Molly being so interested and engaged was great. Her story about her mother was heartbreaking and for once the show didn't milk it for all its worth.

[Mom2twoNonna2-3]

23 hours ago, Chippings said:

Molly Shannon's episode really got to Mr Chips and myself. His gt-gt-grandparents came from the North of Ireland ca 1850, and he has always wanted me to find their "wee village" or even better their "wee cottage."   I knew they would find Molly Shannon's wee cottage - we are so jealous.  Now he wants me to start researching again and see if we can find his.  (Highly unlikely!)  The sight of her standing on her own family's land really has him ready to go on the hunt again.  Being Irish does mean a particular lot to people, I think - maybe because of the dire circumstances that caused them to leave, and the vast number who did.  This one was particularly moving for us. 

My 2nd great grandparents came to the US in 1848. They were 21, married and boarded a ship out of that famine. They were from North Ireland (Newry, County Down) and I, too, do alot of research in hope of finding their village and/or "wee cottage." Here's  hoping Mr. Chips finds his.  In my research I found the great niece of my 2nd great grandfather (his sister is the great grandmother of the relative I found). It's a tremendous joy to find someone in your research. I live in PA, she grew up in OH and now lives in Canada. But, we met and found the cemetery were our relatives are buried together.

 

I liked how Molly's story had a much closer relationship. We've complained about how they had to go back so many generations to find something interesting. Finding living relatives who knew your grandparents and great grandparents is much more interesting to me.

[kassygreene]

My mother & I enjoyed this one the most of this season.  It was incredible that she found people who remembered her grandfather, and the stories he told about her mother (!), and that the storyteller knew her family's story.  And not only did she find her family, but also the family's land that they still owned, with the walls built by her immediate forebears... 

It was very dusty in our house at the end.

[meep.meep]

I enjoyed this a lot.  It is more interesting to focus on recent history (compared to Robert the Bruce), and to have living relatives to meet was fantastic.

The one thing that was never touched on is why he changed his name.  If he came back to Ireland to talk about how smart his daughter was, presumably he mentioned that he was no longer called by the family name, but by Keating.

[luna1122]

Molly Shannon almost always gets on my nerves...her characters are almost, to the last one, grating and manic and irritating...but I actually quite liked her in this episode. She seemed so eager and happy to learn about her past and her history, and sure, some of it's stilted and scripted, but that's just the nature of this show. Her joy in finding her cousins seemed genuine, as did her emotional reactions. I had no idea of her tragic family past either.

[iMonrey]

Quote

I hope that's where the scripting came in, that she, in fact,  had some idea of why people left Ireland and some idea of the conflict between Protestants and Catholics.  This is hardly obscure history.

I, too, would hope some of these celebrities know some basic historical facts. I would certainly expect someone Molly Shannon's age to do so. However, from what I can gather, history just isn't emphasized in school today the way it was when I went to school. Sadly, it shows. 

There's also the fact that Molly lost her mother at such a young age and seemed to know so little about that side of her family, so clearly she did not grow up with stories of her maternal family's history. (Although, I would assume her father's family is also Irish - Shannon?)

[doodlebug]

On 6/13/2018 at 2:04 PM, iMonrey said:

I, too, would hope some of these celebrities know some basic historical facts. I would certainly expect someone Molly Shannon's age to do so. However, from what I can gather, history just isn't emphasized in school today the way it was when I went to school. Sadly, it shows. 

There's also the fact that Molly lost her mother at such a young age and seemed to know so little about that side of her family, so clearly she did not grow up with stories of her maternal family's history. (Although, I would assume her father's family is also Irish - Shannon?)

I’m from Cleveland, and, weirdly enough, Molly used to babysit for my nephew when he was a little guy and she was in high school. Her lovely father, Jimmy, was my sister’s landlord’s best friend.  I didn’t really know her but her dad was a salt of the earth Irish guy who was first generation like her mom was.  She was a bright kid, went to college and I guarantee you, she grew up knowing about the potato famine and the conflict between Catholics and Protestants in Ireland.  Her dad had plenty of Irish family and friends in his life, including my sister’s landlord, he was also first generation in the US and, he and Jimmy, like any good Irishmen, were great storytellers.  I presume she perhaps was referring to not being aware of the specifics of her mom’s family or it was a set-up by production to fill in the story.  BTW, her dad was pretty heroic, and, after the tragic loss of his wife and baby, picked himself up and raised his two daughters well, never remarried.

I’m  glad to know others found her story so compelling since I did, too, and thought maybe it was because of my minimal connection.

Edited June 15, 2018 by doodlebug

[iMonrey]

Well, it irritates me somewhat if these celebrities are asked to play dumb just so the narrator can give us a history lesson. It just makes them look like idiots and it's completely unnecessary. The narrator can still tell the story without the celebrity acting like they've never heard it before. 

[zoey1996]

Molly did indicate she knew about the potato famine.  She didn't realize the extent of the anti-Catholic sentiment at that point of Irish history.  She was so grateful to meet the woman who knew some of the ancestors, and thrilled to meet cousins!  That made the show for me.

[mythoughtis]

On 6/6/2018 at 12:33 AM, Suzn said:

I  do enjoy the ones covering early days of this country because I have ancestors who arrived in Massachusetts in the mid-1600s.  Anything that illuminates the lives of those people is always interesting and a balance of history and personal stories are the best.

That’s the same reason I like things they do like explain a little bit about Scottish history, like why her ancestor lost everything in Scotland,   Many Scots ended up in America for that exact reason.  They explain things  that show why people migrated. My ancestors are British and Scottish, so this episode was right up my alley.  Funny how we like the episodes that explain our own history and others, not so much. 

I will agree that she should have known Blackbeard. Robert the Bruce, you have to be a Scottish history buff to know.   I learned more about him than I ever knew  watching this episode. 

[Ina123]

Since I'm into genealogy I enjoy almost all the episodes. I just love history...anyone's history. I guess if you are not into history you can be forgiven a lack of knowledge on some things but I do expect people to know the highlights.

I even enjoyed the Jean Smart episode even though it was a rehash of the Salem Witch Trials. We've seen it before but this one had it's own little side story. I also just love when they bring out original documents.

[iMonrey]

That was a disappointing finish to the season IMO. And I say that as someone who is interested in the Salem witch trials. But this story was very similar to one of Sarah Jessica Parker's. Her ancestor was likewise spared from execution because the executions were halted while she was waiting in jail. 

And this was another episode where it felt like the show just searched for something to give us a little history lesson about that had no real immediate connection to the celebrity - I'm sure if our family trees could be established far back enough, any of us could find someone back there that could serve as a grounding point in a history lesson. It just doesn't feel personal - you could pretty much just drop the celebrity altogether and do straightforward history lessons every week.

[Chippings]

My impression is that the show does a fair combination of personal stories, minimally related to history, and tie-ins to historical events.  Just like our own research as we go back, they don't know what they will find when they choose a celebrity so they just start.  So many of us just have hard-working farmers and honest yeomen marrying a neighbor and having children &c &c.   When we (and the producers / genealogists) do hit a story they study hard on that one.  As a researcher, I certainly do the same!  I think they balance it pretty fairly between the small family stories of illness and abandonment &c &c, and connection to a historical event. 

Mr Chips has an ancestor who fought at Gettysburg, which could be a story if you were a WDYTYA producer, but that the same fellow died working on the railroad in the Midwest later on is really more poignant.   Don't know which one a producer would choose.  

 Sometimes, as w/ Christina Applegate, the person has a specific interest in one line and a poignant Story is found within the last century - possibly they have to go further up for other people until a Story turns up.   Just musing --  

[Suzn]

I found this one interesting even though there was a lot that had previously been covered in other episodes.  I have ancestors who were in Essex County Massachusetts in the same time period and one collateral ancestor who was a Salem trial judge, so of course that is of special interest.  

[ChicagoCita]

I loved the responses from a mature woman who had some historical knowledge (Jean Smart) as compared to others who you know are learning this stuff for the first time. I'd love to sit down with Jean Smart and dish!

[Arynm]

Jean Smart was fantastic! I could just tell she is one smart (ha!) lady. She was really fast with dates and ages and the way she said Dorcas! when she found out she was a thief made me laugh so hard. I just loved her. I know the history of the Witch Trials so it was nothing new, but it is still a great story.