Grounded on the Offense of Young Parenting
By
Ceci M.
Another trend of this season is that the need for youth is so pervasive that it extends to thirty-something parents having teen kids. This is especially the case on Gilmore Girls and Grounded for Life, to name a couple. It seems that the television executives still want to appeal to the Generation X crowd, without alienating Generation Yers. So, they put the Gen X crowd in two groups: one half is the nervous, flighty Jack and Jill, Ally MacBeal types; the other represents parents who had kids out of wedlock or got married in high school. No more just simply being adult and sexy like the Melrose Places and the Central Park Wests. No way. Now, the only place the eldest of the “younger generations” can be featured is dealing with loud, obnoxious teen-agers who know better than their “young, hot mothers”.
Okay. I’m not so much talking about Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory (Alexis Bledel) because I think that Gilmore Girls is a cut above most of the television sitcom-dramas out there. This show, compared to Northern Exposure, is high on heart and truly amusing. Although Lorelai could be prone toward annoyance with her sudden cracks, it doesn’t make her detestable. She’s not irritating at all—because her pointed remarks are geared toward calling situations to light and highlighting the issues others. Yes, she did have Rory out of wedlock, but she tries to make up for it by being a passionate, good and understanding mother. She would never throw chicken at Dean’s car (if the bag boy even has a car in that berg of a town), but she did threaten to cut his head off—with blunt shears, mind you. But the main argument rests with Grounded for Life.
Of course, the critics say that this show is one of the “best new sitcoms”. Am I the only one who thinks this program is rather inane? Titus this show ain’t. Both shows have to deal with sons trying to fight their adulthood, their significant others knowing better, and their crusty fathers trying to still rear their adult children. Titus, to its credit, is actually funny without trying to be pretentious. Chris’ father Ken (Stacy Keach, Mr. Mike Hammer himself), is a hoot. But Sean Finnerty (Donal Logue) and the rest of the cast of Grounded deserves to be locked in their rooms for life—without any dinner.
Here are the list of offenses. See if you agree with me. Number one: I love flashbacks as much as everyone else, but that one with Claudia (Megyn Price) being the “hot mom” ends up being way to kitchy. Number two: that Lily (Lynsey Bartilson) deserves the “Dana Poole” award for being the most obnoxious member of the class of 2003. With all the screaming and yelling she does about her burgeoning puberty, one would have to tune into Popular for a downer. Number three: Walt (Richard Riehle)—a definite Ken Titus in training—ends up to be a running joke with all that hole digging. Who would guess that the only digging Claudia and Mike’s two young sons might be doing might be for their own graves? Number four: we can’t forget about Brad, the boy next door, who is afraid of his own shadow. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Although Miss Lil’ Lily had other plans for him, he has the last laugh being the latest of the teenage boys to have an obsession for her mom. And although Lily complains that her mom outshines her, I don’t think it has to do with looks. As much as I hate to say it, Claudia has more class than her brassy, loud-mouthed daughter will ever have. That’s just being nice. There’s no way Lily could ever be a Rory.
Maybe that’s the bright light that shines in this otherwise obnoxious program.
“Grounded On The Offense of Young Parenting”©2001 by Ceci M.
If you have any questions or comments about this essay, e-mail: cecim999@yahoo.com.