11/3 Discussion Thread

[PhoneGrrrl]

I know it's early to start a discussion thread about tonight's episode, but (a) I've got time to kill and (b) it might be fun to read a bit about the families in advance of the show. So, without further ado, here is some information from our pals at Fox.

Meet the Wiessmeyer Family!
The Wiessmeyer family is from Weymouth, MA. Together, Ed and Laura run the family lobster boat part time. When the cold weather comes, Ed ships out to sea on his "real job", in the merchant marine for months on end, leaving Laura to care for their three children, Eric, Lauren and Kurt.

Laura also spends her days working as a part time house cleaner for the well- to- do. But, that never takes away from her own housekeeping. Laura loves to keep busy. Between working, cooking, cleaning and keeping up with kids activities, she never has a moment to spare.

Working together has made the Wiessmeyer family extremely close. The family has a great sense of humor, and they are quick to crack jokes about everything and anything including their life style. They are well aware their way of life may seem tough, but for the Wiessmeyer's, the smell of lobster bait is something you get used to, and it helps pay the bills.

Meet the Kahn-Robson Family!
The Kahn-Robson family of Boulder, CO is a family formed through remarriage. Michael is stepfather to Natalie and Vanessa, Wendy’s two daughters. Wendy and Michael's difference in culture, age and upbringing make for some interesting dynamics in their home. They tend to agree on the big things, but their styles are very different.

Wendy and Michael love to figure out new ways to have wild fun outside with the family whether it's running through the open fire hydrant in the park or snowy moonlight hikes in the mountains with headlamps. Michael, a former pro-biker from Australia, has an acerbic wit and style that sometimes makes Wendy cringe. She's a real estate agent and is used to being agreeable and easy to get along with. That's part of her job as a sales person. She loves his outrageous sense of humor.

She is often afraid people won't understand his no holds barred honesty. Surprisingly, they usually do! Wendy is also a real believer in women supporting women. She has a group of friends that she spends time with regularly and they have a great support system. Wendy likes to call it the "girlfriend mafia."

[helpmeturnitoff]

I did not like Wendy & Michael. Michael is incredibly immature and should not be permitted to be around children, at the very least he shouldn't be able to speak to them. He was so condescending to those poor girls and his opinion of one of them is way off. It's not their job to make him feel good, it's his job as the adult to ensure they feel safe & welcome in their own home.

As for Wendy - could she be more selfish? "My first husband was an excellent father, but then I met Michael". She leaves without saying goodbye to her girls, she goes for a girls-night out before feeding her new family (then gets mad at them for not putting the food in the oven themselves). Would it have been that hard to say "give me 15 minutes to get dinner on the table"? And what was with the obsession about how much their cottage cost?

The previews for this Friday's episode look interesting but I'm not sure how much more of this immature & selfish couple I can take.

[conugget]

Wendy got on my very LAST nerve! Ashamed that she admits being from Colorado but it is BOULDER. LOL
Michael is abusing those children, people lose their kids for much less and that fool does it on TV.

[PhoneGrrrl]

Michael and Wendy are beyond selfish. I was hoping that the father of the girls sees the show and sees how unhappy they are and takes some kind of action.

I was surprised that Laura and Ed came off as pretty darn normal, since Fox usually likes to cut it so everybody looks a bit crazy. There still is an hour left in the swap, but so far, so good for them.

[conugget]

It's possible that Laura and Ed are so normal that they found nothing to clip and cut to make them look bad.
They seem like hard working honest to goodness decent people. Just remember, everyone has a boiling point and this week they just might be pushed to it.

[Brandy]

I will have to catch this on re-run but if the stepdad was throwing a teen girl into the water AFTER she said her top would become see-through...sounds like a ticking time bomb for abuse there.

Sounds like he and Wendy are both still extremely immature too. Too bad the girls can't live elsewhere.

[PhoneGrrrl]

Yeah, Brandy, that's exactly how it went down. The girl was standing on the edge of the pond, in about ankle-deep water. She said she didn't want to go in because she was wearing a white shirt that would become see-through if it were wet. The step dad was in the middle of the pond, hassling her about not getting in the water, pretty much demanding that she do so. He then decided to chase her around the lake to grab her to throw her in, and then ultimately pushed her down in the muddy banks so her shirt would be dirty and she'd have to get in. It didn't appear he pushed her down with any great force, and it may have been a chase-induced accident, but the whole incident was excruciatingly uncomfortable. It's like the step dad doesn't realize the girls are (1) girls; (2) at an awkward age, body-wise; and (3) not his pals to be all rough-and-tumble with.

Plus the girls probably hate his guts for being the catalyst to their parents' marriage ending. Unless Hubby #1 is an absolute ogre, the mother traded down big-time. If I were going to ditch my middle aged husband, I'd at least want a younger guy with a hot body who would do the lawn work.

[Brandy]

Lol. Sounds like he's good for about nothing.

Very creepy-sounding about the girls, especially the pushing incident. This is one of the times I wonder if DCFS doesn't watch these shows, and if not, why not. Hope an aunt or someone will take these kids in.