Welcome Baaaaack!!
When the sands of time turn back to Knott's Landing, you can bet your last bubble on the drama that's about to ensue. Our latest episode is a vibrant tapestry, weaving the tale of Karen Fairgate, whose life at 37 takes on an unexpected hue with a pregnancy that challenges societal norms. As we navigate the choppy waters of judgmental glances and the unsung labor of caretaking, you'll find both solace and surprise in the heart-to-heart moments that mirror our own lives. The experience of caring for a family, often at the expense of personal dreams, is a thread that runs deep through the narrative, one that many of you will find strikingly familiar.
Step into Karen's shoes, where the line between duty and aspiration blurs, sparking debates that resonate with intensity even today. Sid's insensitivity to Karen's domestic contributions becomes a focal point for discussion, highlighting the immense value of her often-overlooked labor. Meanwhile, the rich fabric of the show is textured with the complexities of relationships, the respect for personal boundaries, and the evolving tableau of gender roles. Witness the characters' journeys through the sticky web of romance and self-discovery, a reminder of the courage it takes to respect our own limits.
As the credits roll, we're left with more than cliffhangers and thrills; we're left with a newfound appreciation for the roles we choose or find ourselves in, especially those of us in the trenches of caregiving. So, here's a toast to the unsung heroes of the domestic sphere: may you always find the strength to weather the storms of drama, the resilience to face the everyday, and the compassion to extend a little patience to yourselves. Until the next episode spills over, keep your bubbles of drama confined to Knott's Landing, and don't forget to cherish the dance, whether it's under the dazzling lights of the '80s or the glow of today's reality.
Welcome Baaaaack!!
When the sands of time turn back to Knott's Landing, you can bet your last bubble on the drama that's about to ensue. Our latest episode is a vibrant tapestry, weaving the tale of Karen Fairgate, whose life at 37 takes on an unexpected hue with a pregnancy that challenges societal norms. As we navigate the choppy waters of judgmental glances and the unsung labor of caretaking, you'll find both solace and surprise in the heart-to-heart moments that mirror our own lives. The experience of caring for a family, often at the expense of personal dreams, is a thread that runs deep through the narrative, one that many of you will find strikingly familiar.
Step into Karen's shoes, where the line between duty and aspiration blurs, sparking debates that resonate with intensity even today. Sid's insensitivity to Karen's domestic contributions becomes a focal point for discussion, highlighting the immense value of her often-overlooked labor. Meanwhile, the rich fabric of the show is textured with the complexities of relationships, the respect for personal boundaries, and the evolving tableau of gender roles. Witness the characters' journeys through the sticky web of romance and self-discovery, a reminder of the courage it takes to respect our own limits.
As the credits roll, we're left with more than cliffhangers and thrills; we're left with a newfound appreciation for the roles we choose or find ourselves in, especially those of us in the trenches of caregiving. So, here's a toast to the unsung heroes of the domestic sphere: may you always find the strength to weather the storms of drama, the resilience to face the everyday, and the compassion to extend a little patience to yourselves. Until the next episode spills over, keep your bubbles of drama confined to Knott's Landing, and don't forget to cherish the dance, whether it's under the dazzling lights of the '80s or the glow of today's reality.
God, sometimes Valene, the Vidalia Onion Queen, is just. She's like unsalted butter, like it shouldn't work, but it does. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome or welcome back to Soap Lord, the official gathering place for newbies, novices and OG diehard fans of the golden age of primetime. It's a not-landing takeover as we plow through the final four episodes of season one. So, whether you're new to this or true to this, sit back and enjoy. Tell the kids it's time to play outside or out of sight. Tell Bae no questions, suggestions or concerns for the next 25 to 35 minutes, everyone else in earshot. Be cool, be quiet or you will be kicked out because we are watching our stories. Season one, episode 10 of Knott's Landing small surprises. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, this is Soap Lure. What's up party people? Welcome or welcome back to another fun-filled edition of Soap Lure. What's up party people? Welcome or welcome back to another fun-filled edition of so Floor. I hope your day is shaping up well. We're about to lather up one of the most iconic spinoffs of all time Knot's Landing Small surprises. I will say this Dallas and Knot's Landing are they don't really care about a creative title. It's kind of on the nose, it is what it is, and this one is no exception.
Speaker 1:Let's jump into the retro recap. I'll give you the rundown of this episode in completion and then we'll come back and discuss some of the sudsy, soapy scenes and some of the dudsier scenes today. Those particulars are topics not limited to old lady in the shoe. Was 37 equivalent to 87 in the 80s? Chill out, she's having a baby, not a hip replacement. The judgy OBGYN, dr Auntie is serving judgment and sedatives all episode long. Sid's Hobby Lobby, marriage 101. Don't ever compare your wife's housework to a hobby. Defer dreams and diaper bags. Karen traded her college textbooks for a stroller and owner's manual. It's the tale of ambition. Parked in a crib side nursery where lullabies are sung to the tune of what ifs? The restroom retreat, we get to lay eyes on what it means to be a woman's restroom circa 1960, through the late 80s, kenny's Casanova Chronicles and Gigolo Wisdom. They say it takes one to know one, but it also takes one to know one who's not. Think about it. We'll look for that and so much more on this fun-filled episode of Soap Lore. Let us begin. Try saying judgy OBgyn five times fast, I dare you.
Speaker 1:The show opens up with karen at the obgyn. She's looking on nervously. She has a hunch, or she had a hunch rather, which prompted this appointment today. Tester ran and an undeniable conclusion is made. Karen fairgate is knocked up.
Speaker 1:When the doctor who is a probably a middle-aged woman, by the way delivers the news, karen appears as cool and expressionless as a cucumber. Her judgy-wudgy was a doctor, expects some sort of reaction. You would think she was talking to Prince or somebody Like really, that's it. The doc is giving her stink eye the whole time, expecting some sort of meltdown, at the very least like a respectable middle-aged woman. But Karen maintains her unbothered exterior, but inside she's doing mental gymnastics. She's going over this in her mind how did this happen? What does this mean? Oh my God. Sleepless nights, diaper changes, colic, all the things, car seats, baby Bjorns, I think, or probably hell, it's 1980. It's probably just like a paper sack or something. Either way, she's reeling on the inside, but she's cool as a cucumber baby on the outside. She pulls it together momentarily.
Speaker 1:Karen Ever the researcher wants to know what are the risks for my pregnancy? What is the risk of carrying a baby at my advanced age? I'm thinking to myself. She's like 48, 49, 50. What is she talking about Dr Judgy McJudgerson. Put on her judgy pants extra tight that day and she starts rattling off baby making risks, like she's reading the side effects of a sketchy infomercial product. Doc says it's going to be at least three months before they know anything one way or another. And after judging karen and then rattling off some more potential risk, it finally occurs to the good doctor that oh, you're not still, you're shocked. Oh, that's weird. Never had that before. Tell me how an ob-gyn who's been delivering babies for at least 25 years has never seen a shocked woman. The times are different, though I have to keep reminding myself. The times are different because she's like oh, you're in shock. Wow, that's new. Call me next week if you want an abortion, babe TTYL. Karen's probably thinking to herself. I'm not calling this way, I will text you. At best I'm gonna call to cancel an appointment and find a new OBGYN.
Speaker 1:I can't take the silent abuse, so I want to run through this entire next little storyline all in one breath. Do you remember when Ginger was entertaining Eric? That's Karen's oldest son. He has a huge crush on her. She can't seem to tell, but she told him my little sister's gonna be in town really soon. You guys should hang out. Today is really soon.
Speaker 1:Ginger introduces her kid sister, jill, to Eric, who still had a crush on Ginger until he sees Jill now he's like he's got the full Bieber haircut, the mullet, and he's like hey, you want to hang out? He shakes it like Bieber used to do back in the day when he was so young and she's like cool, so they start playing basketball. And baby Caitlin Clark is really pissed when she starts to notice that he's not really playing, he's not putting up defense, he's not really trying to like, he's basically trying to let her win. And she's insulted like hey, I did not put on these jeans and unathletic clothes to come out here and win by default D up. So they start really playing basketball. It is worth noting that they both are really, really bad. Like, that's coming from me and I definitely am nobody's. Maybe I kept the books, okay, I kept a mean scorecard, but athletic like playing basketball, absolutely not Horrible at it.
Speaker 1:Now, while the kids are enjoying themselves playing basketball, karen, fresh from the doctor, drives up and she's kind of in a daze. She doesn't seem to notice that there's a basketball game. She pulls right into the driveway. Well, valene and Laura are off to the side. They have apparently just gone grocery shopping. Does Valene not drive herself around? She seems to only drive Gary to the airport or to work sometimes, but anytime she's been grocery shopping she's always tagged along with someone else. Maybe they're carpooling, maybe she's bored. She's Karen, take notice, to excuse me. She and Laura notice that Karen is like zonked out.
Speaker 1:So Valene takes this time to explain to Karen what basketball is. Karen, the kids are playing. They're playing basketball. They've got this. It's like an orange playing. They're playing basketball. They've got this. It's a. It's like an orange, it's like a pumpkin, but it's kind of bouncy. And they tossed up in the air to try to hit that net up above your, above your roof. God, sometimes valine, the vidalia onion queen, is just she's like unsalted butter, like it shouldn't work, but it does. I'm like, okay, I guess we needed that explanation. I guess we needed to see her in every episode. She's definitely not heavy in this one, but you think she's a woman don't know what basketball is. She's got a hoop above her roof anyway.
Speaker 1:Karen is far too like freak. She's freaking out. She's trying to keep it together like she is genuinely in shock and she's like she just kind of mumbles like, okay, that's nice or whatever. She's going in the house. Well, laura and Valene, the Vidalia onion queen, are going on about hey, this is Ginger's little sister, don't? That's not just some random girl you want to say hey, laura makes this really kind of unremarkable statement like well she's, you know she's a, she's a friend now, but who knows, in the future? This rubs Karen the wrong way that day. So she snaps at her like what are you talking about? Don't say that. I'm like oh my God, girl, okay, all right, bye. We got to put our groceries out.
Speaker 1:Jill and Eric end up going on a date. They go to see Star Wars and Jill gives Eric what appears to be his first kiss. It may be hers, hers too, I can't really tell. Later they decide that they're gonna have a second date. They're gonna go up to the beach and meet up with some of Jill's little friends, her little fast friends. As my mom was saying, let's talk about this bonfire. Boogie, picture this scene. They're at the beach, it's night. It looks a whole lot like that scene in Lost Boys, except without all the smoke. When they're on Venice Beach, right before the vampires start snatching people off, left and right there's a bonfire and there's a lame dancing, cheat beer and teenage hormones running wilder than a Black Friday sale, not a 2024 Black Friday tale.
Speaker 1:I'm talking about late 90s, early 2000s, where you could lose a tooth Baby. It was real. I saw a woman fist fight over and get a bluetooth dollar microwave. It was insane. The microwave probably still works to this day. I also, before I digress anymore, I have to say I only went to two or three black fridays. That is absolutely not my scene, but the book aisle was never ransacked. I remember being very peaceful, as my parents and aunts and uncles, you know, fought for their life for our Christmas toys and I don't know what else. But the book aisle was great. I picked up a lot of RL's 9 books, no problem. Okay, back to business.
Speaker 1:So I'm watching Jill and you know she wants it. Looks like she wants to start kissy, kissy, boo boo facing again. And Eric is suddenly the king of keg stand. Somebody hands him a beer. He tosses it back like a grown man, like he's just come off a 12 hour shift at the steel mill. Tosses it back, no problem. So I meal tosses it back, no problem. So I'm assuming they're drinking beers for a small point of time, for a small duration of time.
Speaker 1:But Eric, despite chugging a beer or two, decides he's not really with this foolishness. He starts to notice that kids are disappearing in pairs or running off two at a time. There's a lot of groping and a lot of feeling, but he wasn't feeling it. So he's like you know what? I think it's time for me to go home. Do you want to go? I'd love to walk you home. She's like no, you just got here, let's not leave. He's like I'm really not comfortable with this. I'm sorry, I gotta go. Plus, I got a curfew. I don't want any smoke with Sid and Karen, so I'm gonna go home.
Speaker 1:Back at Ginger's house, jill is telling Ginger and Kenny about Eric leaving and Kenny breaks it down. He he suddenly has this gigolo enlightenment and we'll get into it a little deeper later. But let me just tell you what he says. He says okay, eric probably assumed that you were ready to take it to second, third, fourth base, whatever. He's assuming this because he sees all these other couples and he doesn't really know you like that yet. So even if that wasn't the case, that's what he's assuming. No one wants to feel pressured or inadequate. You know what I mean. He's just he got the wrong impression. I think you can make this right by just talking to him. What a lovely sentiment. Put a pin in that because, let's be honest, does he give his wife that same energy Sid, later on, does give? So I guess Eric mentions a little something to Sid, but Sid reads the room completely wrong. Surprise, surprise. He gives unsolicited fatherly advice, but he's thinking that his son was rejected instead of the rejectee. I guess father knows something he definitely doesn't know best.
Speaker 1:Classic Sid move, though Always 15 scenes behind what's really going on. Sid is. Sid is slow man. I need him to catch up for real. He needs some ginkgo biloba or something, or hell. He seems like he's distracted. You would think he's wearing earbuds the entire time. Every time someone's talking to him he is always eight or nine clues away from the truth. Always, at the end of the day, it turns out.
Speaker 1:Jill respected Eric's morals. She really wasn't trying to push anything, she just wanted to spend a little more time with him. He wanted to spend a little more time with her. So they both learned that valuable lesson that sometimes you can do a group date. Sometimes you can't. Can't let peer pressure do what you don't want to. But she really respected that. He was 10 toes down and that he's like you know what? This is not me. I'm going to go home. I would love to take you, walk you to your sister's, but sorry, I can't really do this this quickly. Way to go, eric. Way to go Back to the day Karen found out everything okay.
Speaker 1:So after she interrupts a basketball game and she neanders into her house, it's very clear that Karen does not have the bandwidth to endure much more of anything else. That day. She's not present, she's not able to carry conversations, she's not really going to be very much used to anybody. She just needs a day to kind of be in shock and zone out what is my bedridge? Oh yeah. So Karen tries to go upstairs to probably change into some clothes or something.
Speaker 1:When her daughter is having this full-blown teenage crisis over her room's maturity level, karen's advice is, I feel like she said don't wish your life away. But it also kind of sounds like she said don't't brush your life away, as the girl is going on and on about how adolescent her room is and that she's growing up and she needs a more mature room. She has some random like trellis on her wall and it has animals stuffed inside. It's kind of bizarre, but it works. But all Karen can see is oh my God, this is my first daughter's room. I'm going to have to turn this into a nursery.
Speaker 1:She wants to be an adult. She's almost an adult, she's right. Oh my God, I'm going to have an infant. I'm going to have an adult child and an infant and then two in between I'm not going to get to sleep like I want to, carpooling, holy shh. I have another 18 years of carpooling, plus another nine months of being pregnant. Oh my God, she again. It's not the day, it's not the day, it's not the time. She ain't really no good to nobody. As a matter of fact, she tries to go downstairs and live life as normal. She's trying to wash dishes, but she's dropping plates, she's freezing trash, she's just putting things where they don't belong. And Sid happens upon her and she's like you know what? We can talk later. I'm fine, I just, yeah, I just want to talk to you later on, okay, and he's like no problem.
Speaker 1:Later that night she finally tells she tells Sid that she is 37 years old. Okay, she knows who she is and it is one of the things she loves about herself. She also mentioned that, that episode where she kissed that crane guy I can't remember his first name, but the teacher. She was going to go do the do. But then she's like I really like myself. I'm not trying to do anything to jeopardize that. She is keeping that same energy when it comes to this new baby. It's also worth noting that 37 years old in 1980 is wildly different than 37 years old in 2024, but we'll get to that later.
Speaker 1:She tells him that she's pregnant and Sid is over the moon. Immediately he elated. He's so joyful, oh, my god, we're having a baby. She's like dude, I've been raising kids for the past 16 years diapers, skin knees and whatnot. I'm not. I've paid my dues. I'm still paying my dues three times over. Not really sure if I want to do this for the fourth time.
Speaker 1:Sid is listening intently at first, but then he's like well, it doesn't really seem like you have much of a choice to where she snaps at him like, um, yeah, I kind of do. I do have a choice. And he's like what? No, you don't have a choice because, guess what, you're not sick. There's no reason why you can't physically carry this baby. So that's it, that's all.
Speaker 1:This is where she slips, she flips a little bit. She's like you know, you're acting like you're carrying this baby too. To which he replies this is our kid. Of course I'm going to help, I'm going to do all the things too. I help you with these. These are our children. This is our family. She's like baby. You're going to go to work every day. I am raising and rearing these children. I'm going to be the one carrying this baby. Kids are incredibly exhausting when you have to grow them in utero. It is exhausting. And this is my body, so you're not going to tell me how I feel and what I can and can't do with it. Interesting argument right Now, right about this time, as they're having a grown man and woman conversation.
Speaker 1:It is night, clearly the children are in bed. Diana feels like, oh my God, they're interrupting me in my kiddie bedroom. Let me burst off into their room and find out what they're talking about. She doesn't knock. She doesn't do anything but burst in and make her presence known. I almost passed out the audacity. I would never so.
Speaker 1:Diana figures out that her mom is pregnant. She's like what? No, she has her hissy fit, she leaves. Karen tells her to get the hell out of her room. She's not in the mood. She's been through too much today and the last thing she needs to deal with is her little crying behind. Get out of my room.
Speaker 1:So the next morning, of course, diana goes downstairs and she's telling her brothers they are minding their own business. Eric is telling his little brother about you know the situation with the girl and how he feels awkward about it. His little brother's trying to give advice but I mean, he's like nine, he didn't really have any advice when in walks Diana like oh, y'all want to hear something even more messed up. Yes, who's pregnant? They're like who? She's like your mama, mama, mama's too old to be pregnant. She's like no, she's not too old to be pregnant. She's too old to be raising a family for one and, quite frankly, she's too old to be having sex. Oh, okay, thanks, girl. Either way, it's a lot.
Speaker 1:Valene comes bursting in and one of the kids shouts hey, mrs Ewing, guess what? My mom's pregnant. And Karen's like oh my God, okay, everybody, just chill, chill. Mrs Ewing, guess what? My mom's pregnant? And Karen's like oh my God, okay, everybody, just chill, chill, chill, don't say nothing else about it. Valene, can you keep this under wraps? Baby, I'm not ready to tell the world about this. And Valene's like, don't even worry about it, I'm going to go up and down Knott's Landing Drive telling people about basketball. I'm sorry that's not at all what she says, but I okay. I love that she explained basketball. This episode was so much fun.
Speaker 1:So the next scene is karen. She's balancing the checkbook for for one of the charities she works for and it's like a real live giant ledger book and then enter a very awkward but all too real and necessary conversation. Karen, through her tireless efforts as a nosiest and most helpful person in Knott's Landing, has raised boo-koo money for this particular charity several thousand dollars. So she's looking at it and she shows it to Sid and she's kind of marbling at the number, but it's with regret, like man, that's not bad. And Sid's like, yeah, that's pretty awesome. She goes well too bad, they're going to have to do without that next year or the year after. He's like what do you mean? She goes I'm going to have an infant. I don't have time to run around and do the same charity work with a fresh baby on the hip.
Speaker 1:Sid is once again being obtuse this time genuinely whenever she presents an issue. So, for example, she says my time will now be spent nurturing an infant, so I won't be able to go and volunteer like I want to. Sid will say something like oh sure, you can keep raising money from right here in this living room. I hear remote work is a wave of the future. Then Karen's all like Sid, I'm still gonna be raising a baby, a baby that I also have to carry, mind you. Plus, I won't have access to the internet for another 16 years or so. Hell, it'll be another 10 years for the internet that isn't riddled with viruses and painfully slow dial-up, like it's a wash. I can't do this in 1980. Then Sid's like no problem, we can get you some help because fatal flaw, ladies and gentlemen, in three, two, one quote. It's not like you have a career or anything. This is where she loses it Like. I know that you did not just say that to my face. That's it. That's all. That's all she needed to hear.
Speaker 1:She proceeds to enlighten his dense ass with the fact that she's doing her very best to make the world that her children live in, the one that they're growing up in. She's trying to make that a better place. It's corrupt, it's running out of resources and it has a broken justice system. Just because she doesn't receive a paycheck for this work doesn't make it any less valuable. It is 10 times as valuable because I'm still running circles around people. I'm still running circles around people. I'm still putting a hot meal on this table. I'm counselor to everybody on this street. I am her. I am that chick period. She concludes by saying this is absolutely the most important thing that I can be doing with my life right now. Okay, more important than raising a baby. Deal with it. Don't come upstairs for the 25, 35, 45 minutes. I need space Later on in the 25, 35, 45 minutes. I need space Later on in the garage.
Speaker 1:Once she has cooled off, she's able to admit that she was a college senior when they got pregnant and got married and there's always kind of been this, a little something missing for her. And I think that's pretty normal, considering you were on pace to do this thing. You were gonna graduate, you were gonna have a career and that was abruptly changed Doesn't mean you don't love the life, it's just you know what I'm saying. Like, have you ever thought about that trip you didn't take, or oh, I was going to major in this, but I did this. That's a very normal thought process.
Speaker 1:But Sid is super offended because all he hears is the family and I are not enough for Karen. So when she asked him, do you understand, sid? Do you understand what I'm saying? He's no. No, because when we agreed to get married, we both knew there were going to be sacrifices. I sacrifice things too. I wanted to be a, a formula one race car driver, sir, let me, let me finish. But I have something better. I have a family and I don't even know where you're coming from, karen. This is ridiculous. I'm like, really a race car driver. You're comparing being a race car driver instead of completing college, maybe, and what she's saying is yes, okay, cool, yeah, maybe you wanted to be a race car driver. People want to be an astronaut. I'm not saying you can't, I'm saying very few people are.
Speaker 1:Her dream was very much. She was on pace to do that. All she wanted to do is finish college and maybe get a paycheck for the jobs that she does for free. Now, that's all she's saying. Maybe I can get a check for some of this shit. Slide your girl a little something. I'd like to fill out a w2, that's all, or w4, whatever. By the 32 minute mark she has resolved that she's gonna have the baby because of the three children she already has.
Speaker 1:Okay, as the audience, I think it's pretty clear that the that, eric and michael the boys are cool. Do you guys agree, like there's, if you're watching this in real time with me? The kids are cool. Her sons are perfectly lovely, but Diana, that loudmouth daughter, oh, she's a human equivalent of stepping on a lego barefoot in the dark. Every single time she's a. It is difficult to watch this kid. She is a major pain in the butt majority of the time. But you know what? Karen overlooks her daughter's generally unpleasant existence because you know they're family and, all in all, two out of three kids that are pleasant ain't bad. Plus, karen can confidently say to herself that her daughter inherits her obnoxious traits from her always behind the curve father. Hell, what's one more kid? At this point she's just like let it be, let's do this.
Speaker 1:So they decide to go out to a fancy dinner. She's in her dress, she's probably thinking dang and the kids are eating, and I love what sid says at one of them because it's so, let me enjoy myself before I start shopping. Tells a little son, michael sears. Remember he goes big fork only and the fork goes to your mouth from the plate to your mouth only. Your face does not go to the plate. These are things you have to say out loud as a parent, and I totally get that. So remember, folks, it's fork to mouth, not face to plate, unless, of course, you're a vacuum cleaner. In that which case, carry on. Do you Rock out? I noticed during dinner Karen is looking a little bit woozy. She's kind of oh, does she have a little wine? This is 1980, by the way, so it would not be unusual for her to have a glass of wine or two. But eventually she excuses herself from the table.
Speaker 1:One minute she's having dinner at the dinner table, the next she's taking an impromptu nap in the ladies room. Talk about a plot twist. Shortly thereafter a host quietly removes Sid from the table under the guise of something going on with the bill or something. But that's not what's going on. She tells him sir, your wife is lying down in the bathroom. I've already called the ambulance. This woman is calm, cool and collected Best damn hostess I've ever seen in my life. Some of you may not know this, I only experienced. I've seen this before. I haven't seen it in a very, very long time. But she's not lying on the floor in the bathroom, she lying on the couch. This used to be commonplace and we'll get into that here in a second.
Speaker 1:At the hospital, dr judgy wudgy is as cool as a cucumber. She's even smiling a little bit when she informs sid that his wife has been sedated, and that is cool. If he wants to go in and hang out with her for a little while, it's cool. He too quickly passes out in a comfortable chair. The doctor's chill, sid's chill, everyone is clearly sedated. It's like a surprise spa day, but with a little more medical supervision. Okay, okay, I can't prove that Sid's sedated. I have a hunch that the doctor is. She was a little too happy delivering this very dark news. And Karen is high.
Speaker 1:Let's get to her dream, though. Karen is. She's been asleep for about 10 hours, apparently, and she had this dream. Where she is? She's in this dark room and all she can see is that there is one candle lit. As she approaches the candle, she looks around and she can see that there's other candles in the room. So she grabs that candle, she tries to light the other ones, but it's like as soon as she lights one, the darkness just just swallows it up. And then she tries another and another, and Karen's dream is like a candle in the wind, except it's more like a candle in a tornado. She's trying to light the darkness but the darkness is like nope, not today Karen, not today Karen. But it's okay. She understands what the dream represents.
Speaker 1:And this is the point where the audience finds out that they have lost the baby. Mind you, it is all smiles. Neither she or Sid has shed a single tear. They're just basking in their, their there-ness. They're okay. Even though they lost the baby, they accept it and rejoice in their love and their happy life. Their love is like a soap bubble. It's delicate and beautiful and iridescent. They're ready to face the entire world together, because they've been together too long, they are too strong, they don't have anything to worry about. Plus, they have three, two wonderful children and a bonus, and they are ready to face the world together. They're leaving the hospital until cue the dramatic entrance of a happy couple with a giant, gorgeous Gerber baby. This baby is super cute.
Speaker 1:Karen finally has that emotional outburst that Dr Judgy McJudgerson was fiending for all episode long. She bursts into Karen's too beautiful to ugly cry, but she tries. She tries to squeeze out a tear or two. It doesn't happen, but she boohoo, she hollers, as we would say back in the day, she hollers in the hospital, pretty much that's it. They end up driving home and everybody's outside. There's kind of a weird conversation that happens about the kids playing basketball. They still suck at basketball, but Karen hops out of the car and everybody wants to handle her with kid gloves but she's like hey, don't trample my begonias, begulias, begonias, flowers. End scene. Well, that was fun, wasn't it?
Speaker 1:Pregnancy, no pregnancy, fight about gender roles in the most civil way. I think it's safe to say that the theme this episode is everyone has a certain amount of value that they present and bring, and just because yours isn't heavily monetized does not make it any less valuable. Karen, mother of three, feels like she's paid her dues and I would have to agree with her Not saying she should or shouldn't keep her baby. That's the decision every person, every couple, needs to make on their own. But I can definitely understand allowing yourself to feel scared or disappointed or like you're pushing yourself even further on the back burner. It'll be interesting to see how she goes forward and what other things she pursues, because she essentially has a nine-year-old Once he's in high school. She's going to have more free time and we know that this series lasts for another 12 years, so let's see how that plays out.
Speaker 1:Among other things on the show, the first thing that jumped out to me was the judgy OBGYN, woman to woman. You cannot tell me that every woman in the office was super excited about being pregnant. Maybe they didn't always voice it, maybe they were smart enough to pretend that they were excited. But I have to think back to. This is a different time period, 1980. Seemed like it's leaps and bounds away from 1960 or 1950, but it's really not. There's a certain level of expectation on women. Once you get married, of course you're going to start having babies. If you get knocked up before you get the ring, you got to get that ring as quickly as possible, have that baby and then lie to everyone and say that oh, she's a preemie, even though she was 11 pounds, 16 ounces. Oops, that would be 12 pounds depending on where you are in the world.
Speaker 1:But she was so disappointed and I had to take a step back and say you know, sometimes at work I get really bored. Actually I don't get super bored because I'll listen to a podcast. Don't act like you, don't do it. You're probably listening at work right now. God, I hope you are. If you are, thank you so good. Go ahead and download a couple of episodes of Knott's Landing or Dallas, falcon Crest or Dynasty and enjoy yourself. Gotta make the time fly by somehow.
Speaker 1:But imagine a doctor circa 1980. She's been doing this for 25 plus years. She needs some excitement, like if someone's not having triplets then I mean it's probably pretty standard for the most part. So her entertainment is watching the looks of glee or at least duress all over someone's face, and Karen shows up all stoic and whatnot. Like you just ruined her afternoon. I owe you an apology. Judgy, wedgie was a doctor, sid's hobby lobby comment.
Speaker 1:It is so disrespectful on so many levels to assume to oversimplify what she does. Allow me to explain Today. I know stay-at-home dads, I know stay-at-home moms. We can all agree that taking care of other people, whether they're children or teenagers, which are still children, but you know what I mean, not like infant, toddler, kindergarten age, taking care of adults, taking care of adults with special needs, taking care of elderly parents, taking care of people in a hospital there is a certain level of pressure and responsibility that can never, it will never be able to be put into words. That would justify the amount of just selflessness it requires. Even if you're an extremely selfish person, you have to surrender quite a bit of your personality when you are taking care of someone. It's totally different than being in a relationship, because a relationship is a give or take. When you are responsible for another human, there is no give and take, it is only give on your part. They are there to receive your strength. All of that, all the things that they lack, they need to take from you.
Speaker 1:It's safe to say that women in particular, we have never really been good at saying, putting up boundaries or expressing the true magnitude of our work. And when you do, oftentimes you're kind of shushed or lulled into silence, with people being like oh well, you know, you signed up for this, you did this. I love that. This episode kind of flipped that just a little bit Again. I never expected these sorts of topics from 1980 before I started watching these shows, because I assumed this was a quote unquote more innocent time. It really wasn't. The more things change, the more they stay the same. She just had the gall to voice it. She only voiced it to her husband, which isn't strange at all, because that's supposed to be your partner but his solutions to her day to day was the part that was insulting.
Speaker 1:It's like oh, you really think I'm at home gluing toothpicks together, making molly pops, sitting up here gossiping with the girls. Yes, granted, yes, I do do that. I do a lot of sunbathing, I do a lot of marigold watering, but she's earned her stripes, as she put it. I've earned my time three times over. I have three babies. I've had 16 years of surrendering every day. Surrendering my time, my mind, my heart to these people so that I can sow into their future, and my heart to these people so that I can sow into their future. And his solution is oh, we'll just get someone to help you.
Speaker 1:I understand where he's coming from, but, like, at the end of the day, you have to be very delicate when you speak to your loved ones or your spouse about what it is that they do, even if you're like you literally do nothing all day. Don't say that she blows up and she tries to explain to him afterward that, like listen, when I was in school I really, really believed my life was going a different direction. I fell in love with you, no mistakes made. But as much as I love the life that we have here, there's always a tiny part of me that wonders what if? What if we'd waited 10 years to have kids? What if I graduated? Where would I be? There's nothing insulting about that, especially considering all the volunteer work that she does.
Speaker 1:That's clearly a very motivated person, and had she start receiving a check for that, she would have been way. Oh my gosh. He would have been mr mom. He would have been at home tinkering with cars or whatnot, and that's another thing. How are you going to talk about? Oh, I was gonna, I wanted to be a race car driver.
Speaker 1:Last episode, the one with your wife, you said you, your ex-wife on x marks the spot. He said he wanted to sell antique cars or something like that. Sid is. Oh, I don't know. Jury's still out on Sid.
Speaker 1:He also looks a hell of a lot older than 37. To me personally it's irrelevant, but I think about a 37 year old now, like now the average 37-year-old millennial male is. I don't know if he looks younger because all the creatine he takes or the Red Bull, I don't know. But they definitely don't look that old and I'm not just saying that. I would say in general most people do not look as old as they look on the show. That's all Gen X. I know it, it is.
Speaker 1:I will forever have the biggest crush on Gen X. They were my people I looked up to. I wished so badly that I was born in the early 70s, like late 60s, so I could be one. I wanted to be one so bad. But they were so cool, except for the 80s fashion and that is what it is. But I love how that generation has kind of paved the way for not eternalized youth but understanding that the opposite of youth is not decrepit. You don't have to turn into the Crypt Keeper once you hit 40. You don't have to stop living, but shout out to Gen X. I love you guys so much. The biggest crush on Gen X.
Speaker 1:A surprising and very, very pleasant moment in this episode for me was the Knottlanding Casanova himself, kenny, giving some wholesome advice. I just didn't know what to make of it at first. First I'm thinking what exactly is he saying to her. What he said was that because Eric didn't know Jill very well, he only has to assume that she has the same standards as her friends and when he sees them disappearing into the fog to go do the woo woo on the sand, which is when we're grown. But we'll talk about that after dark. It's a bad idea and it wasn't with it. But Jill took it as a rejection of her, like wow, why didn't he want to hang out with me? Y'all are sitting in silence, like teenagers often do when they're dating. They're just awkward and weird and don't know what to say. But she didn't know how to interpret that.
Speaker 1:So I love that they kept them wholesome. They could have, I mean, they kissed a little bit, but they kept it PG. He just got out of there because he felt like his boundaries were being pushed. I love that. I love seeing that out in the open. And they didn't turn him into this goody goody. I love that it was presented on the show just as a personal choice. He decided this was not the crowd for him, this was not the thing. But he's still into the girl.
Speaker 1:So when Kenny is breaking it down, all I could think was number one. Is he going to sleep with this girl at some point? I have to believe that he will. I mean, she's a kid now, but they don't seem to be very far away from 18. And if he liked the North Texas Lolita, this girl doesn't look very different from from Lucy. So it's strange to have a man who's such a bed-hopping whore, provides such wholesome advice, like looking out for his kid sister-in-law. Hopefully, maybe that, maybe that relationship will remain platonic, maybe it won't.
Speaker 1:They always say it takes one to know one. In his case it takes a hoe to know a hoe, takes a swinger to know a swinger. But you can also smell when someone is not. For instance, like, have you ever? When you first move out of your house, like when you first move out of care from your parents and you start living on your own, it doesn't take long for you to bump into other people just like you. You can kind of clock it. Once you go to the grocery stores someone buying a super pack of ramen noodles and big bread or whatever it's very easy to see who's living how and what they're into, what they're not, if you know what to look for nine times out of ten. If it's not your, you're not your gang, it's not your zhuzh, you're not gonna clock it. But Kenny's, right away, is like oh, I know why he. I know why he hesitated.
Speaker 1:I used to be a little boy myself. He doesn't want to appear inadequate with you. This is too much pressure and it's not really his thing. Way to go, kenny. However, I still need to know if they are swingers. I'm really waiting on that just to be spelled out for me. Like, talk to me like I'm in kindergarten, let me know what you guys are really into, because I don't know. No, I do know, I do know, they're just not saying it. That's my question. Is ginger into it other than in parties.
Speaker 1:I had a twinge of nostalgia or an unlocked memory, something I hadn't seen in a really long time. But it's something I've always longed for. I just didn't put it into words. I hadn't put it into words in a very long time. As a kid the church we used to go to, even as a child one of the things I noticed right away is that the men's room seemed to be smaller. I think I went in with a friend one time during service or after service. It was like they were probably cleaning the bathroom or something. I poked my head in there and it was significantly smaller. No doors on any of the stalls except for one, so one person got to sit on the throne. Everyone else had to stand up and do their business, which just blew my mind. I didn't really understood how. I did not understand how that worked, for like probably like 12 years later I finally figured out. Oh okay, I get it. But in the women's restroom they had three or four stalls.
Speaker 1:There was a machine that dispensed pantyhose. They used to come out. Pantyhose are like nylon stockings or whatever. Call them pantyhose in Texas. But it would come in this. You know how you go Easter egg hunting and they have the plastic eggs that you can put money or chocolate or whatever candy you want in. They were a lot like that, except they housed a fresh pair of nylons. That in and of itself was fascinating. I used to love to watch. I love to put the quarters in like pick out my great grandma's pantyhose if she ripped them or something.
Speaker 1:But there was also a large couch near the door. And this wasn't the only place I saw it. I remember seeing them in different buildings in school. In the teacher's bathroom in school they had a couch. I forgot that that was a thing. I forgot that. That was one of the things that happened, and I think I saw an episode of Fresh Pants or something. Maybe it was Saved by the Bell and the guys had gone into the ladies room. They were like, oh my God, this is so much nicer than ours. Why do you guys have a couch? And a girl tells him because sometimes girls need to lay down. Duh, that was brilliant If your pampering didn't kick in. Sometimes you just need to lie down.
Speaker 1:But the truth is all women know, with or without a couch, one stall or 20, that is the official meeting place of women folk all around the world. There are some women on a remote island somewhere who meet in a hut, a communal hut, and they strategize and they plot and they scheme and they come up with earth shattering community changing plans in a bathroom. I'm telling you more business deals for women. Men. Maybe they go to the golf court. If we go to the bathroom together, you better believe. When the every woman walks out, she has your history, your dating history, credit history. We have names and numbers of every woman you've ever dated, anyone you've ever done dirty. We have an escape plan If five women get up to go say there's a dinner with couples, five women get up to go to the bathroom together. Oh yeah, it's an escape plan. We don't talk about how we're going to ditch you and go dancing or talk about how awkward this is, how horrible the merger is and what we can do to stop it from happening.
Speaker 1:This is where it is a lab. It is a CIA level. You need clearance to get in. Type of lab. The only thing missing is a couch.
Speaker 1:Now, granted, I am a little bit particular about that. I am not fond of bathroom smell. It is not my judge. I'm so glad I was born when I was, because Bath and Bodywork and Glade and all the other people have created these plugins so that I don't have to offend my delicate nasal cavities with other people's release. Now, in the fancier restaurants, sometimes you'll run across a seat or so. I don't think it's unusual, right, ladies? It's not unusual to see maybe a high back chair or two when you first walk into the ladies room, like right up against the mirror, or sometimes there's a long bench.
Speaker 1:But I think we can all agree that we do need a place to rest while we fellowship with each other in the bathroom and keep the stalls a little bit separate. You need the stalls a little bit further in for maximum privacy. Bathroom and keep the stalls a little bit separate. You need the stalls a little bit further in for maximum privacy. And then we need a little space to chit chat and we need to bring that back. I never actually saw it in the show, but when she said Karen was lying down, I knew immediately like I had a flash. But I'm like, oh my God, that used to be a thing. They need that now, although I wonder if that was ever a thing, like in airports probably not. That's enough about that.
Speaker 1:Let's talk about the disrespect of a geriatric pregnancy. First off, the word geriatric has been associated far too long with people over 75. Some might call me a geriatric millennial. Like geriatric, that's so harsh. A geriatric pregnancy is a pregnancy over the age what is it? 33 or 35? Truth be told, your chances of getting pregnant only drop a small percentage. But I mean, I guess every egg counts.
Speaker 1:But the way Karen was ostracized by her loud mouth a good, old-fashioned backhand daughter, okay, okay, I don't condone violence, but I'm just thinking baby girl, who are you? You just threw a fit over the teddy bears on a in your room hanging up. What do you know about babies? What do you know about anything? Who are you to tell your mother you are too old to be raising a family? Oh cool, so you're moving out. Is that what you're saying? Now? They were all in her face about like, oh my gosh, she's so old. Boy, girl, boy, sit down. She was perfectly fine and I started looking at some statistics. The biggest standout here of the entire episode is that 37 in 1980 is totally different than 37 in 2024, even 2010.
Speaker 1:Millennials are waiting longer and longer to get married. Gen Z is doing the same thing the few of them that are old enough to be out in the world like that. They're waiting. Gen X if you're still married, great If you're on. Your second marriage probably happened mid-40s.
Speaker 1:People are taking our time because it takes longer to settle in and, plus, we are the generations X, millennial and Z. All of our parents are divorced. We've all seen. We've seen marriages break apart. We've seen the relationships dissolve, and I think it's also been hammered into our heads that you need to be an independent woman, independent man. You need to have your ducks in a row. Granted that people still get married very young. I know a couple of couples that are like 20 when they get married, but by and large people are waiting longer to get married. Divorce rate has gone down because of that and people are waiting to have babies.
Speaker 1:Can you guess the median age or the average age of a woman being pregnant in 2024 for the first time? It's around 31 years old, around that. So Karen, having a baby at 37, I mean some people, the older generation, might like kind of scoff at that, like wow really. But not today, when my best friends in the world got pregnant at 40, like it just happens. It happens a little later for some of us and there's nothing wrong with that. But I guess back then a 37 year old woman expecting a child was like spotting a dancing unicorn or something they acted like. She grew a fourth horn at the middle of her head, but I felt like Karen navigated that so well. She was raw, she was real, she was uncut, she was honest in her feelings and then she really was a silent. She was quiet when she didn't want to talk about it, kept it to herself. So it allowed her the space to think about it, to think about it, to grieve it, to build hope.
Speaker 1:Because, honestly, let's be real, let's talk about that, let's go back to the whole being a caregiver thing. It really is a beautiful endeavor. It is a wonderful gift. It is a gift like no other to watch somebody that you have nurtured blossom into their own, see them be successful, see them grow an understanding of themselves and the world around them and still maintain that childlike joy as an adult. It's a gift to get to take care of your family, your parents, who did the same thing for you. It's a wonderful full circle moment, but it's also scary and it's also very, very hard. And it's also okay if that's not what you want to do.
Speaker 1:I think we're going to end this here. I just want to thank my soap fiends for showing up today and if you're in a position where you're taking care of someone, be it an infant or an elderly person, know that I feel you, my heart goes out to you, take your time, be honest with yourself. It is okay to wake up some days and not want to do this. It is perfectly fine. It's also okay to treat yourself with kindness and patience and give yourself a lot of grace because, guess what, you deserve it. All. Right, I'm going to make you a deal For the remainder of this day, the remainder of this week any drama, any insecurities, anything you feel that you're not quite happy with, we're going to let that be. We're going to let it go. Keep all of our drama on TV until next time.