Tonight, I finished watching my the Eighth Season of All in the Family. This is the final season with Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers, which in my opinion should have been the final season of All in the Family. The final episode of the season even plays like it could be a series finale.
All in the Family is one of my favorite series of all time. But there is definitely change in tone in the series around the Sixth Season. I believe this is when new show runners took over and this is also the season where Mike and Gloria are pregnant and they move into the Jefferson's house next door. The audience reactions aren't quite as loud and wild as they were in the first five seasons. Still loud but not the same. And there seems to be an increase in the level of slapstick in the series. i.e. Gloria and Archie giving each other the raspberries all the time, Mike and Archie always getting stuck in doorways, Gloria hitting Archie on the head, pulling on his chest hairs. The show still deals with major topics but they seem more universal and less of the time as they were in the early years.
Also in Season Six, the show was moved from its Saturday 8pm time slot because of the FCC's new Family Hour which meant the no shows with adult content could be shown before 9pm. That ruling was overturned due to law suits from producers like Norman Lear. But by then the damage had been done. For Season 7, All in the Family moved to Wednesday where it fell from 1 to 12 in the Nielsen Ratings. Midway through the season it was moved to Saturdays at 9 and then in Season 8 it moved to Sunday nights where it bounced back up to 4 and stayed in that time slot.
Now Season 8. What can I say. This particular season in my opinion is the best of the later seasons. In this season alone, Archie forges Edith's signature to mortgage the house and buy Kelsey's bar (the two-part season opener), they go to Cousin Liz's funeral and discover she was a lesbian and her roommate was her lover and wants the family heirloom tea set (Emmy best writing), the next episode, Edith almost gets raped on her 50th Birthday (Emmy for direction) and also a two-parter. There's a bunch of two-parters this season. Archie opens the bar and gets very little business so he gets hooked on pills (two-parter). Next up, he gets recruited by the local KKK who have targeted Mike to burn a cross on his lawn (even though he has no lawn!) also a two-parter, a nice flashback episode for Mike and Gloria and how they met (clearly a showcase for there soon departing Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers), then another two-parter where Beverly LaSalle is killed as the result of a hate crime and Edith loses her faith in God. Archie's Super Bowl party is held up at gunpoint. Archie and Mike get locked in the storeroom overnight and Archie reveals a great deal about his upbringing. And then the final three episodes leading up to Mike and Gloria leaving for Mike's new job in California. There are a few lighter episodes in there but Boy! A lot happened to this family in the course of six months! I'm glad this wasn't my family. Oy vey! (Sorry Archie)
As for that last episode, I can never sit through it without balling, I just watched it again for the umpteenth time and that last scene where they say their goodbyes...well let's just say I was sniffling and tears were streaming down my cheeks. That last shot of Archie and Edith sitting there in silence staring out as the camera slowly pulls back (what happened to the TV set that's usually in front of their chairs?) and the slow fade out..wow! just, wow!
Season Eight swept the Emmys in 1978 winning in all but one category, Supporting Actress for Sally Struthers. She won the next year for her guest appearance in the Ninth Season. Like I said its the best of the later seasons. Season Nine is a different show. No live studio audience, No Mike or Gloria and instead an adopted seven-year old girl, the daughter of a second cousin of Edith's. Not so great and not a fitting end to a great series.
Saturday nights on CBS were a family ritual in my house growing up. It's comfort food for me, watching all these old TV series and re-living my childhood and teen years.
Monday, November 28, 2016
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Am I Too Nice?
I spoke in a previous blog about online dating. Two weeks have passed and I have a progress report. And that is...there is nothing to report. All three of the potential suitors have virtually dropped off the map. Or as the kids today say, Radio Silence.
Man #1 - Long Beach told me that he was very busy until some time next month. But yes he very much wants to meet me and hopefully we can make that happen next month. I did text him this past weekend and he responded very nicely. He was in Omaha visiting friends for the weekend.
Man #2 - Palmdale man. Nothing. Haven;t heard a word from him in a couple of weeks. My last text was not answered. Could never get an answer from him whenever I directly asked him about meeting up. No. Wait. I take that back. He responded once by saying When the rain stopped. Seriously? Rain prevents you from going out and meeting someone you like? Whatever.
Man # 3 - The 30 year-old I had two dates with. He eventually responded to my text asking how things were. He had to move out of his brother's apartment on a few days notice. He let me know that everything was fine and he was staying on a friend's couch and took a second job working at a Subway a couple nights a week to make some more money to afford a place of his own. I asked if he thought we might be able to see each other again sometime soon and got no response back. About 5 days later, I asked again and I have not heard back since.
So that's where things stand. Nowhere. I've sent emails to a couple more men on Match, but I've received no responses. I've been passive -aggressive and merely winked at some, rather than send an email message. Thus, leaving it on them to contact me if they like my profile.
I've emailed some others. I'm always nice or polite, trying my best not to offend or seem needy/desperate. I don't wasn't to be appear rude or pushy either. Sometimes I might merely say, "Hello. How are you ? I like your profile. I'd love to hear from you if you are interested." Or I might say I'd like learn more about you. Or I might tell them I find them handsome or attractive. Or I try to use some humor or refer to somethings in their profile that we might have in common.
Should I be more of a flirt? Should I be more aggressive? Like, "Hey stud! You're hot. Let's do it!" I mean seriously. What's the balance? What do I have to do to get someone interested in me? I've tried everything. Thoughtful. Nice. Polite. Respectful. Charming. Funny. Common interests. Fessing up to my shyness. Honesty. And here I am after years and years of trying to play the game. Nothing works. Absolutely nothing.
There was a time. Not so long ago. That if I didn't hear back from someone. No returned phone call, (this was in the days before Internet), I would not try to reach out again. These days I will at least try once after not hearing back from someone. I don't want to seem like I'm not trying. That's assuming that the other party wants me to try or fight for them. What IS it they want? Can someone please tell me?
There are a couple of men I've met and gone on a couple dates with over the past couple years who have said that they like me but just want to be friends. Yet they went on dates with me that were clearly dates and in one case he was really into me. But suddenly wasn't anymore. And I've thought about contacting him in particular and asking why. What changed? What did I do that changed his mind about me? But I don't. Even though it's really eating away at me. He did say he wanted to still hang out and be friends. But as time passes, I think too much time has passed and it would be odd for me to contact him out of the blue. Maybe its not a good idea. But I want to know. I want to know what I'm doing wrong.
Maybe I'm too nice. I'm too concerned with what HE wants and not the least bit concerned with what I want. I don't want to offend. Does that make me appear milquetoast? Uninteresting? Sometimes that old horrible voice inside my head comes back and tells me its because I'm not attractive and not a very interesting person. I mean that has to be it, right? That's the only logical explanation. It has to be me. It couldn't possibly be them. Could it?
Man #1 - Long Beach told me that he was very busy until some time next month. But yes he very much wants to meet me and hopefully we can make that happen next month. I did text him this past weekend and he responded very nicely. He was in Omaha visiting friends for the weekend.
Man #2 - Palmdale man. Nothing. Haven;t heard a word from him in a couple of weeks. My last text was not answered. Could never get an answer from him whenever I directly asked him about meeting up. No. Wait. I take that back. He responded once by saying When the rain stopped. Seriously? Rain prevents you from going out and meeting someone you like? Whatever.
Man # 3 - The 30 year-old I had two dates with. He eventually responded to my text asking how things were. He had to move out of his brother's apartment on a few days notice. He let me know that everything was fine and he was staying on a friend's couch and took a second job working at a Subway a couple nights a week to make some more money to afford a place of his own. I asked if he thought we might be able to see each other again sometime soon and got no response back. About 5 days later, I asked again and I have not heard back since.
So that's where things stand. Nowhere. I've sent emails to a couple more men on Match, but I've received no responses. I've been passive -aggressive and merely winked at some, rather than send an email message. Thus, leaving it on them to contact me if they like my profile.
I've emailed some others. I'm always nice or polite, trying my best not to offend or seem needy/desperate. I don't wasn't to be appear rude or pushy either. Sometimes I might merely say, "Hello. How are you ? I like your profile. I'd love to hear from you if you are interested." Or I might say I'd like learn more about you. Or I might tell them I find them handsome or attractive. Or I try to use some humor or refer to somethings in their profile that we might have in common.
Should I be more of a flirt? Should I be more aggressive? Like, "Hey stud! You're hot. Let's do it!" I mean seriously. What's the balance? What do I have to do to get someone interested in me? I've tried everything. Thoughtful. Nice. Polite. Respectful. Charming. Funny. Common interests. Fessing up to my shyness. Honesty. And here I am after years and years of trying to play the game. Nothing works. Absolutely nothing.
There was a time. Not so long ago. That if I didn't hear back from someone. No returned phone call, (this was in the days before Internet), I would not try to reach out again. These days I will at least try once after not hearing back from someone. I don't want to seem like I'm not trying. That's assuming that the other party wants me to try or fight for them. What IS it they want? Can someone please tell me?
There are a couple of men I've met and gone on a couple dates with over the past couple years who have said that they like me but just want to be friends. Yet they went on dates with me that were clearly dates and in one case he was really into me. But suddenly wasn't anymore. And I've thought about contacting him in particular and asking why. What changed? What did I do that changed his mind about me? But I don't. Even though it's really eating away at me. He did say he wanted to still hang out and be friends. But as time passes, I think too much time has passed and it would be odd for me to contact him out of the blue. Maybe its not a good idea. But I want to know. I want to know what I'm doing wrong.
Maybe I'm too nice. I'm too concerned with what HE wants and not the least bit concerned with what I want. I don't want to offend. Does that make me appear milquetoast? Uninteresting? Sometimes that old horrible voice inside my head comes back and tells me its because I'm not attractive and not a very interesting person. I mean that has to be it, right? That's the only logical explanation. It has to be me. It couldn't possibly be them. Could it?
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