#family matters

I’m sorry, but I really hate season nine.

The show glosses over Laura being unfaithful to Stefan, and justifies it with “she’s trying to figure her feelings out”. A season ago, they acknowledged when she did this and had her break things off with Curtis. But apparently, for the sake of getting Laura and Steve together, it’s okay for her to kiss Steve multiple times and go out on a date with him, and pretend for the time being her relationship with Stefan doesn’t exist. In a show called FamilyMatters, cheating is glossed over and justified.

I’m so tired of this plot, I skip over it in episodes where it’s prominent and watch the subplot. Maybe Steve and Laura do deserve each other. They’re both jerks who were disrespectful to their current partners (Steve told Myra seasons ago she was only a placeholder until Laura became interested in him, and no matter how you spin it, that’s an absolute jerk move)?

The episode I’m watching is also the firsr where the new actress who plays the mother comes in. I can see why the old actress left.

saphyrenights:

Unpopular opinion: Steve Urkel kept hounding Laura Winslow because she wouldn’t stop sending him mixed messages, and even though he was annoying af, Laura was frequently way too mean to him. It’s fine that she didn’t want to admit to herself that she actually really did like/love Steve, but she shouldn’t have acted like it was some kind of chore to be his friend. Either treat him with respect or cut him loose. Don’t jerk him around and then get mad when he thinks he’s got a chance. Everybody acted like Steve had boundary issues, but with the boundaries being redrawn every five minutes, wtf was he supposed to do?

#steveurkeldefensesquad2k20

That doesn’t really justify Steve’s behavior. This guy went so far as to tell his current girlfriend she’s essentially a placeholder until Laura shows interest. Plus, it’s pretty obvious the writers only made Laura have feelings for him for the sake of drama and that fans wanted them together.

Some episodes had Steve go so far as STALKING Laura (and in another state, at that!), and the audience is still supposed to be on his side. Yes, Laura can be awful in her own right - I’m not denying that - but the series reached a point where Steve could do no wrong and the audience is always supposed to feel sorry for him.

And yes, Steve had serious boundary issues. Again, stalking someone. Also, the many times he (and others, I admit) entered the Winslows’ home without permission. There is an episode where he literally says he’ll come over any time he wants. Uh, no. In real life, nobody in their right mind would tolerate that blatant disrespect of their home and privacy. And the mere fact he does seem to think he’s owed Laura’s love because he likes her. In other words, he not only has boundary issues, but entitlement ones.

Being the friend of someone who can’t take no for an answer is a chore, and lack of social awareness is not sympathetic it’s always used to justify Steve being a jerk. Everyone around him deals with the consequences of his actions while he rarely does, and sometimes, we’re supposed to praise him for being a jerk. Laura wanting him back in her life when he briefly left her alone was for the sake of keeping him on the show and maintaining his comedy antics.

I feel like Family Matters’s moral of “be yourself” falls flat.

It’s easy for the guy whose actions often poorly affect others to claim he likes himself. When you constantly harm others’ property and stalk a girl for years on end because you think you’re entitled to her, “being yourself” is not a good thing. Negatively affecting others (and repeatedly saying sorry, but you continue doing it) is not justified by “be yourself”.

Steve’s lack of social skills and reading too much into situations is more grating than funny now. I watched the epsiode “Movin’ On”. I know Steve somehow thinking Carl wants him to come back home is supposed to be hilarious, but it just makes me unable to feel sorry for him when he’s homesick earlier. Honestly, I don’t think Steve is a sympathetic character at all. But this show did last nine seasons, so I guess that proves time marches on.

Family Matters is not as funny as I remember. Steve Urkel really is a jerk, especially how he treats Myra and his obsession over Laura (which is supposed to be treated with sympathy by the audience). I haven’t watched regular TV in years, but I hope sitcoms have gotten better with romance plots.

“Surely You Joust” is one of those episodes where Steve is definitely the asshole. All the accidents were his fault, and he thinks he’s entitled to come into someone else’s home at his own pleasure because of his crush on Laura. I kind of feel bad for finding this show funny when I first saw it. Steve can be really unlikable. Most of his problems could be avoided if he knew what boundaries were and respected them.

Watching the episode of Family Matters where Steve breaks Carl’s ship model. I can see why some people criticized this show. Steve is always portrayed as in the right, even when he shouldn’t be. Yeah, it was an accident, but “sorry” only has meaning when you don’t repeat the behavior. Steve is continually careless, and never thinks about what he does.

OG THAWNE IS BACK BABY!

Okay, but my seven year old sister was so sad when she found out George Washington died…like, actually hurt. I think she thought of him as a friend at this point.