Aldona Witkowska
The Great Homecoming – in other
words, history and the domestic
sitcom repeat themselves
Media – Kultura – Komunikacja Społeczna 8, 139-154
2012
The Great Homecoming - in other words, history
and the domestic sitcom repeat themselves
Słowa kluczow e: m ałżeństw o, rodzina, żona, klasa średnia, kult dom atorstw a, post-
fem inizm , kom edia sytuacyjna
Key w ords: m arriage, fam ily, w ife, m iddle-class, Cult of D om esticity, post-fem inism ,
situation com edy
Introduction
D om estic com edies are “those w hich revolve around m iddle-class nuc le a r fam ilies livin g in su bu rb ia and featu re a p ro fession al fa th e r (doctor, accou n tan t, etc.) and a fu ll-tim e, stay-at-h o m e m other. H um or is found in th e in terre la tio n sh ip s of th e fam ily m em b ers”1.
T h e b egin n in g o f dom estic sitcom dom ination fell on th e m id -1950s and w as connected w ith th e re b irth of th e C u lt of D o m esticity and trad itio n al gender divisions. D o m esticity w as 18th and 19th cen tu ry ideology, which assum ed sep aratio n of m a rk e t and fam ily work. A dherence to its p rin ci ples d istingu ish ed m iddle-class from lower cla sse s2. A clea r division into “dom estic” function of wife and “activ e” role o f h u sband w as based on the b e lie f th a t th e world of work is rough and only stron g m an can survive in it. As a resu lt, th e role o f a h u sband w as to work and support the fam ily, w hile h is frag ile wife w aited for him a t home.
T h e televisio n im age o f A m erican fam ily in th e 1950s w as a faith fu l reflection o f dom esticity assum ptions. F a m ily life w as p resen ted as a very p le a sa n t jo u rn ey to m odernity, w hile rem ain in g fa ith fu l to th e tra d itio n a l v alu es. P a re n ts and ch ild ren w ere connected by love and resp ect. C hildren w ith jo y fully rep eated the p ath o f th e ir p a re n ts’ life: going to college, ob tain in g a good profession or b ein g a good w ife3.
T h e idealized vision o f w hite m iddle-class fam ily life w as continued in th e 1960s by sitcom s like: T h e D o n n a R e e d S h o w , L e a v e it to B e a v e r and
F a t h e r K n o w s B e s t. As E lla T aylor w rote, they w ere “a ll v eh icles for who
lesom e ta le s se t in sm all ru ra l tow ns or com fortable m iddle-class suburbs 1 N.C. Leibman, Living Room Lectures: The Fifties Family in Film and Television, Aus tin 1995, p. 8.
2 L. Johnson, J. Lloyd, Sentenced to Everyday Life: Feminism and the Housewife, Oxford 2004, p. 6.
3 E. Taylor, Prime-Time Families: Television Culture in Postwar America, Berkeley, Los Angeles 1989, p. 27.
of Los A ngeles or New Y o rk ”4. In th a t televised , m iddle-class, dream ed life h u sban d s m ostly served “as the w ise and know ledgeable a u th o rity in the household”5 and w ives w ere th e irs dup licates, silen t p a rtn ers who le t them fu lfill th e role o f th e head o f th e fam ily. In th e m ajo rity of m iddle-class sitcom s m en had th e fin a l word in im p o rtan t m a tte rs connected w ith the fam ily. W om en often played a supporting role o f a housew ife6. In th e view of th e au th or o f the L iv in g R o o m L e c tu r e s : T h e F ift ie s F a m ily in F ilm a n d
T e le v is io n , th e w om an ch aracte rs
held a questionable position as the operative force in domestic life, wherein they were expected to perform the necessary domestic duties, but continually upheld their husbands as more important7.
D em ographic study for th e y ears 1 9 5 0 -1 9 8 9 m ade in 1994, in dicated th a t th e connection betw een televisio n fam ilies and th e re a l ones w ere m arg inal. L ori L an d ay who brought up above stu dies, as th e co n tra st put contem porary shows, defining them as tho se w hich “accu rately p ortray the fam ily life”8.
U ndoubtedly, today’s series a tta ch g re a te r im portance to portraying new phenom ena and m an ifestin g v a rie tie s of m odern A m erican fam ily. However, s till sitcom s concerning w hite m iddle-class fam ily did n ot com p letely cu t off from th e ir predecessors. C ontem p orary situ a tio n com edies,
E v e r y b o d y L o v e s R a y m o n d and A c c o r d in g to J i m , are going b ack to the
trad itio n o f old, good dom estic sitcom s, in th e F a t h e r K n o w s B e s t kind, focusing a tte n tio n on th e c h a ra cte r of husband.
Those two se ries also rep resen t ty p ical for dom estic sitcom them e, m ean in g “slobbish guys w ith sm art, sexy w ives”9. T h ere is no doubt th a t th is tren d gained m ore stren g th in recen t y ears, considering th e num ber of sitcom s b ased on th e form ula. N onetheless, it should be noted th a t the tendency o f m atching clum sy, u n a ttra ctiv e m ale ch a ra cte rs w ith b e a u ti ful women is not new and h as its roots in the 1950s. Enough to b rin g the exam ples o f R alp h and Alice K ram den, or R obinson P eep ers and N ancy R em ington, a b ea u tifu l school nu rse, who ev en tu ally b ecam e h is w ife10.
E v e r y b o d y L o v e s R a y m o n d and A c c o r d in g to J i m continue th is glorious
trad itio n in a ll its m an ifestatio n s. W ives from those two sitcom s, D ebra 4 E. Taylor, op. cit., p. 29.
5 Ch. Blades, From Housewife to Sex Goddess: Exploring the Changing Role o f Women in
Situation Comedies, [online] <http://telewatcher.com/comedy/from-housewife-to-sex-goddess-
exploring-the-changing-role-of-women-in-situation-comedies/>, accessed: 20.05. 2011. 6 Ibidem.
7 J. Reed, Beleaguered Husbands and Demanding Wives: The New Domestic Sitcom, [on line] <http://www.americanpopularculture.com/archive/tv/domestic_sitcoms.htm>, accessed: 8.05. 2011.
8 L. Landay, I Love Lucy, Detroit 2010, p. 15-16.
9 T. Brooks, E. Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV
Shows 1946-Present, New York 2007, p. xx.
10 K. Bloom, F. Vlastnik, Sitcoms: The 101 Greatest TV Comedies o f All Time, New York 2007, p. 94-95.
B aro n e and C heryl, d efin itely belong to one of th e se x ie st in situ ation com edies h isto ry and th e ir hu sband s are m odel exam ples o f thick-headed, u n a ttra ctiv e m ale ch aracte rs.
Husband's superior: the character of Debra Barone
from Everybody Loves Raymond (1996-2005)
E v e r y b o d y L o v e s R a y m o n d , one o f th e m ost popular T V shows which
en terta in ed th e au dience for nine y ears, w as th e re su lt of cooperation betw een producer P h il R o sen th a l and stand-up com edian R ay Rom ano. W hen they firs t m et it tu rn ed out th a t they both w ere from Q ueens and had sim ila r fam ily exp erien ces. R o sen th a l recognized R a y ’s fam ily as a p erfect m a te ria l for sitcom . H e recalls:
He [Ray] tells me about his parents living close by in Queens, that they lived with his brother, who’s a cop, who’s older, who’s divorced, who eats by touching every bite of food to his chin before he puts it in his mouth, and is jealous of Raymond and says, when he sees Raymond’s Cable Ace Award for Comedy, “It never ends for Raymond. Everybody loves Raymond”11.
T h u s, supported by Rom ano’s fam ily stories, P h il R o sen th a l created sm a rt and quirky sitcom about m iddle-class m arried couple, R ay and D ebra B aro n e, who lives in Long Isla n d w ith th e ir th ree kids and, w hat is w orse, w ith R a y ’s p are n ts across th e stree t. T he proxim ity is th e source of trou bles as w ell as hum or. The peace of m arried life is co n stan tly in terru p ted by R a y ’s nosy p are n ts and divorced broth er. T h e plot is driven by com plicated relatio n s betw een m em bers of B aro n e fam ily: b roth ers, d au g hter and m other-in-law and o f course h u sband and w ife12.
T h e B a ro n e ’s fam ily is filled w ith one-of-a-kind p erso n alities. R ay is a sissy and h a s a difficulty in opposing h is p assiv e-aggressive ty ra n n ica l m other, M arie. H is relatio n sh ip w ith fa th e r is also not easy, since F ra n k is one o f th e m ost m ean and d isresp ectfu l crea tu res in th e world. R aym ond’s b roth er, R ob ert, on th e o th er hand, is a tru e boor who b lam es everyone, esp ecially R ay for h is failu res. A ll those ch a ra cte rs cre a te a specific cli m ate of th e sitcom b u t th e re is no doubt th a t E v e r y b o d y L o v e s R a y m o n d would not be th e sam e w ithou t very exp ressive c h a ra cte r of D ebra, played by P a tr ic ia H eaton.
H eaton did not have m uch trou ble w ith h e r role o f housew ife over w helm ed by dom estic duties. A t th a t tim e P a tr ic ia had a h u sband and two children h erself. H er play w as so su ggestive th a t th e ch a ra c te r of D ebra
11 R. Romano, P. Rosenthal, Everybody Loves Raymond: Our Family Album, New York 2004, p. 14.
12 J.W. Roman, From Daytime to Primetime: The History o f American Television Pro
appeared on th e top-ten lis t o f th e m ost m em orable televisio n wives. T he audience valued D eb ra B a ro n e ’s ste e l for a backbone w hich distinguish ed h er from th e 1 9 5 0 s “pu shovers”13. P h il R o sen th a l confirm ed th a t opinion in one of th e interview s:
It’s not just the wife, you don’t want just to have the wife, the kind of “Hi dear, let me get your dinner”, we wanted her to be three-dimensional character, we wanted her to have personality, we wanted her to be this character who is my wife and Ray’s wife, who gives us trouble sometimes and we have to answer to14. U ndoubtedly E v e r y b o d y L o v e s R a y m o n d tru e-born m arried couple was influ enced by R om ano’s and R o se n th a l’s m arriag e exp erien ces. A lthough th e ir w ives w ere sayin g th a t D ebra h as not m uch in common w ith them , d efin itely th e re w as so m eth ing to it. T h ey could n ot deny th a t se v eral epi sodes w ere based on re a l ev ents, lik e th e IM S episode or T h e C a n O p e n e r 15. D esp ite th e fa ct th a t m ost episodes w ere w ritten by m ale w riters, the w om an’s sp irit is perceptible in D e b ra ’s ch a ra cte r. E v ery single episode w ith h e r ap p earance ex p resses th e g re a t effort pu t in th e creatio n of fu ll -blooded w ife. D ebra B a ro n e is so re a l th a t w hile w atch in g h er actions, not in freq u en tly the fem ale view er is th in k in g : “Sh e is ju s t lik e m e”.
A t firs t glance D ebra is a ty p ical fu ll-tim e m oth er and w ife, stru ggling w ith scream in g kids and sink filled w ith dirty dishes, g reetin g h er h u s band w ith a k iss and h ot dinner. H owever, P h il R o sen th a l k ep t h is word and w h at we see on th e screen is n ot a one-d im ensional c h a ra c te r w hich could be ea sily described and qualified. O n th e con trary, D ebra is a w al k in g bomb w hich in one m om ent k isses h e r h u sband and a m in u te la te r punches him . Sh e can cook, ta k e care o f ch ild ren and clean b u t she w ill alw ays find tim e to show who is rea lly w earin g p an ts in th a t fam ily.
D e b ra ’s feelin g of su p eriority not only tow ard R ay b u t also a ll h is fam ily h as its roots in h er p aren tag e. D e b ra ’s p are n ts are u pper-class, so p h isti cated people, who spend tim e on v isitin g m useum s, operas and trav elin g to exotic cou ntries. T h ey have not m uch in common w ith Ita lia n decent R a y ’s fam ily. B a ro n e fam ily is b ased on a tra d itio n a l model, in w hich the h u sband ea rn s m oney and th e wife serves h im to th e grave and ta k e s care of h is child ren. T h eir e n te rta in m e n t is reduced to spending tim e in the k itch en e a tin g and jo u rn ey s across the stre e t to th e ir ch ild ren ’s house. M arie B a ro n e is com pletely devoted to h e r fam ily and b ein g th e wife and m other is th e only sense in h e r life.
D esp ite the fa ct th a t R a y ’s and D e b ra ’s m arriag e is also trad itio n al, D ebra, to pu t it m ildly, does not id entify w ith M a rie’s views on m arriag e and p aren tin g . Sh e accepts h er role of a hom em aker, fu lfills hom e duties
13 M.L. Moore, Top 10 Most Memorable Television Wives, [online] <http://www.examiner. com/tv-in-boston/top-10-most-memorable-television-wives>, accessed: 12.05.2011.
14 Casting o f Debra (Patricia Heaton), [online] <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uM4O GjXEyRM>, accessed: 20.05. 2011.
b u t not so p erfectly as h e r m oth er in-law . W h at is m ore, she ra th e r does not w an t to be perceived only as a housew ife. Sh e even feels offended when R ay calls h e r a good wife. H er answ er to h er h u sb an d ’s words is : “D on’t you ever say th a t to me ag ain ”16. D e b ra ’s reactio n is quite odd, however it is h ard to firm ly sta te w h at she rea lly feels and th in k s. Sh e h as m any faces and th a t is why h er behavior som etim es can be really su rprising. H er ch a ra cte r is b e st described by R ay, in h is con versation w ith R o b ert:
There’s two Debras. There’s the Debra that you see, that does not have the problem with it, then when everybody leaves, there’s the Debra that I see, “Darth Debra”17.
D e b ra ’s dark side can be revealed in m any situ atio n s, esp ecially during so called “h ard days”. In B a d M oon R is in g episode D eb ra shows th e fu ll n ess of h e r a b ilities. Sh e cries, y ells and furiou sly a tta c k s Raym ond. Y et, it does n ot m ean th a t during o th er days D ebra is th e exam ple o f self-control and p atien ce. N othing m ore wrong. E v en th e sim ple can opener can m ake D ebra becom e a “D a rth D eb ra”, not to m ention h e r annoying in-law s and ch ild ish husband.
In th e m entioned T h e C a n O p en er episode a very im p o rtan t fea tu re of D ebra appears, th a t is pride. Sh e h as a high sense of dignity and rea cts im pulsively w hen somebody, R ay or M arie, trie s to u nderm ine it. In th is episode, Raym ond rep roach es h e r for buying a bad can opener. D ebra t a k es h er h u sb an d ’s com m ent as p erson al a tta ck . W hen R ay says th a t the can opener is stupid, she responds w ith crying voice: “I am not stu pid”18. D e b ra’s reactio n shows not only h er se n sitiv ity about h e r s e lf b u t also ex p ectation to be ap p reciated by h er husband.
T h is sta te m e n t is confirm ed by an o th er episode in w hich R ay again, shows a com plete lack of ta ct. In T h e N et W orth he m akes a com m ent about h is su p eriority as a b read w in ner. D eb ra quickly proves h im th a t h e r work as a housew ife is w orth m ore. As evidence she gives h im a b ill for h ou se work w hich exceeds h is sa la ry 19. D e b ra ’s attitu d e, h e r aw aren ess o f the im portance of a role th a t she fu lfills, reflects th e conviction th a t bringin g m oney hom e, does n ot decide about m an ’s dom inance. Those episodes con stitu te an an sw er to contem ptuous a ttitu d e tow ard a housew ife profession and n ot perceiving dom estic duties as a job .
However, th e re is an o th er side o f th e coin. T h e show by u nd erlin ing th e im portance of wom an a t hom e and keeping h e r aw ay from th e job m a r k et, prom otes th e stereo ty p ical gender roles. B e in g a housew ife is th e only w ork th a t D ebra can perform . W hen she receives a job as a copyw riter, she gets fired a fte r one day20. D e b ra ’s failu re m eans th a t she w ill sta y a t
16 Marie’s Meatballs (1998), episode of Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS, 1996-2005). 17 The Young Girl (2000).
18 The Can Opener (1999). 19 The Net Worth (2001). 20 Working Girl (1999).
hom e. O f course, th is situ a tio n is favorable for R ay who d efin itely does not in ten d to ta k e over h e r hom e duties. T h a t is why w hen D eb ra once again trie s to “b rea k out o f th e h ou se” by ru n n in g for th e p resid en t of th e school board, R ay does not vote for h e r21. T h e reason of h is decision is obvious. R ay is afraid th a t D e b ra ’s obligations w hich w ill not include clean in g and ta k in g care o f children, w ill distu rb th e tra d itio n a l division o f roles in h is fam ily.
He feels th rea ten e d not only by h is w ife’s activ ities outside hom e but also attra ctiv e n e ss. D ebra is very confident, sexy w om an who as R ob ert put it: “h ave a g re a t body and n ot afraid to show it ”22. O ffended by D e b ra ’s rem a rk th a t he is filthy, R ay decides to m ake h e r feel bad about herself. He lies th a t o th er m others from P T A th in k th a t she looks “trum py”23.
R a y ’s perfidious b ehavior is a sign of desp eration. H is d esp erate desire to b rin g D ebra to h eel reflects m a n ’s pride and irreco n cilab ility w ith stron g position o f woman. R ay co n stan tly h as to deal not only w ith th e fact th a t he h a s b ea u tifu l and sm a rt wife, b u t also a wife who ra rely counts w ith h is opinion. D ebra is th e one who m akes a ll decisions. W hen R a y mond objects em ploying his friend G ian n i to fix th e b roken stove, D ebra says: “I don’t need you to say so”24.
V ery m ean in gfu l and confirm ing D e b ra ’s position as th e h ead o f the fam ily is a scene from th e T is s u e s episode. W hen the k itch en catch es fire, D ebra is th e one who can extin g u ish it. The view er can see h er holding a big fire ex tin g u ish er w hile in an o th er room R ay stan d s w ith a garden hose, from w hich th e w ater b arely flows. I t should be noted th a t th e fire w as caused by Raym ond, in a day in w hich D ebra fin ally agreed to give him some power and le t him m ake decisions about groceries25. R ay instead of proving h is wife th a t he can handle things, only gives h er another reason to be h igh -h at.
Raym ond is totally hopeless w ithout his resourceful wife, which is notice able in m any situ atio n s, lik e w hen D ebra is sick and u nable to ta k e care of ev ery th in g as u sual. One day or even one m inu te w ith R ay in charge can lead to a catastro p h e and D ebra is aw are of it. Sh e does n ot even tru s t h im enough to le t h im p lan h er su rp rise party. R ay receiv es specific direc tions, b u t ru in s everyth in g anyw ay and com prom ise h im se lf in th e eyes of friends and fam ily26.
“R ay m akes a fool o f h im s e lf’ is a series m ost freq u en tly p resen ted to pic. D eb ra does not have any illu sio n s about R a y ’s m en ta l a b ilities. N ot in freq u en tly she gives voice to h e r n ot very fla tte rin g opinions. Raym ond got used to th e fa ct th a t he can ra th e r exp ect y ellin g or m ocking th a n words of
21 A Vote for Debra (2002). 22 PT & A (2004).
23 Ibidem.
24 The Contractor (2003). 25 Tissues (2002).
approbate. W hen D ebra is angry she does not m ince words and calls him frea k or idiot. R ay seem s to be aw are th a t life w ith im m atu re “m am m a’s boy” can be uphill. D istu rb ed by D e b ra ’s o u tb u rst of cry, he ask s h e r if it is b ecau se o f h is stupid behavior. H er an sw er is d isarm in g as alw ays: “I ea t ice cream b ecau se you are stupid”27.
T h e word “stu pid” appears quite often in th e show, esp ecially in re fe ren ce to R ay. D eb ra never forgets to u nd erline h e r su p eriority over Ray. Sh e w ill not le t any opportunity rem ind h im th a t he is lucky to have h er. Sh e can n o t even stop h e r s e lf from u sing it during recording love d eclaration:
Hi Ray, this is Debra. I’ve been doing some thinking and these are the reasons why we should break-up: you’re obsessive, insecure, selfish, you don’t always have the best judgment with your children, and yet I’m never going to leave you, ever, because you happened to be perfect for me and I love you very much, you stupid, stupid man28.
T h e show and the words u ttered by D eb ra do not leave any place for doubts. J u s t lik e D ebra u ses every occasion to show R ay who is th e boss,
E v e r y b o d y L o v e s R a y m o n d d em on strates how im p o rtan t role w om an plays
in fam ily functioning. Through dom ineering D ebra and ch ild ish Ray, it proves th a t b ein g th e b read w in n er does n ot au to m atically m ean s being th e h ead o f the fam ily. D e b ra’s position is so stron g th a t the title of the series could be ea sily rep laced by E v e r y b o d y L o v e s D e b r a . D esp ite some bad c h a ra c te r tra its , D ebra is th e m ost positive show’s figure. H er strong p ersonality, in tellig en ce and looks, m akes th a t nobody is in d ifferen t to w ard h er. Raym ond fears D ebra, R o b ert is fascin ated , and F ra n k considers D ebra h is only ally. H e says in one o f th e episodes:
I always thought it was you and me against all of them in there. I’m mean like you and me, we are not like them, you know. Trust me we’re not like them, they’re loonies29.
T h e u niq u en ess and popularity o f D e b ra ’s ch a ra cte r led in 2 0 0 9 to the creatio n o f sim ila r one, also played by P a tr ic ia H eaton. In th e se ries T h e
M id d le , ju s t like in E v ery b o d y L o v e s R a y m o n d , H eaton plays overwhelmed
by hom e duties m oth er of th ree. T he b ig g est difference betw een both s it coms is in th e perspective from w hich th e story is told. E v e r y b o d y L o v e s
R a y m o n d , despite th e stron g com petition in th e form o f sm a rt and sexy
wife, d efinitely belongs to th e m ale ch a ra cte r. In T h e M id d le th e figure of m other and wife extend s to th e front. “I t is from th e m oth er’s point of view ”, said H eaton, exp lain in g why she decided to play in th e show30.
27 Alone Time (2000). 28 The Break-up Tape (2002). 29 Snow Day (2002).
30 Patricia Heaton: Back in The Middle, [online] <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOD qhW0fObk>, accessed: 14.04. 2011.
It should be emphasized th a t sitcom title , re fe rrin g to th e M idw est, also su ggests asso ciatio n s w ith th e m iddle-class. N othing fu rth e r from the tru th . T h e M id d le p resen ts everyday stru ggle o f w orking-class fam ily. T hu s, D ebra B aro n e h as lived to see h er E v e r y b o d y L o v e s D e b r a b u t in “poorer version ”.
Husband's "supplement": The character of Cheryl from
According to Jim (2001-2009)
T h e title A c c o r d in g to J i m in its overtone seem s to ca ll b ack th e 1950s sitcom F a t h e r K n o w s B e s t . I t su ggests, ju s t as its predecessor, th a t the ch a ra cte r of a h u sband is ce n tra l h ere and w h at th e view er is going to see on th e screen w ill be m ale point of view. O f course, w here is th e husband, th e re is also th e w ife. C heryl, J i m ’s bride, is ab solu tely stu nning. T h e re a son for w hich such an a ttra ctiv e w om an chose so u n a ttra ctiv e m an is not clear. W h at is ce rta in h ere is th a t J im did not win C h ery l’s h e a rt by h is ch arm and ap p earance. He is a common, devoid of any m an ners con tracto r w orker, who ru ns a sm all con stru ction firm w ith h is broth er-in -law . W hen he comes b ack hom e he is in tereste d only in drinking b eer and w atching gam es. A ll th e house w ork and th ree kids are on h is w ife’s head. T h eir fam ily life is co n stan tly in terru p ted by C h ery l’s n eu rotic siste r D an a and b ro th e r Andy who not only w orks w ith Jim , b u t also is th e m em ber o f his garage blu es band.
T h is seem s to be very sim ila r to w h at is p resen ted in E v e r y b o d y L o v es
R a y m o n d . The difference is th a t J im is even m ore annoying th a n Raym ond
and C h eryl is m ore con ciliatory th a n D ebra. In m ost cases, she b ears h er h u sband scandalous b eh avior w ith stoic calm . H er reactio n s to J i m ’s ir r a tio n a l or sim ply stupid actions are alm o st u nb elievable. Sh e is th e model exam ple of self-con trol and p atien ce. C heryl h ard ly ever ra ise s h er voice, h er tone is calm and d elicate. W ith th e sm ile on a face and ind u lgen t look, she p a tie n tly liste n s to w h at J im h as to say and, w h at is w orth m en tion ing, it is ra rely som ething b righ t.
K im b erly W illiam s, who plays th e c h a ra cte r o f D ana, considers C h ery l’s accep tan ce and love for J im praisew orthy: “F ro m w eek to w eek she forgi ves him , she accepts h im and loves h im ju s t the way he is”31. I t is n ot hard to agree w ith W illiam s but, u n fo rtu n ately, C h ery l’s enorm ous p atience and u nd erstand in g tow ard J im elim in ates, so im p o rtan t for v iew ers’ id e n tifica tion, elem en t o f realism . Beyond th e feelin g o f sym pathy she m ostly breeds irrita tio n and disbelief. C heryl often b eh aves lik e an a rtificia l creatio n in th e kind o f Stepford wife robot, deprived o f h er own w ill, created in order to b e tte r serve h er husban d . Sh e g reets J im w ith words: “H i honey, how
31 According to Jim - Cast and Characters, [online] <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jc CwWS9D9Q>, accessed: 20.04. 2011.
w as your day?” and k isses him w hile stirrin g th e soup. A fter th a t he sits at th e tab le w ith th e bottle o f b eer w hich in m ost cases is served by h is wife.
C h ery l h as m uch m ore in common w ith th e 1 9 5 0 s sta r, D onna Reed, th a n w ith h e r contem porary D ebra B aron e. Sh e rep resen ts ev eryth in g w h at P h il R o sen th a l w anted to avoid in cre a tin g th e ch a ra cte r o f D ebra. C heryl is not a tru e born c h a ra cte r lik e h er predecessor. In D e b ra ’s case it w as easy to forget th a t th e person on th e screen is only a product of w rite rs’ im agination . W hile w atchin g C heryl it is im possible to avoid the im pression o f involving strings.
T h e an aly sis o f th is c h a ra cte r is not easy b ecau se one h as th e im p res sion th a t its creato rs w ere not su re w h at fea tu res should ch aracte rize C h e ryl. T h ey could not decide w h eth er she should be sm a rt or naïve, serious or funny. W h at is know n for su re is th a t they w anted h e r to be a p erfect wife, loving and caring. However, in order not to exag g erate in one direc tion, som etim es le t h e r to be angry or even wild.
T hu s, C heryl is p rim arily a h om em aker whose life revolves around the house and children. H er a ctiv ities outside hom e are lim ited to shopping, driving kids to school, P T A m eetings and book club. I t is im p o rtan t to note th a t C heryl loves h e r life and enjoys b ein g a housew ife. O nly som etim es she h as m om ents o f doubts and decides to prove h e r s e lf and oth ers th a t she is som ething m ore th a n ju s t a boring su bu rban wife. In th e B lo w -U p episode C hery l is looking for an o rig in al V a le n tin e ’s D ay p resen t for Jim . D an a su ggests m akin g a lin g erie pictu re. W hen C h eryl ex p resses the d isapprobation tow ards th is idea, D an a bald ly notes: “I know b ecau se you are not fun”32.
T h is is not the only case w hen she is p resen ted as a boring housew ife who ta lk s only abou t groceries or colors o f new cu rtain s. In A n ec-D o n t’s episode C heryl finds out th a t m em bers o f h e r fam ily find h e r life n ot very in terestin g . I t tu rn s out th a t J im only preten d s th a t he listen s to h er and in m ost cases he does not have any idea w h at she is ta lk in g about. To m ake m a tte rs w orse, D an a, who d efin itely does not lead th e life o f a h ou se wife, m eets O prah a t th e coffee shop. D esp erate C hery l “s te a ls ” h er story in order to g et some a tte n tio n 33.
S h e can som etim es p retend b u t th e tru th is th a t C heryl lives oth er people’s lives. H er boring ex isten ce is diversified m ain ly by h er h u sb an d ’s p ran k s as w ell as D a n a ’s and Andy’s problem s. B eca u se h er b ro th e r and s is te r are singles, C heryl co n stan tly supports th em w hen th ey are tryin g to find love and confers w hen th e ir relatio n sh ip s end. In point of fact, C h e ryl does not have th ree kids b u t six, inclu din g h e r husband. Sh e co n stitu tes a save h arbor, provides advice and alw ays know s how to re a ct properly. W hen Andy or D an a m eet someone, C h ery l trie s to m ake th in g s right. Sh e organizes fam ily dinners and eases ev en tu al conflicts. In th e G u ess
32 The Blow-Up episode (2002) of According to Jim (ABC, 2001-2009). 33 Anec-Dont’s (2005).
W h o’s C o o k in g Y o u r D in n er? episode, D an a devoid o f any cooking skills,
ask s C heryl to p rep are a m eal for h er boyfriend R yan, so he could th in k th a t she is a p erfect can d id ate for a w ife. C h ery l agrees rig h t aw ay and h as no objections even w hen h er siste r dem ands very so p h isticated and com plicated m enu 34.
C h ery l is accustom ed to p rep arin g m eals for oth ers. Sin ce h er husband h as a ten d ency to cause conflicts she freq u en tly h a s to say sorry for him and m ake “apology cookies”. U n like h e r husban d , C heryl enjoys the esteem and resp ect am ong neighbors and does n ot w an t to lose th a t. As J im put it she is: “obsessed w ith b ein g lik ed ”35. Indeed, C hery l is very polite and well m annered and shows no relu ctan ce even tow ards very annoying neighbors lik e D evlins. E cce n tric T im and Cindy D evlin d isru p t p eacefu l life o f C h e ryl and Jim . C heryl, as b efits good neighbor, b ears th e ir stran g e behavior w ith calm . T h an k s to J im she is experienced in th a t m a tte r. T h e duty of g ettin g rid o f “u ninvited g u ests” as alw ays falls on J im 36. T h is d istribu tion of roles h as been b e st defined by J im h im se lf in one of th e episodes, when he says: “We ca n ’t both be m ad dogs, somebody h as to be th e ch ain and t h a t’s you C hery l”37.
T h ere is no doubt th a t she is th e one who keeps everyth in g in order. C heryl is a p erfection ist, en tire ly devoted to everyth in g she does. W hen it tu rn s out th a t J im h as high blood p ressu re she becom es a psychologist, d ietician and m asse u r in one, alw ays prepared and ready for sa crifices38.
U n fo rtu n ately , C h ery l’s desire to be a p erfect wife blinds her. P erfect exam ple o f th a t sta te is A ll th e R a g e episode in w hich C heryl trie s to find exp lan ation for h er h u sb an d ’s rude behavior. Sh e convinces J im and h e r s e lf th a t he h a s an IM S, m ean in g Irrita b le M ale Syndrom e. J im of course ta k es ad v antage o f th is situ atio n . T h an k s to h is syndrom e h e can help even less around th e house th a n before. W hen J im fin ally ad m its th a t he lied about th e IM S, C hery l listen s to h is convoluted exp lan atio n w ith a t ten tio n and u nd erstand ing . As b efits a good wife, she does not g et angry, on th e contrary, she softly says: “O honey”, confirm ing h is conviction th a t ev en tu ally she w ill believe in ev ery th in g he sa y s39.
T h e IM S episode, beside p resen tin g C heryl as tru s tfu l and naïve person, confirm s sitco m ’s focus on J i m ’s ch a ra cte r. In ste a d of ta k in g on th e su b je ct o f com m only know n w om en’s P re m e n stru a l Syndrom e, it p resen ts its less know n m ale equ iv alen t. T h is is a very cle a r sig n al th a t A c c o rd in g to
J i m creato rs p ro ject is to show every asp ect of life from m a n ’s perspective.
C h ery l’s ta s k is to be h e r h u sb an d ’s b ea u tifu l “su pplem en t” and sup port h is stran g e ideas no m a tte r w hat. W hen J im decides to spend T h a n k s
34 Guess Who’s Cooking Your Dinner? (2005). 35 Thanksgiving Confidential (2002). 36 Deal with the Devlins (2003). 37 The Lemonade Stand (2003). 38 Under Pressure (2002). 39 All the Rage (2007).
giving on bow ling she d elicately su ggests th a t th is is th e ir son’s firs t holiday. B eca u se h er arg u m en tatio n does not m ake any im pression on him , C hery l gives up and retu rn s to p rep arin g dinner. Sh e does not show anger, even w hen J i m ’s friends show up, claim ing th a t he in vited th em for T h an ksgivin g. However, la te r even ts b e st d em on strate C h ery l’s devotion to Jim . W hen th e bow ling gets out of power she b rin gs candles and puts them along th e tra ck , so he could fin ish th e gam e40.
T h is is not the only case o f C h ery l’s fu ll support for Jim . W hen th e ir neighbor sp eaks contem ptuou sly abou t Jim , C heryl ju m p s a t h e r like a wild anim al. Sh e is ready to get into c a t fig h t only to defend h is honor41. In L e a n on M e episode C heryl pours a drink on J i m ’s old friend becau se she sees h e r a th r e a t to h er m a rria g e42. C h ery l’s an g er a tta ck s in those p a rticu la r situ atio n are evidences of h er g re a t concern for fam ily.
N onetheless, som ething else in th e L e a n on M e episode deserves spe cia l atte n tio n . T he sitcom assum ption w as to show the u nm atch ed couple’ sexy blonde and slobbish guy. S till, C heryl is th e one who h as to fig h t for h er m an, not th e o th er w ay round. E v en m ore su rp risin g is th a t w hen J im is jea lo u s, he only pretend s to be, in order to m ake h is wife feel b e tte r about h erself. W h at is m ore, w hen he finds out th a t one of h is clien ts is charm ed by C heryl, he u ses h e r to m ark h is su p eriority over him . A ll in d ications are th a t stu n n in g C heryl should be g ra tefu l th a t so u n a ttra ctiv e and boorish m an took h er to be h is w ife. Y et, in A c c o r d in g to J i m ’s world ev eryth ing is possible and in favor to th e m ale ch aracte r.
Those episodes also have an oth er goal, th a t is to show C h ery l’s h um an side and do a little scra tch on h e r p erfect im age. In order to m ake h er ch a ra cte r m ore b elievab le, even J im h as to feel C h ery l’s an g er a t h is own skin. F ro m tim e to tim e she becom es a rebel. I t is im p o rtan t to u nd erline th a t C h ery l’s opposition tow ard J im often re su lts from h er s is te r ’s actions. D an a does not lik e J im b ecau se he m ade h e r s iste r his serv an t. T hu s, w hen J im dem ands m ore space and req u ires C h ery l to rem ove some of h er cloths from th e ir closet, D an a does not w an t to le t th a t happen. C heryl is ready to accede to J i m ’s req u est b ecau se in h e r conviction m arriag e is a com prom ise. Sh e quickly changes opinion w hen D an a m akes a speech about women ta k in g con trol and m akes h er aw are th a t she is a su p p res sed housew ife who h a s to fig h t for h er rig h ts. In order to visu alize C h ery l’s extrem ely low position she adds: “even th e h a m ste r h as a w heel to run around on”43. T h e conv ersation betw een D an a and C heryl can be viewed as clash betw een fem in ism and post-fem inism . C on ciliato ry C heryl, recogni zing the p rinciple o f com prom ise is th e em bodim ent o f p ost-fem inism and
40 The Turkey Bowl (2001). 41 The Lemonade Stand (2003). 42 Lean on Me (2005).
D an a who w ith sa tisfa ctio n exclaim s: “You go g irl”44, w hen she fin ally con vinces C hery l to oppose Jim , is th e reflection o f fem inism .
T h e c h a ra c te r of D an a deserves sp ecial atte n tio n . Sh e is a com plete opposite of h er sister. The la s t th in g th a t she would like to do is to be a housew ife. D an a w orks in ad v ertisin g in d u stry and trie s to find h an d some, w ealth y m an who w ill do w h atev er she w an ts, m ean in g w ill be a henpecked husband. W h at is in te re s tin g h ere is th a t th e show p resen ts D an a in a bad light. In m ost cases she is m an ip u lativ e and m ean, w hile C hery l is “a w alkin g id e al”. H er in terv en tio n s in C h e ry l’s m arriag e do not come from concern, b u t th e desire to m ake J i m ’s life h ard er.
However, D a n a ’s action s are n ot directed tow ard J im h im self, b u t the attitu d e he p resen ts. J i m ’s m isogynistic view s m ake th a t D an a finds pu n ish in g h im rea lly sa tisfy in g and p leasan t. Sin ce J im is the le a s t conside ra te person in th e whole world she h as m any opp ortunities to do so. T he lis t o f J i m ’s sins is long and fu ll o f unbelievably stupid and d isresp ectfu l actions. I t s ta rts w ith throw ing C h e ry l’s dead c a t to th e ir freezer, show ing h er lin g erie p ictu re to h is band m em bers, ending w ith giving h is b ro th e r -in-law sperm in stead o f h is for fe rtility study, in order to gain b e tte r resu lts.
In spite o f th e fa ct th a t J i m ’s actions exceed a ll bounds o f decency and despite D a n a ’s g re a t efforts, h e gets aw ay w ith it. C h ery l ev en tu ally for gives him . W h at is m ore, she is in tereste d in h is w ay of th in k in g and a t th e end ex p resses fu ll u n d erstan d ing for it. I t is quite su rp risin g, if we consider th e form u la of dom estic sitcom . A ccording to it, J im as a buffoon, a t th e end o f each episode should le a rn a lesson from h is m ore m atu re and sen sib le wife. However, th is is not w h at h appens here. A c c o r d in g to J i m creato rs clearly w anted to b rea k th is p a tte rn and rev erse th e situ ation , in order to m a in ta in su perior position o f m ale ch a ra cte r. C hery l n ot only accepts J i m ’s w ays, she ev en tu ally comes to conclusion th a t h e r husban d is in th e right. In one of th e episodes, J im says th a t w hile C hery l is try in g to change him , she is th e one who ch anges and becom es m ore lik e him. C hery l only seem ingly dom inates over Jim . A ll h er featu res: looks, bein g ex cellen t m other, g re a t cook, serve th e in te re s ts of Jim . Sh e is supposed to m ake h is life m ore b ea u tifu l and easier.
Everyon e, inclu ding h er s iste r tre a ts h e r like a servan t. W hile C h ery l p rep ares dinner, clean s and ta k es care of child ren, Jim , Andy and D an a are busy w ith w atch in g th e gam e and d rin king beer. M om ents in w hich C hery l in h er own a n n iv ersary w ash es th e dishes w ith broken h and or digs grave for h e r beloved cat, w hile J im stan d s n ex t to her, say a lot about h er position w ith in m arriag e. Sh e does not see an y th in g w rong in th e fact th a t h e r h u sban d goes to th e gam e, w hen she m ourns h e r c a t’s death. W ith no signs o f discon ten t, she p rep ares a m eal for J im and h is com panions.
C heryl also feels obliged to convince J im n ot to feel gu ilty about it. T h a t is why she k isse s h im and says: “I w an t you to go and h ave fu n”45.
How is th is possible? C learly, C hery l lives in conviction th a t h er h u s band h as m ore rig h t to have fun b ecau se he w orks h ard to earn a living. S ta y in g hom e and doing a ll th e housew ork by h e rs e lf is obvious for C heryl b ecau se she chose a life o f a hom em aker. The im peccable perform ing of h er duties and happy fam ily are C h ery l’s sources of pride and satisfactio n .
I t seem s th a t A c c o r d in g to J i m c re a to rs’ goal w as to crea te a wife of th e ir dream s and sim u ltan eou sly exp ress opposition tow ard m odern women in crea sin g dem ands. T hey decided to prove th a t a wom an can be happy even w hen she stays hom e and does n ot g et any help from h e r husband. U n fortu n ately , th ey le t th e ir im agin ation ru n wild. F ro m w h at view ers see on th e screen it follows, th a t in th e ir opinion a m odern wife should be a p erfect cook, ex cellen t m other, b eau tifu l, sexy lover and undem anding serv an t. Sh e should be satisfied w ith th e fa ct th a t h er h u sband ea rn s mo ney and from tim e to tim e w ins a rom an tic g estu re. T h e problem is th a t th a t kind o f wom an can e x ist only in the world o f televisio n. H owever, if by some m iracle she rea lly existed , it is u nlikely th a t she would have cho sen irrita tin g , slobbish and u n a ttra ctiv e m isogyn ist who says: “W om an, be q u iet”46 to be h e r husband.
A c c o r d in g to J i m and C h ery l’s ch a ra cte r, despite m any sim ila ritie s m a
k es an in te re s tin g opposition to w h at E v e r y b o d y L o v e s R a y m o n d presen ts. D ebra rep resen ts a ttitu d e to w hich A c c o r d in g to J i m creato rs w anted to oppose. P a tr ic ia H eaton confirm ed th a t assum ption in one of th e in te r views by m akin g a follow ing in terp re ta tio n of D e b ra ’s c h a ra cte r and h er relatio n sh ip w ith Raym ond:
I think is very much like most women who, you know it’s kind of not enough that their husbands go out and earn a living, they also have to be sensitive and helping with the kids, and change diapers, and do grocery shopping, and remember your anniversary, and all kinds of staff, and you know I guess it’s too much to ask, and that causes a lot of conflict. They were kind of Lucy and Ricky, it’s kind of modern Lucy and Ricky, and maybe just flipped, you know, Ray was the new Lucy47.
H eaton took notice of a very im p o rtan t phenom enon occu rring in the world o f A m erican sitcom s, th a t is duplication of e x istin g schem es. U n doubtedly, contem porary situ atio n com edies’ referen ces to th e previo us ones are very strong, s ta rtin g from the ch a ra cte rs d raft to th e plots of single episodes. T he connection betw een E v e r y b o d y L o v e s R a y m o n d and
A c c o r d in g to J i m are also n oticeab le. Enough to b rin g exam ples of m otives
45 The Cat Came Back (2001). 46 The Pizza Boy (2002).
47 Archive o f American Television: Patricia Heaton Talks about Her Everybody Loves Ray
mond Family, [online] <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFUs885ablw&feature=fvwrel>,
w hich appeared in both sitcom s: th e an n iv ersary , n am ely h u sb an d ’s prob lem s w ith rem em b erin g about them , w ives’ atte m p ts to im prove th e ir m ar riag es by common activ ities. Y et, w h at lin ks them m ost is th e form ula b ased on m a rita l life in terru p ted by fam ily m em bers.
Those two sitcom s are also linked by d irecting th e a tte n tio n tow ard m ale ch a ra cte rs and sto ry tellin g from th e ir point of view. O f course the ch a ra cte r of wife h ere is also sim ilar. B o th D ebra and C hery l are hom em a k ers, have m ore th a n two kids to ta k e care of and w h at follows, lot of s tu ff on th e ir heads. However, d ifferences betw een th em are m uch m ore sig n ifi can t. D e b ra’s ch a ra cte r ju s t as o th er from E v e r y b o d y L o v e s R a y m o n d has its source in its cre a to r’s re a l life. As it w as said ea rlie r, R ay Rom ano and P h il R o sen th a l drew ab u n d an tly from th e ir own life exp erience. A c c o r d in g
to J i m and its wife c h a ra cte r co n stitu te a com pletely d ifferen t case. C re a
tors of th a t sitcom b ased on th e world o f television, they chose a safe op tion and b en efited from b e st p ractices. A c c o r d in g to J i m w riters gath ered se v eral fea tu res from d ifferen t sitcom s wives, threw th em into one bag, m ixed and created not a re a l person b u t a televisio n creatu re. T hu s, C h e ryl is a com bination of dom estic goddess D onna Reed, funny Lucy Ricardo w ith sm all ad m ixtu re o f h er contem porary D eb ra B aro n e. W hile D ebra strongly se p a ra tes from th e 1 9 5 0 s “pu shovers”, C heryl despite sig n ifican t ad vantages over Jim , v isibly gets clo ser to them . H er figu re proves th a t sitcom rep ea ts itself.
Conclusion
W e can ven tu re to say th a t th a n k s to A c c o r d in g to J i m and E v e r y b o d y
L o v e s R a y m o n d h isto ry o f televisio n com es fu ll circle, com es b ack to its
origins. U ndoubtedly, both situ atio n com edies show th a t televisio n trend s retu rn ju s t as tren d s in fashion, m odified b u t s till w ith the note o f n o sta l g ia for th e old tim es. T h ey are not lik e I L o v e L u c y or T h e D o n n a R e e d
S h o w b u t are deludingly sim ilar. A c c o r d in g to J i m and E v e r y b o d y L o v es R a y m o n d accou nt for m odern version o f dom estic com edies48. J u s t as in
m id -1970s and 19 8 0 s, th e re w as a throw back to tra d itio n a l vision o f fam i ly, of course w ith some differences.
F a th e rs are not anym ore om n iscient, on th e con trary, th ey are to tally hopeless w ithou t th e ir sm a rt w ives49. So far, th a t kind o f situ atio n m ight h ave occurred only in w orking-class sitcom s. W hy? A pparently only a badly-paid, blu e-collar w orker could be in stru cte d by a wom an. In the case of a m an w ith high sta tu s, w ell paid job w hich provides a com fortable life to h is w ife, it w as u n th in k ab le.
48 J. Reed, op. cit. 49 Ibidem.
T h u s, the b ig g est change co n stitu tes h ere an elem en t of opposition in th e form o f w ife, who u nd erm ines the a u th o rity of th e husband. T he fact th a t women have dem ands tow ard m en and voice w hich th ey have to re spect, seem s to be th e re su lt of fem in ist m ovem ent. T h e couples a b ility to com prom ise and n egotiation , on th e o th er hand, seem s to be th e move to w ard p ost-fem in ism 50.
E v e r y b o d y L o v e s R a y m o n d and A c c o rd in g to J i m include also an oth er
elem en t of p o st-fem in ist rh etoric. In accordance w ith th e p ost-fem in ism slogan: “P a tria rch y is gone and h a s been rep laced by choice”51, contem po ra ry dom estic com edies u nd erline th e fa ct th a t th e women m ade indep en dent choices, th ey decided to be th e housew ives. D eb ra and C hery l chose th e life o f a h om em aker and despite m any d isad van tages, th is life gives them satisfactio n .
However, th e above sta tem en t, used by B on n ie Dow, h as a com pletely d ifferen t overtones. W h at she su ggests is th a t th e word “choice” sounds rea lly nice and prom ising, b u t in re a lity it does not change m uch. T he w om en’s biology supported by social exp ectation s, s till act a g a in st and strongly lim it w om en’s choice. W om en, despite th e access to w ork m arket, as caregivers can n o t fully profit from th a t access. “T h ey are cu t o ff from social roles th a t offer resp o n sib ility and au th o rity ”52, w rote th e au thors of a book under th e title S e n te n c e d to E v e r y d a y L i f e : F e m in is m a n d th e
H o u sew ife.
T h e m iddle-class fam ily sitcom stren g th en s th e illu sion, th a t post -fem in ist ideology w orks perfectly, both for m en and women. Indeed, on th e su rface it m ay seem th a t it is. W ives dom inate over th e ir husbands, w ith looks and in tellect. T h ey keep everyth in g in order, th e ir husbands ta k e th e ir opinion into accou nt and even som etim es fear them . Y et, they are s till p risoners o f th e ir houses, w h at is su ggested by D an a, w hen she com pares C heryl to th e h a m ste r livin g in the cage. E v en dom inative D ebra is forced to rem ain ju s t a housew ife. W hen she trie s to go b ack to work, she gets fired, w hen she w an ts to be th e p resid en t of th e school board, she loses w ith h e r m ale opponent. C heryl, on th e o th er hand, does not even try. Sh e agrees w ith h e r role as a housew ife and J i m ’s as th e breadw inner. Sim u ltan eo u sly, secretly puts some m oney, b ecau se h e r cheap husband sh ares it w ith h er unw illingly. In th e lig h t o f a ll p resen ted facts, claim in g th a t D ebra and C heryl, m oth ers o f th re e kids and w ives of in con sid era te hu sband s, h ave a choice, is far-fetched . T h is situ atio n b rin gs to m ind th e words u ttered by P olish w riter, H an n a B a k u la : “I t w ill ta k e some tim e before w om an w ill stop b ein g perceived as th e v ictim o f m an ’s love and b e come th e p a rtn e r”53.
50 Ibidem.
51 B.J. Dowe, Prime-Time Feminism: Television, Media Culture, and the Women’s Move
ment Since 1970, Philadelphia 1996, p. 95.
52 L. Johnson, J. Lloyd, op. cit., p. 6.
S t r e s z c z e n i e
„Wielki powrót do domu” - innym i słowy, historia i sitcom rodzinny lubią się powtarzać
Artykuł porusza tematykę wizerunku żony i rodziny w „krzywym zwierciadle” sitcomów. Obrazy te są często ironiczne, satyryczne, krytyczne, wskazujące na miej sca pęknięć w strukturze społecznej i tkance obyczajowej. Głównym celem artykułu jest analiza współczesnego amerykańskiego sitcomu rodzinnego oraz funkcjonującego w nim obrazu żony pochodzącej z klasy średniej, pod kątem jego związków z trady cyjnym sitcomem z lat pięćdziesiątych. Jednym z istotnych elementów analizy jest próba ukazania, że pod płaszczykiem drobnych modyfikacji po półwieczu komedia sy tuacyjna z obrazem żony zakreśliła pełne koło. Autorka próbuje wykazać, że retoryka postfeminizmu przebrzmiewająca w serialach Jim wie lepiej oraz Wszyscy kochają
Raym onda stanowi współczesną wersję panującego w latach pięćdziesiątych kultu do-
matorstwa.
S u m m a r y
The G reat Homecoming - in other words, history and the domestic sitcom repeat themselves
This article discusses the subject of the image of wives and family life through the “distorting mirror” of sitcoms. Those representations are frequently ironical, satirical or critical, indicating the location of cracks in the social structure and moral fabric. The main objective of this paper is to analyse the contemporary American domestic sitcom and the image of a middle-class wife, in terms of its relationship with the traditional sitcom of the 1950s. One of the most significant elements of the analysis constitutes an attempt to prove that, under the cover of minor modifications after half a century, the situation comedy and its wife figure have come full circle. The author tries to demonstrate, based on According to Jim and Everybody Loves
R aym ond, how post-feminist rhetoric has actually produced a modern version of the
