Ooooh! Now You Got Me Started! LOL

@capirani (2753)
United States
July 1, 2008 6:40pm CST
I watch 7th Heaven on the Hallmark Channel every weekday when I can. Twice even. But I tell you, the show was so cute when the kids were younger. As the show goes on and the kids grow up, I don't know what happened. Maybe they changed writers. But I tell you, that family, as nice and sweet as they are, became so dysfunctional. Especially the parents! Dad is afraid of Mom and doesn't communicate with her about things. Lucy's husband is afraid of Lucy and doesn't communicate with her. Dad is a local pastor, and the family is supposed to be Christian. In many situations the writers do seem to attempt to make the stories reflect this. But in so many others, it falls so far short. Does anyone else agree with me? Disagree? I mean, at least where I have lived most of my life, there are no "pool halls" that sell alcohol and still allow children inside...especially not as the main social outlet location for the Camden family...a minister and his family. I know in this new day of tobacco free restaurants and businesses, establishments that sell alcohol and would be probably considered a bar might still be able to offer smoking areas to their patrons. What kind of alcohol-serving pool hall back when 7th Heaven started would have been tobacco free? So many inconsistencies in this show. I do still like it, but it is one of those relationships where I love to pick it apart because of these inconsistencies. Now it is all on re-runs and that is fine. They just started over again with the kids being little. So what do you think? Even with the things I mentioned above I still think it is a good family-friendly show with a lot of good values. Even though a few of the preacher's kids get a bit off track for awhile. I would definitely recommend sitting down and watching with your kids and discussing the issues together because it can be a bit confusing and send some very mixed messages about what values are right and what ones are not.
4 responses
risris24
@risris24 (712)
• United States
22 Jul 08
I used to watch it regularly when it was on channel 11 (WB) but I agree when the kids got older it was like all hell broke loose. Especially Ruthie who at one time I thought was adorable but as she got older she just got on my nerves.
CAPirani Photography & Art
@capirani (2753)
• United States
8 Aug 08
Yeh, the writers made Ruthie into something I didn't like watching. It tarnished my view of her as a person seeing her that way, even though I know that the character is not the actor and vice versa. I had to go check her out online to help me view her in a more realistic way. But it was the mom! Oh my but she got so nuts! The men were afraid of her and her moods. They made PMS look absolutely lethal. I couldn't stand watching her when she would get mad about something. Lookout, mom on the rampage. I really felt that the writers were conflicted about how to do this preacher and his family and make it realistic as well as wholesome. I thought they made the mom very controlling and the dad very weak as a father and as the leader in the church. And the episodes where he had his heart attack and had to step down for awhile...the way that other church leader came in and dealt with the problem I thought was very unrealistic and would not have happened the way it did on the show. It was a family out of control with a mom trying to control everyone. If they were trying to show a dysfunctional family, they succeeded in some ways, while not in others. I don't think a truly dysfunctional family would have also had that much good stuff going on. So, I am back again to how the writers just didn't seem to know what they were doing when they wrote these episodes. But I still liked the show. Now that I have seen them all twice, I am tired of them.
singing1227
@singing1227 (315)
• United States
8 Jul 08
I like that when the kids are little the show deals with serious issues but is also light-hearted. When the kids become teenagers, situations often aren't resolved by the end of the show. But, I think the producers were trying to make a point as the kids grew. Not every child ends up the way you would like them to end up, and situations get harder as you get older. The love of a family is important throughout life, not just when you're little.
beautyqueen26
@beautyqueen26 (16030)
• United States
2 Jul 08
I haven't seen more than three or four of the episodes, but I'm thinking about renting the DVDs from Netflix. Certainly the story line did get a little hazy toward the end. And I think that's because the show tried to appeal to a wider audience. Especially after the WB went extinct and merged with UPN to form the CW. The show had to appeal more to teens and young college age women. The drama was a nice added touch, cause that made it more adult. But the story line still puzzles me. I can't simply drop in on the later seasons and have any clue what's going on! Have to watch it from the beginning or I end up getting lost!
holachika
@holachika (176)
•
3 Jul 08
That is the charm of 7th heaven - family relationships, religion, morality, peer pressure - issues that are so real though presented ever so subtly in the episodes. Since most of the storyline is on committing mistakes and forgiveness, it becomes consistent with the main character being a pastor teaching religion to his community. I agree, it is still one of the highly recommended family-friendly shows.