My knowledge of this show is limited, but I do believe one of the characters in the show is a bigoted conservative, and another one a liberal. This is of particular interest to me, because I have a very deep interest in politics. While I have no intention of spending a large portion of my time reviewing this episode talking about politics, I do have a feeling that it will come up. And me being on the far left of the political spectrum, I sense it could get interesting really quickly.
Episode Name: Meet the Bunkers
Original Airdate: January 12, 1971
Gloria and Michael Stivic, who live with Gloria's parents, Archie and Edith Bunker, prepare an anniversary brunch for Archie and Edith, who have been married now for 22 years. After they send their friend Lionel out to buy some flowers for Edith, Michael shows a deep interest in having alone time with his wife, which they rarely have, but as Archie and Edith are in church, it just so happens this is one of those rare occasions.
Unfortunately for Michael, Archie and Edith leave the sermon early, and walk in on them making out in the living room, disgusting Archie, which turns into a conversation over Archie's traditional and conservative viewpoints versus Michael's logical, progressive ones. It doesn't take long for the conversation to move onto why Archie decided to leave the sermon early, which Archie describes as "socialist propaganda, pure and simple." The preacher in question stated that the parishioners were partly to blame for the breakdown of law and order throughout the country, a statement which Michael happens to agree with, as he feels those who ignore the true causes, like poverty and racial inequality, are culpable. Archie, however, sees the cause of the problem as bleeding hearts, which makes no sense whatsoever, if I may add.
Archie then says, and I quote, "If your spics and your spades want their rightful share of the American dream, let them get out there and hustle for it just like I done." Which, while utterly abhorrent, also goes against the fact Edith then makes, being that Archie didn't hustle for anything - his uncle gave him his job. It's also in this portion that Archie states blacks have it easier than whites, which is something I've heard myself many times, and it's no less an ignorant statement here.
The conversation then turns to religion, where Michael and Gloria both seem to fall into the atheist category, or at the very least, agnostic. Archie, in dismay, states "I knew we had a couple of pinkos in this house, but I didn't know we had atheists." Archie then insults his wife again, calling her a dingbat, when she insists that they actually eat the lunch Michael and Gloria made for them. He then burns his hand, which is fine with me, as just before hand he was shouting at his wife. Rightly so, the wife is more concerned with eating than she is his minor injury.
Archie then insults Michael's sociology degree (as a sociology minor, I feel it's fair to take offense to this) and then insists he's both stupid and lacking ambition, which causes Gloria to stand up and state she no longer wants to live in the house while her father insults her husband. Edith stands up for her daughter, though, and insists she and Michael remain living there until Michael is able to make a living and properly provide for her.
The conversation than turns to race, in which, unexpectedly, Archie attacks the whole of the African-American community. Just in time, Lionel returns, who happens to be black. He plays along with Archie, and insists that Archie is in no way prejudiced. The two of them, Michael and Lionel, then lightly poke at Archie for using a Yiddish word, insisting that he is Jewish, all the while Archie claiming he's not a "Yid."
The last portion of the episode revolves around Edith reading the anniversary card she "received" from Archie (actually, it was from Michael and Gloria). Archie even appears a little touched by it, but when asked by Michael, simply insults him.
All in the Family seems, based off this first episode, a show of pretty decent quality. I do deeply respect sitcoms that touch on political issues, as this and Family Ties, often did, and I wish more sitcoms like this existed. Also important is to have two opposing views, which this show does well, and I am guessing will continue to do well.
How people can like Archie, though, I don't understand at this point. Insulting his son-in-law and wife doesn't make him adorable in any way, and I don't see bigotry as something "cute." Then again, I am about the exact opposite of Archie's character in every single way, which, for the sake of full disclosure, I have no problem admitting.
I may, however, alter the way I review episodes of this series. Instead of delving into the foolish things Archie says in the summary overview, I'm likely to, at the end of each episode's review, list the things Archie says, or any character, for that matter, that I find objectionable. Michael made good points this episode, but I have my doubts he'll always continue to do so.
Speaking of the characters, though, I felt, as this episode did a good job of showcasing each of the four members of the family, to make a few notes on each one.
Archie is pretty much a dick in my eyes. While I'm sure at times he's quite loving, not an ounce of that was shown in this episode, even when his wife was kissing him on the cheek. Now, I completely understand that some people have difficulty displaying emotions, but Archie can definitely show his angry side - he have immense work when it comes to showing his loving side. As aforementioned, his politics are completely and utterly foolish, but that comes down to personal taste. Archie strikes me as unbearable, but as the show progresses, I am hoping that changes.
Edith is rather slow on the uptake in many cases, but also is quite a sweet lady. She is protective both of her daughter and her husband, even when logic doesn't dictate she should be. We didn't see much out of her in this episode, but I hope her views on political issues come around at some point in the future.
Michael and Gloria are an okay couple, obviously loving, though I do wonder how much Michael actually respects Gloria. He seems an intelligent individual, but I get the feeling that he's the type of person the not necessarily care for the opinions of someone he considers less intelligent, especially his wife. While there was no evidence of that here, mainly perhaps because Gloria has a difficult time standing up to her father, I do suspect it might be an issue later on if Michael and Gloria remain married.
Gloria doesn't seem to have the best grasp on many of the issues. Obviously she feels her father is bigoted, but says so in such a weak way that it makes sense Archie doesn't take her concerns seriously. Gloria seems more the type to follow her husband's political beliefs than really think for herself, which is troublesome. She may have the right viewpoints, but it's for the wrong reasons.
"Meet the Bunkers" is a perfectly fine opening to this series, and isn't overly complex. Just introducing the main characters, and showing the innate conflicts between said characters. Basically, this episode did everything it had to, and it did it pretty well. I just wish Archie was a more likable character.
Quotes of the episode [tie between three]:
Edith: "It's nicer than when he called them coons."
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Archie: "David and Sarah. Two names right out of the Bible, which has got nothing to do with the Jews."
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Edith: "I didn't know you was Jewish."
Rating: Above Average
Next episode
Archie then insults Michael's sociology degree (as a sociology minor, I feel it's fair to take offense to this) and then insists he's both stupid and lacking ambition, which causes Gloria to stand up and state she no longer wants to live in the house while her father insults her husband. Edith stands up for her daughter, though, and insists she and Michael remain living there until Michael is able to make a living and properly provide for her.
The conversation than turns to race, in which, unexpectedly, Archie attacks the whole of the African-American community. Just in time, Lionel returns, who happens to be black. He plays along with Archie, and insists that Archie is in no way prejudiced. The two of them, Michael and Lionel, then lightly poke at Archie for using a Yiddish word, insisting that he is Jewish, all the while Archie claiming he's not a "Yid."
The last portion of the episode revolves around Edith reading the anniversary card she "received" from Archie (actually, it was from Michael and Gloria). Archie even appears a little touched by it, but when asked by Michael, simply insults him.
All in the Family seems, based off this first episode, a show of pretty decent quality. I do deeply respect sitcoms that touch on political issues, as this and Family Ties, often did, and I wish more sitcoms like this existed. Also important is to have two opposing views, which this show does well, and I am guessing will continue to do well.
How people can like Archie, though, I don't understand at this point. Insulting his son-in-law and wife doesn't make him adorable in any way, and I don't see bigotry as something "cute." Then again, I am about the exact opposite of Archie's character in every single way, which, for the sake of full disclosure, I have no problem admitting.
I may, however, alter the way I review episodes of this series. Instead of delving into the foolish things Archie says in the summary overview, I'm likely to, at the end of each episode's review, list the things Archie says, or any character, for that matter, that I find objectionable. Michael made good points this episode, but I have my doubts he'll always continue to do so.
Speaking of the characters, though, I felt, as this episode did a good job of showcasing each of the four members of the family, to make a few notes on each one.
Archie is pretty much a dick in my eyes. While I'm sure at times he's quite loving, not an ounce of that was shown in this episode, even when his wife was kissing him on the cheek. Now, I completely understand that some people have difficulty displaying emotions, but Archie can definitely show his angry side - he have immense work when it comes to showing his loving side. As aforementioned, his politics are completely and utterly foolish, but that comes down to personal taste. Archie strikes me as unbearable, but as the show progresses, I am hoping that changes.
Edith is rather slow on the uptake in many cases, but also is quite a sweet lady. She is protective both of her daughter and her husband, even when logic doesn't dictate she should be. We didn't see much out of her in this episode, but I hope her views on political issues come around at some point in the future.
Michael and Gloria are an okay couple, obviously loving, though I do wonder how much Michael actually respects Gloria. He seems an intelligent individual, but I get the feeling that he's the type of person the not necessarily care for the opinions of someone he considers less intelligent, especially his wife. While there was no evidence of that here, mainly perhaps because Gloria has a difficult time standing up to her father, I do suspect it might be an issue later on if Michael and Gloria remain married.
Gloria doesn't seem to have the best grasp on many of the issues. Obviously she feels her father is bigoted, but says so in such a weak way that it makes sense Archie doesn't take her concerns seriously. Gloria seems more the type to follow her husband's political beliefs than really think for herself, which is troublesome. She may have the right viewpoints, but it's for the wrong reasons.
"Meet the Bunkers" is a perfectly fine opening to this series, and isn't overly complex. Just introducing the main characters, and showing the innate conflicts between said characters. Basically, this episode did everything it had to, and it did it pretty well. I just wish Archie was a more likable character.
Quotes of the episode [tie between three]:
Edith: "It's nicer than when he called them coons."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Archie: "David and Sarah. Two names right out of the Bible, which has got nothing to do with the Jews."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Edith: "I didn't know you was Jewish."
Rating: Above Average
Next episode
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