I'll bet Channel 4 scoured the nation high and low to come up with THIS family! Crikey, that Emily! Spoilt since birth, no doubt. And the mother sets no example by lounging around on the sofa with a blanket over her and a woebegone look on her face. This family, I really hope, is NOT exemplary among all the millions of families in Britain, therefore what is Channel 4 trying to tell us? Is it not just a different version of Big Brother in which there is constant altercation and swearing? I really don't see the point of making nine weeks of this stuff. Or are the family members about to get an epiphany and become normal? Sullen, shallow, acquisitive, and fundamentally boring.
Originally posted by Omrow: Can someone make one thing clear:
What exactly makes a family a dysfunctional family?
What does that word actually mean?
What is "normal" to one may be "abnormal" to another.
Who decides these things.
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Omrow, you thought maybe The Family represents a typical family, did you? Almost the entire first episode was about confronting spoiled little girl Emily (aged 19, for God's sake) with her unacceptable behaviour. There was no closure on this, either. I expect the next episodes will be much the same.
My family was far more dysfunctional than this one. But I hope people that watch this and see that they are acting similarly negative patterns & will try to change.
I enjoyed seeing the affection though..especially between father and son.
I am new to this can i just say we were the selected in the final 3 families for this i am so glad we didnt get it. I think we were just a little too Normal LOL. I have never watched it but have heard enough.
I have to admit to actually enjoying watching this programme but then i also have to admit to being a complete nosey parker and loving being a fly on the wall watching other peoples angst unravel.... I think Emily very slightly redeemed herself in this weeks episode, she is quite obviously a spoiled little madam but her support for her sister Charlotte was nice to see, Shame her father didnt encourage that a little more ...
whoever said nothing is impossible never tried slamming a revolving door!
I was shocked and horrified watching last night's (24/09/08) episode at the dysfunctional behaviour being displayed by the mum, Jane, in this family. No wonder the daughters (Emily and Charlotte) are so out of control; she's an appalling role model and they probably just copy her....
- Jane seems to do nothing except lie about in bed or on the sofa all day being sulky and monosyllabic when spoken to - She argues or actively contradicts her husband when dealing face to face with the children (big mistake! Always present a united front). - She seems to think her ghastly kids (the girls at any rate) are the be-all-and-end-all (another big mistake! Many a dewy eyed parent has ruined their children for too much indulgence).
What is this woman on? She needs to recognise that her female children are picking up tips on how or how not to behave directly from her. And she is proving to be less than an exemplary role model.
And another thing - where has this false rumour arisen that Charlotte is "the intelligent one". The girl is barely able to string a sentence together and wants to quit school to be what exactly? A checkout girl, or a sub-stripper like her sister? Not exactly university material.....
I'm with the dad, Simon, all the way - poor guy has to do all the work, disciplining, and cooking. No wonder he's fed up - he's probably wondering how he ended up with this menagerie of losers!
I have to say that having seen both 'episodes' so far I'm convinced that all the goings on in this so called DOC are actually staged!!! It's about as 'fly on the wall' as any tv soap!
It didn't get any better this week. This time it was Charlotte's turn to throw a wobbly. Well, not just one, but a series of wobblies. These children, the girls at least, seem incredibly sullen and unhappy. I wonder what goes on behind the scenes in the edited out bits. Also, I agree with an earlier poster's criticism of the mother, from whom the girls probably get their sullen behaviour since she seems to be exemplary in that department.
Having watched the third instalment this week, I have come to the conclusion that this family is just too weird to be considered a reflection of British society. They look weirdly self-conscious, too, as if - were the cameras not filming - they'd behave somewhat differently. The lack of eye contact, the looks on faces, the disregard for one another in their general behaviour seem to suppress hidden angers that would be given free rein at other times. In fact, I believe this week sees the bloke angrily switching off the cameras, as if they are stopping him from saying what he really thinks.
Does Channel 4 really believe that this programme depicts the British in microcosm? If so, I believe Britain needs some serious international psychological help.
