Olivia has had 7 or 8 kids (I've lost count), and she felt "cheated" that she couldn't have any more?
(That's what she tells Mary Ellen when ME goes out to see her.)
Does anybody believe that she felt anything but relief at news like this?
I wonder if Michael Learned, who obviously limited her real life family, didn't choke over these lines.
Roland, that's a lilac bush!
Well In The Show, Jim Bob & John Boy Found Out That Jim Bob Had A Twin Brother, But His Twin Brother Died & Olivia & John Did Have 8 Children But One Died The Twin Brother Of Jim Bob!!!!!!
shareThey did have an episode where Olivia found out that she couldn't have any more babies, and she was very disappointed, because the other kids were getting older and she wanted another one. It's a very good episode. But for Olivia to feel "cheated"? Yep - that was ridiculous. The writing for these later installments was significantly weaker than it was during the series' prime.
On the other hand, I was so distracted by Olivia's mullet that I wasn't paying as much attention to the bad writing.
Yes, I remember the episode with Olivia and John finding out they couldn't have more children (I remember when she miscarried too), and yeah, she had to be alone to cry. But I agree it's absurd for Olivia to say she felt cheated. Who does she think she is? Mary Lynn Dugger?
shareI have to disagree with you. In this movie, Olivia explained that she felt cheated even though she had all the children she did have, because she so much wanted another.
Now there is nothing else in life that comes close to the experience of having children, but I can EASILY understand someone in her position feeling that way and believe the dialog was totally realistic.
To try to come up with some sort of other situations for comparison sake:
Would a man who lost his wife to cancer after 40 years of marriage be scoffed at for saying he felt cheated that he couldn't grow old with her, just because he said so in a room full of people who had never been married, or who had marriages that lasted less than 10 years?
Would an Olympic athlete heading for another victory and another gold medal, who suddenly lost out because someone racing nearby fell over and knocked him/her down and cost them the gold medal be criticized for saying he felt cheated out of victory, just because he already had six gold medals?
I think Olivia made it clear that she was blessed with 7 wonderful children, but at the time she found out she couldn't have one more, she naturally felt cheated.
I agree that there's nothing like the experience of having a baby, and while I adored and still adore my son and wouldn't trade him for anything, I only had one because it hurt like hell and I didn't want to do that again.
Women used to pray for child-bed fever, because it kept them from having any more children.
I don't think we can compare somebody losing a spouse or an Olympic medal. If somebody had been married 7 times and felt cheated because he couldn't get married again, or if somebody won 7 gold medals and then said he felt cheated.....well, either of them would be laughed at.
Apples to oranges.......
If you're too old to cut the mustard, you can always lick the jar.
MY wife and i were thinking the same thing. they had been married 20yrs,7kids and john boy was off to college. give it up lady! count your blessings.them hills have enough waltons runnin around all ready.
share