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Why Wesley was worse than Dennis the Menace

posted 9 years ago by jughead10m
25 replies | jump to latest

Why couldn't Wesley have been a good boy. No matter how much his parents punish or ground him or Mr. Belvedere does things to get back at him why does Wesley do bratty things like annoy his sister & almost juvenile delinquent things to Mr. Belvedere, in the house, in the neighborhood & at school? What does he do it for? One time they sent him to Military School but if he is a worse than Dennis the Menace Problem Child couldn't they have left him at that military school? They would have been rid of him then. Plus if he did bad things again after that couldn't they have sent him back there? Don't forget that Mr. Belvedere can't stand that worse than Dennis the Menace brat. But also at times Heather can't stand him. Plus when he ran away that one time thinking his Mom didn't want him, why did Heather hug him & miss him that time if she can't stand him or the pranks he does to her sometimes? Does the family love or hate Wesley?

[–] jennifergreens 9 years ago

I agree that Wesley was worse than Dennis the Menace because he caused more trouble & played more pranks on people. I am thinking about the Graduation episode where Wesley is reluctantly named Valedictorian by the principal. He plays a stupid prank by putting either a frog or a toad (I don't remember which one) in the punch bowl and his classmates tell him to grow up. After that he becomes more adult to the extreme by wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase. What is stupid is later on the insurance guy starts listing some of the pranks that he's done. If he did those kind of pranks in real life in school almost all time, he would likely be kicked out of school. I agree that maybe they should've left him in Military School.

What was kind of stupid was, they want Wesley grow up but then they want him to play one last prank on the principal. Also, in that Graduation episode, what was that wheel supposed to be in the auditorium where they pinned the principal to and spun him around and around? I would guess they only did that for about a minute or two.

[–] jughead10m 9 years ago

When Wesley did that to the principal after being made Elementary School Valedictorian,he did get grounded for the summer that is until going to camp.

However in the episode where he runs away he gets lucky with that bus station cafe lady when she hugs him. If I was Wesley I would have changed for that but why didn't he especially when he told his father after being sent to Military School, "I'll be Good". Also why did Heather hug him at that bus station when he was on his way home, if Heather can't stand him. Also Mr. Belvidere would have been rid of him too. Plus don't forget Mr. Belvidere does sarcastic things back to Wesley for the bad boy he is. Plus how can Wesley's mother some days be loving & affectionate to him or ground him & punish & yell at him other days? Does the family love or hate Wesley? That includes Mr. Belvidere.

[–] Edermike 9 years ago

Wesley was a funny character whose humor stemmed from being a twisted naughty kid. He wasn't bad at heart, he just loved being a prankster. Brice was great at the role and he and Christopher's back and forth made the show special. If Wesley would have been good, the show would have been far more bland. Jeff Stein has said they were going for subversive humor, it isn't your typical sitcom.

[–] jarrodmcdonald-1 9 years ago

Good point(s). One of my favorite moments comes in season 6's 'Paper Mill. It is the subplot where Belvedere has the ulcer and is not allowed to drink his customary brand of caffeinated tea. There is a scene in the kitchen where Kevin and Heather are the ultimate tricksters and keep fooling Belvedere into believing he can have tea now (they call it aversion therapy).

At the end of that scene, our beloved housekeeper gets up from the table in disgust and says that these two, Kevin and Heather, make Wesley look like Santa Claus.

To me, that puts it all into perspective. Wesley had an immature father and a mother busy trying to start a career outside the home-- but more importantly he had two older siblings who were probably just as bad as he was when they were younger, and he has learned from the best.

So I think this great scene gives us clues about the older Owens children and how they have probably matured, grown and reformed a bit-- but they are still sneaky underneath. The fact that it takes Belvedere five years working in the Owens home to realize this, because much of his conflict has been with Wesley, makes it that much more of an 'a-ha' moment and that much funnier.

[–] jughead10m 9 years ago

I just realized this: Wesley wasn't Mr. Bad Boy yet until middle of Season 2, after all in season 1 he was a good boy except for a few things he did to Heather. Both his parents loved him in Season 1 & beginning of Season 2 & he didn't do the pranks yet on his family, the Huffnigels or Mr. Belevedere or the Beaver Falls Neighborhood or town until mid season 2. However Heather did some wrong things back then & Kevin did a wrong thing like spray painting a mink coat to impress a girl. So Wesley wasn't Mr. Bad Boy until Mid Season 2 & in season 3 he starts to do really bad things & get consequences & Mr. Belvedere takes a hating toward him.

[–] Edermike 9 years ago

He was a pretty crazy kid from the start, it's not about is he bad or good, it's really about the high level of comedy Brice was able to pull off at such a young age.. They always LOVE Wesley. Read Jeff Stein's interview on the show, it will help you understand where he was trying to go with the characters. http://www.macleans.ca/authors/jaime-weinman/tv-on-dvd-notes-on-mr-bel vedere-from-the-executive-producer/

[–] jackgriffin1-1 9 years ago

That was a great article. No wonder Belvedere was such a different "family" show - most of the people came from Barney Miller.

[–] Edermike 9 years ago

Yeah it really was meant to be a bit demented, which is why people don't "get" Wesley at times.

[–] jackgriffin1-1 9 years ago

"Demented". That's why I love it, and why the "preachy" episodes bother me.

[–] bgva 9 years ago

Yeah it really was meant to be a bit demented, which is why people don't "get" Wesley at times.

Demented is exactly how I'd put it, but it was so comical that I got a big kick out of it. Upon reading the thread, I got an image of Wesley being an older, less diabolical version of Stewie Griffin.

Had no idea Stein and Dungan worked on Barney Miller, which is another favorite I love watching on Antenna TV. Now the quirky humor on Belvedere makes sense.

Oh stewardess...I speak jive.

[–] pooka5472 9 years ago

Perhaps Full House is more your liking?

[–] jackgriffin1-1 9 years ago

Are you talking to me?

[–] Edermike 9 years ago

I think he was addressing the guy who started the thread.

[–] pooka5472 8 years ago

Indeed I was.

[–] snsurone 9 years ago

Dennis the Menace (on TV) wasn't a bad kid.
He got himself and others into trouble usually out of a misguided effort to "help".
Besides, Dennis was actually a friendly boy who didn't dislike anyone (except Margaret, LOL).

Wesley, on the other hand, was mad at the world, and acted the way he did out of sheer malice.
On another thread, I suggested that was because he knew he was unplanned and unwanted, and his birth threw a brick into Marsha's plans for a law career.
He also believed that his family's displays of affection towards him were insincere.
Mr. Belvedere, on the other hand, saw Wesley for what he was, and gave back as good as he got.

[–] jackgriffin1-1 9 years ago

Wesley didn't find out he was unwanted until season three. He was "bad" starting in season one.

[–] snsurone 9 years ago

I'm sure he suspected he was unwanted before he was actually told.
Kids have that kind of sixth sense.

[–] jackgriffin1-1 9 years ago

If he had a sixth sense about it why did it surprise him so much that he ran away from home? Did Kevin suspect he was conceived out of wedlock before he found out? This isn't the twilight zone.

[–] snsurone 9 years ago

It was just the cold, hard truth coming out that finally pushed Wesley over the edge.

BTW, I never knew that Kevin was conceived out of wedlock.
In what episode was that revealed?
And how did Kevin react to the news?
My eldest niece "had" to get married after her boyfriend knocked her up.
According to my brother, he was a Grade-A jerk who abused his wife and eventually dumped her for another woman.
After the divorce, she remarried a nice man.
If George and Marsha's marriage was a forced one, it's remarkable that it lasted as long as it did, producing two more children--including the unplanned, unwanted Wesley.

[–] jackgriffin1-1 9 years ago

I forget which ep. It's the one where George and Marsha renew their vows.

[–] hoosiersfan2011 9 years ago

"Vows" was episode 7 of season 2. As George and Marsha prepare to celebrate their 19th wedding anniversary, Heather suggests they renew their vows. You can watch it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu7diMsgTWI.

[–] mistersparkle 9 years ago

Dennis generally meant well, things just had a way of going wrong. Meanwhile Wesley ranged from mischievious to occasionally outright malevolent. Yes, sometimes he'd have a change of heart and try to make things right, but not until he'd already caused some damage.

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[–] freebird1987 9 years ago

I could not stand that kid. I hated the entire family that Mr. Belvedere worked for.

[–] !!!deleted!!! (49761343) 8 years ago

I agree that Wesley was worse than Dennis the Menace. The thing about Dennis is that he always meant well. It was just that he always created havoc because he was too young, dumb and naive to think things through. Wesley seemed to take pleasure in causing other people trouble and didn't care about the consequences of his actions.

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[–] crlnrgbrght5 8 years ago

Parents don't hate their kids simply for being brats. The differences between Wesley and Dennis the Menace is, Wesley is crafty, while Dennis was very boisterous.