Her overreaction to believing Doug was hitting on her at the bowling alley (still hilarious), her being inspired by Carrie to let loose on Spense which she visibly gets off on, and telling Spense to just "move it along" when he's pressured to get rid of his pug dog due to her fear of it.
On that note, while also funny, I didn't find Doug's parents all that likeable either.
I actually liked Doug's folks. You just knew by the way they were that they definitely raised Doug! LOL! It seemed real that they had a hand in how he turned out.
The only thing I didn't like was when Doug's dad was going to help Doug figure out their finances and they checked out Carrie's closet and he pointed out the expensive things in there. He had no business in their room and certainly not in his daughter in law's closet.
Hmm I agree with you to a point Margo. (Sorry, love discussing KOQ) You are right, he did have no business in their room, however Doug and Carrie were asking him to bail them out and loan them money. The dad made some good points. They both had good jobs, and no kids, yet they had no savings because they blew it on a vacation. I think they were asking for 12,000 bucks? If my grown kid and his wife want to borrow 12 grand from me when I am retired, I am damn sure gonna wanna know where their money went.
True. I do agree with that. I would want to know where the money went before I handed over a loan of that size. I just found it creepy that they went up there to her closet.
I always found it funny the amount of money those two seemed to blow. Doug leased a Jeep when his union was on strike, were always eating takeout or going out to eat. Carrie bought expensive clothes, Doug was always buying a hot tub, or a big screen tv or something, then she needed money to renovate her office. It just seemed like they would spend, spend, spend. Especially Carrie who was ALWAYS shopping. Then they would whine when they had no money.
shareI noticed that a lot too. All the crap they bought, but they couldn't afford a car when Doug's old one went to hell. They also invested in stock when Doug got a nice sizable Christmas bonus. Look how that turned out! They really were dumb with money.
I know people in life who live like that.... way beyond their means.
You would think they would want to try to pay off the mortgage on the house before burying themselves deeper.
It all got straightened out at the end in that diner scene, which was absolutely adorably played.
shareI agree. But don't you agree? Did they not seem to waste a LOT of money on things?
shareDefinitely, whenever they spent money it was a large amount like you've mentioned.
And that $12,000 figure you cited was a show stopper for the characters & us the viewer. Ingenious by the production to lodge that amount in plain-spoken-English.
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"Where's your books?" - the old man
"On the shelf." - Doug
Then he cuffs Doug upside the head. Ain't we all been cuffed likewise by our fathers!
I'm with you there and thought the exact same thing Margo! I also didn't like the way his father held a grudge aganist Spense for "relieving" himself in their bathroom when he was a teen. To me there was something pompous in the manner he held the grudge.
shareI had forgotten about his grudge against Spense! He certainly was crotchety!
I loved the mom though, and you could tell that the parent's relationship worked, such as it was. I like the Living Will episode. It took place while they were on a layover at the airport.
Did you find it a little creepy in that one episode where Arthur was going to make a move on Doug's mom? (In an earlier episode he slept with Doug's favorite aunt) I believe he was neglecting her to go to some train show or something, and Arthur was gonna go in for the kill.... That kinda got weird for me.
shareI was used to Arthur's sleaziness so personally I never found it odd.
shareLOL! Yes! Arthur was creepy in many instances! Putting the moves on Mom was just sick. Putting on Doug's work uniform and lying in their bed eating while they were away was another creepy moment of many.
Still, I did enjoy Arthur!
Hahaha I couldn't stop laughing when Arthur put on Doug's uniform and slept in their bed. Also, when he was wildly turned on by Spense's mom working as a maid then dumped her as soon as she quit.
shareIf I was Doug, and Arthur was trying to break up my parents marriage, I would say that would be grounds for kicking him out. I found him wearing the uniform funny, especially answering the door in it. "Which is what I do" then spilling the soup in bed, and having to explain to Decon what happend.
shareIt was funny, but weird. Much like Arthur!
shareTell me if you think this is weird. When I was like 20 my friends and I would get drunk and put on each others work uniforms and make fun of each other. One was a grocery store checker, I worked at a car rental place, another friend was a gas jockey, and another a cook at Red Lobster. I remember it being tons of fun.
shareI'll say strange. Of course if you and your friends were having a good time and laughing, who am I to judge?
I'm sure that guys would think my friends and I, back in our teenage years, dancing in front of a mirror lip syncing to records is weird too.
Actually weren't the parents separated during that moment and Carrie voiced approval over the prospect of Doug's mother finding companionship with Arthur?
shareBecause of the time allotment they rushed "the affair" and it ended up being "weird" as you cite, cap. They didn't have to have Arthur fall in love with her to make that episode work. It was working just fine having him pal around with her in the street scenes. It was Doug's response to the innocence of the coupling that causes the laughs. Once they crossed the line to love & sex it was over. The couch scene where she is confessing to Doug about her sexual needs is an abomination.
***That she ends up as the Devil in "Devil" blows my mind.
I felt sorry for the father when he was so fascinated by his trains that he didn't realize his marriage was in trouble.
Oh what happened in the Living Will episode again?
The folks wanted Doug to sign papers that said he'd have the plug pulled , rather than keep them on life support if something should happen to them. Doug was a big baby about the whole thing, although I can understand his feelings to a certain extent.
Doug's dad took him aside and talked to him about this being what his wife, Doug's mother wanted. I thought it was a cute scene.
Oh yeah now I recall that. It was a sweet moment.
What was the episode with Burt Reynolds about? I've only ever seen that once in all the reruns.
I'm not sure. It's been a while. Was he an old coach of Doug's or am I mixing him up in some other TV show? I'm sure that there is somebody who knows.
shareCept Ricki Lake was still in the family at that point---she was untenable.
shareI kinda found that funny. The older generation does hold grudges. I remember growing up a friend of mine, his parents held a grudge against me from grade 6 till I was about 23. They thought I had stolen a Nintendo game when I was over one time. They found it many many years later when they were moving. It got shoved under a couch cushion or something like that. But man it got ugly.
shareYeah it was still funny especially after Spense apologized and asked for understanding. Doug's father accepted but when Spense asks to use the bathroom he responds "I still rather you didn't".
shareThat I thought he stepped out of line on. I mean it's Doug and Carries house not his. Who is he to give permission for anyone to use the bathroom. Spence is Doug's friend, he has probably used the bathroom there 100 times already.
shareDid you ever get an apology? I hope so.
shareI eventually did years later. Kind of a half assed one at that. While this was on going though his mom was obsessed with the idea. She called my mom and asked me to go to therapy cause I was a thief, asked my mom to look through my stuff to find the game. Of course my mom told her where to go... Years later when they did find it and apologize, both me and my mom told them where to go again. The kid I was friends with didn't really have many other friends either, and was kind of a loner, so when they thought I stole it, and made us stop being friends, he really didn't have anyone else.
shareThat stinks, and all over a stupid game.
As for the poor kid, I guess it makes sense why he didn't have many friends. With parents like that, it's obvious.