Note: This website is still under construction.
I'm currently writing all the episode descriptions and
commentaries and will get to the other details soon. In the meantime, feel free
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message board! Also of note, the episode summaries are a bit rough as I'm just
getting something in for now. I'll be smoothing those over a bit later on.
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Yes, Dear is a situation comedy that ran on
CBS from October 2000 to February 2006. It's about two families
living together in the same house. There's the uptight Warner family
with Greg (Anthony
Clark) and Kim (Jean
Louisa Kelly.) Then there is the laidback Hughes family with
Jimmy (Mike O'Malley)
and Christine (Liza
Snyder) who is also Kim's sister. So it's really all one big
family living under one roof (or actually two, since the Hughes live
in the guest house.)
Married couples with kids will find the show especially
entertaining because much of the trials the families deal with truly happens
in real life. For example, how do you potty train your kids? When do you let
your kids spread their wings and do stuff for themselves? What happens when
you forget to take photos of your second child like you did for the first?
Do men tune their wives out when talking? How do you deal with parents-in-law
who don't like you? And tons of other real life situations. Obviously,
the Warner's and Hughes's have wildly different ideas on how to accomplish
these goals. It's likely you are like one group or the other!
Ok, this is an episode we've seen before. Not on this show, but on a few others. The one I remember is Rosanne where Dan ends up working in a shoe store to pay for Christmas. Jimmy (and Dan) are really good fathers for working extra to help their kids. I don't know of anyone in real life who has lowered themselves at Christmas to pay for stuff.
After years of marriage and a kid, has the "romance" fire been squelched? Do you find yourself less interested in sex? I don't think the interest wanes in a man until he's about 147 years old. But for a woman, I don't know. I think once they've bagged a husband they don't think it's necessary to do anything in the bedroom to keep him. That he should just love her for her intellect. Yeah... Mmkay.....
I originally thought this was a "shoe on the other foot" episode, but it's not. Billy doesn't come to mooch off of Jimmy like the title suggests. Rather, he comes to mooch Greg's friendship with Jimmy. Of course, Greg doesn't want Billy around, but relents for a couple of days out of common courtesy. Seeing that Greg is upset (and probably feeling a bit guilty for mooching off of Greg himself) Jim...
I remember one of the things my wife said about her friends before we had kids was that all they would talk about was their kids! And I think everyone hopes that kids won't be the only topic of conversation they have when the kids are born, but by the time you do have kids, most every other topic has been exhausted!
So, Kim is worried about not having anything to talk about except Sammy. ...
So when is the best time to start potty training your kid? (How about on day 1?) I wonder if the "He'll do it when he's ready" is the best approach. Giving that responsibility to a child is not something they're ready for. Honestly, I think kids will take the path of least resistance which means they won't do anything unless they're forced to.
I can't say I've had that same experience as Jimmy where your kid picks your friends because most of my friends I've had since High School. And the other friends I have don't have kids!
I dunno, it seemed that from the get-go there was something swarmy about the young couple. I guess it would be nice to go out to an elite restaurant with someone like that, but I think I'd rather stay home...
In yet another of common marriage adventures, Jimmy actually listens to his wife and still ends up getting screwed. Christine says not to do anything (or at least that's what he hears) so he does it. But what she said is not what she actually meant.
Amazing that Christine would write the same thing every year. I guess it does get repetitive and hard to think of new stuff to say. Maybe it'...
Wow, I must be a real freak, because I'm with Greg on this one again. It feels like the neighbors are always watching me whenever I try to go outside and do something in the yard. But my neighbors are real lawn fiends, so when ever I do yard work I feel like they're secretly judgeing me on the way I do things. Like what I'm doing doesn't meet their high standards. I guess I don't like people watch...
This whole episode is how Jimmy tries to take a vacation on the cheap by using coupons, vouchers, time share pitches, and standby flights. This is similar to another episode where Jimmy drove them to the Grand Canyon in an old rented RV.
The funny thing about this episode is that Jimmy is more right than you might guess. How memorable is it to just go somewhere and play golf for a few day...
In a humorous role-reversal, it's Greg who is the mooch, while Jimmy is annoyed. See? What goes around comes around!
I'm a little surprised that Jimmy would go off on Greg so quickly after he spent several weeks without a job at the start of the series. But if you watch closely, it's Kim who gives Jimmy the permission to rail against Greg for not wanting to go back.
I really like this episode, even though I'm not a fan of Big Brother. The whole "Jimmy doesn't know I'm gay" thing was funny plus Greg's over-the-top way of trying to keep Jimmy on the show is hilarious.
There's something to be said about Christine being a "single-mom" for (an expected) 3 or 4 months. And they did discuss it in advance. Even so, it's tough for me to imagine being away fro...
As a parent, I can tell you that it IS hard to know when to let your kid start doing stuff on his own. When do you let them start feeding themselves with a fork? When do you let them take a bath without constant supervision? When do you let them hang upside down on the monkey bars? Truly, these tiny achievements are huge scares for many parents.
(First of all: This episode is played out of order and it drives me batty. The Radford Reshuffle was aired AFTER this one when it should have been before. It's even reflected incorrectly in the episode numbers! I'd change it in the database, but that wouldn't be accurate either. Oh well.)
This is a perfect title for this episode. Normally when you think about "breaking the mold" you think...
This one has one of the most uproariously funny moments in the entire series! I end up laughing so hard everytime I see Greg do that baton dance!
So, Jimmy's worried about not being cool... I thought Christine would come out and say that he didn't need to be cool to everyone else because she will always think he's the coolest guy. At least that's the typical Hollywood line for a situation...
Is this the show that every prospective parent watches? I admit, I watched a couple MINUTES of an episode, but it got to be too much for me.
Anyway, the main idea of the episode is that there's a lot of stress going around during the last days before birth. There's so much anticipation it's hard to bear. And then to have your parents there on top of it... I'm glad it was just me and my wi...
This is one of my more favorite episodes. I dunno, maybe it's because I'm also a pack rat. Or maybe it's because I love Star Wars and Atari too.
I think everyone has this syndrome I call "Pack-rat-itis." It's hard to get rid of sentimental things, especially from your childhood. In the episode they make the two storage neighbors look like total nerds for keeping their collections. Or may...
Yes, it's true ladies. Guys don't listen to every word you say. We get bored quickly. We're looking for the next thing to do. Video games keep up interested because they usually have a large variety of things going on or a cool story to keep up with. Plus blowing stuff up is just a basic need for a man.
So was Jimmy out of line to not pay attention to Christine? I don't think so. She inte...
If you're a parent, you've no doubt been subjected to watching "The Wiggles" or other kiddie TV shows. (Blue's Clues makes an appearance in another episode.) So, it's rather cool to see "The Wiggles" make a guest appearance here.
I think Kim is a bit crazy to want to sell Sammy's stuff. I don't know too many parents who would do something like that for a second child just so they could bu...
Ok guys. Raise your hand if you were the "nice guy" who got no dates during those years but watched how all the girls would fawn over the jerks. I don't know if this is an urban legend or not, but it seems pretty true to me.
My wife has told me some stories about the jerks she dated. Of course, she's looking back on it with 20/20 vision and her side of the story. But I've heard so many st...
A couple of things about this episode jump out at me. One is how Greg feels Jimmy can never repay him for the four years they lived in the guest house. The other is about how Jimmy's dignity is damaged by Greg's insistance he keep doing things to pay them back. A third thing is how Greg's totally ignoring the extra work he is putting on Kim for his obsession.
This is far from being my favorite episode, but there are a few funny moments. My favorite being the Cheetos gag from Jimmy.
There are times when couples need new friends. Sometimes the old ones get stale and things need to be shaken up. But it's important to be sensitive to your old friends too. Let's not take them for granted or ignore them. And just because you're feeling ignored and u...
As a church going Christian, this is one of my favorite episodes. It's presented as a joke that the guys need to get togther to watch football, but it really is true. Family life can drive you crazy and it's good to get away regularly so that you can appreciate your wife and kids better.
Some of the strongest bonds and friendship are galvanized by a group of guys getting together and just...
