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Post by FrankGotch on Dec 14, 2009 12:46:08 GMT -5
So far I've been pleasantly surprised by the Cleveland Show, and I would even rank it second behind American Dad as far as fox Sunday night goes. However last nights episode kinda left a bad taste in my mouth.
Basically Rollo is sad because he won't see his dad on Christmas. Rollo thinks that the reason why he never sees his father is, because his dad works for the FBI. This of course is a lie that his father told him. Long story short Cleveland tells Rollo the truth and Cleveland's wife gets mad at him. So Cleveland goes out into the slums finds Rollo's dad and begs him to go see his son on Christmas. At the end of the show Rollo's dad shows up and then lies to him again right in front of Cleveland, and his wife telling Rollo that he's really Santa which makes Rollo happy. Then the show ends with everyone happy and Cleveland singing a Christmas carol.
Seriously WTF? How is that a good ending? Not only do Cleveland and Donna allow Rollo's deadbeat father to lie to him, they just go along with the lie to make their son happy. Meanwhile Rollo continues to idolize his neglectful, uncaring father, while totally despising the man who genuinely loves, and cares for him.
I know that its just a cartoon but that ending really made me sick. It seemed to send the message that its OK to lie to your children if the truth will hurt them. Added to Cleveland and Donna both enabling Rollo's father, and allowing their son to continue worshiping his no good deadbeat ass. Why are they going along with the lies and allowing their son to look up to the guy as a role model?
What a crappy ending for a holiday show.
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Post by forgottensinpwf on Dec 14, 2009 13:00:56 GMT -5
I didn't see the episode, but just telling you he's married to Donna now, not Loretta.
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Post by FrankGotch on Dec 14, 2009 13:02:04 GMT -5
I didn't see the episode, but just telling you he's married to Donna now, not Loretta. Whoops I'm still stuck in Family Guy mode.
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Post by BayleyTiffyCodyCenaJudyHopps on Dec 14, 2009 13:02:57 GMT -5
It was all more or less designed to set everything back into motion, and also to reinforce that Rallo's father is still unwilling to be honest with his son out of fear that he'll stop idolizing him. Cleveland and the others stood by to at least allow Rallo to have a decent Christmas.
Also, Robert couldn't even get Rallo's name right and referred to his children with Donna as his "sperm", so he doesn't exactly have a strong emotional connection with them to begin with.
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Post by The Tank on Dec 14, 2009 13:03:22 GMT -5
To be fair, Rallo/Rollo/howeverthef***hisnameisspelled is like 5. It's okay to lie to a five-year-old in a case like that.
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Post by Killah Ray on Dec 14, 2009 13:04:28 GMT -5
Honestly, it paints a real picture of a child....can you imagine growing up and thinking of your father as just a complete bum? It would've been very hard on the child phsychologicaly...
But then again it's just a cartoon so it'll be pretty much forgotten in a few weeks...
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Post by FrankGotch on Dec 14, 2009 13:08:57 GMT -5
It was all more or less designed to set everything back into motion, and also to reinforce that Rallo's father is still unwilling to be honest with his son out of fear that he'll stop idolizing him. Cleveland and the others stood by to at least allow Rallo to have a decent Christmas. Also, Robert couldn't even get Rallo's name right and referred to his children with Donna as his "sperm", so he doesn't exactly have a strong emotional connection with them to begin with. The truth in a situation like that is far more important then having a good Christmas.
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Post by FrankGotch on Dec 14, 2009 13:11:37 GMT -5
Honestly, it paints a real picture of a child....can you imagine growing up and thinking of your father as just a complete bum? It would've been very hard on the child phsychologicaly... But then again it's just a cartoon so it'll be pretty much forgotten in a few weeks... I did grow up in a situation like that, and I am thankful every day that my mother was honest with me about my father from the begging, and that I had an uncle who basically stepped in, and became the strong positive male role model that I needed. I think that's one reason why this episode pissed me off so much.
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Post by Killah Ray on Dec 14, 2009 13:14:09 GMT -5
Honestly, it paints a real picture of a child....can you imagine growing up and thinking of your father as just a complete bum? It would've been very hard on the child phsychologicaly... But then again it's just a cartoon so it'll be pretty much forgotten in a few weeks... I did grow up in a situation like that, and I am thankful every day that my mother was honest with me about my father from the begging, and that I had an uncle who basically stepped in, and became the strong positive male role model that I needed. I think that's one reason why this episode pissed me off so much. I had a similar situation myself, and for me it was hard...as I didn't have a good strong male figure in my life at all....maybe that's why I see it different...
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Post by FrankGotch on Dec 14, 2009 13:19:11 GMT -5
I did grow up in a situation like that, and I am thankful every day that my mother was honest with me about my father from the begging, and that I had an uncle who basically stepped in, and became the strong positive male role model that I needed. I think that's one reason why this episode pissed me off so much. I had a similar situation myself, and for me it was hard...as I didn't have a good strong male figure in my life at all....maybe that's why I see it different... The thing about Rollo is that he does have a strong positive male figure in his life, and he hates him. If his mother or Cleveland would've told him the truth it might have made Rollo think twice before throwing Cleveland aside in favor of a man who could care less about him.
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Dave at the Movies
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
VINTAGE D-DAY DAVE! Always cranking dat thing.
Posts: 18,228
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Post by Dave at the Movies on Dec 14, 2009 14:11:07 GMT -5
Have you ever watched The Simpson or Family Guy before?
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Post by FrankGotch on Dec 14, 2009 14:31:17 GMT -5
Have you ever watched The Simpson or Family Guy before? I'll agree that early Peter is in the running most incompetent father in the world, but at least he seemed to care about his kids and their well being. Current Peter is just a straight up abusive ass. Along the same lines Homer used to be one of the better TV dads out there. Yeah he was more then a little goofy, but he really cared about his family, and took a positive active role in the lives of his children. Current Homer on the other hand is closer to early Peter, hes not abusive, but he is alarmingly incompetent, and borderline neglectful.
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Post by Baldobomb-22-OH-MAN!!! on Dec 14, 2009 19:57:38 GMT -5
kinda reminds me of the Fresh Prince of Bel-air episode with Will's dad.
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Post by FrankGotch on Dec 14, 2009 20:23:33 GMT -5
kinda reminds me of the Fresh Prince of Bel-air episode with Will's dad. The difference was that one had a great bitter sweet ending with Will discovering that his father would never be the man he wanted him to be, and that his Uncle Phil was doing the best he could to fill that void in Wills life.
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Ducky Momo
Samurai Cop
Sheer Momacity!
Posts: 2,313
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Post by Ducky Momo on Dec 15, 2009 1:17:23 GMT -5
I'd think it'd be more important for him to realize the "real" family he has. It would lead to a healthier home life for the whole family. And he'd receive the father figure love he will need growing up. Instead of having a deadbeat dad, and a step father who will grow to despise the child. He's going to come to the realization of who is father really is someday. Better earlier in life when he has people to depend on. Instead of later in life when it will probably hit him a lot harder, especially if he's going through his teenage years. If his home life becomes sour by that point, then he may not really have anyone to turn to.
I know it's a show, but that's how I'd see it playing out in real life.
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Post by The Summer of Muskrat XVII on Dec 15, 2009 2:45:32 GMT -5
Thing you have to remember, atleast in the context of the show, is that Rallo went from meeting Cleveland for the first time, to Cleveland being his stepdad in about a month. And the series seems to take place about 3-6 months from that point.
So basically, this awesome father figure Rallo now has, he's only known for a couple of months so it's understandable that the 5 year old is having a hard time replacing his father with this new guy.
Plus, much like Stewie, because the character tends to act older then he is we forget that he's just a little kid. And 6 months is a pretty short period of time for a little kid to grasp the concept of his dad being a deadbeat. It would be different if Rallo was like 10-12, but a 5 year is gonna take a while to realize it. Hell, going back to the Fresh Prince reference Will was like 17 before he finally accepted it.
Morale of the story is I just put way too much thought into this considering it's a cartoon character.
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Post by ThereIsNoAbsurdistOnlyZuul on Dec 15, 2009 2:52:13 GMT -5
It was all more or less designed to set everything back into motion, and also to reinforce that Rallo's father is still unwilling to be honest with his son out of fear that he'll stop idolizing him. Cleveland and the others stood by to at least allow Rallo to have a decent Christmas. Also, Robert couldn't even get Rallo's name right and referred to his children with Donna as his "sperm", so he doesn't exactly have a strong emotional connection with them to begin with. The truth in a situation like that is far more important then having a good Christmas. Well more like a good 5 Christmases or so. Sure, a child should know the truth, but this is a Cartoon that is gonna f*** with continuity, AND the character is 5 years old. So there is no reason to actually not have the "Everything is Cool" ending scenario. Five year olds aren't known for their ability to put crap in perspective.
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Post by FrankGotch on Dec 15, 2009 3:28:20 GMT -5
The truth in a situation like that is far more important then having a good Christmas. Well more like a good 5 Christmases or so. Sure, a child should know the truth, but this is a Cartoon that is gonna f*** with continuity, AND the character is 5 years old. So there is no reason to actually not have the "Everything is Cool" ending scenario. Five year olds aren't known for their ability to put crap in perspective. People don't give children enough credit when it comes to putting things into perspective. Most times its the adults who lack perspective because many adults would rather maintain their child's "innocence" over being honest with them. That's one reason why we have so many troubled kids out there who never got straight answers from their parents about ,death, divorce, depression, sex, drugs, and other tough issues they may be struggling with. I believe that one of the most important things you can do as a parent is maintain an honest open relationship with your child no matter what age they are.
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Viva
Dennis Stamp
THAT'S MY PURSE! *kick to the groin*
You can dance if you want to.
Posts: 4,099
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Post by Viva on Dec 15, 2009 4:14:40 GMT -5
Have you ever watched The Simpson or Family Guy before? I'll agree that early Peter is in the running most incompetent father in the world, but at least he seemed to care about his kids and their well being. Current Peter is just a straight up abusive ass. Along the same lines Homer used to be one of the better TV dads out there. Yeah he was more then a little goofy, but he really cared about his family, and took a positive active role in the lives of his children. Current Homer on the other hand is closer to early Peter, hes not abusive, but he is alarmingly incompetent, and borderline neglectful. Isn't that kind of the point, though? Rallo thinking Cleveland is a square is a huge part of what generates humor in the show. Through the beginning, Rallo's perception of Cleveland is at an all time low. Through the middle, Rallo is just a depressed mess that doesn't know what to think. At the end, though, Rallo reaffirms that his Dad is awesome and Cleveland is a tool. Nothing changed, and Rallo is still going to treat Cleveland like crap. Which is funny. It was a Christmas episode with a bittersweet ending. That's all. Canon wise though, nothing really changed. His dad is still a deadbeat douche, and he still doesn't like Cleveland very much.
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Post by FrankGotch on Dec 15, 2009 4:37:21 GMT -5
I'll agree that early Peter is in the running most incompetent father in the world, but at least he seemed to care about his kids and their well being. Current Peter is just a straight up abusive ass. Along the same lines Homer used to be one of the better TV dads out there. Yeah he was more then a little goofy, but he really cared about his family, and took a positive active role in the lives of his children. Current Homer on the other hand is closer to early Peter, hes not abusive, but he is alarmingly incompetent, and borderline neglectful. Isn't that kind of the point, though? Rallo thinking Cleveland is a square is a huge part of what generates humor in the show. Through the beginning, Rallo's perception of Cleveland is at an all time low. Through the middle, Rallo is just a depressed mess that doesn't know what to think. At the end, though, Rallo reaffirms that his Dad is awesome and Cleveland is a tool. Nothing changed, and Rallo is still going to treat Cleveland like crap. Which is funny. It was a Christmas episode with a bittersweet ending. That's all. Canon wise though, nothing really changed. His dad is still a deadbeat douche, and he still doesn't like Cleveland very much. Weekly cartoons don't really have a consistent cannon. They could've had a sweet ending with Rollo realizing that Cleveland was a good man and that his father was a tool, and then the very next week have Rollo busting Clevelands chops again and no one would question it. Just look at how many times Homer seemed to warm up to Ned in early seasons of the Simpson's only to go right back to wanting him dead the next week. Think about how crappy the "When Flanders Failed" would have been if the writers were worried about ruining a running gag, so they just had Homer gloat like an ass all the way through the end of the episode.
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