Well IT APPEARS THEY ARE GETTING TOGETHER. HOW WILL MEG AND SAM'S
FATHERS DEAL IT AND HOW WILL IT AFFECT THEIR BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP :)

I don't think they'll be an tension or negativity between Meg's Dad and Sam's Dad.Those two seem to be friends and get along well.Mel :cool:

If they do indeed get together, I think Mel is right. Jack and Henry are cool. It may be a bit awkard at times, but they have weathered quite a bit together already. I know this might be a *bit* different, but...


Trish

Please say no.

Do you mean, if Sam and Meg get together, American Dreams will jump the shark?


Trish

If thats what they mean that's nuts.Just because Sam and Meg may get together doesn't mean the show will jump the shark.Besides Sam is more a decent guy that Chris .So no AD will not jump the shark.Mel :cool:

I think it would be very unrealistic, however fun and neat it might seem.

Jack and Henry are coworkers and, yes, friendly, but that does not mean Jack would want his daughter dating an African-American, no matter how nice Sam may be. Aside from Helen and Meg being against the war, this is not a very radical family. And really, would Helen care much at all if JJ had not been in Vietnam? Would Meg, for that matter? Jack has shown that he can be friendly and kind to African-Americans, but American Dreams is set in the early-to-mid 1960s and focuses on a Irish Catholic family. Given everything that happened with the riots and with Nathan, and with Meg and Chris, can anyone really see Jack feeling okay about any potential relationship between Meg and Sam?

Remember back in Season One (or was it Season Two?) when Sam walked Meg home and how it turned into this big thing with the police officer and Jack yelling at Meg and Henry yelling at Sam? That was a simple walk home. Meg and Sam dating? Much, much more.

Excuse my ignorance, but what does "jump the shark" mean?

The term refers to the point when a show has reached its peak and is on its way down. In this instance, BEATLESCHICK may or may not mean that should Meg and Sam get together, it will mark the beginning of the end for American Dreams.

For more information about "jumping the shark," see this (www.jumptheshark.com) website.

Excuse my ignorance, but what does "jump the shark" mean?


I know little about it really, but there was an episode of Happy Days where The Fonz was to jump a tank full of sharks with his motorcycle. Some sort of a stunt while "the gang" was on vacation in California, I think.

Well, many folks see that episode of Happy Days as the beginning of the end of the show. Kind of like the piece of crapsistahnce. Now when a show does something that causes the ratings to plummet and the show to be on it's way out, it is called "jumping the shark".

http://www.jumptheshark.com/

I think this is the basic idea.

I believe that Henry would put his life on the line for Jack and vice versa. I think that there would be very trying times and a lot of introspection should Sam and Meg become involved with one another, but Jack and Henry would come through it. I think these two men have formed a life long friendship that is going to become stronger as they both age and deal with whatever life throws at them.

I really do not think that Sam and Meg being together would be a shark jump. I had said to my mom some months back that if they were to get together, it would be better to just wait a few years (oh yeah, *that* works, Trish) as in about 1969-70 things began to be much more acceptable in this area. I knew interacial couples during this time. Of course, I was raised in California and not Philly, but who knows, maybe American Bandstand will move out west soon and Meg and Roxanne will move over to Action 66 taped/filmed on the beaches in Malibu.

Gotta move the business and Henry and family too though, and Luke and Roxanne, and Nathan and JJ and Beth....

Hey, it's doable.

What's meant to be will always find a way.
- Trisha Yearwood

Trish

Thank you all for your explanation of the term "jump the shark". I remember the HAPPY DAYS episode of Fonz doing just that and it was the beginning of the end for that show. Anyway thanks again for the explanation.

Have no problem with Meg and Sam getting together. My whole point was wondering if AD is worried about ratings and is trying something "controversial" to ramp up the ratings.

I get Entertainment Weekly Magazine and AD has been making the "Must See" list most weeks as what to watch on Sunday.

Anyone know if AD is being renewed? I hope so; I love this show! :talk:

I think the Meg and Sam storyline is a good one because of the tension
and struggles that entails. I do not believe Jack, JJ, Nathan and Henry
will accept the relationship. In fact, I believe it could cause a break in their business and relationship. I even believe it could led to violence.If you remember that Meg and Sam in the first season went into a resturant were refused seats because the lady thought they were together.

Helen, Beth and Roxanne would be more supportive of both them. of coarse 1967 was the year Guess Whose Coming to dinner came out. Again, I can imagine of sorts of reaction.

Hey Beatleschick. No, you are not showing your age. I thought I was because I didn't know what the term meant! Nice avator by the way.

Let me start by saying that I am old enough to have lived through the events that are depicted on American Dreams. Patty and I would be the same age, if you must know. This show has brought back a lot of memories for me, and while I do see some discrepancies, it is pretty accurate in terms of the way things were for teenagers in the sixties.

That being said, I have been paying particularly close attention the the Meg/Sam thing and hoping that they might take their friendship to the next level, even if just for a moment. Even though interracial couples were race in 1966, there were some. I should know. My first boyfriend was black and that was in 1966.

Here's how it went down. We were living in Massachusetts, at least, and even then the state was the most liberal in the country. He lived in a neighboring town and was a few years older than me. I couldn't see him that often, but we talked on the phone and would meet up at the shopping center (before malls!!!). Our friends were cool with it. No problem. Our parents were definitely not cool with it. At all. I remember crying and screaming how unfair they were to not allow me to see him. Of course, I did anyway. His family was not happy either. Everyone told us that we would never make it.

We never had a chance to find out. He was drafted right out of high school and killed in Vietnam. I was devastated. I still have his ring.

When I watched Sam and Meg last night, I had chills, remembering the first time Joe and I danced and how surprised we were when we realized that we had feelings for one another. When Meg put her head on his shoulder, I started to cry, thinking how daring that was at that time. But loving someone, even then, wasn't about the color of their skin, it was about what is inside. It still is.

I was glad to find a message board where I could post this. Last night's show stirred up memories that have been long dormant. Thanks for letting me share.

What will happen? I think that they will realize how hard it would be for them as a couple and remain friends (with benefits???). We'll see.