robmic
03-22-2011, 08:44 PM
Karen was Jack's favorite among his 3 children. There is plenty of evidence to back that up. Although Jack and Karen's relationship was explored only in a few episodes, it was clear that she was his heart's favorite. In my opinion, the Jack/Karen episodes were some of the series' best. And their relationship was so fascinating. I wish the Jack/Karen storyline had been even more developed and had even more episodes, but I realize the series was not about her but rather Kevin.
Jack definitely loved his sons with all his heart, but he had a special relationship with Karen that could not be touched. I know part of it had to do with the fact that she was his only girl. And daughters have a different relationship with their fathers anyway. But, I don't think that was all of it. She was also his first child, which made her special as well. Still, it seemed to even go beyond the fact that she was his first child and his only girl. They just had something special. You could see that in the home movie footage of Karen as a little girl. Her and Jack were very close when she was little. He meant everything to her, and she meant everything to him.
Perhaps some of their closeness came from the fact that they were a lot alike. Both were stubborn and strong-willed, as evidenced by their fights when Karen grew older. Both stood their ground no matter what.
The reason I think Karen was Jack's favorite was that her problems always took precedence over anything else. If Jack and Karen were having problems, everyone else just better stay out of the way. If Jack and Karen weren't happy, no one was allowed to be. And Jack took his anger at Karen out on Kevin and Wayne. In that one episode whenever he had a fight with Karen, Jack would put Kevin and Wayne to work. And poor Norma was constantly playing the mediator. Jack's world crumbled when things weren't right with Karen, and fights with her seemed to bother him more than fights with Kevin or Wayne. In fact, he usually dealt with Kevin and Wayne by either putting them to work, ordering them gone, or by simply ignoring them. Karen would usually just leave on her own after a fight with Jack. Her problems were always more important than her brothers' problems.
In the home movies Karen is portrayed as the quintessential all-American child: fair-haired, blue-eyed, happy, and innocent. This child as she grew up was affected by the era in which she became of age in. She became a product of her generation and began to rebel in a quest to find herself and understand the world around her. Thus began the problems between her and her father. Lots of parents and kids had these same types of problems, especially in this era of the late '60s and early '70s. Still, it seemed like problems with Karen had a bigger impact on Jack than did problems with Wayne and Kevin. He didn't seem like he took them as seriously, and it seemed like he was often annoyed at his sons and ignored them quite often.
As I said, there is no question Jack loved Wayne and Kevin. There were certainly some touching scenes between them. I love the scene between Jack and Wayne in "Private Butthead" after Wayne failed his physical. You can really see how much Jack loved Wayne. And at that moment Jack realizes that he has failed Wayne. I know this was a time when fathers were more emotionally distant than they are today. And this would have especially been true between fathers and sons. Naturally Jack could be a little more emotionally attached to Karen because that was more accepted by society back then. Still, Jack seemed to never take an interest in what his sons were doing. He flat showed Karen more attention. I think Kevin was the one he ignored the most, although I admit they had some good scenes on occasion.
I don't think Norma had favorites. I think she was pretty equal with her kids. And I'm not saying that Jack loved Karen anymore than he did Kevin and Wayne, but sometimes parents can't help but have favorites.
Jack definitely loved his sons with all his heart, but he had a special relationship with Karen that could not be touched. I know part of it had to do with the fact that she was his only girl. And daughters have a different relationship with their fathers anyway. But, I don't think that was all of it. She was also his first child, which made her special as well. Still, it seemed to even go beyond the fact that she was his first child and his only girl. They just had something special. You could see that in the home movie footage of Karen as a little girl. Her and Jack were very close when she was little. He meant everything to her, and she meant everything to him.
Perhaps some of their closeness came from the fact that they were a lot alike. Both were stubborn and strong-willed, as evidenced by their fights when Karen grew older. Both stood their ground no matter what.
The reason I think Karen was Jack's favorite was that her problems always took precedence over anything else. If Jack and Karen were having problems, everyone else just better stay out of the way. If Jack and Karen weren't happy, no one was allowed to be. And Jack took his anger at Karen out on Kevin and Wayne. In that one episode whenever he had a fight with Karen, Jack would put Kevin and Wayne to work. And poor Norma was constantly playing the mediator. Jack's world crumbled when things weren't right with Karen, and fights with her seemed to bother him more than fights with Kevin or Wayne. In fact, he usually dealt with Kevin and Wayne by either putting them to work, ordering them gone, or by simply ignoring them. Karen would usually just leave on her own after a fight with Jack. Her problems were always more important than her brothers' problems.
In the home movies Karen is portrayed as the quintessential all-American child: fair-haired, blue-eyed, happy, and innocent. This child as she grew up was affected by the era in which she became of age in. She became a product of her generation and began to rebel in a quest to find herself and understand the world around her. Thus began the problems between her and her father. Lots of parents and kids had these same types of problems, especially in this era of the late '60s and early '70s. Still, it seemed like problems with Karen had a bigger impact on Jack than did problems with Wayne and Kevin. He didn't seem like he took them as seriously, and it seemed like he was often annoyed at his sons and ignored them quite often.
As I said, there is no question Jack loved Wayne and Kevin. There were certainly some touching scenes between them. I love the scene between Jack and Wayne in "Private Butthead" after Wayne failed his physical. You can really see how much Jack loved Wayne. And at that moment Jack realizes that he has failed Wayne. I know this was a time when fathers were more emotionally distant than they are today. And this would have especially been true between fathers and sons. Naturally Jack could be a little more emotionally attached to Karen because that was more accepted by society back then. Still, Jack seemed to never take an interest in what his sons were doing. He flat showed Karen more attention. I think Kevin was the one he ignored the most, although I admit they had some good scenes on occasion.
I don't think Norma had favorites. I think she was pretty equal with her kids. And I'm not saying that Jack loved Karen anymore than he did Kevin and Wayne, but sometimes parents can't help but have favorites.