Just watched the All in the Family episode where The Bunkers and Stephanie visit Mike, Gloria, and Joey in California at Christmas for the umpteenth time on Antenna. This episode always makes me sad. Not only for the obvious reasons that Mike and Gloria have separated, but also because at the end of the episode, it just seemed so hopeful that they would get back together again. The looks they give each other at the end are priceless.
Later we find out that they divorced, and later on Gloria gets her own spin-off (which I've never seen.)

Do they ever explain what happens or is it a continuation of them growing apart like they showed in this episode? (I haven't watched Archie Bunker's Place either.)
I really wish they hadn't split up for good, especially since the last moments of that Christmas episode gave us so much hope that they would work things out. Does anyone else feel kind of cheated by that ending or is it just me? Does anyone else think that they shouldn't have split up Mike and Gloria for good or is it just me lol? It seemed like Norman Lear liked to do this to younger married coupes, because he also did it to Jenny and Lionel in The Jeffersons. Was he just trying to reflect a changing time in the storylines, or do you think it was his intention to split them up all along?

When Mike says: "Those were the worst five years of my life." It just breaks my heart for Gloria. I know technically she's the one who cheated, but I still feel bad for her. They were so in love throughout the entire show's run, it seemed abrupt to have it end like that.

Anyone else feel that way or at least wish they had ended it differently?

Anyone else feel that way or at least wish they had ended it differently?

Yes. I tend to ignore the spin-off "Gloria" and just think that they patched things up and lived happily ever after. The "Gloria" spinoff said something about Mike running off with a student or someone from a college.

Yes. I tend to ignore the spin-off "Gloria" and just think that they patched things up and lived happily ever after. The "Gloria" spinoff said something about Mike running off with a student or someone from a college.


I don't think we can ignore it since both ABP and Gloria were cancelled at the same time:lol:

Now if ABP had returned for another season then that storyline about Mike could have been ignored

Just watched the All in the Family episode where The Bunkers and Stephanie visit Mike, Gloria, and Joey in California at Christmas for the umpteenth time on Antenna. This episode always makes me sad. Not only for the obvious reasons that Mike and Gloria have separated, but also because at the end of the episode, it just seemed so hopeful that they would get back together again. The looks they give each other at the end are priceless.
Later we find out that they divorced, and later on Gloria gets her own spin-off (which I've never seen.)

Do they ever explain what happens or is it a continuation of them growing apart like they showed in this episode? (I haven't watched Archie Bunker's Place either.)
I really wish they hadn't split up for good, especially since the last moments of that Christmas episode gave us so much hope that they would work things out. Does anyone else feel kind of cheated by that ending or is it just me? Does anyone else think that they shouldn't have split up Mike and Gloria for good or is it just me lol? It seemed like Norman Lear liked to do this to younger married coupes, because he also did it to Jenny and Lionel in The Jeffersons. Was he just trying to reflect a changing time in the storylines, or do you think it was his intention to split them up all along?

When Mike says: "Those were the worst five years of my life." It just breaks my heart for Gloria. I know technically she's the one who cheated, but I still feel bad for her. They were so in love throughout the entire show's run, it seemed abrupt to have it end like that.

Anyone else feel that way or at least wish they had ended it differently?

i remember the two part epiaode and to me it was one of the saddest episodes in the show's long run. Archie, Edith and Stephanie come out to California for the holidays and find out the Mike and Gloria are separated. Archie nearly explodes when Gloria tells him she's seeing another man. I also remember the scene in the bathroom when Edith and Gloria are sharing a mother-daughter talk amid tears.

Just watched the All in the Family episode where The Bunkers and Stephanie visit Mike, Gloria, and Joey in California at Christmas for the umpteenth time on Antenna. This episode always makes me sad. Not only for the obvious reasons that Mike and Gloria have separated, but also because at the end of the episode, it just seemed so hopeful that they would get back together again. The looks they give each other at the end are priceless.
Later we find out that they divorced, and later on Gloria gets her own spin-off (which I've never seen.)

Do they ever explain what happens or is it a continuation of them growing apart like they showed in this episode? (I haven't watched Archie Bunker's Place either.)
I really wish they hadn't split up for good, especially since the last moments of that Christmas episode gave us so much hope that they would work things out. Does anyone else feel kind of cheated by that ending or is it just me? Does anyone else think that they shouldn't have split up Mike and Gloria for good or is it just me lol? It seemed like Norman Lear liked to do this to younger married coupes, because he also did it to Jenny and Lionel in The Jeffersons. Was he just trying to reflect a changing time in the storylines, or do you think it was his intention to split them up all along?

When Mike says: "Those were the worst five years of my life." It just breaks my heart for Gloria. I know technically she's the one who cheated, but I still feel bad for her. They were so in love throughout the entire show's run, it seemed abrupt to have it end like that.

Anyone else feel that way or at least wish they had ended it differently?

They decided to try to reconcile by the episode's end, I think, but what was worse was that they eventually broke them up again (this time permanently, apparently) just so they could spin Gloria off for one measly season.

So here you have four beloved characters who you've spent over a decade following and how do they end up? One is dead at an early age of a stroke, one is widowed and never remarried and two are divorced in middle age.

Yes, I know that these things happen in real life and that AITF was a realistic show, but damn, those people we loved and cherished deserved to have a happier ending than that. Maybe not "everything is rosy", but something less utterly depressing and bleak. These stories were an insult to the viewers and the characters as well. We (and they) deserved much better.

Yes. I tend to ignore the spin-off "Gloria" and just think that they patched things up and lived happily ever after. The "Gloria" spinoff said something about Mike running off with a student or someone from a college.
He moved into a commune with her.

They decided to try to reconcile by the episode's end, I think, but what was worse was that they eventually broke them up again (this time permanently, apparently) just so they could spin Gloria off for one measly season.

So here you have four beloved characters who you've spent over a decade following and how do they end up? One is dead at an early age of a stroke, one is widowed and never remarried and two are divorced in middle age.

Yes, I know that these things happen in real life and that AITF was a realistic show, but damn, those people we loved and cherished deserved to have a happier ending than that. Maybe not "everything is rosy", but something less utterly depressing and bleak. These stories were an insult to the viewers and the characters as well. We (and they) deserved much better.

I couldn't agree with you more!! Very well said!!
Don't even get me started on them killing off Edith...:mad:

Glad I'm not the only one who feels that way. I feel cheated by the way the show ended.

So here you have four beloved characters who you've spent over a decade following and how do they end up? One is dead at an early age of a stroke, one is widowed and never remarried and two are divorced in middle age.
...
Yes, I know that these things happen in real life and that AITF was a realistic show, but damn, those people we loved and cherished deserved to have a happier ending than that. Maybe not "everything is rosy", but something less utterly depressing and bleak. These stories were an insult to the viewers and the characters as well. We (and they) deserved much better.

I don't necessarily disagree, but I wanted to mention that Mike & Gloria's separation kind of harkened back to earlier discord. For example, when Gloria was very upset over not fitting in with Mike's intellectual friends, or when she claims Mike can sort of cheat on her -- she's wearing a wig and Gloria perceives his fascination as a fantasy cheating.

There was evidence that Mike wanted to change her early on. He states that he would like her to have longer, straighter hair, for example when she still has the curly style. Anyway, due to the difference in educational background, their compatability was always a little in question.

Edith's fate is a good example of a successful series' producers wanting to extend its life, but I don't know why they couldn't have come up with something less unsettling...?

^ Yes, I understand that the breakup didn't exactly come out of nowhere, but one could look at Archie and Edith and see many dissimilarities as well, and they ended up together, at least as long as they both were alive.

I looked at Mike and Gloria as a kind of parallel with A & E, really. Two people who, despite obvious differences, really loved each other and would be together in the end. Of course, that was not to be, but to my mind, it SHOULD have been

I don't think we can ignore it since both ABP and Gloria were cancelled at the same time:lol:

Now if ABP had returned for another season then that storyline about Mike could have been ignored

Just pretend "Gloria" never happened. Do they ever mention the split in ABP?

Just pretend "Gloria" never happened. Do they ever mention the split in ABP?
It's been a long time since I saw it but I imagine they do. There is a pilot episode for Gloria in the ABP syndicated package.

Just pretend "Gloria" never happened. Do they ever mention the split in ABP?

I mentioned that you can't ignore gloria never happened because it is a spinoff of ABP that ended the same time as ABP

Here's the first episode of Gloria.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzTU5HeI5cE

Just pretend "Gloria" never happened. Do they ever mention the split in ABP?

Yeah, in the "Gloria Comes Home" episode.

Yeah, in the "Gloria Comes Home" episode.
Oh yea. I forgot about that episode.

Just pretend "Gloria" never happened. Do they ever mention the split in ABP?

Personally, I just imagine that nothing really happened after Mike and Gloria went to CA; I consider that the true "end" of the show, and one that allows for a happy ending for all of them. OK, maybe I'll let Season 9 in just so that Stephanie can keep Archie and Edith company, but NOTHING beyond that.

I don't necessarily disagree, but I wanted to mention that Mike & Gloria's separation kind of harkened back to earlier discord. For example, when Gloria was very upset over not fitting in with Mike's intellectual friends, or when she claims Mike can sort of cheat on her -- she's wearing a wig and Gloria perceives his fascination as a fantasy cheating.

There was evidence that Mike wanted to change her early on. He states that he would like her to have longer, straighter hair, for example when she still has the curly style. Anyway, due to the difference in educational background, their compatability was always a little in question.

Edith's fate is a good example of a successful series' producers wanting to extend its life, but I don't know why they couldn't have come up with something less unsettling...?

You are right, they most certainly did foreshadow those differences in the past on All in the Family. This wasn't something that just came out of the blue or was a surprise, it was a recurring issue with them. But that didn't mean that they had to split them up for good in the end. The end of that Christmas episode was just so hopeful.

Did they ever consider spinning off The Stivics in California, or was their exit from the show a way for the actors to move on? I don't think we ever got to see them in California except for in that Christmas episode, so maybe not?

You are right, they most certainly did foreshadow those differences in the past on All in the Family. This wasn't something that just came out of the blue or was a surprise, it was a recurring issue with them. But that didn't mean that they had to split them up for good in the end. The end of that Christmas episode was just so hopeful.

Did they ever consider spinning off The Stivics in California, or was their exit from the show a way for the actors to move on? I don't think we ever got to see them in California except for in that Christmas episode, so maybe not?

No their exit from the show was because the actors wanted to do other things

You are right, they most certainly did foreshadow those differences in the past on All in the Family. This wasn't something that just came out of the blue or was a surprise, it was a recurring issue with them. But that didn't mean that they had to split them up for good in the end. The end of that Christmas episode was just so hopeful.

Did they ever consider spinning off The Stivics in California, or was their exit from the show a way for the actors to move on? I don't think we ever got to see them in California except for in that Christmas episode, so maybe not?

From Wikipedia...

Michael Stivic does not appear in the 1982 spin-off series Gloria, which starred Sally Struthers. Initially, Reiner had been asked to participate in the series, resurrecting his Michael Stivic character, but he declined. It is explained (on the show) that Michael had left his wife and young son Joey (then played by Christian Jacobs) to live on a California commune with a flower child.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Stivic

From Wikipedia...

Michael Stivic does not appear in the 1982 spin-off series Gloria, which starred Sally Struthers. Initially, Reiner had been asked to participate in the series, resurrecting his Michael Stivic character, but he declined. It is explained (on the show) that Michael had left his wife and young son Joey (then played by Christian Jacobs) to live on a California commune with a flower child.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Stivic


So they did consider spinning them both off...only after they had been in California for a while. I wonder if they wanted him as a lead or simply as a recurring character or involved with the show for a short time and splitting them up was the plan all along?