Why Did Ann Leave Ed?

[PracTz]

I never heard of either of them mentioning anything about spousal abuse, infidelity or nonsupport on his part so are we to assume she amscrayed with the teens to the big city JUST cos she was bored being a homemaker? Yeah, I know he soon remarried but I don't recall in any her tirades against the 2nd Mrs. Cooper her talking about them messing around BEFORE she dumped Ed.

[Sweetbabygirl]

Originally posted by PracTz
I never heard of either of them mentioning anything about spousal abuse, infidelity or nonsupport on his part so are we to assume she amscrayed with the teens to the big city JUST cos she was bored being a homemaker? Yeah, I know he soon remarried but I don't recall in any her tirades against the 2nd Mrs. Cooper her talking about them messing around BEFORE she dumped Ed.

Ann needed to find herself....she was a child of a time where after high school you got married and had babies. She married Ed, had Julie and Barbara and in the process lost who she was....hence the divorce, taking the kids and moving to a place where she knew no one.

While it sucked doing that to Ed, I always admired that about her....for the nine years that the show was on the air, she grew up with both daughters. It was only fitting that after she finally discovered herself that Sam came along. I know a lot of people didn't like him, but I did, they made a great couple.

[mstewart]

Originally posted by Sweetbabygirl
Ann needed to find herself....she was a child of a time where after high school you got married and had babies. She married Ed, had Julie and Barbara and in the process lost who she was....hence the divorce, taking the kids and moving to a place where she knew no one.

While it sucked doing that to Ed, I always admired that about her....for the nine years that the show was on the air, she grew up with both daughters. It was only fitting that after she finally discovered herself that Sam came along. I know a lot of people didn't like him, but I did, they made a great couple.

You hit it well on why Ann left Ed. She was lost in that relationship and needed to learn how to stand on her own. I like the way it was dealt with of a woman with limited education, no job skills and actually learning how to survive in the world on her while raising her two teenage daughters.

As for Sam it was natural after coming to terms with her issues that she would want a permanent relationship. It was dealt with realistically if you saw the episode of Pride and Privacy during Season 8 when Sam propsed marriage to Ann. There was hesitation because she did not want to go through that again. Even the wedding episode the same thing.

Two things I did not like about her marriage to Sam. For one there was not enough stories that dealt with their relationship as a married couple. If more stories would had been centered around them I think the audience would had liked Sam more. Howard Hesselman is an excellent actor and was funny in his smart ass comments to Ann. Also I did not like when they got married that they kept Ann's maiden name. That was a bit much there.

[PracTz]

I actually liked the show and watched all the way to the end but I would have been more sympathetic to Ann had her motivations been noble and for the betterment of her daughters but to 'find herself'?! BAH! What a loada 70's hooey!


If she was bored in her marriage to a non-abusive, faithful, supportive husband, why didn't she at least wait until their daughters were on their own to leave?! THEY didn't want to have to leave their house, friends, hometown. .and yes, their father just to follow HER impulses. How selfish can a parent be? (Yes,I said parent- as I'd feel the same way if it had been Ed who had gotten bored and insisted on taking the kids away to 'find himself'). Why was Ann so surprised that Julie ran away- and eventually even ran out on her husband and infant daughter? I mean, she was the role model who showed Julie that practicalities and loved ones' feelings shouldn't count for squat when one wants to 'find oneself'?
I asked this question because I couldn't remember what the motivations were and had hoped they'd been noble on her part but to find out that she put herself and her daughters into an unstable situation merely because she wanted to 'find herself' is rather disillusioning.

[TV Guy]

Amen, Practz. She uprooted her children from their home and moved them to a rundown inner-city apartment because she was BORED with her marriage. Not because Ed was mistreating her, or beating her, but because she was BORED. Never mind that Barbara was, what, five years from being out of the house and on her own. Ann couldn't wait a few more years so she could give her children some stability? What a horrible, selfish person (and don't get me started on the episodes where she knowingly continued an affair with a married man). And what a sickening message to send out. You wonder why kids are so screwed up these days? Because it has become socially acceptable for parents to put their own interests before the best interests of their children. Shows like this helped validate that kind of thinking.

We used to watch this show all the time when we were younger, but now I understand why my parents despised it.

[jamesanthony]

It's for the reasons cited above that I prefer the episodes from about year 5 onward, when it began to be about the daughters and eventually Ann getting married off. The original premise of Ann going off to find herself and then taking up with her divorce lawyer smacks of 70s libertarianist propoganda to me.

Also this show must set some sort of sitcom record for featuring the most divorced characters: Ann and Ed, Schneider, Ginny the wacky neighbor in season 2, Sam, Nick and his ex-wife (was her name Felicia?), good grief- all the characters over 30 except Grandma Romano were divorced. And in the end it appeared that Max and Julie were headed for divorce court as well.

[Anna Karenina]

Originally Posted by TV Guy

Amen, Practz. She uprooted her children from their home and moved them to a rundown inner-city apartment because she was BORED with her marriage. Not because Ed was mistreating her, or beating her, but because she was BORED. Never mind that Barbara was, what, five years from being out of the house and on her own. Ann couldn't wait a few more years so she could give her children some stability? What a horrible, selfish person (and don't get me started on the episodes where she knowingly continued an affair with a married man). And what a sickening message to send out. You wonder why kids are so screwed up these days? Because it has become socially acceptable for parents to put their own interests before the best interests of their children. Shows like this helped validate that kind of thinking.

We used to watch this show all the time when we were younger, but now I understand why my parents despised it.

This thread deserves a bump.

I wonder if the premise of the show would have worked better if Ed was portrayed to have had some kind of problem that Ann HAD to leave for the sake of her girls.

To uproot the young ladies away from their loving father for no real reason other than her own issues WAS rather selfish.

To both the girls AND Ed.