An Ethics Question... - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

SawgrassSteve · 07-29-2004, 07:56 PM

Guys,
In seeing Laura hand over Millie's money for Jerry's birthday present to hold-up man, Lyle Delp, a question occured to me;
If Lyle had gotten away, should Laura (and Rob) have to repay Millie the $40.00, or should Millie (and Jerry) understand the circumstances, and Jerry not get a present (or maybe one not quite as nice) from Millie that year? Remember, we're talking about roughly $160.00 in today's economy.

Steve

Lolac · 07-29-2004, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SawgrassSteve
Guys,
In seeing Laura hand over Millie's money for Jerry's birthday present to hold-up man, Lyle Delp, a question occured to me;
If Lyle had gotten away, should Laura (and Rob) have to repay Millie the $40.00, or should Millie (and Jerry) understand the circumstances, and Jerry not get a present (or maybe one not quite as nice) from Millie that year? Remember, we're talking about roughly $160.00 in today's economy.

Steve

If I were in Rob and Laura's situation, I would repay the money to Millie. If I were in Millie's shoes, I would decline to accept.

Lolac

algebra74 · 07-29-2004, 09:42 PM

If I were Rob and Laura's position, I would offer the money to Millie, but would not expect her to accept. If I were in Millie's shoes, I would offer to split the loss 50-50.

hank18 · 07-30-2004, 03:12 AM

I always have the same issue with "Brother, Can You Spare $25,000?"

Do you think Sally and Buddy should have had to chip in? What about swindling Mel for a contribution? I'm never quite sure how I feel about it.

SawgrassSteve · 07-30-2004, 08:16 AM

I don't think they should have had to, but if they were faced with the possibility of having to write it all over again, I can see why they would rather pay up.
Mel should've been left out of it.

Steve

algebra74 · 07-30-2004, 04:21 PM

But they really weren't all chipping in; Rob was going to pay everyone back after he had been to the bank.

SawgrassSteve · 08-01-2004, 01:17 PM

Was Rob right? Should Jerry not have organized a "group of vigilantes" to go over and kill the crabgrass on one of their neighbor's lawns?

Steve

Lolac · 08-01-2004, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SawgrassSteve
Was Rob right? Should Jerry not have organized a "group of vigilantes" to go over and kill the crabgrass on one of their neighbor's lawns?

Steve

Rob was right and I found Jerry insufferably obnoxious in that episode.

Lolac

algebra74 · 08-01-2004, 06:03 PM

So did I. I was exasperated at the fact that Millie was going to go over there and help Jerry, too.

SawgrassSteve · 08-04-2004, 10:52 AM

Should Laura have gone to the clubhouse to accidentally bump into Joe Coogan?
Should she have invited him to dinner before talking to Rob?
Should she have told Rob he is a Priest before he arrived?

Steve

Lolac · 08-04-2004, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SawgrassSteve
Should Laura have gone to the clubhouse to accidentally bump into Joe Coogan?
Should she have invited him to dinner before talking to Rob?
Should she have told Rob he is a Priest before he arrived?

Steve

No, no and yes.

Lolac

Petrie Malone · 08-04-2004, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Lolac
No, no and yes.

Lolac

If Laura did/did not do those things the way Lolac said, there wouldn't be that episode, because there wouldn't be any comedic obstacles! Please don't anyone take this the wrong way, but sometimes the writers need to sacrafice a little morality for humor!
Sitcoms would be a lot more boring!

Kurt

Lolac · 08-04-2004, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DickVanDykeMan
If Laura did/did not do those things the way Lolac said, there wouldn't be that episode, because there wouldn't be any comedic obstacles! Please don't anyone take this the wrong way, but sometimes the writers need to sacrafice a little morality for humor!
Sitcoms would be a lot more boring!

Kurt

I agree with you, Kurt, believe it or not. In real life, Laura should not have done the things she did. But we're not dealing with real life now, are we? I love the Joe Coogan episode! Have you ever noticed how many things happen in sitcoms that don't happen in real life? For example: In "Dear Sally Rogers, she makes an appeal for a husband on "The Stevie Parsons Show," and the next morning when she arrives for work, there is a sack of mail waiting for her, including a post-card from Hawaii responding to her advertising for a husband the night before! It's funny, but not likely. I just don't want you to think that I take this stuff too seriously!

Lolac

Petrie Malone · 08-04-2004, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Lolac
Have you ever noticed how many things happen in sitcoms that don't happen in real life? For example: In "Dear Sally Rogers, she makes an appeal for a husband on "The Stevie Parsons Show," and the next morning when she arrives for work, there is a sack of mail waiting for her, including a post-card from Hawaii responding to her advertising for a husband the night before! It's funny, but not likely. I just don't want you to think that I take this stuff too seriously!

Lolac

I never thought about that postcard from Hawaii in "Dear Sally Rogers!" That should go on our continuity thread.

The reason I said "Please don't anyone take this the wrong way..." in my last post was because I didn't want anyone getting mad at me for putting comedy and humor over morals and ethics.

Don't you wish real life was more like sitcoms? I know I do! Life would be so much more enjoyable and funnier. (Is that a word?

) As Buddy said once, "That's the trouble with real life, no punch lines." Thank God for sitcoms!

Kurt

SawgrassSteve · 08-04-2004, 09:37 PM

DickVanDykeMan,
One of the reasons I asked that question is because as my girlfriend and I were watching that episode, when the scene came up where Laura went to the clubhouse, my girlfriend gasped, shook her head, and said, "She should not do that!" So it made me curious about some of her other actions in that episode. Should Laura have even kept the sonnets and hid them in the first place? It also made me wonder what others of you thought of some of these things.
Although she's been described by some as the perfect wife, I have to admit however, it does make her a little less perfect, and therefore more human (I know, I know, she's not real).

Steve
PS, Lolac, I don't take this show too seriously either, but I do love it, as I know you do too!

07-29-2004, 07:56 PM	#1
SawgrassSteve Loyal Worshipper Senior Member Join Date: Mar 04, 2002 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 1,423	An Ethics Question... Guys, In seeing Laura hand over Millie's money for Jerry's birthday present to hold-up man, Lyle Delp, a question occured to me; If Lyle had gotten away, should Laura (and Rob) have to repay Millie the $40.00, or should Millie (and Jerry) understand the circumstances, and Jerry not get a present (or maybe one not quite as nice) from Millie that year? Remember, we're talking about roughly $160.00 in today's economy. Steve
	__________________ The Cult Of Laura

07-29-2004, 09:42 PM	#3
algebra74 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 14, 2004 Posts: 337	If I were Rob and Laura's position, I would offer the money to Millie, but would not expect her to accept. If I were in Millie's shoes, I would offer to split the loss 50-50.

07-30-2004, 03:12 AM	#4
hank18 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jun 17, 2002 Location: North Hollywood, CA Posts: 126	I always have the same issue with "Brother, Can You Spare $25,000?" Do you think Sally and Buddy should have had to chip in? What about swindling Mel for a contribution? I'm never quite sure how I feel about it.

07-30-2004, 08:16 AM	#5
SawgrassSteve Loyal Worshipper Senior Member Join Date: Mar 04, 2002 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 1,423	I don't think they should have had to, but if they were faced with the possibility of having to write it all over again, I can see why they would rather pay up. Mel should've been left out of it. Steve

07-30-2004, 04:21 PM	#6
algebra74 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 14, 2004 Posts: 337	But they really weren't all chipping in; Rob was going to pay everyone back after he had been to the bank.

08-01-2004, 01:17 PM	#7
SawgrassSteve Loyal Worshipper Senior Member Join Date: Mar 04, 2002 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 1,423	Was Rob right? Should Jerry not have organized a "group of vigilantes" to go over and kill the crabgrass on one of their neighbor's lawns? Steve

08-01-2004, 06:03 PM	#9
algebra74 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 14, 2004 Posts: 337	So did I. I was exasperated at the fact that Millie was going to go over there and help Jerry, too.

08-04-2004, 10:52 AM	#10
SawgrassSteve Loyal Worshipper Senior Member Join Date: Mar 04, 2002 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 1,423	Should Laura have gone to the clubhouse to accidentally bump into Joe Coogan? Should she have invited him to dinner before talking to Rob? Should she have told Rob he is a Priest before he arrived? Steve

08-04-2004, 09:37 PM	#15
SawgrassSteve Loyal Worshipper Senior Member Join Date: Mar 04, 2002 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 1,423	DickVanDykeMan, One of the reasons I asked that question is because as my girlfriend and I were watching that episode, when the scene came up where Laura went to the clubhouse, my girlfriend gasped, shook her head, and said, "She should not do that!" So it made me curious about some of her other actions in that episode. Should Laura have even kept the sonnets and hid them in the first place? It also made me wonder what others of you thought of some of these things. Although she's been described by some as the perfect wife, I have to admit however, it does make her a little less perfect, and therefore more human (I know, I know, she's not real). Steve PS, Lolac, I don't take this show too seriously either, but I do love it, as I know you do too!