Clair rages at Vanessa---no closure?

[TALLguyinKY]

I just saw the "Baltimore/concert" episode tonight for the first time in several years, and man, did Claire really give it to Vanessa!!

Now, I don't know the series as a whole, but I wish there was some kinda closure after that awful last scene between Clair and Vanessa (awful as in awful for Vanessa and the intensity she had to endure, not awful as in writing/acting).

This is strange to write about cause Vanessa and Clair are my favorite characters, and I have conflictin' feelin's. I felt so sorry for Vanessa---yes, what she did was wrong. But, on the other hand, Clair seemed to be the angriest she ever was in the whole series.

Is this true? Has anyone ever seen Claire angrier?

You could really tell how sincere, hurt, regretful, and sorry Vanessa was after all this, and when she said, "I told you, I'm sorry!" by the stairs and Claire ripped into her with, "For all I know you are LYING!", that was just a li'l too strong for me.

I just wish this had been a 2-parter where we saw Vanessa either completely ignore Claire out of feelin' treated too unfairly, or do somethin' drastic like run away without tellin' anyone (like Cliff sorta suggested, ironically, lol), I dunno, just somethin' to make Clair talk to Vanessa coolly and rationally. Maybe somethin' like:



Claire: "Honey, why are you doing this?"

Vanessa: "Well you said you would never trust me again, so I might as well!"

C: "Vanessa, I didn't say we would 'never' trust you again, I said it would be a long tiiiiiime before we trusted you again. There is a difference."

V: "Well, but, you were so furious when you yelled at me after we got home the other night."

C: *sigh* "Yes I was furious, but honey, you have to remember that a few hours earlier, your father and I thought we had lost you. Now you can't possibly understand what it's like to think you've lost a child until you have one, but Vanessa...when we learned what really happened that night, you took us out of those depths to the heights of rage. No parent could avoid that kind of emotional roller coaster."

V: "Well do you think we'll ever be the same again?"

C: "I'd like to, but that's all up to you. I know you've told us over and over that this was a mistake and you learned your lesson, and I guess now we'll see just how much those words are really worth. If you show us that you can be trustworthy again---like you used to be---then things might look up. But honey, it's gonna take time."

V: "I understand. I--I just wish I could go back time and never have gone out that night in the first place."

C: "Well, it's too late to change what you've done...but you do have the power to change the things you do..."

V: "Okay...and Mom, I--I know I've said it a million times, but...I really am sorry."

C: "I know, honey..."


Jeez, ya stay up late, and suddenly ya get all "fan-ficcie", lol.

Anyway, I wish a scene like that would have appeared in the next episode!

*sigh*

Oh, well...I guess we just console ourselves with the knowledge that things worked out later...

[ZeldaGilroy]

I know what you mean...but I REALLY like this episode. The fact that what Vanessa did was EXTREMELY serious, and that Clair reacted as any "average" parent would was comforting to me.

I was in highschool when this episode originally aired and I remember what a shock it was to see Clair's reaction to her daughter's poor choices. Vanessa's decision to lie, sneak out of state, not report the car stolen, etc. etc. etc. deserved such a reaction. It made me wonder what my own mother would do in the same situation(that wouldn't be pretty...LOL)

I think it showed the seriousness of the situation to have the "perfect" Clair Huxtable soooooo angry with her daughter. Of course we all know that Vanessa eventually earned her mother's trust back, but in this episode, I think it was good to end it this way. In my opinion, to have them make up in the end would have lessened the overall message of the episode.

***Of course this is coming from someone who has grown into an old fuddy-duddy. LOL! My daughter is only five, but if she ever thinks of doing something like that in her teen years, she better watch out. I'm taking lessons from Clair Huxtable.

[TVFactFan]

Originally posted by TALLguyinKY
I just saw the "Baltimore/concert" episode tonight for the first time in several years, and man, did Claire really give it to Vanessa!!

Now, I don't know the series as a whole, but I wish there was some kinda closure after that awful last scene between Clair and Vanessa (awful as in awful for Vanessa and the intensity she had to endure, not awful as in writing/acting).

This is strange to write about cause Vanessa and Clair are my favorite characters, and I have conflictin' feelin's. I felt so sorry for Vanessa---yes, what she did was wrong. But, on the other hand, Clair seemed to be the angriest she ever was in the whole series.

Is this true? Has anyone ever seen Claire angrier?

You could really tell how sincere, hurt, regretful, and sorry Vanessa was after all this, and when she said, "I told you, I'm sorry!" by the stairs and Claire ripped into her with, "For all I know you are LYING!", that was just a li'l too strong for me.

I just wish this had been a 2-parter where we saw Vanessa either completely ignore Claire out of feelin' treated too unfairly, or do somethin' drastic like run away without tellin' anyone (like Cliff sorta suggested, ironically, lol), I dunno, just somethin' to make Clair talk to Vanessa coolly and rationally. Maybe somethin' like:



Claire: "Honey, why are you doing this?"

Vanessa: "Well you said you would never trust me again, so I might as well!"

C: "Vanessa, I didn't say we would 'never' trust you again, I said it would be a long tiiiiiime before we trusted you again. There is a difference."

V: "Well, but, you were so furious when you yelled at me after we got home the other night."

C: *sigh* "Yes I was furious, but honey, you have to remember that a few hours earlier, your father and I thought we had lost you. Now you can't possibly understand what it's like to think you've lost a child until you have one, but Vanessa...when we learned what really happened that night, you took us out of those depths to the heights of rage. No parent could avoid that kind of emotional roller coaster."

V: "Well do you think we'll ever be the same again?"

C: "I'd like to, but that's all up to you. I know you've told us over and over that this was a mistake and you learned your lesson, and I guess now we'll see just how much those words are really worth. If you show us that you can be trustworthy again---like you used to be---then things might look up. But honey, it's gonna take time."

V: "I understand. I--I just wish I could go back time and never have gone out that night in the first place."

C: "Well, it's too late to change what you've done...but you do have the power to change the things you do..."

V: "Okay...and Mom, I--I know I've said it a million times, but...I really am sorry."

C: "I know, honey..."


Jeez, ya stay up late, and suddenly ya get all "fan-ficcie", lol.

Anyway, I wish a scene like that would have appeared in the next episode!

*sigh*

Oh, well...I guess we just console ourselves with the knowledge that things worked out later...

You know i never realized that it was no closure, but now that i think about it, at the end,Claire said to Cliff that before they go to bed, they have to figure out what to do about Vanessa-And then the episode is over-LOL You are right, no closure.

[TALLguyinKY]

Originally posted by FactsFan
I know what you mean...but I REALLY like this episode. The fact that what Vanessa did was EXTREMELY serious, and that Clair reacted as any "average" parent would was comforting to me.... I think it was good to end it this way. In my opinion, to have them make up in the end would have lessened the overall message of the episode.

Yeah, I can see what you mean...I wouldn't have wanted it resolved in the same show though, that's why I thought they could do somethin' like my li'l fan-fic scene in the next episode... LOL

But yeah, it really does drive home the seriousness of what happens if you go out of line with your parents like that...

And SOLOMON, yep, no closure, which feels odd and uncomfortable---but like FactsFan said, we know she earned their trust back later.

[mstewart]

HELLO PEOPLE WHAT DO YOU WANT A BRADY BUNCH STYLE ENDING WHEN THE PROBLEM IS RESOLVED IN 22 MINUTES. I THINK NOT. Look at what Vanessa did:

• Lied to her parents
• Sneaked out of state and not tell her parents where she was going.
• Car was stolen and did not report.

Given that the show was in its later years but in my opinion that was the best and most realistic episode I have seen. Those of you with teenagers how would you feel if something like that was done to you. That is a horrifying feeling thinking something had happened to your child and they're out having as Clair put it so well, "Having big fun."

Let's get out of the Brady, Cleaver and Anderson mindframe and applaud a well done episode that did not get resolve in 22 minutes.

[TVFactFan]

Originally posted by mstewart
HELLO PEOPLE WHAT DO YOU WANT A BRADY BUNCH STYLE ENDING WHEN THE PROBLEM IS RESOLVED IN 22 MINUTES. I THINK NOT. Look at what Vanessa did:

• Lied to her parents
• Sneaked out of state and not tell her parents where she was going.
• Car was stolen and did not report.

Given that the show was in its later years but in my opinion that was the best and most realistic episode I have seen. Those of you with teenagers how would you feel if something like that was done to you. That is a horrifying feeling thinking something had happened to your child and they're out having as Clair put it so well, "Having big fun."

Let's get out of the Brady, Cleaver and Anderson mindframe and applaud a well done episode that did not get resolve in 22 minutes.

The reason we said no closure because Claire stated-"Cliff we have to sit down and figure out what to do about Vanessa." And then it went off-LOL

[TALLguyinKY]

Yes, and I didn't say I wish the episode had been like that, I just said I wish there was some closure later at some point in another episode.

And since Vanessa is my favorite, I can't help but feel sorry for her---after she is clearly torn up afterward with her parents, but yes, I know Clair had a right to be livid.

It was just a really intense scene that, like SOLOMON agreed, had no closure (and I also typed my first post after having just seen it for the first time in years, so I was still feelin' the effects of it).

[Furienna]

They could much rather have done another episode about this incident than do those silly dream episodes with pregnant men or muppets. (I'm assuming here, that I only did those episodes because they were running out of better [that is, acceptable or even tolerable] ideas.)

[TVFactFan]

The most INCOMPLETE Cosby Show ep of the 8 year Run