MovieChat Forums > Mad About You (1992) Discussion > PAUL'S MOTHER

PAUL'S MOTHER

posted 16 years ago by ChristianEdwards81
31 replies | jump to latest

I've notice that every chance she got, she was always disrepecting Jamie, even in her own house. What was her problem? Jamie always give her repect, but she didn't give respect back. I wouldn't blame Jamie if she had choke the life out that woman. The thing that bothered me is that Paul never had his wife's back on that situation. Is there a reason he never stepped in and set his mother straight? Did he not know when she is dissing his wife, she is dissing him too? There's a saying in The Bible that go the man shall leave his father and join his wife and the two shall become one. I think that how it is written. Maybe I've missed an episode or two where it did happend, but if not does anyone know the answer to these questions?

[–] fiveforme 16 years ago

does anyone know the answer to these questions?

I do! I do!

It's a fictional television show!

And it's not the only show that has similar family dynamics. What about the way Marie treated Debra in "Everybody Loves Raymond"? Constantly criticizing her cooking and child rearing. Or go back even further in time. What about "Bewitched"? How cruel was it of Samantha's mother, Endora, to be constantly dumping on Darrin? Perhaps you should send a message to the writers of the show to let them know that they should read some of the 'sayings' in the Bible. Then again, I think the Bible also says something about not killing people.

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] StanhopeFan 16 years ago

What on earth is going on in your head?

Then again the other day I was watching Terminator and flipped straight to Deuteronomy to make sure its apocalypic tenor was correct.

The Bible sucks.

[–] cmichaud 16 years ago

Uhh, it's called the classic overbearing, Jewish mother whose son marries a shikse (sp?) taking it out on her for stealing her darling baby boy away from her. I thought she was great in the role, btw

[–] emncaity 13 years ago

Yup, pretty much exactly. No, not pretty much. Exactly.

[–] moosefeathers 13 years ago

What, WHAT? WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT, I treat her like I would treat my own daughter......

Swing away, Merrill....Merrill, swing away...

[–] CarolTheDabbler (575) a year ago

... it's called the classic overbearing, Jewish mother whose son marries a shikse (sp?)....

Is Jamie definitely non-Jewish? I assumed so at first, but then it occurred to me that her maiden name is Stemple, which is an Americanization of Stempel, which can be a German-Jewish name. And according to Wikipedia, "[Helen] Hunt's paternal grandmother was from a German-Jewish family...."

Did the show ever clarify Jamie's ethnic / religious background?

[–] fraggle93 16 years ago

I remember Paul offered Jamie to talk to his mother about her not treating Jamie as she deserves to be. But as Jamie keeps telling Paul more and more stuff that he shall mention as well, he gives up and says she'll have to do it herself.

And by all means, what new things would a talk between Paul and his mother have brought to the table?
Sylvia wouldn't change her behaviour just because of that. She is as stubbern as this. The only one she listens to is Burt (Paul's dad). She never listens to what any of her kids say. So it's not only Jamie. Paul and also his sisters get dissed a lot too. I think Paul's just accepted that Sylvia is this way.

[–] zmystico 14 years ago

She was a b*tch...plain and simple.

Wayne Enterprises buys and sells companies like Stark Industries

[–] BlueGreen 14 years ago

I think it was supposed to depict a "typical" mother-in-law-VERSUS-the-wife situation, compounded by the fact that she was a Jewish mamale.
It's a topos - a platitude, often seen on TV.
What's more, it's often seen in real life, too. But I think it would have been refreshing to have a show depicting a GOOD relationship between the two.
(Yes, it happens.)

However, OP, you seem to be forgetting that Jamie stole a silver ladle from her mother-in-law, early into their relationship - and then had the nerve to not only deny it but make her mother-in-law look like a senile old bat in her own son's eyes.

Not very endearing, is it?
I don't know how the show creators thought they - or rather, "Jamie" - would get away with it.
Because they didn't.
Jamie ended up being seen by very many as a lying and stealing witch.

[–] lferrigon-1 14 years ago

Her nastiness toward Jamie did bother me as well. And Jamie was too nice to this bitch. And Paul was not much of a husband not to tell her to quit or don't come around. He just let her be hateful toward her. Even her gift to the baby was dumb. She was a bitch no doubt about it.

I loved Jamie's mother much better.

Yes they have this nonsense on shows where the in laws are jerks. On Bewitched, Darrin's mother was awful. I loved it when Serena turned her into a cat which was appropriate. Yes Samantha's mother was not nice but his was worst.

On Raymond, Marie was annoying.