Why is the family so against Meredith but they seem to love Julie? Right as Meredith got there they were so rude to her for absolutely no reason but right as Julie got there they were so nice to her. If they hated Meredith, wouldn't it make sense for them to also hate her uninvited sister just the same?
shareI don't get it, either. Maybe because Julie fell off the bus, and seemed vulnerable, when the family first met her? She also seemed nice right away, didn't want the family to make a fuss over her, etc.
I didn't like Julie's character very much. She is supposedly there to help her sister out, but doesn't do anything to help Meredith at all, especially on Christmas morning when she runs into the kitchen crying about how nobody loves her. That would have been the perfect moment for her sister to come to her rescue, but Julie just sits there. She and that drip Everett are perfect for each other.
Never got it either, but people are like that. I think one of the biggest disservices we do to children is to tell them that they "must have done something" for someone to not like them. No, sometimes people just get an idea about you or decide they don't like the way you look and won't let it go. It's important to accept it so you can move on and away from them, but don't beat yourself up or try to change. For all the talk about Meredith being cold and unlikable, that family was awful. Nobody did anything to make her feel more at ease, and she probably could tell they didn't care for her the minute she walked in.
And I agree, Julie was annoying. Way to shank your sister, honey.
"We want the finest wines available to humanity. We want them here and we want them now."
Julie was more natural, not as stiff. Had Meredith played along with their jokes I'm sure they would have liked her too. Julie was sociable and not awkward. When Meredith came out of the car she didn't even hug Everetts dad back. She was noticably uncomfortable. Julie blended in with them. Look at the dinner scene. Julie was laughing along with their jokes, while Meredith took everything literally.
shareHad Meredith played along with their jokes I'm sure they would have liked her too. Julie was sociable and not awkward.
I agree with nerdygirl. Julie "clicks" better with them and also isn't a threat as she isn't whisking off their golden boy.
There is also another important aspect which is Sybil's terminal illness and how afraid she is that Everett is making a mistake. As she herself says to her husband it's not that there's anything wrong with Meredith but that Everett shouldn't marry her, they're not right for each other. In addition, Sybil feels especially responsible because she won't be there if and when Everett marries Meredith and it all falls to pieces. Ben makes the same point when he says that Everett isn't in love with Meredith.
So her behaviour in particular and the rest of the family's is a projection of how they feel about Everett's choice. Unfortunately it's very unfair that Meredith gets such poor treatment because of this. However, a year later you can see she's obviously much more settled in as the family probably feels she is better suited to Ben.
The first time I saw it, from the very beginning of it, I felt as though I'd jumped into the middle of the story. As though I'd missed the first 20-30 minutes. It was very confusing to me why the family didn't like Meredith. Sure she was uptight, but it felt like something happened that no one was talking about.
shareI did not like their attitude toward Meredith either. That is why I would prefer staying at a hotel or motel where you have some privacy and not feeling like you are putting anyone out.
Meredith was very nice and did not deserve the bad treatment. If I had been her, at some point, I would have packed up and left.