The family members tried, several times, to make light of the situation and add humor to the topic. But Meredith kept making it a serious lecture. They finally asked her to stop and she wouldn't. Then the father yelled. Totally her fault.
shareI agree. Plus, some things you really should keep to yourself.
shareI agree. Many people don't understand how the things they say sound to others. She was fumbling about like a child and she sounded silly. They tried to make light of it, but she persisted. Interesting scene.
She saw that they accepted inappropriate questions from her sister so tried to join in. Went too far & it didn't work for her.
shareI do agree that Meredith was clearly shocked that the family was completely fine with Julie's question--a question that they probably would have crucified Meredith for if she had asked the same thing--but to be fair, Julie's overall tone (and the question itself) was totally different than the train wreck that Meredith set off. Julie knew how to articulate things and choose her words carefully without really even thinking about it. She was so much more relaxed, which is why the family took to her right away. Meredith, on the other hand, just struggled profoundly with social cues in general and couldn't make herself loosen up.
That said, I did feel for Meredith when Julie asked the question about the race of the baby, and nobody said boo to her. The family was obviously enamored with Julie from the minute she walked in, whereas Meredith was putting in fifty times more effort with no results. And in Meredith's eyes, she couldn't see what she was doing wrong. For that reason, I felt bad for her.
I agree. Her self awareness in that scene was a zero. Foot in mouth moment lol. She should have shut up but it wouldn't have mattered if she said all the right things: the family hated her the second she walked through the door. It was only a matter of time before it exploded.
Make him do it again - Ilithyia
The voice says I'm almost out of minutes - Cas
That entire scene was very uncomfortable to watch and, yes, poor Meredith brought it all on herself.
shareI don't think she brought it *all* on herself. They did everything they could to make her uncomfortable from the minute she walked into their house. Sure, she was very uptight and had almost no social graces, but she was a guest in their house, and the girlfriend of their son. I would never treat a guest that badly. especially on Christmas.
The dinner scene was very uncomfortable to watch. It was obvious, to me at least, what Meredith was trying to say regarding gay people (e.g. they face a lot of discrimination), but they all just jumped down her throat, making it ten times worse. Especially Diane Keaton's character. But the deaf brother was equally a jerk. He spent the movie talking down to her, and talking about people in the room as if they weren't even there.
Basically, it was both sides' fault.
[deleted]
Agreed. The dinner thing was pretty much all on Meredith, but the family played a huge role in making her feel uncomfortable and hated from the very beginning. Their behavior was completely uncalled for, which is why Kelly went to the hotel later that night to apologize to Meredith. As the most rational member of the family, he knew Meredith had been mistreated and that she didn't deserve that.
That said, the dinner scene is incredibly awkward to watch because Meredith had several opportunities to just shut her mouth and stop talking, but she just couldn't let it go. She should have been able to tell from the beginning that the family was clearly drunk, and the conversation wasn't meant to be taken seriously at all. And even if she did believe that the mother's comments were serious, she should have known that there are some questions you simply don't ask. At the very, very least, she should have shut up the first time Kelly quietly said, "That's enough." She was trying to make a point, but she was completely unable to articulate it properly and just kept digging a deeper hole for herself.
I dunno...i want to agree with you because she should've recognized the boundaries being set through the humor, but at the same time i've met people who really don't get sarcasm and because of that and the fact that she was a guest, someone shouldve taken the bigger step and fully explained what it was she was trying to figure out. She had a valid point (although sge was spitting it out horribly). If these people really believed what they were standing for, they really should've been able to express that tactfully and informatively. Instead they just seemed to get angry because she wouldn't let them live in their fantasy world. It was like they didnt know how to defend it. And that was sad.