Watching Television Through a New Lens

Being a new parent changes your perspective on a lot of things, including my favorite television shows. (Potential spoilers ahead.)

On Mad Men, a big development this season is the addition of Eugene Scott to the Draper household. After a horrifying birthing experience, Betty is now home with the little guy. In Sunday's episode, Don was off with Sally watching an eclipse and hitting on her teacher. Betty was busy flirting with a politician and subsequently writhing on a fainting couch.

Pre-baby, I may have been able to go along with some suspended belief, but I kept thinking, where is the baby? They showed a stroller once in the kitchen, but we heard nary a "wah" from the little guy. I know Mad Men has more important issues to tackle than the intricacies of diaper changing in 1963, but at least integrate Eugene/Scott into the family a little bit.

I finally caught up with Dexter Tuesday night, who also welcomed a son, Harrison. The plot of the first episode centered around Dexter's sleep deprivation. He stays up late with his three month old. Two things occurred to me: Rita, Dexter's wife, must not be breast feeding and three month old aren't up for hours in the middle of the night. So, there goes the set up for the whole season.

Further along in the episode, Rita tries to start some hanky panky with Dexter. Ha! Oh, Hollywood. You are too funny! Like that would ever happen with a three month old under the roof, not to mention their other two kids. Are there ANY women in the writer's room?

Although I would never shoot my son as punishment, Modern Family seems more realistic. Like last night, when one of the dads checked to see if his wife was in the room before declaring himself the head of the household.

Not every show has to emulate real life, but it's nice to be able to relate to characters and situations once in while. If we ever get to the point where Curb Your Enthusiasm mirrors our life, I know we're in trouble.