My Wife and Kids: Difference between revisions

 

Featured some clever comedy writing, but all in all was a very standard [[Dom Com]].

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* [[Achievements in Ignorance]]: When Junior's test papers come back with a perfect score he starts acting genuinely smarter. Later in the episode it's cleared up he didn't even get his own name correct on the paper, but the paper he helped Claire with was still an A+ and the climbing frame he put together himself was still built perfectly.

* [[Big Brother Instinct]]: One episode featured Junior befriending a group of [[Jerkass|jerkasses]] who take advantage of him and pick on him. Because they're cool, Junior refuses to stand up to them...[[Berserk Button|until they started hitting on his younger sister.]]

* [[Black and Nerdy]]: Franklin.

* [[Bratty Half-Pint]]: Kady, especially in the final seasons.

* [[Bratty Teenage Daughter]]: Claire.

* [[Dead Pet Sketch]]: An episode has Michael accidentally kill Kady's pet hamster. She stays completely oblivious until told about it.

* [[Department of Redundancy Department]]: In one episode Michael meets Jay's psychology professor, Floyd F. Tillman (played by James Avery). Turns out the F stands for "Floyd".

'''Tillman:''' Yup yup. }}

* [[Disproportionate Retribution]]: Michael tries to get Junior thrown out of the house for drinking all the milk. Subverted though, in that he needed an excuse to throw him out because Junior got a tattoo and wasn't able to punish him for it.

* [[The Ditz]]: Claire in later seasons. Claire's boyfriend Tony as well.

* [[Dojikko]]: Claire. Really emphasized in the home movie episode where she destroys the tape of her getting hurt, [[Hypocritical Humor|declares it's the last time they'll ever see it... and then trips as she storms upstairs]].

* [[Duck Season! Rabbit Season!]]: The scheme Jay used to trick Michael into letting Claire (as a sophomore) going to the senior prom. Michael even says, upon realization, "Wait a minute, you Bugs Bunny'd me!"

* [[The Fundamentalist]]: Tony.

** In later seasons, he's more or less at extreme levels of stupidity, although an episode focuses on the idea that {{spoiler|Junior's son}} is a trigger for otherwise unseen levels of intelligence. Also, it's hinted that his flash cartoon parodying his own family might become a hit.

* [[Getting Crap Past the Radar]]: In "They Call Me El Foosay", Vanessa blindfolds Junior to surprise him with a fooseball table. This dialogue occurs.

Junior: Vanessa, I already have that. ''(grabs fooseball handle)'' See, I told you I already have this. }}

* [[Groin Attack]]: One of Michael's favorite home movies is Junior catching himself in his fly.

* [[Hot Mom]]: Jay after her Season 2 makeover, and {{spoiler|Vanessa}}.

* [[Hypocrite]]: Several examples.

* [[Pac-Man Fever]]: In the episode "Quality Time", Michael gets hooked on a video game. We never see the game in question (and judging by the few lines of dialogue referring to it, it's not a real game) and whenever Michael plays it, he mashes the buttons on the controller and wiggles the joystick around wildly non-stop.

* [[Parallel Porn Titles]]:

'''Junior''': I meant to order ''[[I Know What You Did Last Summer|I Know Who You Did Last Summer]]''! }}

* [[Parental Favoritism]]: Michael with Kady. Lampshaded in a number of Season Two episodes.

** Played straight when Jay was missing for the first part of Season 2, due to the actress taking maternity leave. [[Handwaved]] as Jay's mother having had an accident, so Jay had left to take care of her.

* [[Rebus Bubble]]: In one episode, Michael attempts to help Jay study for a psychology test using what he calls "Psy-Kyle-ogy" (for example, Lion + Shaquille O'Neil = Rorschach). Unfortunately this causes her to fail the test, so she hands him one that says "[[Lysistrata Gambit|Booty on lockdown]]". Later, when he convinces the teacher to give her a re-test and she passes, she hands him another and walks off.

* [[Screaming Birth]]: Vanessa giving birth to her baby (with some help).

* [[Screams Like a Little Girl]]: Michael. Want proof? Watch him meet LeBron James.

* [[Strictly Formula]]

* [[Suspiciously Specific Denial]]: After Michael discovers he taped over the video of Kady's first steps by accident and Junior walks into the room.

'''Michael''': I ain't erasing anything!. }}

* [[Take a Third Option]]: One episode has Jay feuding with Michael's sister (played by Vivica A. Fox). When they demand to know who he'd save first if they were drowning, his response ("I'd probably kill myself trying to save both of you") is what makes them calm down and start listening to him.

* [[Teen Pregnancy]]: Jay was pregnant with Junior during her senior year of High School. Claire's friend in Season 2, and later on Junior's girlfriend.

* [[Tsundere]]: Jay, a rare case considering she's, well, married.

* [[Volleying Insults]]: Michael and Wanda communicate with each other this way.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:American Series]]

[[Category:Dom Com]]

[[Category:TV Series]]