I had pleasant memories of Gimme a Break when it ran in the 80s, but I caught this episode in reruns recently and... man it does not hold up. Nell's a know-it-all busybody who dominates her family, refusing to listen to anyone. She pushes the idea of Joey as a gifted child with all the nuance and understanding of a rhino on cocaine. Everyone around her is telling her to calm down - family, friends, counselor, Joey - and she jumps from "your kid is smart" to "he can pick up a violin and be a virtuoso with no lessons or training at all".
And it's not just her. People are screaming their lines at each other for no good reason. The laugh track is intrusive and shrill. I kept lowering the volume looking for a level that didn't pierce my ears, and I ended up almost on mute.
I really liked this show when I was a kid, and I guess as a kid you don't notice this stuff.
And it's not just her. People are screaming their lines at each other for no good reason. The laugh track is intrusive and shrill. I kept lowering the volume looking for a level that didn't pierce my ears, and I ended up almost on mute.
I really liked this show when I was a kid, and I guess as a kid you don't notice this stuff.