The first episode of "The Honeymooners" is a deeply disturbing drama about a toxic relationship

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Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2024/07/22/the-first-episode-of-the-honeymooners-is-a-deeply-disturbing-drama-about-a-toxic-relationship.html

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One of Ralph’s trademark lines was “Alice, how would you like a trip to the moon?” (with fist raised). That, and a lot of other things in the show, doesn’t age well. There is still some tolerance of abuse in the 21st century, but I think there’s much less than there used to be.

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“That’s My Bush” – the short-lived sitcom set in the George W Bush White House got a lot of mileage out of mocking sitcom tropes and classic sitcom gags.

One bit they did every episode was to play out Ralph’s “to the moon!” threat… but without the whimsical hyperbole. George Bush would quip to Laura “One of these days, Laura… I’m gonna punch you in the face!” The audience would chime in and gleefully say it in unison with George, then erupt into laughter, and George and Laura would laugh lovingly and go on with their scene.

Despite the laugh track (and George and Laura making lovey-eyes at each other), it was both unfunny and distinctly uncomfortable to watch. Which I think was exactly the point. It stripped Ralph’s “to the moon” down to its abusive core and made the fact the people thought it was hilarious disturbing. Which I thought was a nice bit of commentary.

Or would have been, if any appreciable percentage of the audience in the year 2000 had watched the Honeymooners, which I’d wager most had not.

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[Edit to add the video clip]

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So can I blame the honeymooners for starting the trend of “comedy” shows that are nothing but people yelling at each other for 22 minutes? Cause it would be great if we could retire that “gag.”

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The first episode of “The Honeymooners” is a deeply disturbing drama about a toxic relationship.

And so is every other episode in the series.

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And yet the tropes continue to this day. :grimacing:

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Saw the reuns as a V smol girl, and whenever possible I’d change the channel. I was never a fan.

I sort of liked Norton, but he also made me feel uncomfortable, most likely because seemingly perpetually drunken alcoholic. And stupid.

The

part is something I’ve never enjoyed. Too much like our family gatherings.

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Married With Children mined the same marriage disharmony vein, but I never once believed Al Bundy would lay a hand on his wife. Ralph on the other hand, when the cameras weren’t rolling…

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This is the silliest article I have ever read.

  1. It’s a comedy and stands as the greatest ever made.
  2. Couples fight. It wasn’t the white picket fences of Leave it to Beaver and that’s what made the show so funny. It was real.
  3. If you knew anything about the show, Ralph was a loud mouth but loved Alice to the moon and back.
  4. Alice was the first woman on TV stand up and dish it out just a quick.
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Domestic violence with a laugh-track. The pitch meeting to the network musta been something.

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Thank you. I always hated that show because he was always mean. My dad was 100% great, but my cousins’ dad was a piece of shit who talked just like Ralph, and I found out later (after he was dead) that my cousins and aunt were the ones who got the belt after we left.

I don’t know if anyone cared enough to hold a memorial service for him.

Anyway, I never cared much for Jackie Gleason who was always typecast as that kind of guy. Yes, I know the villain is supposed to be detestable, but he was detestable and relatable, and that turned me off.

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I have to say, that is the most niche opinion ever posted. I don’t mean that in a bad way. I don’t think I could top that level of niche if I tried. Hats off to you for going against the grain.

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