In This Section
|
« Wife Swap
January 15, 2007: Allemon/Johnson
I’m always fascinated by the real-life struggles of little people. I’m not little myself, but at 5 feet, I’m not exactly tall. I have a hard time reaching things on the top shelves in my kitchen and in grocery stores. I always have to stand around and wait until someone tall comes around to help me. That’s absolutely nothing compared to what the Allemon family in tonight’s episode deals with on a daily basis. It’s a challenge for them to do ordinary things like flip light switches, reach cupboards and countertops and drive a car. They have to adapt to an “average-sized world” and make adjustments so that they can function normally.
Diane Allemon has helped her kids adjust to their challenges. On the flip side, she and husband Bernie haven’t given their kids much discipline or responsibilities; but she had to raise her kids in an environment where small things were difficult and where they got looked at funny on a regular basis. So I understood why Bernie wanted to shed the discipline and the chores and be their friend, and why Diane wanted to have a fun room where they could dress up in costumes and just enjoy their family time. I understood her devotion to her family. Diane and Bernie have to exist in an average-sized world that doesn’t adapt for them but makes them adapt to it. The Allemons are laughed at and stared at, so why wouldn’t they want to protect their kids from the pressures in school? Why wouldn’t they want to be easy on them, not expect too much from them or push them to do chores around the house? They wanted family closeness because family was safe and good for them.
The Allemons do have a close family bond, and Diane was upset about leaving that and entering into the Johnson family, whose bond comes from their love of competition and being the best. The Johnsons spent much of their time doing their own thing — whether it was working out or wrestling or watching television. Their disconnectedness was hard for Diane Allemon to swallow, especially when she cooked them dinner and everyone abandoned her and went off to their own corners. She was crying in the kitchen, and Scott Johnson didn’t seem to care or offer any comfort. He seemed mad that she had come into his home, ripped down the body-focused pictures of his wife, eliminated sports, and made a mess by saying the kids didn’t have to do chores.
In their quest to be perfect-oriented competitors who always win, the image-focused Johnson family has avoided being made fun of. Melissa Johnson is a natural figure competitor (which I hadn’t heard of before, but apparently it’s like bodybuilding without the need to be super-muscular). She gets up at 3:30 in the morning to train for her competitions, and her husband helps by painting her body (an odd option for husband-wife bonding). Her husband, Scott, has some anger issues. He always looks slightly pissed off, like he’s about to flip his lid about something. He certainly flipped his lid when Diane stole the TV remote, and he couldn’t watch the sports game. He stole his kids' paint brushes and stormed around the house screaming for it. I don’t see why he couldn’t just go off and watch the game someplace else, but it was probably more of a control issue.
Ben Allemon was cursing and complaining about doing chores, but I’m glad that Melissa Johnson was able to teach Bernie about giving his kids a sense of discipline and structure. Bernie seemed reluctant to discipline his kids because he didn’t want to lose them as friends, which was sweet but had to be modified. There’s nothing wrong with a few chores and some kickball.
I’m also glad that Diane Allemon showed the Johnsons that they didn’t have to win trophies to feel good about themselves (although I’m not sure if that lesson will stick). I found it hilarious that she made them dress up in bear costumes and go to a sporting event to support their teams as mascots. That gave them a glimpse of what Diane had to go through on a daily basis as a little person. She told them that they shouldn’t care what other people thought about them, and that wasn’t something their own parents would tell them.
I wish that Melissa Johnson had learned a lesson about not being so concerned about her self-image, but I don’t think she learned that lesson. She did learn to create a more carefree environment for her family and even installed a fun room in the basement, so at least her kids achieved something in the end.
Finally, I didn’t think there was anything wrong with the Allemons dressing up as leprechauns for St. Patrick’s Day. Melissa Johnson may not have considered that something to aspire to, but I didn’t see anything wrong with that. Given the choice between being in a figure competition that measures my muscle tone or dressing up as a leprechaun for St. Patrick’s Day, I’d take the leprechaun option in an instant.
|
TVGuide Links:
|
|
|
|
Jan 15, 2007 11:38 PM
|
Interesting Swap last night. I don't know what the "Natural Competition" guidelines were, but some parts of Mrs. Johnson definitely weren't "all natural"! 
I did think that it was disrespectful for Diane to rip down the pictures of Melissa and it probably started the whole experience off on the wrong foot. It might help explain why Scott was basically ignoring Dawn as she was crying in the kitchen. On the other hand, Scott definitely has anger issues, I couldn't believe how worked up, loud and angry he got over the remote control! SCARY! Hopefully he sees himself in a different light now and can adapt his behavior.
I think that Bernie did learn that he needed to be more of a disciplinarian and less of a friend to his children and hopefully that will stick with him.
|
|
Jan 16, 2007 9:39 AM
|
|
|
