This is a strange episode. Barbara is 18 and in college now and wondering whether it's the right time for her to start having sex. Everything is ok so far, and it's a realistic problem for someone her age, but then it all takes a weird turn.
She begins openly discussing her virgin/sex dilemma with her mother and sister and even the apartment maintenance man when he barges into their apartment with his passkey. (which I always found so inappropriate and creepy. But that's a whole other review.) Then when her mother voices her opinion on what she should do, Barbara doesn't want to hear it....um, so don't make her a part of it then if you don't really want her opinion! Ugh.
Ann's opinion of course is selfish and she just doesn't want her little girl having sex yet. And incredibly, she says off hand to her other daughter Julie that she wishes she had boys where she wouldn't have to worry about this.
But does she not realize that those boys would be having sex with other people's young daughters? So I guess let it be their problem then, right? And let those girls become filthy heathens who lose their innocence! But not her Barbara! Once again...ugh.
And it's revealed that Barbara has been dating this guy for 5 months now.... FIVE FREAKING MONTHS!! And they're only NOW having a talk like this?! This is something you get out of the way and discuss up front with within the first few dates.
The guy should know what he's getting into before making an emotional commitment. It's not stated if she told him this when they met, but to string the guy along for 5 long months is a feat!
This guy must have the patience of a saint or he was seeing other girls on the side lol because 5 months is a hell of a long time for a 19 year old guy to go without.
In the final scene Barbara makes her decision while in her boyfriends apartment, and it's done well and i'm fine with how she decided. I'm just not fine with her indecisive ways for so long without any cares for her partner's feelings.
We all have urges, but to deny him his his just because she's not ready to take the leap is wrong. She should've told him much earlier that he should see other girls and not have waited until the 5th month to say that. Then again, it was also his fault for being stupid and waiting all that time like an idiot.
Of course when she gets home and announces to her Mother, sister....and the apartment janitor (creepy) that she's still a virgin, Ann breathes a selfish sigh of relief and says she made the right decision. Oh please....she made the decision YOU wanted her to make Ann!
We never had an episode like this with older daughter Julie, but I believe that's because it was apparent that Julie started having sex at a very very young age being the wild child she was.
I'd peg her as having already become a woman when the series began 4 seasons earlier. On a few occasions up until this point in the show Julie has made cracks about sex with the implication that she's done it.
Ann of course never appeared shocked because I guess she's long accepted that Julie is the loose daughter and Barbara is the virgin daughter.
One thing that really struck me was how Barbara was so openly discussing such a private matter with her mother and the apartment janitor of all people....doesn't she have any close girlfriends to talk this over with?! I feel that they should have established a best friend character for her earlier in the series to make things more believable here.
Having her talk about this with her mother and Schneider was so weird and creepy. And I had to FF through Schneider's buffoonery reaction to things because whenever he speaks, the show devolves down to Bugs Bunny cartoon level.
This COULD have been a really great episode if Barbara's dilemma were written more realistically. The only scene I liked was the very last one when they finally got their feelings out in the open and broke up. But even with that good scene, this is a stinker one star episode. Blech.
She begins openly discussing her virgin/sex dilemma with her mother and sister and even the apartment maintenance man when he barges into their apartment with his passkey. (which I always found so inappropriate and creepy. But that's a whole other review.) Then when her mother voices her opinion on what she should do, Barbara doesn't want to hear it....um, so don't make her a part of it then if you don't really want her opinion! Ugh.
Ann's opinion of course is selfish and she just doesn't want her little girl having sex yet. And incredibly, she says off hand to her other daughter Julie that she wishes she had boys where she wouldn't have to worry about this.
But does she not realize that those boys would be having sex with other people's young daughters? So I guess let it be their problem then, right? And let those girls become filthy heathens who lose their innocence! But not her Barbara! Once again...ugh.
And it's revealed that Barbara has been dating this guy for 5 months now.... FIVE FREAKING MONTHS!! And they're only NOW having a talk like this?! This is something you get out of the way and discuss up front with within the first few dates.
The guy should know what he's getting into before making an emotional commitment. It's not stated if she told him this when they met, but to string the guy along for 5 long months is a feat!
This guy must have the patience of a saint or he was seeing other girls on the side lol because 5 months is a hell of a long time for a 19 year old guy to go without.
In the final scene Barbara makes her decision while in her boyfriends apartment, and it's done well and i'm fine with how she decided. I'm just not fine with her indecisive ways for so long without any cares for her partner's feelings.
We all have urges, but to deny him his his just because she's not ready to take the leap is wrong. She should've told him much earlier that he should see other girls and not have waited until the 5th month to say that. Then again, it was also his fault for being stupid and waiting all that time like an idiot.
Of course when she gets home and announces to her Mother, sister....and the apartment janitor (creepy) that she's still a virgin, Ann breathes a selfish sigh of relief and says she made the right decision. Oh please....she made the decision YOU wanted her to make Ann!
We never had an episode like this with older daughter Julie, but I believe that's because it was apparent that Julie started having sex at a very very young age being the wild child she was.
I'd peg her as having already become a woman when the series began 4 seasons earlier. On a few occasions up until this point in the show Julie has made cracks about sex with the implication that she's done it.
Ann of course never appeared shocked because I guess she's long accepted that Julie is the loose daughter and Barbara is the virgin daughter.
One thing that really struck me was how Barbara was so openly discussing such a private matter with her mother and the apartment janitor of all people....doesn't she have any close girlfriends to talk this over with?! I feel that they should have established a best friend character for her earlier in the series to make things more believable here.
Having her talk about this with her mother and Schneider was so weird and creepy. And I had to FF through Schneider's buffoonery reaction to things because whenever he speaks, the show devolves down to Bugs Bunny cartoon level.
This COULD have been a really great episode if Barbara's dilemma were written more realistically. The only scene I liked was the very last one when they finally got their feelings out in the open and broke up. But even with that good scene, this is a stinker one star episode. Blech.