Sitcom Tropes -- And Why Moms Are Terrible Cooks

Moms in sitcoms are often some of the worst cooks known to mankind. It's a "silly joke" situation in a Situation Comedy that constantly keeps things from running smoothly so that the jokes can keep coming.
But it can also very easily be put into another spectrum of storytelling -- the one where moms are punished for having duties other than caring for their families. And Claire Dunphy, Frankie Heck, and Amy Duncan are three great examples of women with a lot on their plates who are constantly mocked for the issues that might cause.
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[@strayhaven8545]

I didn't notice this before, thank you for bringing it up. I definitely think it was weird how Claire just went to being a good cook to being terrible. Knowledge like that doesn't just leave because someone is working

[@BecomingBoundless]

I think it's a lazy attempt to make the mom relatable. If she works successfully, she has to either neglect her kids or be a bad cook. If she's supposed to be sympathetic, she can't neglect her kids. It's made worse when paired with the "fun idiot dad" trope. He can't be a good cook because then how can the mom be likeable?

[@RogueVideoRaven]

I think one episode that could link this topic and the Pritchett/In Laws relationship is the Thanksgiving episode where Claire secretly cooks a turkey because she doesn’t have faith in Phil.

[@Kim-Killie]

I feel like the best way to present that story line about Claire would be to say, she can cook meal and all, but want it come to fancy stuff with lot of step and spice and thing, than she have a hard time. My mom can cook, but she always make the same recipe and is reluctant to try thing outside of those thing. She do classic meal and nothing exotic or super complicate.

[@Me-vn3gz]

this, i want nuance in these comedies, it’s not that hard

[@katlynbrown3548]

That is a good point. Because, as she neglected to mention, Claire was trying new more "high-class" French cuisine that she doesn't normally cook.

[@jimheehee9293]

I have always hated that kind of ‘trope’ because I was taught as a kid that cooking/household work is something everyone should know (if possible) to live on their own 🤷‍♂️

[@jimheehee9293]

7:53 Also also u can burn pasta rly easily, you have to leave it so long all the water evaporates and the pasta will burn on the pot (I know bc I accidentally my pasta in for too long once bc I was busy😭)

[@danwindows7]

Please discuss how the Pritchets and Inlaws are put in conflict against each other in the later seasons for conflict. The writers thought making fun of the uptight people was easy and funny.

[@nharber9837]

People forget that Desperate Housewives was subversive back in the day. It's been digested into the public consciousness now, so it doesn't feel that way any more, but it was. But I totally agree. I think it's a reflection of the expectations put on women. We're supposed to be magic, finding the time to work full time and cook and clean and care for children, while men are praised for pushing a kid on a swing without being glued to his phone. Our invisible and unappreciated labor are expected but considered somehow mysterious and magical, and in many circumstances she is expected to do this cleaning when no one can see because it might make someone feel bad (maybe they SHOULD feel bad, leaving their chores to someone else who is already heavily burdened, but I digress), but the same guys who benefit from it act all salty that we never hang out and enjoy ourselves. When are we supposed to hang out when I have to spend all my time cooking and picking up after you? There's a joke video about this and it hits the nail on the head so perfectly it actually makes me angry when I see it. It starts with a montage of a woman collecting dishes several times off a little table. The guy puts dirty dishes or whatever on the table and gets his wife to tell her the place they live in has something magical about it. He tells her he can leave dishes just about anywhere and they miraculously appear back in the cupboard the next day, clean. He's pretty sure they have a ghost or poltergeist or something and he wants her to watch the table with him. He's been trying to directly observe it and has missed it every time. They're just gone and then clean. His wife just stares at him in a silent mixture of barely contained rage and disbelief. He cannot figure out why his wife is angry. He thought she'd be excited. It's such a perfect encapsulation of how invisible women's labor is. People always point out the idiot man trope. I really wish we'd drop that too. It's infantilizing and your average man is far from stupid. It also conveniently releases them from responsibility. The dynamic doesn't even make sense. Why would a company pay an idiot enough to support a family? She's supposed to be so damn magical, but she doesn't notice that this guy is incompetent and lazy... Gotta ask, is he like this at work? I see this play out a lot in military families. You gonna tell me he lazes around like this at work? Oh, so he IS capable of discipline, self starting and performing simple tasks on a schedule and rational thought after all, he's just not willing to exercise it if he's not getting paid and has determined he doesn't have to. That angle makes for difficulty making people like him though, so they're not gonna be honest about that one. Much better to focus on "oh no! Mom can't cook! She's so bad at something she does every day, something she's SUPPOSED to be good at! What are they gonna eat now?? Isn't that funny?"

[@Blindinglights25]

In the German show "Turkish for beginners" also has this trope but it's one of the only times where it's actually funny. Because it's meant to make fun of stereotypes. They just order out food like all the time. Or the dad cooks

[@becrimesdogay5244]

Omg I love that show

[@SureEnough]

I saw a couple of episodes on MTV Russia as a kid and have been wanting to watch it ever since. Your comment reminded me about it at the perfect time, thank you!!! I'll watch it right now

[@Walk_da_plank]

With Frankie in The Middle, I always kinda read it not as Frankie being incapable, but rather she’s busy, tired, and she isn’t perfect but she TRIES and loves her family.

[@huskadog7748]

This sounds like the ramblings of a mad man... I like it

[@mamabear1394]

One of my favorite shows Recuse Bots does this trope with the sister (Dani) who no one tells her that her cooking is bad.

[@jacfrostisreal]

Oooh I may have to take a look at that one. That sounds interesting!

[@mamabear1394]

Yeah it's a Transformers show and it's very good. It's honestly just very frustrating to see this overused trope because seriously no one is so bad at cooking that they can't even make Hot Cocoa​@@jacfrostisreal

[@alliewallie821]

i tried to think of an exception to this 1:14 and all i could think of was Danny Tanner and he is literally a widow

[@jacfrostisreal]

The only exception I can really think of would be Arthur the Aardvark. His dad is a caterer and cooks all of these fabulous meals that are way too adventurous for an eight year old. So they prefer when Mom cooks

[@alliewallie821]

@ ngl this just made my day :-)

[@SacrificialOrange6218]

This is off topic but you think someday you’ll ever do a video on Shiv Roy from Succession or watch Succession w/ us? Because I would love that

[@igose]

I was watching your other videos when I saw this omg

[@octatoniccs]

Can’t wait for the next episode of watching modern family!!! ❤

[@jacfrostisreal]

I’m so glad!! I can’t wait to film :)

[@hattithenerd]

First! I love love love your analysis videos Jac and I find all your conversations very interesting.

[@ashley.6.6.6]

The Desperate Housewives thing! My mom loved that show when I was a kid. I tried watching it recently and it's so depressing even the jokes are like 😳 sad

[@RogueSaffire]

Thx for making this video I love you

[@jacfrostisreal]

You are SO welcome! Glad you enjoyed it 🥰🥰🥰

[@Me-vn3gz]

day two of begging you to make a video on wicked

[@christinalittleton3771]

I know it's different genre, but it's the same in anime. The "childhood friend" that will marry the protagonist in the future would "cook" something that'll consist of "purple smoke" coming off of it (bonus points if it's bubbling for some reason) and one bite = instant death. The teenage version of a Yamato nadeshiko (the classic ideal of a Japanese woman; think of a traditional housewife that was born and raised in Japan that is "a beautiful but modest female, dedicated to the wellbeing of her family and husband. She is assertive and smart, yet obedient, dependent, and bound to the domestic sphere. While the traditional role of good wife, wise mother is a notion of bygone days, it still affects the way womanhood is portrayed in contemporary Japan.") would cook the opposite of the "meal of death".

[@book1182]

It’s really weird how in these shows if the mom is bad at cooking…why is she the one still expected to cook? Why can’t the husband or older kids cook? If the husband also can’t cook then why is that never addressed or mocked? If you also can’t cook, then stfu and sit down because at least she’s making an effort

[@hattithenerd]

Also I'd be really interested in your take on Smash (The tv show) if you've watched it

[@Walk_da_plank]

With Frankie in The Middle, I always kinda read it not as Frankie being incapable, but rather she’s busy, tired, and she isn’t perfect but she TRIES and loves her family.