The Situation: Requesting General Yenter's Permission to marry Lindsay
How Dramatic was It? Probably appropriately dramatic for asking any strange man for his permission to marry his daughter when the best case outcome is you proposing after shtupping two of her new best friends (also significantly more dramatic to googling "shtupping" to see if it is spelled with one p or two, which is apparently what my life now consists of...). Sean built up Lindsay's dad a lot in his mind and on our television screens making us believe that, because he's a general, he's going to be really scary, but actually, General Yenter's response was simultaneously totally reasonable and actually kind of sweet. I'm not sure that my dad would call consenting to my marriage the toughest question he's ever been asked, and he's not even regularly tasked with plotting evasive maneuvers, or protecting scared 18-year-olds who just want to get back to their pregnant high school sweetheart wives, or, you know, bombing things.
Who's to Blame? Sean. I'm not saying that most men wouldn't be intimidated by meeting their girlfriend's General father, but I think Sean is particularly held in thrall to all things macho, and for him, General Yenter was a paragon of masculinity that no amount of work on his biceps could ever allow him to reach. It was actually really refreshing to hear General Yenter throw that in his face and say that Sean could marry his daughter if she gave her consent. While I'm sure Sean's response was simply to make a mental note that he should cancel his plans to club Lindsay and drag her off to his cave should she dare refuse his proposal, for those of us with a slightly more nuanced view of gender dynamics, it was a refreshing reminder that to be manly one need not be a caped protector of the fairer sex.
The Situation: Desiree's prank
How Dramatic was It? Kind of dramatic. Sean clearly bought into it even though it was terribly, terribly acted. Neither Sean nor Desiree had the guts to really commit to their pranks though. Both of them pulled up pretty early on before the horror could truly sink in. Which, given that Sean has made it pretty clear on multiple occasions that he really likes pranks, shouldn't he be better at them?
Who's to Blame? The Screen Actors' Guild. Seriously, this all could have been avoided if they had just refused to give him a SAG card.
The Situation: Desiree's Brother
How Dramatic was It? It really wasn't that dramatic. For as angry as Sean was, it was pretty clear that things were never going to turn to violence, and, as I've already mentioned, Desiree's brother really didn't say anything that was unreasonable. It's not that I necessarily agree that Sean is a playboy and lacks integrity, but given the situation, it's a little bit unreasonable for him to be offended by the very valid concerns.
Who's to Blame? Probably the producers. Over the years, it seems like contestants have learned that if your family appears too skeptical, to weird, or even just too eager to avoid seeing their baby girl imprisoned in the infectious fantasy suite, then the 8 hours spent showing off the church they hope to get married in, or highlighting the natural wonders of Skokie, Illinois, or even trying on wacky hats will all be for naught. That's why each year, it seems like ABC has to do some careful prodding to make sure something happens in each hometown episode so that we're not forced to spend forty minutes watching as no one eats their food. "Tell your dad to show off his taxidermy collection" has been taken and "Have your parents decree that premarital sex will be greeted with disownment" seemed less applicable. So "Make sure your estranged brother is there. And maybe make sure he's geared up to be aggressive" seemed to be the obvious choice.
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| Not actually my Grandma |
How Dramatic was It? As far as this season goes, pretty dramatic. Neither Catherine nor Desiree really lived up to the "you can't change where you came from, but while the cameras are on, maybe you should just try" test, and it was debatable with which girl he had better chemistry. I definitely think that he seems slightly more fun when he's with Catherine, but the "fun vs. super attracted to" coin lands sex side up.
Who's to Blame? Sean. Unlike Ben's dismissal of Kacie, Sean didn't even bother trying to disguise that his decision was based mostly on her family. And frankly, I still don't see how questioning Sean's motives was the equivalent of doing something horrible and wrong. Heck, I have a few relatives who I'd probably trade in for someone who was so clearly protective and concerned for his sister's well-being. Especially since, outside of my Gramdmother's tramp stamp depiction of a naked lady riding a submarine, my family could use a few more tattoos.
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