Feel free to just log your thoughts and opinions about this episode.  Just in case, here are some questions I was curious about after rewatching the episode. 



1. Who did you sympathesize with more in this episode - Toppy or Doris or both equally or neither?

2. Did you find the scene where Toppy is dancing to the music in front of Doris' friends funny or embarrassing to watch?

3. Do you think Doris blamed her mother for the marriage problems between her parents?  Why did Doris say that sometimes, there are no happy endings?

4. Do you think May seemed to understand Doris more than Toppy in this episode?  Why?

5A. Did you like or dislike Tucker Findlay?  In which scene did you start liking or disliking him?  Was Tucker Findlay a good guy at heart?

5B.  Was Tucker trying to make Toppy feel better?  Did he just want her money, or would he have pushed himself on her too?  Did you want more on the sexual harassment aspect of this episode?

6A. Were you shocked at the scene where Tucker was taking the picture of Honey?  Did you find the photo offensive, and would you have preferred that they burned it in the fire at the end as Honey suggested? 

6B. How should Max or Honey have reacted to the photo being in the newspaper (or were you fine with the way they reacted?) 

7. Do you feel this episode was inappropriate for children? 

8. Did you find it strange that Hub reverted back to his old ways in this episode?  Once, another fan told me that she thought this episode reduced the impact of the previous one since Hub was back in the pool hall.  Do you feel that way?

9. If you were Alden Cramp, who would you have chosen as the winner in the Mother and Child Beauty Pageant? 

10. What is your favourite moments or characters in this episode?   Which scenes did you find moving and which scenes did you find funny?

11. What is your least favourite moments or characters in this episode?

12. How would you rate this episode out of 5 stars?

Newly Added Questions

13. Should this episode have been before "The Forever Leap"? Would it have worked better?

14. Were you embarrassed for Hub when Honey went into the pool hall? Did you like how Honey handled Buck and Tony Piretti?

15. Did you find it understandable that Hub would dump the newspapers into the trash? Did you blame him for doing that knowing the picture on the cover? Did you find Hub more or less rebellious in this episode than in the last one? Was he truly improved?

16. Did you enjoy seeing the whole mother-baby beauty pageant with Grace hosting? Or should they have cut that short? Did you like seeing Grace organize the fair?

17. Did you like May berating Alden at the end and defending Grace, or did you feel sorry for Alden being attacked? Did Alden cross the line printing that photo of Honey on the front page?

18. Did the writers make Honey and Max too gullible in this episode? Were you disappointed Honey considered doing a sitting after that photo? When do you think Honey started thinking badly of Tucker Findlay?

19. Did you find the raid-on-Bailey-mansion action sequence at the end funny? Would you have liked to see Tucker Findlay arrested in the end?

20. Did you agree with May that Doris was better off in boarding school while there were problems between Toppy and Bob? Did you agree with May that Toppy should not have a birthday party for Doris? Do you think Doris wanted a party?

21. Did you like the Bloor girls? Which Bailey family member do you think they found the most odd? Did you find it funny or insulting to our main characters? Was it believable they would be into underaged drinking?

22. Did you feel sorry for Toppy when she overhead what Doris was saying to her girlfriends? Did you find it funny or embarrassing how she pretended to be all sophisticated the next morning? What do you think Toppy was doing wrong, in her treatment of Doris?

23. Any other comment, observations or questions?

1. Who did you sympathesize with more in this episode - Toppy or Doris or both equally or neither?
I sumpathezied with both  of them  equally

2. Did you find the scene where Toppy is dancing to the music in front of Doris' friends funny or embarrassing to watch?  It was funny

3. Do you think Doris blamed her mother for the marriage problems between her parents?  Why did Doris say that sometimes, there are no happy endings?  I think Doris did seem to blame her mother for most of the  problems. Maybe she blamed her because Toppy had left Bob the first time.  Or maybe she just found it easier to blame her.

4. Do you think May seemed to understand Doris more than Toppy in this episode?  Why?
I think because Toppy was hurting so much herself that maybe she didn't understand Doris's feelings.  May  spoke plainly to Doris and wouldn't take any of her complaining.

5. Did you like or dislike Tucker Findlay?  In which scene did you start liking or disliking him?  Was Tucker Findlay a good guy at heart?  Was Tucker trying to make Toppy feel better?  Did he just want her money, or would he have pushed himself on her too?  Did you want more on the sexual harassment aspect of this episode?
I didn't like Tucker from the start.  He wasn't trying to make Toppy feel better, he just wanted the money. He might have thrown himself on her too because he was a real womanizer.  The sad thing is that if he had been a good guy, he probably could've made a living taking pictures.

6. Were you shocked at the scene where Tucker was taking the picture of Honey?  Did you find the photo offensive, and would you have preferred that they burned it in the fire at the end as Honey suggested?  How should Max or Honey have reacted to the photo being in the newspaper (or were you fine with the way they reacted?)  I was shocked, and I was also shocked by Max's behaviour in this episode.  I don't know if he was just trying to make it seem like it wasn't a big deal  to make it easier on Honey, but he didn't seem the least bit angered by it.  And neither Max or Honey seemed to really understand why Hub was so upset  by the picture.

7. Do you feel this episode was inappropriate for children?    No

8. Did you find it strange that Hub reverted back to his old ways in this episode?  Once, another fan told me that she thought this episode reduced the impact of the previous one since Hub was back in the pool hall.  Do you feel that way? No, Hub was upset...besides usually you don't just completely change overnight. Sometimes its takes a few failings to completely change and Hub was still going through changes.

9. If you were Alden Cramp, who would you have chosen as the winner in the Mother and Child Beauty Pageant?  I liked the  one that won and  also honey and zack

10. What is your favourite moments or characters in this episode?  Which scenes did you find moving and which scenes did you find funny? I can't remember any particuliar funny moments in this episode.  I did like if when Doris and Toppy were talking and Doris asked Toppy to spend her birthday in Toronto.

11. What is your least favourite moments or characters in this episode?Tucker Finley and  Max

12. How would you rate this episode out of 5 stars?   maybe 2.5

1. Who did you sympathesize with more in this episode - Toppy or Doris or both equally or neither?
A little bit more Toppy than Doris.  I actually like Doris more than I like Alice. :b

2. Did you find the scene where Toppy is dancing to the music in front of Doris' friends funny or embarrassing to watch? Funny... especially because of May's reaction and her nicely trying to get Toppy to stop.

3. Do you think Doris blamed her mother for the marriage problems between her parents?  Why did Doris say that sometimes, there are no happy endings?
Yeah, I think that Doris blamed the marital problems on Toppy.  I think that Doris was referring to bob and Toppy's getting together and maybe even possibly referring that she and Toppy would never get along well...

4. Do you think May seemed to understand Doris more than Toppy in this episode?  Why?
Yes, I do.  I think that Toppy was trying too hard to help Doris have a good time... and possibly was trying to act as though nothing had changed.

5. Did you like or dislike Tucker Findlay?  In which scene did you start liking or disliking him?
I disliked him from the get-go.
  Was Tucker Findlay a good guy at heart?
No
Was Tucker trying to make Toppy feel better?  Did he just want her money, or would he have pushed himself on her too?
No, not at all.  He wanted her money... I don't know if he would have pushed himself on Toppy though... I don't think that he would have... but maybe.
Did you want more on the sexual harassment aspect of this episode?
Well... yes and no.  I don't think that they should have let Tucker go at the end of the episode.  I think that they should have reported him or have done something.

6. Were you shocked at the scene where Tucker was taking the picture of Honey?
Horrified more like it. :b
Did you find the photo offensive, and would you have preferred that they burned it in the fire at the end as Honey suggested?
Yes, I did... yee-ah, BI. (think RtA)
How should Max or Honey have reacted to the photo being in the newspaper (or were you fine with the way they reacted?)
Max was completely out of whack in this episode and needed some whacks.  Okay, in "The Long Weekend" Max was somewhat doubting Honey's love for him.  In this episode that seems to be no problem and it's okay that guys are 'making a pass' on Honey.  I think that Honey's reaction was good, but I think that she should have pressed Alden Cramp for a retraction and a public apology.
I liked Grace's reaction! ~laughs~
I also think that Honey was a bit hard on Hub for trashing the newspapers.  I think she was right to chide him, but I also think that she should have thanked him for trying to do something.

7. Do you feel this episode was inappropriate for children?
oohh... yes, partly because of Max's way of handling the situation... 

8. Did you find it strange that Hub reverted back to his old ways in this episode?  Once, another fan told me that she thought this episode reduced the impact of the previous one since Hub was back in the pool hall.  Do you feel that way?
I originally thought that it was pretty odd that Hub was back to his old ways... but Hub seemed to be okay with Honey and Max again.  He didn't seem to be aloof and angry with them.  He really seemed to be caring about his parents.  So, no, I don't think that Hub completely reverted.

9. If you were Alden Cramp, who would you have chosen as the winner in the Mother and Child Beauty Pageant?
Oh... I don't know.  I kind of liked the lady from Sweden?.

10. What is your favourite moments or characters in this episode?  Which scenes did you find moving and which scenes did you find funny?
My favorite moment would be at the end when May is giving Alden the what-for.
(Grace) "Oh, say it mother, or I'll give you a kiss in the middle of the street." (May) "I'm proud of you, Grace."
(Fat) "Hi, I'm Fat!" (Doris's friend) "Don't be so hard on yourself, little boy."
My mother likes Hub's line: "You made my mother look cheap."

11. What is your least favourite moments or characters in this episode?
Tucker and Max

12. How would you rate this episode out of 5 stars?
I'll give it a 1.5.  The one because of the Grace/May/Alden scene near the end.

1. Who did you sympathesize with more in this episode - Toppy or Doris or both equally or neither?
I actually felt for Toppy a bit.  She so wanted to be thought of as strong and Doris just wasn't budging from her lofty standing.  It seemed to spur Toppy to get even stronger so... you never know.

2. Did you find the scene where Toppy is dancing to the music in front of Doris' friends funny or embarrassing to watch?
It could have been worse, I'm glad Grace was there to take some of the embarrassment off by showing she liked to have fun too.

3. Do you think Doris blamed her mother for the marriage problems between her parents?  Why did Doris say that sometimes, there are no happy endings?

4. Do you think May seemed to understand Doris more than Toppy in this episode?  Why?
I think so.  It often helps to be a little out of the picture looking in.  May had seen through Doris since the first episode.

5. Did you like or dislike Tucker Findlay?  In which scene did you start liking or disliking him?  Was Tucker Findlay a good guy at heart?  Was Tucker trying to make Toppy feel better?  Did he just want her money, or would he have pushed himself on her too?  Did you want more on the sexual harassment aspect of this episode?
He had some hesitations in his speaking from the first that portrayed him as a little shifty.  I think he knew ow to say the right thing which is interesting because that would force him to really listen, in order to say the right stuff.  I think he just wanted her money.  I wanted more of a reaction from Max actually, like Honey.  You'd think he'd be annoyed that this guy 'exposed' his wife's leg all over town. 

6. Were you shocked at the scene where Tucker was taking the picture of Honey?  Did you find the photo offensive, and would you have preferred that they burned it in the fire at the end as Honey suggested?  How should Max or Honey have reacted to the photo being in the newspaper (or were you fine with the way they reacted?)
I thought it was a little shady that Tucker took the picture.  Like I said before, I thought Max should have been a little more cavalier about it, Hub certainly was.  I figured it would have been a good bonding experience between Max and Hub.  You know, as I answered the rest of the questions, I started noticing a pattern developing that this one episode offered up many scenarios a person might have to decide whether to stand up for another.

7. Do you feel this episode was inappropriate for children?
No way, there is far worse out there.

8. Did you find it strange that Hub reverted back to his old ways in this episode?  Once, another fan told me that she thought this episode reduced the impact of the previous one since Hub was back in the pool hall.  Do you feel that way?
Nah, I thought it showed that Honey was allowing him to make his own decisions to an extant (she was still checking up on him, maybe a little much, but somewhat warranted.)  I thought that was part of what that episode determined, that she was holding on a little tight.  Just because he was hanging out at the pool hall doesn't mean he was being bad, but maybe that he was helping these guys stay more good.  This is from a person that has no problem with his playing pool, by the way.

9. If you were Alden Cramp, who would you have chosen as the winner in the Mother and Child Beauty Pageant?
I didn't think his choice was so bad, though I like Honey.

10. What is your favourite moments or characters in this episode?  Which scenes did you find moving and which scenes did you find funny?
~Toppy's flourishes and such in front of the girls was pretty funny and I think no matter what, she had a little fun 'playing a part', in my view, that's Toppy.
~Grace's talking to herself is always hilarious, "Good luck, Grace... no, you'll do well, Grace..."
~I liked it when May stood up for Grace at the end, it showed a good side of May.

11. What is your least favourite moments or characters in this episode?
Toppy straining so to make something happen for her and Doris.  It was painful to watch though I realize that it needed to happen by someone.

12. How would you rate this episode out of 5 stars?
It was another good one 4.5

1. Who did you sympathesize with more in this episode - Toppy or Doris or both equally or neither?

I sympathize with Toppy on this one.

2. Did you find the scene where Toppy is dancing to the music in front of Doris' friends funny or embarrassing to watch?

I didn't see anything wrong with it. I thought she was trying to entertain the children the best way she could.

3. Do you think Doris blamed her mother for the marriage problems between her parents?  Why did Doris say that sometimes, there are no happy endings?

I don't know who Doris blamed, but I think she said there are no happy endings, because she was watching her family being ripped apart, it was a world she didn't like, and because of it, her world views were strongly affected by what was happening in her life.

4. Do you think May seemed to understand Doris more than Toppy in this episode?  Why?

I would say May seemed to understand either, May didn't have a troubled marriage. So understanding what Toppy was going through would have been hard. Doris, being a child torn between two parents would have also been a foreign area for May.

5. Did you like or dislike Tucker Findlay?  In which scene did you start liking or disliking him?  Was Tucker Findlay a good guy at heart?  Was Tucker trying to make Toppy feel better?  Did he just want her money, or would he have pushed himself on her too?  Did you want more on the sexual harassment aspect of this episode?

I think my dislike for Tucker started when it he took the racy photo of Honey, then convinced, Mr. Cramp to put it on the front page of the Chronicle. From there it was all down hill for Mr. Findlay, and his character, began to come into question. I think Honey not saying anything about the incident with him later in the episode to Max was something odd.

6. Were you shocked at the scene where Tucker was taking the picture of Honey?  Did you find the photo offensive, and would you have preferred that they burned it in the fire at the end as Honey suggested?  How should Max or Honey have reacted to the photo being in the newspaper (or were you fine with the way they reacted?)

I thought that the reaction was the opposite of what I thought it would be. But I can also see Max's point of view he was very secure in his relationship with Honey.

7. Do you feel this episode was inappropriate for children?

There are a couple scenes. Where it would be deemed inappropriate.

8. Did you find it strange that Hub reverted back to his old ways in this episode?  Once, another fan told me that she thought this episode reduced the impact of the previous one since Hub was back in the pool hall.  Do you feel that way?

I did find it odd that he was back to hanging out at the pool hall. But I suppose boys will be boys, at least he wasn't running around town, causing mischief.

9. If you were Alden Cramp, who would you have chosen as the winner in the Mother and Child Beauty Pageant?

I would have chosen, Scotland. 

10. What is your favourite moments or characters in this episode?   Which scenes did you find moving and which scenes did you find funny?

I thought it was hilarious, when Grace is announcing the contestants, and she comes to Holland, but she doesn't have a description of Holland, as she squirms for a bit she announces Holland.
Hub's flying tackle of Mr. Findley was neat too, and his protecting his mother's honour.

11. What is your least favourite moments or characters in this episode?

When May takes a sip of her sherry and goes "Watered"
Then they scene with the girls at the Gazeebo, tipsy was quite comical. May's punishment having them washing dishes at the St. Joseph Mission was neat.

12. How would you rate this episode out of 5 stars?

4

1. Who did you sympathesize with more in this episode - Toppy or Doris or both equally or neither?

I sympathesized with Toppy the most.  Doris was selfish, thinking only of how it was affecting her life.  I liked that they did reconcile somewhat at the end of this episode.

2. Did you find the scene where Toppy is dancing to the music in front of Doris' friends funny or embarrassing to watch?

I thought it was funny.

3. Do you think Doris blamed her mother for the marriage problems between her parents?  Why did Doris say that sometimes, there are no happy endings?

I do think she blamed Toppy and still thought more highly of Bob, even only wanting him to call her "baby".  I think she might have said that there were no happy endings to spite Toppy and also maybe she knew in her heart that her parents might not get back together. 

4. Do you think May seemed to understand Doris more than Toppy in this episode?  Why?

I like how Fire Dijin put it, that May didn't really understand either of them.  It did surprise me that May noticed Doris wanted time alone with her friends and didn't want her mother around.

5A. Did you like or dislike Tucker Findlay? In which scene did you start liking or disliking him? Was Tucker Findlay a good guy at heart?

I could tell he was a bit of a con artist when he was talking to Archie about the arrangement with the film. But the actor played him to be reasonably likeable, despite being a despicable guy.

5B. Was Tucker trying to make Toppy feel better? Did he just want her money, or would he have pushed himself on her too? Did you want more on the sexual harassment aspect of this episode?

He almost played him too nice and genuine with Toppy at the end... it would have been more dramatic if Toppy had indeed been in danger.

6A. Were you shocked at the scene where Tucker was taking the picture of Honey? Did you find the photo offensive, and would you have preferred that they burned it in the fire at the end as Honey suggested?

I thought that was very tasteless of Tucker to take such a photo of a mother with her baby, and especially to suggest printing it on the front page of the newspaper, which could ruin Honey's reputation in the town. I was also quite annoyed with Alden for going along with it. But in the larger scheme of things, that type of picture was nothing compared to the photos in magazines now,

6B. How should Max or Honey have reacted to the photo being in the newspaper (or were you fine with the way they reacted?)

I guess Max had a modern, ahead-of-his-time view of it, which might not have been realistic. 

I agree with AvFan that Honey should have gone down to the newspaper office to give Alden a piece of her mind.  I wonder, though, if May and the other townspeople blamed Honey herself for revealing herself in such a way.

7. Do you feel this episode was inappropriate for children?

No.  It does show how times have changed. 

8. Did you find it strange that Hub reverted back to his old ways in this episode?  Once, another fan told me that she thought this episode reduced the impact of the previous one since Hub was back in the pool hall.  Do you feel that way?

I do think it decreases the impact of the previous episode a little, though it's true people don't change overnight.

9. If you were Alden Cramp, who would you have chosen as the winner in the Mother and Child Beauty Pageant?

I didn't like Honey's bright red costume.  I think I might have liked Scotland as well.

10. What is your favourite moments or characters in this episode?   Which scenes did you find moving and which scenes did you find funny?

I thought this episode had a lot of great laughs, from Toppy putting on airs for the sake of the girls, to Doris' friends meeting everyone upon arrival to town (Fat introducing himself, for example).  I also enjoyed the scenes between Toppy and Doris, including the scene where Toppy overhears the girls' conversation and is terribly hurt.  I enjoyed the Grace subplot, organizing the fair and May actually showing pride.

11. What is your least favourite moments or characters in this episode?

The gossips in the town being rude to Honey.  I also think Tucker Findlay should have been arrested for theft.

12. How would you rate this episode out of 5 stars?

I thought this episode was a good mix of humour and drama.  Probably a 4 or 3.5.

I thought these lines were similar to the theme of the last episode, about how the parent doesn't know what their child is thinking and what they want, and feeling they don't know their kid anymore.

Toppy: I'm trying. I want you to be happy. But I don't know what you want.
Doris: It's because you don't know me anymore.
Toppy: Don't say that. It's about me and daddy, isn't it, baby?
Doris: Don't call me baby. That's what daddy calls me.

Something I found funny just now rewatching it. I had not noticed before how at the end, when everyone comes home, Fat has this weary/tired tone to his voice, holding an upside down teddy bear and the milk bottle. I guess looking after Zach and Vi were exhausting on him.

I really can't stand watching this episode.


Newly Added Questions

13. Should this episode have been before "The Forever Leap"? Would it have worked better?
mm.... Hub's being back in the pool hall might make it better... things would have to be slightly changed though... Honey would have to be horrified in this episode that Hub was hanging out at the pool and then the next episode, Forever Leap, she would have been upset that Hub had gone back... I can see it working better.


14. Were you embarrassed for Hub when Honey went into the pool hall? Did you like how Honey handled Buck and Tony Piretti?
No, I wasn't embarrassed for Hub. I did like how Honey handled Buck and Tony.



15. Did you find it understandable that Hub would dump the newspapers into the trash? Did you blame him for doing that knowing the picture on the cover? Did you find Hub more or less rebellious in this episode than in the last one? Was he truly improved?
Yes, I did find it understandable that Hub would dump the newspapers. I still think that Honey should have told Hub, "While I appreciate your efforts in attempting to destroy the newspapers, you handled it the wrong way."
I didn't blame him, but I would have taken a match to them. Talking to Alden wouldn't have done any good. Alden knew what he had done was wrong, but he wouldn't have retracted it.
I still thought he was rebellious, but I dont' think he was quite as rebellions. I think that he was starting to show improvement.
Again, if one swapped the episodes we could see this as a start of Hub beginning to become rebellious, whihc I think would have worked better.



16. Did you enjoy seeing the whole mother-baby beauty pageant with Grace hosting? Or should they have cut that short? Did you like seeing Grace organize the fair?
The pageant was okay, but I did enjoy seeing bits and pieces of the fair. I did find it interesting.


17. Did you like May berating Alden at the end and defending Grace, or did you feel sorry for Alden being attacked? Did Alden cross the line printing that photo of Honey on the front page?
Yes, I did like May berating Alden. Alden knew what he had done was wrong, but he wasn't about to admit it to anyone.
Yes, Alden did cross the line.


18. Did the writers make Honey and Max too gullible in this episode? Were you disappointed Honey considered doing a sitting after that photo? When do you think Honey started thinking badly of Tucker Findlay?
I think they were gullible. Tucker had already made Honey uncomfortable and I don't think that Honey really wanted to do an addition sitting.
Max was completely out of whack for being hunky-dory about everything.
I think that initially Honey felt uncomfortable and then when Tucker began making some advances Honey began to think badly toward him.



19. Did you find the raid-on-Bailey-mansion action sequence at the end funny? Would you have liked to see Tucker Findlay arrested in the end?
I thought it was pretty ridiculous. I did like Hub tackling him over the couch saying, "You made my mom look cheap."
Yes, I would have liked to see Tucker arrested. They shouldn't have let him go.


20. Did you agree with May that Doris was better off in boarding school while there were problems between Toppy and Bob? Did you agree with May that Toppy should not have a birthday party for Doris? Do you think Doris wanted a party?
I didn't completely agree with May... I can see where May is getting at so that Doris wouldn't have to choose between Toppy and Bob... I don't think that boarding schools are that good of an idea.
No, I didn't agree with May that Toppy shouldn't have a birthday party for Doris... Again, I can see May's point of view, and I do think that Toppy should have asked Doris what she wanted to do for her birthday...
I think that Doris did somewhat want a party...



21. Did you like the Bloor girls? Which Bailey family member do you think they found the most odd? Did you find it funny or insulting to our main characters? Was it believable they would be into underaged drinking?
No, they were rich snobs.
I think they thought that May was the most odd. I thought that they were insulting, though I did laugh at the "complete with a farm woman attending her conservatory."
Yes, I do think it was believable that they would be into underaged drinking. They seemed to be the type that would think it was cool... as well as smoking being cool. The Bloor girls reminded me of the girls in "High Society."


22. Did you feel sorry for Toppy when she overhead what Doris was saying to her girlfriends? Did you find it funny or embarrassing how she pretended to be all sophisticated the next morning? What do you think Toppy was doing wrong, in her treatment of Doris?
Yes, I did feel sorry for Toppy. I did find it funny how she pretended to be sophisticated.
I think that Toppy needed to listen to what Doris said... other than that, I don't think Toppy was doing anything wrong... other than possibly trying too hard, but I don't think that's a bad fault in this case...



23. Any other comment, observations or questions?
A very blah episode, only, just very, very slightly redeemed by the end.

1. Who did you sympathesize with more in this episode - Toppy or Doris or both equally or neither?
Both. The Doris part of this episode reminded me of High Society. She was embarrassed about being from a small town and thought of her mother as boring and old fashioned. She made up a story about her that wasn't true. It was reversed in that her friends came to New Bedford. I actually expected Doris to pretend that Honey was her mother and have that blow up in her face.

2. Did you find the scene where Toppy is dancing to the music in front of Doris' friends funny or embarrassing to watch?Both, I was embarrassed for Doris and for Toppy because she was trying too hard. But it was funny.

3. Do you think Doris blamed her mother for the marriage problems between her parents? Why did Doris say that sometimes, there are no happy endings?I think she probably wasn't sure but was just angry in general that it happened at all. She probably didn't know about Bob's affair either. She did always seem to daddy's little girl and she probably saw Bob more since he was closer by. I think that might have been a direct quote from Bob, actually.

4. Do you think May seemed to understand Doris more than Toppy in this episode? Why?No, I think she gave Toppy false hope about reconciling with Bob though.

5A. Did you like or dislike Tucker Findlay? In which scene did you start liking or disliking him? Was Tucker Findlay a good guy at heart?Disliked from the start. I could tell he was slimy from the beginning.

5B. Was Tucker trying to make Toppy feel better? Did he just want her money, or would he have pushed himself on her too? Did you want more on the sexual harassment aspect of this episode?I think he was taking advantage of her, mostly for her money. Archie had told him that her family ran the silver mine so he asked more than twice as much from her as Honey. I think he tried to make Toppy feel good merely to close the deal. I don't think he found her attractive though, like he did Honey. I think there was plenty on the harassment.

6A. Were you shocked at the scene where Tucker was taking the picture of Honey? Did you find the photo offensive, and would you have preferred that they burned it in the fire at the end as Honey suggested? I was a little, yes. It made me nervous what would happen. I did find it offensive that Tucker took advantage of the situation. And in those days showing your garter that held up thigh high stockings was the equivalent of your thong showing today. Only pin-up girls (like girls in Playboy today) did that. It was obviously unintentional on Honey's part but still there would have been a lot of talk about her.

6B. How should Max or Honey have reacted to the photo being in the newspaper (or were you fine with the way they reacted?) I was surprised that Max wasn't angry with Tucker. Not that he needed to make a big scene but he should have taken him aside since he saw it. And then I was surprised later that he wasn't upset when it was printed. He didn't want to seem jealous, probably esp after he had told Honey he felt inadequate compared to Jack. I guess they both didn't react much when the newspapers came out hoping that people wouldn't notice if it wasn't pointed out. I also think Max was a little blinded by love that he wasn't really thinking about what everyone was saying/thinking. Max probably did think it was an accident and Tucker didn't mean to photograph her garter showing. He might have even thought he was imagining it showing so much and that it wouldn't show up in the picture.

7. Do you feel this episode was inappropriate for children? No, children are cautioned about this kind of thing with educational videos, too. This wasn't too disturbing or vulgar but it was obvious that it made Honey uncomfortable and that Tucker was behaving inappropriately. It's important that kids know it's not okay for someone to touch them inappropriately. And get your mitts off me is a good response to have prepared for if you get nervous.

8. Did you find it strange that Hub reverted back to his old ways in this episode? Once, another fan told me that she thought this episode reduced the impact of the previous one since Hub was back in the pool hall. Do you feel that way?No, not really, it would have been strange if he hadn't still been restless. He's still a teenager and he's going to push back sometimes when he's agitated. The fact that he was back in the pool hall surprised me a little since I thought Max and Honey agreed not to let him go there. But it didn't lessen the impact of the last episode.

9. If you were Alden Cramp, who would you have chosen as the winner in the Mother and Child Beauty Pageant?Well I thought Honey's outfit for Zack was the most creative of the babies. I thought Honey, Mrs. Yuen and the woman representing India were all very pretty.

10. What is your favourite moments or characters in this episode? Which scenes did you find moving and which scenes did you find funny?
Funny:
Fat (about putting the rocking horse back together): "Just think of it as a puzzle, Aunt Grace."
Grace: "Without the fun."
the Bloors: "How charmingly rural, complete with an old farm woman tending your conservatory."
Toppy: "Doris won a ribbon for junior baking. Wore that ribbon to threads, only took it off for Saturday bath nights."
Grace: "Well, I'm off. Anything you want to say to me Mother?"
May: "Yes I have, I'll meet you at the podium."
Grace: "Anything else?"
May: "No."
Grace (to herself): "Good luck Grace, you'll do fine, Grace."
Grace: "Our judge is Alden Cramp, the editor of the New Bedford Chronicle and self appointed expert on beauty."
I thought Grace's reaction to the woman representing Holland was funny, too.
It cracked me up that when Honey gave Zack to Fat and he started crying, Violet started making noise, too.
Hub: "Mom, they don't allow women in here."
Honey: "I'm a mother... So this is a pool hall, huh? Somehow I thought it would be more exciting to keep you away from home so much."
May and Doris's reaction to Toppy and Grace dancing was hilarious
Frankie: "I"m sure the pressure of a small town on a femme fatale must be killing."
Alden: "That'll wake everyone up in the morning."
May: "Is this what they teach you in boarding school? Don't worry I'll manage the unholy trinity."

Moving:
Doris: "I guess if my world was going to come apart I wanted the grand tragedy, breathless romance. Anything but dull and ordinary."
Hub: "I haven't been smoking, if that's what you're doing. Thanks for trusting me."
Max: "It's just a pool hall."
Honey: "Max, I have a brother who used to hang out in them. I know what goes on."
Max: "I just think you're being too hard on him."
Honey: "Max, I'm his mother."
Honey: "Get your mitts off of me. I don't want your pictures that badly."
Hub: "They made you look cheap, Mom."
Doris: "Your charm bracelet! You'll have to remind me where each of the charms are from."
Max: "You know Honey, something I've learned about boys; they can either live up to your expectations or live down to them." (this is straight out of contemporary education theory and it's very true, if you think the worst of people they will live up to that)
Honey: "I would go after him, doesn't pay to be too trusting. I guess I'm just not that trusting."
Max: "Notice a guy looking at my girl? Happens all the time! I trust you."
Honey: "I should have punched that guy when I had the chance."
May chewing Alden out was great
May: "My daughter ran a first rate fair and I don't know anyone in New Bedford who could have done it better. I couldn't be more proud of her."
Grace: "Say you're proud of me to my face or I'll lay a big old kiss on you right here in the street!"
Doris: "I'm sorry, Mother. I'm just scared and mixed up... Why don't you come to Toronto to spend the weekend? Just you and me."
Honey: "Oh, let's burn the old thing!"
Hub: "No keep it. Why don't you autograph it?"
Honey writing "Love, Mom" on the photo

11. What is your least favourite moments or characters in this episode?Tucker grabbing Honey's leg made me very uncomfortable. And him making it sound like Honey was flashing him made me angry. And the nasty comments Buck and Tony made about Honey made me a little ill.

12. How would you rate this episode out of 5 stars?4

Newly Added Questions

13. Should this episode have been before "The Forever Leap"? Would it have worked better?
No, I don't think so because then Max's line about giving him some more rope wouldn't have made sense. Otherwise it might have worked though, yes. I liked Hub's defending Honey coming after their problems though.

14. Were you embarrassed for Hub when Honey went into the pool hall? Did you like how Honey handled Buck and Tony Piretti?Absolutely. As a teenage girl, it was uncomfortable having a "hot mom" because it felt like she was getting the attention I should be at my age and that she was old. I know for my brothers it was even more annoying because boys will say more vulgar things when around other boys. And the thought of your mom being looked at that way is well, gross. Buck and Tony were being quite lewd about Honey to Hub before she came in. I thought Honey was enjoying their attention a little too much and being a little coy. It is hard not to enjoy being desired even when it's not entirely appropriate. I think maybe she thought if they were so taken with her she could be an influence on them. I liked when she told Tony he had something behind his ear. It's funny because the attention toward Honey that Hub was disgusted by was exactly the kind of character Doris was making Toppy out to be to her friends. I think if Toppy had actually been looked at that way though, esp with those kinds of lewd comments, Doris would have been even more uncomfortable than her mother dancing.

15. Did you find it understandable that Hub would dump the newspapers into the trash? Did you blame him for doing that knowing the picture on the cover? Did you find Hub more or less rebellious in this episode than in the last one? Was he truly improved?No, I didn't blame him. I understood his feelings completely and I think Alden deserved to lose out on that money for what he did to Honey and the family. I think he was more rebellious in the last one for sure.

16. Did you enjoy seeing the whole mother-baby beauty pageant with Grace hosting? Or should they have cut that short? Did you like seeing Grace organize the fair?I thought it was good to show it. It was pretty quick. I liked some of the lines between Grace and Fat organizing when the rocking horse broke.

17. Did you like May berating Alden at the end and defending Grace, or did you feel sorry for Alden being attacked? Did Alden cross the line printing that photo of Honey on the front page?Yes and yes he did. All he was thinking about was his bottom line even though he knew it was wrong.

18. Did the writers make Honey and Max too gullible in this episode? Were you disappointed Honey considered doing a sitting after that photo? When do you think Honey started thinking badly of Tucker Findlay?I don't think so. I was surprised she agreed to do the sitting again but I think Honey wanted to do the sitting partly to see if anything would happen again (as it did). I also think Max's encouraging made her feel obligated because she knew he really wanted pictures of her. I could understand them going back and Max insisting on staying in the room to keep an eye on Tucker. But he did say he trusted Honey and that she would put the kibosh on any shenanigans. Which she did.

19. Did you find the raid-on-Bailey-mansion action sequence at the end funny? Would you have liked to see Tucker Findlay arrested in the end?A little, esp when Findley said "get off me kid, you're killing me." If it was today he would be arrested, but in those days no way. It would have had to go a lot further than it did with Honey. And Archie had agreed to Findley's terms so it would have been hard to prove theft since the money was recovered. It would have been hard to prove he was not going to give Archie the money and film.

20. Did you agree with May that Doris was better off in boarding school while there were problems between Toppy and Bob? Did you agree with May that Toppy should not have a birthday party for Doris? Do you think Doris wanted a party?In a way, it was better for her, yes. She was protected from things a bit although I think she was closer geographically to Bob (did he stay in Toronto or move to Montreal?) so he could influence her feelings on the situation more. I think she would have wanted a party before he parents divorced but now not so much. Even though it was sad and totally not her fault, going through this made her a nicer person I think. She wasn't so self-centered and such a drama queen anymore.

21. Did you like the Bloor girls? Which Bailey family member do you think they found the most odd? Did you find it funny or insulting to our main characters? Was it believable they would be into underaged drinking?They weren't as bad as the Kingsport girls were to Felicity. I think they probably found them all a little strange but I think they found them pretty interesting for small town folk. I think their assumptions about them being dull were blown apart. Kids were just as likely to drink underage then as now. They were so consumed with having an exciting adventure that it didn't surprise me that they would find ways to sneak alcohol. They seemed pretty experienced with it, like they'd done it at their parents' houses.

22. Did you feel sorry for Toppy when she overhead what Doris was saying to her girlfriends? Did you find it funny or embarrassing how she pretended to be all sophisticated the next morning? What do you think Toppy was doing wrong, in her treatment of Doris?Yes, I did feel badly for her. I thought it was funny and embarrassing. She wasn't doing anything wrong, she was just being a mom. I did feel badly for Doris when Toppy talked about her at bathtime. Why didn't she just pull out the naked baby photos?

23. Any other comment, observations or questions?
The actress who played Frankie Bloor played Eunice, the shop girl, in HCMK

Newly Added Questions

13. Should this episode have been before "The Forever Leap"? Would it have worked better?
I remember when I first saw "My Beautiful Mom" (CBC nonsensically aired it several episodes before "The Forever Leap"), I wondered about Max's line about agreeing to give Hub more rope. I don't remember Max and Honey agreeing to do this in "The Forever Leap", though...

I think the problem with switching them around would be the Toppy parts of "The Forever Leap", which seemed like it was immediately after "The Long Weekend".

With that said, I think I agree with AvFan that Hub was less rebellious in "My Beautiful Mom", so it could have been first (Hub's first forays into the pool hall), leading to more rebellion in "The Forever Leap", which can end with Hub reconciling with Honey.

14. Were you embarrassed for Hub when Honey went into the pool hall? Did you like how Honey handled Buck and Tony Piretti?
A little... I cringed at Buck and Tony's comments as well. I'm not sure Honey's approach worked that well; I think Honey might have thought teasing them might be effective. I did like her comment about something behind Tony's ear.

15. Did you find it understandable that Hub would dump the newspapers into the trash? Did you blame him for doing that knowing the picture on the cover? Did you find Hub more or less rebellious in this episode than in the last one? Was he truly improved?
I could definitely see why Hub would have been embarrassed by that picture, so I didn't mind his dumping the newspapers into the trash either.

As mentioned in the previous answer, I found Hub less rebellious in this one, so it seemed regressive having him back in the pool hall.

16. Did you enjoy seeing the whole mother-baby beauty pageant with Grace hosting? Or should they have cut that short? Did you like seeing Grace organize the fair?
I liked the piano accompaniment to each of the contestants, and Grace's comments too. LOL when that woman dressed up as Holland even though it wasn't part of the Commonwealth. Kind of like Marjorie saying that she heard Honey and Zack were going as Russians. Grace's subplot was fun to watch.

17. Did you like May berating Alden at the end and defending Grace, or did you feel sorry for Alden being attacked? Did Alden cross the line printing that photo of Honey on the front page?
I enjoyed May berating Alden... I thought Alden should have gotten a lot worse for doing that to Honey. He was lucky Honey and Max didn't react more strongly. He could have ruined Honey's reputation.

18. Did the writers make Honey and Max too gullible in this episode? Were you disappointed Honey considered doing a sitting after that photo? When do you think Honey started thinking badly of Tucker Findlay?
I used to like this episode more than I did this last time... I do think they were a bit too gullible to consider doing another sitting. Hannikan raised a good point though, that Max might have wanted some newer pictures of Honey to display in their place. I hadn't thought of that before.

I was disappointed Honey didn't immediately jump on Tucker for choosing that shot and Alden for publishing it. That mother and baby photo should have been a warning flag that Tucker was a sleaze. I think she started thinking badly of Tucker when he was so "hands-on" during the second photo shoot.

19. Did you find the raid-on-Bailey-mansion action sequence at the end funny? Would you have liked to see Tucker Findlay arrested in the end?
It was unlikely but funny to watch so I like it. I do think Tucker should have been arrested.

20. Did you agree with May that Doris was better off in boarding school while there were problems between Toppy and Bob? Did you agree with May that Toppy should not have a birthday party for Doris? Do you think Doris wanted a party?
Doris said to the Bloor girls that Toppy wanted her to move back to New Bedford, though we never saw Toppy telling Doris this. I wonder why Toppy didn't want to move back to Toronto, since she seemed to like the city from what she told Honey in "The Long Weekend". I'm not sure boarding school was the best place for Doris with these bad influences.

At one point, Doris seemed to want a party... I really liked the scene where she asks Toppy that she would like to be reminded of what each charm meant.

21. Did you like the Bloor girls? Which Bailey family member do you think they found the most odd? Did you find it funny or insulting to our main characters? Was it believable they would be into underaged drinking?
I thought their reactions to the Bailey family were pretty funny. I don't think they were mean spirited, just elitist. I do think the drinking was believable... I loved the scene where May shines her headlights onto the three of them. I would have liked to see them scrubbing dishes.

22. Did you feel sorry for Toppy when she overhead what Doris was saying to her girlfriends? Did you find it funny or embarrassing how she pretended to be all sophisticated the next morning? What do you think Toppy was doing wrong, in her treatment of Doris?
That's one of my favorite scenes. I think Doris might have become closer to Toppy if Toppy had been more honest with Doris, showing that she realized her daughter was growing up and confiding some of her fears to her, rather than making it seem like everything would turn out just fine. I suppose Doris might not have understood, though. I thought her sophisticated act the next morning was quite funny. Using her dramatic society acting talent, LOL.

23. Any other comment, observations or questions?
Did you see any "spark" between Honey and Tucker Findlay? Cynthia Belliveau (Honey) and Mark Humphrey (Tucker Findlay) were both on the Canadian TV series "E.N.G.", and their characters were romantically linked for a bit. I've never watched the show, but some viewers might have tuned in to this episode just to see them together again.