Does Lois yell too much?

yardgames

Retired Administrator
Most of the time, I'm the only one in my house who watches MITM. My brother finds it, to quote him, stupid; my dad has better things to watch; my mom doesn't like to watch it because she gets sick of hearing Lois yell. Do you guys think Lois yells too much, or is her yelling one of the series' gems?
 

APK

New member
Personally, I agree with the latter. I think it is extremely funny when Lois gets mad at the boys, or whoever she happens to be angry with. She's one scary woman, there's no doubt about that. I wouldn't cross her. I love the opening in "Water Park" when Hal comes rushing into the boys' bedroom, telling them he needs someone to "take the fall" and we hear Lois crying out in anger, and each time it gets louder and louder. :D If I was Malcolm, I'd have made it fifty dollars. Lois sounded quite mad.
 

Amigo22

Super Moderator
I 100% agree that Lois definitely yells too much, a lot of the time making a big deal out of nothing.

And in my opinion they shouldn't have suddenly made Hal a yelling parent as well, since he wasn't in Seasons 1 and 2 then in Season 3 he suddenly changed. Especially since Bryan Cranston was not as good at acting the yelling scenes, like in Reese's Apartment.
 

yardgames

Retired Administrator
I was just thinking today about how little Hal yells, actually. Sometimes he seems to go a bit crazy and not know quite what to do, but I don't think he yells very often. The best example I could think of was Book Club where there were a billion Hal's, but again, he was going crazy more than he was yelling.
 

ReMoss85

New member
Amigo22 said:
Especially since Bryan Cranston was not as good at acting the yelling scenes, like in Reese's Apartment.
Was Reese's Apartment the one where Reese did something so horrible Hal couldn't get words out? That was good yelling. "Nooo complain!"
 

Malcolm

New member
Lois yells too much, that's a fact. But I dont find that annoying. Actually I think that the yelling makes her even funnier!:D
 

Gouki

New member
I don't think that Lois yells too much. She yells just right, you know, it's sort of exaggerated realism, but realistic nonetheless.
 

arach

New member
I think I got used to her yelling. She has a loud voice and isn't afraid to use it. What tops it, is that she is on 180 degrees about nearly everything. But as I said: You get used to her temper very soon.
 

MITM-Fan

New member
Amigo22 said:
I 100% agree that Lois definitely yells too much, a lot of the time making a big deal out of nothing.

And in my opinion they shouldn't have suddenly made Hal a yelling parent as well, since he wasn't in Seasons 1 and 2 then in Season 3 he suddenly changed. Especially since Bryan Cranston was not as good at acting the yelling scenes, like in Reese's Apartment.
I totally agree on that one...Lois is permanently making a big deal out of nothing, that's what annoys me. She used to be funnier with that kind of attitude in season 1 and 2 but it became highly annoying since season 3.
Hal yelling, ok...he is rarely but if he does, it sometimes can be very hilarous. Remember him when Francis briefly came home before leaving for Alaska, climbing on that tree and Hal biting in his ankle? :D

:cool:
 

yardgames

Retired Administrator
Lois is a control freak, she's supposed to make a big deal about everything. But is she supposed to yell about it?
 

Emrysgirl

New member
My mom hates watching the show. She can't stand Lois (or Reese for some weird reson). She hates shows with "mean" people, like Seinfeld. I recently got my dad hooked, but he too agrees that Lois is a cruel mother.

I don't think she's cruel. Irresponsible,strict, overbearing? Yes. But not cruel. She yells more than I'm used to (much more). But just look at all the awful things the kids have done. She has to yell at them.

Besides, it's part of what makes the show funny.

We have been seeing too much angry/crazy Hal lately. A more recent example is Stilts, or even Mrs. Tri County.
 

Garbage Kills Megan

parties with your mom
Lois does have to be more stict than other mothers. Her kids really do awful things. But I think she feels that yelling is the only thing that will work, and that's not true. Remember when she just whispered something in Reese's ear, and whatever she said made him do exactly as he was told? It seems it's always more effective when she tries something else.
 
J

JonAnd85

Guest
I remember in Season 3 - Hal's Birthday when Lois promised that she shouldn't yell anymore at the boys. And instead she wrote terrible things, and Malcolm says something like: -we may go back to the old system.

I don't think she yelling that much, but everytime she does, i laugh because i like her style. Even my mother like this show and she just say that sometime you must be resolute to get kids (My little brother and sister) to understand that she is the boss and they should listen to what she has to say.
So i guess that every mother has to yell sometimes to get kids attention. But Lois must be a extreme mother, but her kids are not very peaceful.
 

admin

Retired Administrator
JonAnd85 said:
I remember in Season 3 - Hal's Birthday when Lois promised that she shouldn't yell anymore at the boys. And instead she wrote terrible things, and Malcolm says something like: -we may go back to the old system.

I don't think she yelling that much, but everytime she does, i laugh because i like her style. Even my mother like this show and she just say that sometime you must be resolute to get kids (My little brother and sister) to understand that she is the boss and they should listen to what she has to say.
So i guess that every mother has to yell sometimes to get kids attention. But Lois must be a extreme mother, but her kids are not very peaceful.

I agree, I don't think she yells that much, pesonally I believe she is just a naturally "loud" person. One of those people who always has to express their views, and be honest regardless. Its her mentality and thats why she feels the need to yell.

I think she really only yells when they boys have really done something wrong. Playing ball in the house, on the house and through the house are not something we would consider doing. Burning a dress and ridding dog crap through the house are things that would make any mother angry.
 

yardgames

Retired Administrator
For the record, the boys didn't burn the dress. They were, in fact, innocent on that one. Maybe Lois jumps to conclusions too quickly, and yells at whomever she can, instead of who the culprit is? Like she yelled at the cop in Traffic Jam; the whole problem was hardly his fault.
 

Jimmy Junior

New member
Of course Lois yells too much - if she didn't the show would be boring and nobody would watch it. Suggesting Lois should yell less is like suggesting the boys shouldn't play up as much, Ida should be nicer, the family should be better off (financially) and Hal should be more assertive.
 

yardgames

Retired Administrator
Why would one suggest any of those things? I guess it's just all the ingredients that make the show what it is.
 

Jimmy Junior

New member
Exactly, that was my point - The thread is about whether or not Lois yells too much. She definately does, but like you say, all those things I mentioned are what makes the show what it is.
 

Emrysgirl

New member
We're not suggesting that anything change. We're analyzing the characters, not the writing.

The question is more:

The fact that it's a TV show aside, does Lois yell too much?

Is she a truly horrible mother or do the boys, being as they are, deserve/need this?
 

Malcolm

New member
She is not a bad mother, but:

- She is a very dominant person. She would like to control enterely the whole family. But she cant, because everyone in that family is so hiperactive and problematic.

- Her husband doesnt help her a lot when trying to control the kids. Hal can be as a kid himself; so she oftenly has to take care of FIVE boys! (Fortunately, Francis is not home anymore)

- The family is always in economic trouble. That's always stressing, right?

- She lacks any kind of friendships with other women. Her mother is a monster, and she cant talk to other woman without yelling at her. You know, women are oftenly more sociable than men. Lois has spend many years without any kind of relationship with other women. Maybe she needs a friend.

You can see Lois is not bad at all; in a lot of episodes we see her cheering up her sons, giving them good advices, you know, worrying about them.
And remember she was raised by Ida...:p

PD- Jane Kaczmarek says Lois is an excelent mother. She says moms should show their kids who is in charge...:eek:
 
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