User blog comment:Dragonzako/Thoughts on Loud parents/@comment-4618045-20180208043708

I’ve talked a bit about the parents before, but I’ll restate my thoughts. I want to like these parents. I really do. And there are definitely episodes where I think they’re great, such as the Christmas special and even “Yes Man”. I know they can be good parents.

My problem, though, is that they’re horribly inconsistent when on screen. While there are certainly episodes they were absent from where I think they should have played a role, I won’t bog them down for that. I’ll concede that the writers were trying to make a story where the parents lacked a purpose, and therefore no place in the story. What I cannot overlook, however, are episodes where they do appear yet fail to lay down the law, be more encouraging, or in a few dire cases excacerbate the conflict.

I don’t like either April Fools episode, but I would have forgiven them a little if they left the parents out entirely. By including them, I assume the writers have a purpose to their presence. And yet from watching these episodes, it’s conveyed that the writer sees the parents as beleaguered even when they are within grasp of controlling the situation. I could go through other episodes (such as NSL) but I’m sure you would get the idea.

Its unfortunate that in a show that tries to be progressive, that the parents more often than not fall into the cliched sitcom parent trope. While there are exceptions to the rule, the fact that the writers still use this trope even when the parents are in the story leads me (and presumably others) to want more out of them.