The Week the Women Went

When I originally saw the commercials for The Week the Women Went, I wasn't interested in it in the least. I thought it was just another lame reality show and so never bothered with it. Then my brother's friend recently moved to Tatamagouche so she was checking out the show since it was filmed there. Then recommended it to us. And still, I was a little apprehensive. But last night, we decided to check it out. And was I surprised. It is one of the most fascinating things I've ever seen.

First of all, I have realized that I do not understand men in the least. At all. I have never been so dumbfounded in my life. After all these years, they still seem to think that women should have nothing to complain about even though they are in charge of all the cleaning, cooking, caring for the children and having a full time job. And all women had the same wish for the week: that their husband would have a better relationship with their children. And though I do have hope for some of the men, others just seem too far gone. I have no idea how these marriages have lasted this long. There is one couple in particular that I so hope they divorce. I usually don't want to see marriages dissovled but she should have left him years ago. There is nothing I want more at this moment.

The other thing I find most interesting is that with reality shows, there is always the question of authenticity. How real is reality tv? Though most shows these days seem scripted and very much unreal. When you put a camera in the mix, it no longer becomes real because they know they are being watched. But sometimes the opposite happens, when you put someone in front of a camera, they feel the pressure to be truthful. And that seems to be the case with this show. These people are remarkably open about the problematic relationships they have with their children and the issues they have. Tam even admits that he doesn't think Cydney really loves him at all. It was a bizarre moment. They are literally putting most of the family problems and issues out for the whole country to see. It's fascinating.

One last note, the editing on this show is fantastic! There's just so many little moments that are hilariously edited together. And the narrator sometimes makes such harsh judgements on the men. It's wonderful.

And keep an eye out tonight, The Kids in the Hall mini-series starts on the CBC!