Endora was right.

[Guy Gardener]

The faces Darrin and even Samantha pulled when Endora was INSISTING the girl was to be named Tabitha near the beginning of the third season was like someone shat on their cornflakes.

It's funny how time works.

Tabitha grew up to being the lovetoy of Robert Urich.

 

[the G-man]

Yes I do know a grown woman named Tabitha. She was born the same year I was (1971).

Which would put her right in the age range for having been named after the show.

Tabitha grew up to being the lovetoy of Robert Urich.

Oh, yeah, I forgot about that crappy Lisa Hartman spin off. However, in a way, that show was my introduction to hating a program based on its screwed up continuity.

From the start, I knew that Tabitha the character was a bit younger than me (having been born during the 1965 or 66 season) but here was a spin off where she was now approximately ten years older. And that was just from the credits. Almost everything about the show's premise didn't match what we knew about the character from the original series.

 

[Admiral2]

What is wrong with some of you people?

It was a sitcom about a witch housewife, not a grand social experiment...

 

[the G-man]

What is wrong with some of you people?

It was a sitcom about a witch housewife, not a grand social experiment...

You're right. How dare any of us discuss a mere TV show on, of all things, a Star Trek message board.

 

[Christopher]

What is wrong with some of you people?

It was a sitcom about a witch housewife, not a grand social experiment...

As I've said, we have actual quotes from the series' original showrunner saying that it was indeed meant as social commentary. Comedy and fantasy are often used as vehicles for social commentary, since they're good ways of sneaking subversive messages under the radar.

Of course, after Danny Arnold left, he was replaced by producers who did assume that a fantasy sitcom couldn't be anything more than inconsequential fluff, so that's what it became.

 

[Admiral2]

What is wrong with some of you people?

It was a sitcom about a witch housewife, not a grand social experiment...

You're right. How dare any of us discuss a mere TV show on, of all things, a Star Trek message board.

Fine. So I'll give you all my take.

All Samantha had to do was say "No".

"Will you go out with me?" "No." "Will you marry me?" "No." "Will you keep house for me like a typical housewife and not use your phenomenal cosmic power in everyday situations?" "No."

That simple.

What exactly could Dum-Dum actually force Sam to do? Jack shit, which means at any point in the relationship she could have kicked his Neanderthal ass to the curb and taken up with some warlock that appreciated her Witch heritage.

But she didn't. She did date him, she did marry him, and she went right along with his take on their marriage.

So whether or not Endora was right about him is irrelevant. Nothing Endora did to Durwood ever forced Samantha to abandon him. Neither did his own sexism and domineering nature. The real question is how dumb a blonde is Sam for being so powerful and jumping headfirst into this situation willingly anyway?

 

[the G-man]

So she was asking for it, eh?

 

[Kemaiku]

 

[RJDiogenes]

I liked Bewitched and I loved I Dream Of Jeannie, but Darrin and Tony were both idiots. If I had a girlfriend with magical powers, I would encourage her to use them to the fullest.

 

[Christopher]

So whether or not Endora was right about him is irrelevant. Nothing Endora did to Durwood ever forced Samantha to abandon him. Neither did his own sexism and domineering nature. The real question is how dumb a blonde is Sam for being so powerful and jumping headfirst into this situation willingly anyway?

The idea, as I understand it, was that Samantha was drawn to the mortal life, an existence where you couldn't get anything you wanted just by wiggling your nose but had to earn your accomplishments. So yes, she was powerful, but she felt that power, used too casually and carelessly, had left her culture decadent. Think of it this way: if a spoiled rich girl falls in love with a working-class wage slave, and she gives up her easy life where everything is handed to her, marries him, and has to toil in the trenches to earn her keep alongside him, does that make her dumb? Or does it make her braver and stronger than the rest of her family?

 

[RandyS]

I liked Bewitched and I loved I Dream Of Jeannie, but Darrin and Tony were both idiots. If I had a girlfriend with magical powers, I would encourage her to use them to the fullest.

Yeah. Me too.

But I'm glad to see today's whiny crybaby generation is alive and well. To paraphrase one of my favorite fictional characters, "It'll be a miracle if these people get out of the 21st century".

 

[Deckerd]

Are you calling Guy a whiny crybaby? That's a new one.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I liked Bewitched and I loved I Dream Of Jeannie, but Darrin and Tony were both idiots. If I had a girlfriend with magical powers, I would encourage her to use them to the fullest.

I have to agree. "Honey, can you get me a pizza?"

*nose twitch*

"Hell yes! Pepperoni and sausage!"

I cannot see any downside here, to say nothing of how one might use magic in bed.

 

[RandyS]

Are you calling Guy a whiny crybaby? That's a new one.

No.

 

[Christopher]

I liked Bewitched and I loved I Dream Of Jeannie, but Darrin and Tony were both idiots. If I had a girlfriend with magical powers, I would encourage her to use them to the fullest.

I have to agree. "Honey, can you get me a pizza?"

*nose twitch*

"Hell yes! Pepperoni and sausage!"

I cannot see any downside here, to say nothing of how one might use magic in bed.

But if you see her powers merely as a means of fulfilling your own convenience and indulgence, how is that any better than Darrin's insistence that she not use her powers at all? Either way, it's putting one's own self-interest above one's partner's wishes and choices.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I liked Bewitched and I loved I Dream Of Jeannie, but Darrin and Tony were both idiots. If I had a girlfriend with magical powers, I would encourage her to use them to the fullest.

I have to agree. "Honey, can you get me a pizza?"

*nose twitch*

"Hell yes! Pepperoni and sausage!"

I cannot see any downside here, to say nothing of how one might use magic in bed.

But if you see her powers merely as a means of fulfilling your own convenience and indulgence, how is that any better than Darrin's insistence that she not use her powers at all? Either way, it's putting one's own self-interest above one's partner's wishes and choices.

Obviously she can use her powers any way she sees fit. As my spouse, presumably she would want to make me happy--and I would want her to use her powers in any way that makes her happy, too. Her happiness is also important, and I wouldn't consider her my magical slave, for crying out loud.

 

[Christopher]

And what if she wanted to avoid using her powers? What if she'd chosen to walk away from that life because she found it too easy?

Actually that might be a good idea for a Bewitched reboot premise. Reverse things so that Sam wants to avoid using her powers and live as a mortal, while Darrin pushes her to use magic for his convenience. Maybe he makes reckless choices because he expects her to be able to fix everything with a wiggle of her nose, and she's forced to clean up his messes, but tries to do so with a minimum of magic so she doesn't end up just enabling him.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

And what if she wanted to avoid using her powers? What if she'd chosen to walk away from that life because she found it too easy?

Actually that might be a good idea for a Bewitched reboot premise. Reverse things so that Sam wants to avoid using her powers and live as a mortal, while Darrin pushes her to use magic for his convenience. Maybe he makes reckless choices because he expects her to be able to fix everything with a wiggle of her nose, and she's forced to clean up his messes, but tries to do so with a minimum of magic so she doesn't end up just enabling him.

That would be her choice, too. It would be interesting to see the premise reversed like that, though.

 

[RJDiogenes]

That would be a legitimate approach.

Obviously, Samantha was okay with living a mortal life, which is her choice. Jeannie, however, wanted to use her powers. She's more my type. Dresses better, too.

 

[Forbin]

So whether or not Endora was right about him is irrelevant. Nothing Endora did to Durwood ever forced Samantha to abandon him. Neither did his own sexism and domineering nature. The real question is how dumb a blonde is Sam for being so powerful and jumping headfirst into this situation willingly anyway?

The idea, as I understand it, was that Samantha was drawn to the mortal life, an existence where you couldn't get anything you wanted just by wiggling your nose but had to earn your accomplishments. So yes, she was powerful, but she felt that power, used too casually and carelessly, had left her culture decadent. Think of it this way: if a spoiled rich girl falls in love with a working-class wage slave, and she gives up her easy life where everything is handed to her, marries him, and has to toil in the trenches to earn her keep alongside him, does that make her dumb? Or does it make her braver and stronger than the rest of her family?

Wasn't that Bridget Loves Bernie?