If Eunice had been sensible, she would have run out of town in 1955 when she was old enough, avoiding a bad marriage, a monsterish meddling mother, troubled children and a sister she hated. But she marries Ed, has two sons, and sticks around to take abuse from her mother and on occasion her sister. If we're to believe what this TV special tells us, mama died after the end of the TV series "The Carol Burnett Show" and her marriage to Ed had ended long before the family sketches were introduced.
Of course a lot changed when "Mama's Family" came on the air, especially when it went into syndication and Carol Burnett ceased appearing. Mama was very much alive, another brother, Vinton, was introduced, and Eunice was only around for an occasional visit, at first. Someone named Naomi is mentioned in this, but whether or not that is the Dorothy Lyman character is not confirmed. Ellen only appears in the final segment of this, and the only consistency is that she and Eunice do not get along at all.
So in this alternate world of the Harper family, a lot is different, but several things are consistent. First of all, Eunice is still a dreamer, hoping that by some luck she'll find happiness and mama is still quite a pill. In fact, according to this, she was like that in 1955. This is basically a drama with comic moments and thus a laugh track, and the final is the most dramatic with Eunice finding the ultimate disappointment and realizing that her life has no promise of hope. It's sad, but then again, the family series always did have a bit of pathos and social issues.
The family was presented as one that members could run out on and not feel guilty about. By the time it's over, Eunice realizes that it's too late to run away, and that's the saddest part. She really is like the long-suffering heroine from Carol's soap opera spoof "As the Stomach Turns", and any image of Eunice as a screeching harpy is replaced by her as the one getting all the sympathy while Mama is definitely not the kind, caring matriarch. It really is food for thought over a family you were has had come to get to know a decade before this TV special aired. Not great, and inconsistent with what had passed and what was yet to come, but a great vehicle for Carol to sink her teeth into.
Of course a lot changed when "Mama's Family" came on the air, especially when it went into syndication and Carol Burnett ceased appearing. Mama was very much alive, another brother, Vinton, was introduced, and Eunice was only around for an occasional visit, at first. Someone named Naomi is mentioned in this, but whether or not that is the Dorothy Lyman character is not confirmed. Ellen only appears in the final segment of this, and the only consistency is that she and Eunice do not get along at all.
So in this alternate world of the Harper family, a lot is different, but several things are consistent. First of all, Eunice is still a dreamer, hoping that by some luck she'll find happiness and mama is still quite a pill. In fact, according to this, she was like that in 1955. This is basically a drama with comic moments and thus a laugh track, and the final is the most dramatic with Eunice finding the ultimate disappointment and realizing that her life has no promise of hope. It's sad, but then again, the family series always did have a bit of pathos and social issues.
The family was presented as one that members could run out on and not feel guilty about. By the time it's over, Eunice realizes that it's too late to run away, and that's the saddest part. She really is like the long-suffering heroine from Carol's soap opera spoof "As the Stomach Turns", and any image of Eunice as a screeching harpy is replaced by her as the one getting all the sympathy while Mama is definitely not the kind, caring matriarch. It really is food for thought over a family you were has had come to get to know a decade before this TV special aired. Not great, and inconsistent with what had passed and what was yet to come, but a great vehicle for Carol to sink her teeth into.