American Housewife Review: Mom Guilt (Season 3 Episode 1)
American Housewife Season 3 Episode 1, “Mom Guilt,” delivers an amusing premiere with family fun all around, until the end of the episode.
American Housewife is a show that I’ve watched since the beginning of the series, which is why I’m appalled that a rape joke would come out of someone’s mouth on the show. And at a kids birthday party, of all places.
The joke may be subtle and not in your face with the clear context, to a kid, but I don’t think that it’s ever okay to joke about rape. Nancy, in the last few minutes of the episode, publicly threatens to make her (visibly gay) husband sleep with her later as punishment for looking at the shirtless waiters.
KATY MIXON, MEG DONNELLY
To people who don’t fully understand the joke you might get a laugh because of his facial expressions, but to people educated enough to know what you’re implying it’s disgusting. Why are we still using LGBTQ characters for the butt of a joke?
It’s absurd that in 2018 rape is still a thing people think is okay to joke about. I don’t care if you think it’s “funny” because it came from a woman, all rape jokes are disgusting. Let’s hope we don’t see any more throughout the season.
As for the rest of the episode, I enjoy it very much. My favorite character never even got screen time; Whitney.
DANIEL DIMAGGIO, MEG DONNELLY
Whitney’s feared by her employees, and rightfully so for her abilities to see everything, but everything that comes out of her mouth is hilarious. On top of being funny, she’s a powerful woman who runs her own business and has people obey her commands when she’s not even with them in person.
I haven’t seen Jason Dolley on my screen in quite some time, but watching him struggle to finish his pushups as he gets yelled at reminds me how funny he is. I hope that Whitney’s character stays mysterious and doesn’t have a face. I want her to control everything all season through phone calls and then show up sometime at the end of the season.
Taylor and Oliver are moderately funny, but Anna-Kat and Katie are the two I keep coming back for. Anna-Kat burying her toy ponies because they won’t get to the level of clean that she wants is something that’s just so out there and not seen it’s hilarious.
KATY MIXON
I like that while Anna-Kat’s OCD is used as a punchline a lot, the show indeed does strive to give some accurate representation. It’s not just used for jokes; there are multiple serious scenes throughout the series explaining what it is and how it affects people. And, they work on solutions to help her control it.
I like seeing Katie with a job and in a new atmosphere. Party planning is something she’s good at, but mixing it with the people in her stuck-up town is just asking for trouble to ensue.
This series premiere, overall, is good, but I’m very disappointed in the rape joke that was slipped in subtly.
What did you think of this episode of American Housewife? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Reviewer Rating:
User Rating:
American Housewife airs Wednesdays at 8:30/7:30c on ABC.
Follow us on Twitter @telltaleTV_
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
Cade Taylor
Cade Taylor is a television and film critic living in St. Louis, Missouri. He is a Senior Writer for Tell-Tale TV. His love for television developed at a young age, with a concentration on queer stories, sitcoms, teen dramas, and science fiction thrillers. In addition, he works full-time as a news producer, telling the stories of Missourians and helming "Produced in the Bi-State," a segment spotlighting actors, musicians, and entertainers from the St. Louis area. He can be reached by email at cade@telltaletv.com.