It's not often a show has the misfortune of managing the actual death of a cast member, especially one as loved as was John Ritter. There WERE shows in the past that had to change the actor that played a character (see "Roseanne" and "Bewitched") and they handled it by not handling it.
In "8 Simple Rules..." not only was it managed with dignity befitting a man of John Ritter's stature, it wasn't insulting to the viewer.
The best part of "Goodbye Pt. 1, Pt. 2" was when Cate was walking around while the song "In My Life" was playing. Though it is a Beatles song, it was being sung by Judy Collins and I don't know a better song could have been chosen. (Though I have yet to see this part shown again in syndication) Between the two shows, I believe they ran the gauntlet of emotions for each member of the family, with IMHO the most heart-wrenching being Bridgett and her attempting to resolve within herself her last words to her father being, "I hate you." I also feel Cate had the best lines in the entire show, with her standing, staring, at her wedding photograph, talking to Paul. Her anger towards him for breaking his promise to be there forever really got to me. When married, you always expect the other person to be there for you. When they're not, you become angry. And then you get more angry when you come to the realization you'll never have the opportunity to express that anger. Then life becomes much more unfair...
How sad was it when Rory, unthinking, went to make a bowl of cereal before realizing there was no milk (which was the errand Paul was on when he collapsed in the grocery store)and then remembering it was the missing milk that started all this in the first place.
These two shows never fail to start the waterworks for me, no matter how many times I see them. I have seen a number of shows over the years pay tribute to great actors who have died and I can't think of one which affects me as much as this does. The realism of the writing was evident when it came to each family member expressing their grief. It was obvious the writers had each experienced a loss of someone important to them.
These are a must see for anyone who is a John Ritter fan, and even if you aren't when you start watching them, you will be by the time they're done.
In "8 Simple Rules..." not only was it managed with dignity befitting a man of John Ritter's stature, it wasn't insulting to the viewer.
The best part of "Goodbye Pt. 1, Pt. 2" was when Cate was walking around while the song "In My Life" was playing. Though it is a Beatles song, it was being sung by Judy Collins and I don't know a better song could have been chosen. (Though I have yet to see this part shown again in syndication) Between the two shows, I believe they ran the gauntlet of emotions for each member of the family, with IMHO the most heart-wrenching being Bridgett and her attempting to resolve within herself her last words to her father being, "I hate you." I also feel Cate had the best lines in the entire show, with her standing, staring, at her wedding photograph, talking to Paul. Her anger towards him for breaking his promise to be there forever really got to me. When married, you always expect the other person to be there for you. When they're not, you become angry. And then you get more angry when you come to the realization you'll never have the opportunity to express that anger. Then life becomes much more unfair...
How sad was it when Rory, unthinking, went to make a bowl of cereal before realizing there was no milk (which was the errand Paul was on when he collapsed in the grocery store)and then remembering it was the missing milk that started all this in the first place.
These two shows never fail to start the waterworks for me, no matter how many times I see them. I have seen a number of shows over the years pay tribute to great actors who have died and I can't think of one which affects me as much as this does. The realism of the writing was evident when it came to each family member expressing their grief. It was obvious the writers had each experienced a loss of someone important to them.
These are a must see for anyone who is a John Ritter fan, and even if you aren't when you start watching them, you will be by the time they're done.
