8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenager Daughter will be one of those hidden gems of television; a fantastic show with poignant stories that, unfortunately, will never be discovered by most television viewers. I have never been a big fan of sitcoms with laugh tracks but this quickly become one of the few shows that made me laugh heartedly along.
Then came the death of John Ritter.
I don't believe I have ever cried as much as when I watched the episode "Goodbye", the tragic episode that incorporated Ritter's untimely death into the Hennessy family. It was so emotionally horrible. There were several times when I got so caught up in the show that I would forget about the real-life death and wonder why they weren't using new scenes as flashbacks. But then awareness came crashing back and I would realize that they couldn't, that Ritter himself had died, and a new wave of tears started to flow.
But looking at that time, I think that the show handled his death admirably, even amazingly. Never (that I can think of) has television handled this agonizing subject matter, the early death of a parent and a spouse, so well. While Buffy's episode "The Body" too reflects the rawness, 8 Simple Rules showed both that sorrow continues beyond just one day and that laughter will return. I hope that I will never experience this loss for a long long time, but 8 Simple Rules gave me hope, even if it were to occur.
Finally, the additions of David Spade as Cate's nephew and James Garner as Cate's father were brilliant casting choices. David Spade has aged well in his comedic talent and so his never-grown-up act, while once the speciality of also-deceased comic legend Chris Farley, works well in the Hennessy family dynamic with CJ's own bildungsroman. And Grandfather Jim (James Garner) tries his damndest to become the rock that Paul was while still preserving his memory.
And so ... these are most of my reflections on 8 Simple Rules. Too bad this fantastic show's emotional well had to come from the sacrifice of the comedic legend John Ritter. R.I.P. Mr. Ritter.
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Soapbox Article by Cressida Hanson
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