Sometime November, your Ninong Steve introduced us to this sitcom called Raising Hope. I used to see it on Jack TV but never really bothered to tune in, thinking it was one of those forgettable shows. The three of us were in his car then, so I started watching anyway.
The pilot episode starts with Jimmy Chance (Lucas Neff), a school dropout, assisting his dad Burt (Garret Dillahunt, from the Sarah Connor Chronicles and Burn Notice) in his pool cleaning and lawn care business. His mom is Virginia (the ridiculously funny Martha Plimpton from the movie Goonies back in the 80s!) and they all live with Virginia's grandmother, Maw Maw (Cloris Leachman). Virginia and Burt are young parents as they had Jimmy in their teens.
Jimmy had a one night stand with Lucy who turns out to be a serial killer. The next time Jimmy sees her is in prison and she's about to give birth to his child. She gets electrocuted eventually and Jimmy decides to keep the baby (named Princess Beyonce by the mom) and convinces his crazy family to help him out with raising her. He names the baby Hope, and that's where the fun begins.
The simple story and the laughs just became too real for me, with the rest of the episode showing Jimmy struggling with Hope's incessant cries, diaper changes and the rest of that crazy aspect of parenthood. Basically reminded me of our first months together :) I didn't go as far as climbing in the crib with you, but I would have if I'd fit. In the last few minutes of the show, Jimmy was about to give up because Hope refused to stop crying that night. Virginia and Burt then burst in the room. Both still with eyes half-open, Virginia started rocking Hope to sleep by singing Danny's Song, with Burt strumming his guitar. The scene changes 25 years back, when Jimmy was still a baby, and a younger Virginia and Burt putting him to sleep with the same lullaby.
What can I say? I had to casually wipe the tear off my cheek lest your daddy (and Ninong Steve) sees it and makes fun of me again. It was the same song that he serenaded me with on our wedding night a year and a half ago (yes he learned the guitar chords for it just because) and it just tugged at my heartstrings. From then on, I was hooked.
I like how it portrays unconventional families in a tongue-in-cheek manner, depicting their struggles and idiosyncrasies hilariously. The characters are simple, well thought of and real - the sometimes-lucid grandma who mistakes Hope's toy food as real, the simple-minded, jealous yet very loving husband in Burt, and the mom who insists on having the perfect family picture everytime - they just work well together. Jimmy himself is a gentle creature who strives to make his life better for Hope. Each episode wraps up with a realization that reminds us of things we usually take for granted in our families, leaving us feeling inspired to make things better ourselves.
It's currently on its third season, and locally being shown on Jack TV and Star World. In time I'll let you watch and I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did.
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