On Bewitched

[Jeff Wrangler]

And even Darrin, who tries to be a suit and fit in with the world, really doesn't. After all, he fell in love with and married Samantha.

But if you hearken back to the pilot episode, Darren didn't know Samantha was a witch when he married her; she didn't tell him until their wedding night. Of course, it didn't matter to him--or, he said it didn't matter, but considering how he tried to make her not use her power, it clearly mattered very much.

I would have considered that sort of revelation after the wedding as grounds for divorce. 

[Front-Ranger]

I think that's the point. Darrin was drawn to Sam because of her uniqueness. If he had known she was a witch, he would have rejected here but because he didn't know, he let his heart lead him on.

[Jeff Wrangler]

I think that's the point. Darrin was drawn to Sam because of her uniqueness. If he had known she was a witch, he would have rejected here but because he didn't know, he let his heart lead him on.

That's an interesting thought. 

[CellarDweller]

I wonder if there was ever an episode where Darrin actually went with his instincts and was true to himself, and how that turned out.

Not sure if this is what you mean, but there was an episode where Darrin found Samantha using witchcraft and made a comment about "may as well tell everyone." and Samantha used her powers to give him a dream as to how it would be if she told the world she was a witch. 

It was called "I Confess"

[Jeff Wrangler]

Not sure if this is what you mean, but there was an episode where Darrin found Samantha using witchcraft and made a comment about "may as well tell everyone." and Samantha used her powers to give him a dream as to how it would be if she told the world she was a witch. 

It was called "I Confess"

I saw that episode not too long ago, sometime this summer.

[serious crayons]

Interesting, Katherine...I'd like to hear more about how you view the subtext.

Oh, you might have missed my earlier comment on that subject:

Mainly, I see it as an allegory with a feminist message, whether deliberate or not. Samantha had powers that she wasn't allowed to use, under orders from the patriarchy, aka Darren. She was obviously smarter than Darren, even magical powers aside, and with her powers way outclassed him in all other skills. Darren forbade her to practice or reveal those superior skills to anyone, and she willingly complied, embracing the role of happy devoted housewife except very occasionally, when required to avert disaster, usually caused by her own relatives.

Bewitched began in 1964, the year after The Feminine Mystique was published. It ended in 1972 -- two years, for perspective, after The Mary Tyler Moore Show debuted. Bewitched, with that premise, could never, ever air today. Whereas in essence TMT is really a less-funny 30 Rock (think about it! you can even see parallels among many of the cast members, though Liz Lemon = Mary + Rhoda).

Even as a child watching Bewitched, I was always baffled that smart, cool, beautiful, magical Samantha would marry (and obey!) dorky dimwitted Darren. I thought her evil twin brunette cousin Sabrina had made the much better lifestyle choice.

[serious crayons]

I would have considered that sort of revelation after the wedding as grounds for divorce. 

You're probably right, if only because Darrin was such a dimwitted dork. The correct answer would be, "You're a what?! That's fantastic!! We'll spend the rest of our lives traveling around the galaxy, having adventures outside of what I've always thought with my quotidian mortal brain were the limits of reality! Quick, conjure us up a bottle of champagne."

Or at least, "Watch out, Larry Tate! From now on, it's McMahon and Stephens!"

[Jeff Wrangler]

You're probably right, if only because Darrin was such a dimwitted dork. The correct answer would be, "You're a what?! That's fantastic!! We'll spend the rest of our lives traveling around the galaxy, having adventures outside of what I've always thought with my quotidian mortal brain were the limits of reality! Quick, conjure us up a bottle of champagne."

Or at least, "Watch out, Larry Tate! From now on, it's McMahon and Stephens!"

Endora was right about Durwood all along. ...

[serious crayons]

Endora was right about Durwood all along. ...

 

Exactly. I always agreed with Endora. These days, she could call him Dorkwood or Dimrod or (if on cable) Dickhead.


Here's some Wikipedia background, which suggests my subtext theory is not completely off-base:

Sol Saks, who received credit as the creator of the show, wrote the pilot of Bewitched, although he was not involved with the show after the pilot. Initially, Danny Arnold, who helped develop the style and tone of the series as well as some of the supporting characters who did not appear in the pilot, like Larry Tate and the Kravitzes, produced and headed writing of the series. Arnold, who wrote on McHale's Navy and other shows, thought of Bewitched essentially as a romantic comedy about a mixed marriage; his episodes kept the magic element to a minimum. One or two magical acts drove the plot, but Samantha often solved problems without magic. Many of the first season's episodes were allegorical, using supernatural situations as metaphors for the problems any young couple would face. Arnold stated that the two main themes of the series were the conflict between a powerful woman and a husband who cannot deal with that power, and the anger of a bride's mother at seeing her daughter marry beneath her. Though the show was a hit right from the beginning, finishing its first year as the number 2 show in the United States, ABC wanted more magic and more farcical plots, causing battles between Arnold and the network.

[serious crayons]

And here's a segment of the Wikipedia entry that supports Lee's subtext analysis:

Some episodes take a backdoor approach to such topics as racism, as seen in the first season episode, "The Witches Are Out", in which Samantha objects to Darrin's demeaning ad portrayal of witches as ugly and deformed. Such stereotypical imagery often causes Endora and other witches to flee the country until November.

Seriously, I recommend anyone interested in this series glance through the whole Wikipedia thread. It's a pretty fascinating look at the way TV shows got made back then -- i.e., in a sort of haphazard, half-assed sort of way.

For example, I don't think I was super aware of any cast changes outside of, obviously, Darrin. (I can vaguely remember a change in the Kravitz household.) But apparently there were tons more of them. And Uncle Arthur and Dr. Bombay played guest roles as mortals early in the series! That would certainly be confusing for anyone watching in syndication in mixed order.

Wikipedia also mentions the house, which was apparently modeled after a Gidget set, and cameoed in various other series.