Family (TV Series) When the Bough Breaks (1980) User Reviews

Dominique Dunne

[spcneeedle · 7/10 · 3 August 2023]

Kate finds out she is pregnant. Buddy overhears, and goes into full panic mode due to Kate's age, and also because Buddy. In the meantime, an impulsive 17 year old friend of Buddy's decides she wants to lose her virginity, and selects unsuspecting Willie. Somewhat cringeworthy 40+ years later, it's still fun to watch mostly because of Dominique Dunne, who two years later would appear in the movie Poltergeist - and three years later, would be strangled to death by her boyfriend. We can only imagine the career she would have gone on to have.

There is also a poignant scene where Kate and Nancy discuss the original Timmy, who died in a boating accident ten years prior.

Will Willie do it? Will Doug and Kate regret having done it? Watch and see.

Miracles Do Happen

[bootheduke · 5/10 · 26 February 2022]

This is an episode that should have happened earlier in the series. Doug and Kate have already been established as being in their 50s, but now that there is a pregnancy storyline, they have mysteriously reverted to being 'over 40'. Quite predictably, Doug and Buddy act like total jerks about the whole thing. Doug gets mad that Kate didn't share the news with him the moment she found out, even though just a few episodes ago, he tried to hide that may have had a heart attack. But the real miracle of this episode, is that a young woman throws herself at Willie...and he turns her down. This is unprecedented territory for Willie, who usually becomes obsessed with any female who gives him the time of day. The enamoured girl, played by the tragic Dominique Dunne, even likes his dreadful beard. I'm not sure what happened to Rachel, the girlfriend he had over Christmas, but I'm guessing that like the rest of his women, she has gone into the witness protection program to get away from him.

Ridiculous storyline

[berpatcormier-1 · 1/10 · 26 June 2023]

My main complaint about this series is how every season they kept adding a few years of age to both Wllie and Nancy (I suppose to be able to do a particular storyline) although Buddy's age stayed consistent. In a few episodes before this one Kate talks about meeting Doug in college. And the previous episode Nancy was suddenly 29 (and in the same episode says she's 30). Therefore Kate has to be at least 50. Doug says when the baby is 10 they will be 60. I'm sorry, although I'm sure there might be a VERY rare instance of a woman getting pregnant naturally over 50, this storyline was ridiculous. I kept wondering why she was even telling anyone when I knew even if it was possible to get pregnant she would most likely have a miscarriage before 12 weeks, and lo and behold (surprise surprise) that happens.