July 12, 2014

Communicating and Collaborating

               This week’s assignment deals with watching a television sitcom nonverbally and assuming what is happening on the show. Later, watching the same show with sound to determine how well I interpreted what was happening. The title of the sitcom is “Liv and Maddie.” The show is about a family of six people, including a dad, mom, two brothers and two sisters. It started off with daddy coming down the stairs to the kitchen talking to the wife asking her for breakfast but the mother is faking as though she is sick. She has her head hanging over the sink with a towel on top, because she is tired of cooking for the father; therefore, she makes a fuss about it. He turns around looking very disappointed with the wife’s comments. He then moves to the kitchen dining room table and talks to the daughter and begins to fuss at her about always waiting until the last minute to do homework for school because it is time to go to school.

I assumed this because all of the children have their book bags out. Next the daddy goes into the living room and starts talking to the eldest son about playing a computer game and talking on the phone at the same time. He also tells the son it is time to go to school; therefore, he tells him to stop playing the game and hang the phone up. But he doesn't; therefore, the dad walks over and turns the television off. He then takes the headphones off his son’s ears. He also tells him that he needs to get out more and meet friends.

              Eventually, the son tells his dad that he has friends and gets up to go to school. But when the son opens the door a girl with a crush on him is standing there with her book bag ready to go to school with him. Before, she can turn around the eldest son walks out of the door. She then went up stairs to the youngest sister’s bedroom. Next the show takes us back to the kitchen with the mom and the oldest daughter and they are laughing. It appears that they are laughing about how they tricked the father. The mom has a Kleenex cover pretending that she needs them to wipe her nose or to sneeze; therefore, she has a cough but actually it is décor because under it is ice cream.

The dad carries the eldest son to school, but while on the way in the car the son begins texting on his phone and the dad is irritated. He then snatches the cell phone out of the son’s hand. As soon as the dad does that blue lights appear behind him and it's a cop. He throws his hands up in the air. The policeman gets out of his car with his ticket book and begins to write the dad a ticket. I assumed that the policeman is writing him a ticket for texting and driving. I can't tell what the policeman is saying because he is not facing the dad but the dad recognized the policeman and they start talking and laughing. Next the dad and the son get in the car with the policeman. I don't have any idea why they did that. At the end of the show the dad and son have enjoyed themselves greatly. As for the mom she smiles and telling the oldest daughter what great fun she had also. 

When I turned the sound on, I realized that I had not done a poor job of making assumptions. What I had watched on television without sound really didn’t happen. Actually, the mom was pretending to be sick but not for the reason I thought. She was pretending to be sick because she didn't want to go out to dinner with the dad to an old childhood restaurant called Pastrime Place, which was closing down. They had previously been there four times already. She really wanted to stay home and watch a love movie on television that particular night. When the dad was talking to the daughter he was asking her to join him but she turned his invitation down as well. Next he went into the living room and invited the oldest son but in the beginning he rejected also by saying "nothing will make me go to that restaurant with you in this world." And, yes I was right the son was playing a game and on the phone at the same time.

Also, the dad was talking to him about not going out and making friends but it was not a school day as I stated early. Actually it was in the evening time. The son does get up and answer the door and it is the want-to-be girlfriend to see him but not to escort him to school. He then changes his mind about going out with the daddy and tells the young lady that I have plans tonight with my dad. She then goes upstairs to see the youngest sister in her bedroom. Next the daddy and son get in the car on their way to the restaurant. Then the show moves to the kitchen with the mom and daughter laughing how mom out smarted the dad because the daughter actually knows it because she’s a former actress.

Then the show goes back to the dad and son and the son is texting, then the dad snatches the cell phone out of his hand and once he does that the policeman thinks the man is texting and starts writing him a ticket. I was right about that and that the dad knows the police officer. They start talking about old times and the father tells the policeman that they were headed to their childhood restaurant. Next the policeman invited them to ride in the police car and yes they all had a marvelous time. Also, the mother enjoyed her stay at home watching the movie along.