MovieChat Forums > The Stepford Wives (1975) Discussion > Huge problems with this idea (SPOILERS)

Huge problems with this idea (SPOILERS)

posted 10 years ago by successor13326
4 replies | jump to latest

Wouldn't the children notice that their mothers have radically changed in their behavior patterns? Kids aren't stupid, and they can tell when a parent isn't acting right. So unless they're babies, how could the men get away with it? Are they going to kill their kids too and replace them with Stepford Children?

Further, the whole lack of blood issue. Since they don't bleed, what happens if they get hurt out in public or in an accident? I think other citizens and EMTs are bound to notice a lack of blood coming from their injuries. So unless they keep their families in Stepford forever, there's going to be a lot of problems keeping a lid on the conspiracy. Heck, even keeping them still would cause a lot of problems.

I know the premise was meant to be tongue-in-cheek and satirical, but it has too many problems to suspend one's disbelief.

[–] fiatlux-1 10 years ago

At first, I thought that too about the kids noticing.

But honestly, the kids are rather young (none are teenagers) & kids are very adaptable & accepting.
They also tend to have short memories & even shorter attention spans than, say, they were teenagers or adult children.

The moms would just have to act 'enough' like they did before, which apparently is the case since many people are fooled. On a side note, notice that most of these wives have deceased parents OR parents that live far away.

In the novel, Joanna's mom was extremely traditional and constantly pestered Joanna to be more domestic and more LIKE the wives of Stepford! She would likely assume Joanna finally settled in & finally 'acted like she should'.

Kids are all about needs & wants. They now have a mom who is always smiling & happy, always make delicious dinners & treats, and is always there if they need them.

As for the townspeople, 99% of them are either robots or IN on the deception.
Even the Police Chief was one of the bad guys!

"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."

[–] fiatlux-1 10 years ago

As for blood, its possible the creators of the robots put some kind of 'thick liquid' under the fake skin.
After all, they are able to make skin that presumably looks & FEELS like human skin.
So why not a viscous red substance like blood?

In the film, when there was an minor car accident involving the robots...mysterious "EMTs" appeared & whisked them away.
Even Joanna noticed that they drove in the opposite direction of Stepford Hospital. They took them to the Men's Association House for repair.

"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."

[–] successor13326 10 years ago

If you'll recall, when the Bobbie robot gets stabbed, there's no blood on her dress or the blade. And Joanna cuts her finger to prove she can bleed and is still human.

Also, after the stabbing, the Bobbie robot keeps walking around, repeating the same phrase and dropping cups. So unless the Men in Black are around to neuralize everybody in the nearby area, someone is bound to notice the odd behavior sooner or later.

Given all the inherent problems with the idea, the family couldn't go on a cross country vacation or do much of anything except stay in Stepford and live out an easily-foiled charade. Like I said, the premise is just too absurd to accept.

[–] fiatlux-1 10 years ago

But that's the thing: There are almost NO 'non-baddies' in the town of Stepford at any given time!
Its extremely extremely insular. The only people not in on it are basically the new family (or two) in town.
So if a malfunction occurs (such as when Nanette Newman kept saying "I'll just die if I don't get this recipe' over & over, it would arouse few suspicions because few good-guys are there to see it.

"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."