Foobocaust Three: Watch on the Pattermanse.

My post on the custody battle assumes, of course, that the Patterson family would actually fight back. The same impulse that led John to stand around moaning "Why? Why?" after vandals smashed his train display years ago is the same one that made Laurence phone the cops on Howard 'Erk' Bunt after Liz's near-assult: the Patersons respond poorly in times of crisis. The same trauma that would galvanize the Sobinskis into angry, purposeful action would leave the surviving Core Three debilitated and passive. They'd need to be almost seduced into joining in anything remotely like a wrongful death suit, let alone fight for custody. The only ones who wouldn't completely collapse under the weight of this would be April, Jim and Iris. We wouldn't be going through this silly arc with the Continental, would we? She'd drop him and his silly garage band like the bad habit they are. Who knows? She might even realize Jeff's claims to hold Becky's V-card are suspect.