On thought-experiments and why they fail.

As we saw, this whole One And Only Potty deal was the end result of Lynn trying to imagine what would happen if, say, there was something the Pattersons needed that they couldn't get to without a lot of inconvenience. As we wait for Annie to come home and whine about the messy house the policemen saw, we come to the first problem I have with arcs like this: the requirement that someone be an imbecile. In the normal course of events, Annie would have brought the thing with her. Forgetting it and complaining about the stupidest things only make sense if she's either stupid OR gunning for John for some reason. Second, we have to deal with John exaggerating how people will react. My guess is that he's still waiting to be called The Potty Dentist instead of the train nut who married the crazy woman. Finally, we have the annoying tendency stupid people have of harrumphing about catching real crooks instead of harassing innocent citizens the police have in the minds of people who don't think that the law actually applies to them.

This imbecile sort of farce is why I like it a lot more when she's nagging people about their bad habits or dredging up her past in order to play the sympathy game. It's less messy looking.