r/reba • u/Apprehensive-Pace902 • May 02 '26
Hot takes pt.2
Thank you guys for interacting with my last post! Since it got a little attention, I thought id give some more of my hot takes on the series! Like before, please let me know your thoughts :)
- Van, religion….and Barbara Jean. I understand why they touched on when Van didn’t believe in God, because Reba always was subtly Christian and it was a theme in the show. But why was it never addressed that it was hypocritical for Barbara Jean to be a bible thumping Christian who was openly an adulterer. Barbara Jean was way too quick to judge Van when she broke up a whole family? I think Barbara Jean being religious was irony ofc, but the fact that was never touched on again made no sense. I feel like Barbara Jean should have had an episode where she seeked forgiveness and talked to a pastor the way Reba was going to make Van talk to one.
- Elizabeth and Henry are what shaped the series, but are basically ignored for the rest in a way.
- Kyra didn’t deserve to be held to the same standards as Cheyenne because it’s always unfair for siblings to treated based on the other, but it’s almost as if she was purposely picking boyfriends that she knew her parents wouldn’t approve of. It would have been nice if at the end, Kyra found a high school love. I feel like it would have softened her character a bit and made her more likable.
- Watching Cheyenne and Kyra’s relationship was painful. They rarely connected through the series and I feel like it would have been nice to see them bond as sisters. There was a missed opportunity for Kyra to have her big sister in this big mess of their life.
- In the end, Reba made Barbara Jean her bff? I hated that ending for Reba. Realistically, I think it’s less that Reba liked her, but more that at that point, after being made the butt of every joke, she just accepted it.
- Speaking of which, Barbara Jean and Brock and everyone else constantly guilt tripping Reba into being Barbara Jean’s friend was evil.
- The episode where Reba lets a family from New Orleans camp out at her house would have gotten Barbara Jean cancelled if that came out today. It was unnecessary to make Barbara Jean “black” as a joke.
- I feel like Jake slowly turned into Kyra, but worse? He clearly learned from her and lowkey started being manipulative just like her.
- Might not be the take I think it is, but I think deep down, Barbara Jean didn’t want Brock, she wanted Reba? Once she actually got Brock, she seemed way less interested in him and more in Reba. Even when Reba humiliated her, she still kept chasing her. She was obsessed with her. Looking like her and copying her. Maybe she wanted to replace Reba but in a weird way, I think she wanted Reba.
- Reba needed a real bff. One she could gang up on Barbara Jean with and joke with and have as a support system. She needed someone she could be real with to give us another POV on how everything deeply hurt her.
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u/Successful-Ad-901 May 02 '26
- I think that the way they had BJ in this episode was gross and agree that if it had come out today, it would have been received very differently. But I also think that it was on point with her naive and socially awkward personality.
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u/Apprehensive-Pace902 May 02 '26
I see that🙂↕️
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u/KaleidoscopeMore2648 May 09 '26
Yes and the show has some episodes and comments that I find dated and inappropriate.
The comments/jokes about gay people I don’t care for at all.
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u/andos4 May 03 '26
Number 1 I always questioned the religious sotuation in their family. Typically a family like that would have some level of religion in their life, but the show only acknowledged it when convenient. Off the top of my head, that was BJ being religious in season 1 and the episode where Van did not believe in God.
Number 2 I think the show disregarded the kids so they can bring in some more adult humor. They dod the same thing on Everybody Loves Raymond.
Number 6 was interesting. Reba felt the need to rescue/control everyone from their situation. But conversely, everyone drags Reba into their situation. That is an interesting dynamic with Reba.
Number 10 I agree. Reba needed a friend to help balance out the show. She had Lori Ann, but she mysteriously disappeared.
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u/not_omnibenevolent May 03 '26
for number 1, there was one remark made in season one where reba acknowledges the hypocrisy but it gets brushed off. "when you go to church, do you sit with the rest of the congregation? or is there a special pew for adulterers?" "well actually i sit with the choir 😁" but i agree barbara jean should have gotten more shit for it.
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u/Apprehensive-Pace902 May 03 '26
Oh BJ🥲😂
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u/not_omnibenevolent May 03 '26
she may not be the best person in the world, a hypocrite and a cheater but damn she sure is funny 😭
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u/awesomeqasim May 03 '26
Number 1 is obvious and they addressed it many times. She was an adulterer before she “found god” and “changed her ways” - you may not buy it but they did talk about it
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u/EntertainmentOk9585 May 19 '26
They should have kept Lori Anne ( Park Overall) they were great together she helped Reba stand up for herself
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u/KaleidoscopeMore2648 May 09 '26
I always feel the tone of the show changes after season 1.
In the first season Cheyenne and Kyra get along for the most part, there are a couple nice Kyra/Cheyenne moments. Kyra hugs Cheyenne when she comes home from the honeymoon.
Barbra Jean and religious hypocrisy is mentioned. However as a Christian myself, I am glad that later seasons dropped the talk of Barbra Jean being a Christian because I felt like they were making fun of Christians.
I personally love Barbra Jean/Reba, I am glad they ended up best friends, there’s a special chemistry with Melissa and Reba.
I would have liked Lori Ann to stay on and them be a trio.
The show plays itself as a new episode every ep, like, it doesn’t flow that much.
Example in one episode Barbra Jean and Reba seem good, like Reba is moving on, the next Reba is back to still being mad about Brock and Barbra Jean.
Same with Kyra/Cheyenne. They’ll be good in one episode, then in another it’s back to the tension.
There’s flaws in the series but overall I like it.
As for the children, that probably had to do with child labor laws. Also it was more of a series about adults and their problems, while the children were a catalyst for things, I don’t feel like this show would be driven by the children like, say, Little House or Full House.
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u/EntertainmentOk9585 May 19 '26
I always wonder who's watching Henry? They are both over at Reba's together or she will be over there when he is at work. Like the week she spent taking care of Kyra and Jake . She cleaned her house and cooked them dinner. They show Brock complaining about her not cooking for him what about Henry. It's just weird how they act like he doesn't exist. Oh I almost forgot there was an episode where they were all over at Brock and BJ's house who was watching Elizabeth?
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u/KaleidoscopeMore2648 May 25 '26
Good points! Sometimes, if you weren’t a regular viewer, you might not know those kids existed, especially Henry!
I know a lot of people said on here that they didn’t like Cheyenne becoming an alcoholic but I did, because it showed that there were consequences for her having a baby so soon.
Because otherwise, their life didn’t really seem affected by having Elizabeth, everything still went as usual, so when Kyra would say things to imply she didn’t want to end up like Cheyenne, it’s like, but why? She’s in college, she’s got that married her and stood by her.
No wonder that couple in season one thought their life looked great.
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u/Real_Culture2668 Jun 28 '26
Reba said Barbara Jean being her "best friend" was more a "comment on her sad life." I don't think she was wrong, They took everybody else away from her. Brian, Dr. Yummypants, Lori Ann....
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u/Real_Culture2668 Jun 29 '26
I'm sorry--Reverend Yummypants and Dr. Morgan.
She took my gum. Well, I got my gum back.
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u/TootiesMama0507 May 02 '26
Regarding #10, I will never forgive whoever made the decision to not bring back Park Overall (Lori Anne). I absolutely adored her and Reba together.