Dinosaurs

You remember Dinosaurs. It was a sitcom. But with dinosaurs. However, no matter how far back it was, it still surprisingly shows many similarities with more modern sitcoms.

The show followed the same formulaic setup that many shows today use as well, with the overweight, lazy father, the responsible, doting mother, and the children, whose character traits are selected at random from some unseen dirty barrel wherever these things are produced.

Looking back on this has the same feel that looking back on other shows did. You get the jokes you didn't get as a kid, while at the same time, you wonder how they slipped some of that stuff in there. Except this is worse. Not only did it hint at subjects such as steroid use and sex, it went from abc to the Disney Channel. The same Disney Channel that's so child friendly it's depressing. And people want to throw a fit about today's television.

Gender, of course, is among many of the real life issues that finds its way into the show. In this episode, for example, the pressure to live up to the 'big and burly' image of a traditional man drive Robby to use "thornoids". Of course, the bicep-boosting mega-drug also raises his level of aggression, causing him to be violent and pushy to those around him.

Though this is the obvious example that shows itself in the episode, there's also another not-so-noticeable one that pops up all the time. Yes, it seems even the females of the classic Dinosaurs have the usual lack of romantic free will. After Robbie drugs himself into a meat pack, he goes and beats up his crush's boyfriend. Of course, as you could probably guess, she goes to the upcoming dance with him, as if she had no choice. In the events leading up to Robbie nearly physically abusing his date, she lets him know that she liked him before he grew muscles, and that she never went out with him before because he "never asked". How convenient. You've managed to work up to an "Aww" moment, while teaching children how exploitable and predictable women are. Thanks a lot.

No really, thanks a lot. Even with the gender slip-ups, this was a great show and should have lasted longer than it did.

Oh, and check 4:30 on the second video. Someone's got a dirty mouth.