Reality television shows are sometimes a guilty pleasure. Even though we know shows such as "Honey Boo-Boo" and "The Jersey Shore" are not "real," we are still captivated.
However, other reality shows, such as "The Governor's Wife," are a waste of time.
The show revolves around an ex-con and past governor of Louisiana, Edwin Edwards, who is married to Trina Edwards. The new series plays off an 85-year-old man married to a woman who is 51 years his junior. He grew up during the Great Depression; she was not even born yet. The show's main focus is their challenges as a "unique" couple.
The first episode, titled "Happy Birthday, Mr. Governor," has Trina planning her husband's birthday party, and her idea is to surprise him by popping out of a birthday cake. The married couple also discuss having a baby, using Edward's 20-year-old frozen sperm.
The only entertaining aspect of this show is Edwin's opinionated and fierce daughters, Victoria and Ana, who are in their 60s. Their opinions, especially Victoria's point of view on her father's wife, are worth hearing. She calls her stepmother a "trollop" and does not appreciate that she probably married her father for his wealth. Her brooding looks and rude criticism of Trina are over-the-top, likely because of her past career in entertainment. Ana is less openly and brutally honest and interacts with her stepmother more.
Trina also has two teenagers, Trevor and Logan, from her previous marriage. Their relationship with their new stepsisters is interesting. Even with four children, Trina's desire to be pregnant creates conflict with her stepdaughters as well as questions with her husband in the second episode, "If You First Don't Succeed." The married couple worries how this child father might no longer be around for graduation from high school or college.
But in the end, as Edwin said, "You are only as young as the woman you feel."
Nisha Desai can be reached at nisha.desai@student.shu.edu
