Line #13 TearJerker/FamilyMatters


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2022_01_21_15607_pm.png]]
2	''[[caption-width-right:350:"Daddy..."]]''
3	Tearjerking moments in ''Series/FamilyMatters''.
4
5	* Carl visits the grave of an innocent man who was killed during a hostage situation one year prior. He feels it was his fault because he couldn't do anything to save the man and as the episode progressed, he was taking all of his frustrations and anger out on the family and people around him. While he's at the gravesite and apologizing his heart out, the late man's wife arrives and forgives him as they comfort each other.
6	-->'''Harriette:''' It wasn't your fault.
7	-->'''Carl:''' I know that up here...''(points to head)''...but not down here ''(points to heart)''.
8	** The man's widow explaining to Carl that she understands how he feels; on the night of her husband's death, she had playfully pestered him about having a craving for ice cream, and after feigning a complaint, he decided to go anyway. Then, the hostage situation happened. She spent much of that year afterward [[ItsAllMyFault blaming herself]], believing that if she hadn't asked him to go to the store that night, he wouldn't have died.
9	--->'''Widow:''' And so, he walked out the door, cursed at the dog for chewing on his hat... and left my life forever...
10	* Harriette and Rachel reunite with their [[DisappearedDad father]], after the reveal that they’ve been told by their mother that he died in combat during the Korean War, when in reality wanted to spare them the pain of the knowledge that he ran out on them. Rachel is alright seeing her dad because she was so young before he left, but Harriette got to bond with him a lot more, so she's heartbroken and hurt that her daddy would lie and abandon her and her sister as children. He then reassures his girls that he ''never'' stopped loving them while they were apart, and proves it by showing Harriette his most precious keepsake: a Valentine's Day card that she made for him when she was three. But Harriette is still hurt over her father still abandoning her and her sister when they both needed him for most of their life, but her father reassure her that he IS here for them now.
11	-->'''Harriette:''' "Happy Valentine's Day Daddy." "D-A-D-Y". "I'll love you always."\
12	'''Jimmy:''' Always.\
13	'''Harriette:''' Well it's nice that you kept that, but the bottom line is you weren't there when we needed you!\
14	'''Jimmy:''' I'm here now. And I want to be a part of your lives. That's all I'm asking you, please, will you let me?\
15	'''Harriette:''' I don't know if I can...\
16	'''Rachel:''' We could try.\
17	'''Harriette:''' ''({{Beat}})'' We could try.\
18	''(Jimmy approaches Rachel for a hug; Harriette tearfully follows suit.)''\
19	'''Harriette:''' ''Daddy...''\
20	''(We end on Jimmy and his daughters wrapped in a warm embrace. A long lost father and his little girls, together again at last. Fade to black.)''
21	* Laura finding out that her campaign for a Black History class is only fanning the flames of hatred.
22	** A note in Laura's open locker: "If you want black history, go back to Africa."
23	*** Steve's reaction. He gives a FlatWhat and takes the note. [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness Understandably]] [[TranquilFury angry]], he crumples it up and throws it down to the floor. And someone spray-painted "nigger" on Laura's locker door, much to her, Steve and the witnessing students' shock.
24	** Plus, Carl and Harriette's discussion of racism and this whole predicament.
25	--->'''Carl:''' How is she?
26	--->'''Harriette:''' She didn't touch her food.
27	--->'''Carl:''' Harriette, just what are they teaching at that school? Their own version of the Three R's? Reading, Writing and Racism?!
28	--->'''Harriette:''' Carl, you know it's not the school's fault.
29	--->'''Carl:''' Is she still crying?
30	--->'''Harriette:''' Every time she stops, she starts all over again.
31	--->'''Carl:''' ''(slams his hand on the mantel)'' Damn it!
32	--->'''Harriette:''' Carl...
33	--->'''Carl:''' Harriette, I feel so helpless! My daughter's been hurt and I can't do a thing about it! I can't even tell her it won't happen again!
34	--->'''Harriette:''' I had to deal with the same thing growing up, but I always hoped it would be different for our kids.
35	--->'''Carl:''' Come on Harriette. The people that did this to us are teaching that same garbage to ''their'' kids.
36	--->'''Harriette:''' Carl. I'm up in Laura's room, and she looks up at me with those big eyes and she asks, "Why, Mom? Why would someone do this to me?" And I remember what my mother told me when I asked that question, "Some people are ignorant. They're afraid. They hate anything that's different from them."
37	--->'''Carl:''' What did she say?
38	--->'''Harriette:''' All she does is look at me and ask, "But ''why'', Mom?"
39	*** It gets worse the next day. Black and white kids are calling each other names, taking sides and getting into fights; Laura wishes she never started the petition to begin with. In order to help Laura through this, Estelle tells her a touching story of when she was growing up. She loved to read, but could not use the town library because it was for whites only. Estelle explains that the first time she tried to go in, the librarian- someone she knew personally- pushed her into the street and told her to never come back. She went back every day for six months- enduring staring, name-calling, and spitting- until one rainy day, the librarian shook his head and [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome handed her a library card.]]
40	---->'''Estelle:''' And, from that day forward, ''everyone'' could use that library.
41	* Waldo's defeated, repeated, "Aw, gee," when Maxine mistakes Eddie's messing around to mean that Waldo is too, and you see how broken up he is when he thinks the girl he loves hates him.
42	** Good thing they get back together thanks to the two girls who Eddie invited over helping to clear things up. You even find yourself cheering when the girls become disgusted by Eddie's unsympathetic attitude.
43	* Any interaction wherein one of the Winslows tell Steve off or otherwise finally exhaust his ability to take their shunning. The sleepwalking episode gets special mention because Steve needed a hypnotist to get to the bottom of things.
44	** This also applies to any time someone calls Waldo an idiot or otherwise seriously dents his self-esteem.
45	* In "Good Cop, Bad Cop", [[PapaWolf Carl]] has a confrontation with a racist officer who pulled Eddie over because he was a black teenager in a white neighborhood. After the cop leaves, Carl has a chat with the man's rookie partner:
46	-->'''Carl:''' You like being a cop?\
47	'''Officer Carmichael:''' Yes, sir.\
48	'''Carl:''' Why? It's a very dangerous job, you put your life on the line every day, and you never get credit for it.\
49	'''Officer Carmichael:''' Yeah, well, I just thought I'd make a difference, you know? Good guys against bad guys.\
50	'''Carl:''' Well, that's a very good reason. Just one problem, son: your partner is one of the bad guys.
51	** Then there's Eddie's reaction earlier. When he tells his father what happened, Carl initially thinks [[CassandraTruth it's just another excuse]] [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone until he finds out the truth for himself.]]
52	--->'''Eddie:''' You know, I thought this was the worst moment of my life, but I was wrong! Having your own father not believe you is even worse!
53	* Laura Urkel in "It's Beginning To Look a lot Like Urkel". You can't help but sympathize with her for happening at ''Christmas'' and being rejected once and for all so cruelly by Steve, who has switched places with her due to an angel giving her a taste of what it's like to be him.
54	-->'''Laura''': I'll go, but I'll never stop loving you. ''walks out the door'' Goodbye, forever.
55	-->'''Steve''': Goodbye, and good riddance!
56	-->''door slams and a bunch of snow falls on her head, as she stands outside looking like she's about to cry''
57	* The episode where Laura's date, Ted, allows everyone to believe that they had sex (his friends had spread the rumors after assuming they had, and though he refused to confirm it, he didn't step up to stop them or tell everyone the truth). Made even worse it you ever had your reputation ruined because of a lie, especially if it came from someone you thought you could trust, like Laura did. Harriet even found her crying on the back porch about it. It's also has traces of being SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome and SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments due to Steve telling her about it after he overheard Ted talking with his buddies and trying to stop it (and her not believing him) and Eddie [[BigBrotherInstinct threatening to beat him up]] if he didn't retract the rumor.
58	* Carl accidentally being electrocuted while trying to fix a lamp, which also doubles as NightmareFuel. Luckily, Steve was there and knew CPR, which saved him. In addition, it was one of the few episodes where everything was completely serious, with little to no laughs.
59	** After this, Eddie and Laura have a discussion about how they felt when it happened and realize the horrible possibility that their dad could have died before their eyes because they didn't know what to do. When Steve comes in moments later, Laura gives him a sincere hug and tearfully says, "Thanks for saving my daddy."
60	* "The Gun" features a realistic look at bullying and guns, as Laura is beat up by a female bully and her friends for her jacket and another girl ends up being ''shot'' because [[DisproportionateRetribution she refused to give the bully her shoes]]. Even worse, Maxine is comforting the traumatized girl and crying as she holds her and tries to stop the blood loss from her arm, asking her "Why didn't you just give her the stupid shoes?!" while Steve calls out for someone to call an ambulance. And the worst of it all? Laura was ''seconds away'' from purchasing a gun (for self-defense) from a sleazy student before the girl was attacked.
61	** Carl and Harriet's talk afterward, with both of them realizing that their kids' generation now has a lot worse to worry about than they did at that age.
62	* While almost always played for laughs, any talk of Steve's home life is quite sad. For all the complaints from the Winslows, they at least like him when he's not causing trouble and can get along with him; his unseen parents not so much. They charge him rent, constantly avoid him, don't feed him every day, and only seem to tolerate him because they're legally required to. In the hyponotism episode mentioned above, Steve recalls his birth and that his father tried to push him ''back into the womb''. While they didn't move to Russia just to get away from him, they clearly didn't mind that he chose to stay behind. No wonder the guy is so screwed up.
63	** In "Par for the Course", Laura is angry with Harriette for showing up at a party she was attending (in her robe and hair curlers) to take her home when she didn't return by curfew. She tells Maxine she's lucky her mother doesn't butt into her life. Maxine, however, chews out Laura, telling her that ''she's'' the lucky one. Maxine didn't come home until 3:00 a.m, but [[ParentalNeglect no one waited for her or asked why she was late. No one cared]]. As she leaves, Maxine tearfully tells Laura she should appreciate the fact that her mother cares and that she (Maxine) would trade places with her in a second.
64	* In the b-story to "Wedding Bell Blues," Laura is upset when Carl and Harriette won't let her go to a Seal concert in Talieto for one night with her friends, whom Carl and Harriet have known for years, yet they're going to let Eddie go on a rafting trip in ''Canada'' for ''four days'' with a bunch of friends Carl and Harriet don't even know. When Laura asks why she's being treated differently, Carl flat out says that it's because "[[DoubleStandard Eddie's a boy and she's a girl]]," which Laura does not take well. Carl then tries to tell Laura that they're just worried about all of the "kooks, crazies, and weirdos" out there who like to take advantage of young girls, but it doesn't seem to calm Laura down. She then angrily tells her parents that she's "sorry she wasn't born a boy" and storms off to her room.
65	** Luckily, at the end of the episode, Harriett apologizes to Laura for being unfair and lets her go to the concert, as long as she brings a cellphone with her.
66	* In the episode about the quilt, Estelle is heartbroken when she learns Laura sold the family's generational quilt for $200, ignorant of its meaning. The mere tone of her voice as she explains this to Laura is heartbreaking. That Estelle is usually a cheerful and witty character makes it hit that much harder.
67	* In "Twinkle Toes Faldo", Laura finally gets accepted into Harvard University, but is heartbroken when she overhears her parents talking about how they won't be able to afford the tuition (their income is too high for financial aid, and too low to qualify for a loan). What follows is a long, single shot of Laura breaking down in tears in real time, before she musters up the strength to tell her parents that she won't be going. It's definitely one of Kellie Shanygne Williams's best performances in the series.
68	** Keep in mind that it was established all the way back in the first season that Harvard was Laura’s dream college. It was a goal that she was working towards since she was ''thirteen'', and when she finally reaches it as an adult, she’s unable to go.
69	* Triples with Awesome and Heartwarming. In "Tips For A Better Life", Carl and Eddie have it out when the former discovers that the latter has been coming home drunk from frat parties (particularly since Eddie isn't 21 yet), with Carl warning his son that if he's caught drinking underage again, he'll be thrown out of the house. When Eddie ignores this warning a couple of weeks later, and Waldo has to bring him home drunk from another party, Carl catches them, and true to his word, tells Eddie that once he sobers up, he has until the end of the week to get packed up and find a new place. Eddie initially intends to move in with Waldo, but at the last minute, Waldo changes his mind, citing that Eddie becomes mean when he drinks and had insulted and hurt him the previous night while drunk, and cuts off their friendship until Eddie stops drinking for good. Eddie is then forced to consider moving into his fraternity's house, but somberly comes to realize and lament over what his drinking has cost him (his place at his family home and his friendship with Waldo). Carl, who had overheard everything, sympathizes with him admitting that most people with drinking problems usually don't realize the damage their problems do until it's too late.
70	** Luckily, Eddie gets the message and vows to never drink again even under temptation, and Carl opts to give him another chance and let him stay at home again (and Eddie presumably patches things up with Waldo off-screen).
71	* In "Wedding Bell Blues", Mr. Looney prepares to wed the love of his life, Sharon. However, in a particularly cruel twist, the wedding organist recognizes Sharon as an old flame, and takes her out to coffee ''in the middle of the ceremony'', leaving Looney alone at the altar. The poor man is so heartbroken that he climbs to the bell tower to jump off, the only instance in the show where a character is nearly DrivenToSuicide. Thankfully, Steve and Carl are able to intervene.
72	* "We're Going to Disney World" (part 2) has Myra losing Steve, now as Stefan as a part of his experiment, to Laura after he proposes to her. Even if parts of the scene where she senses something is wrong with Steve are PlayedForLaughs (such as her bedroom covered in pictures of him and her mother being shocked that she's ''[[ThePollyanna unhappy]]''), you could feel her pain at the betrayal. Making it even sadder was after she told the newly-engaged couple off and [[RunningAwayToCry heads off in tears,]] she's immediately consoled by an actor in a Winnie the Pooh costume.

Context TearJerker / FamilyMatters