the misogynistic response to tabitha's character since day one of this show has always been a thorn in my side because of how deeply i love her. viewers absolutely despise her as a complex female character who happens to also be a mother, but that she isn't just a picture perfect loving mom figure occasionally giving her husband or the leading men props and cooking up meals. tabitha is a driven and curious character who drives the plot forward, who investigates the oddities of the town with the fervor of a mad scientist, she's brave and ventures into places other characters wouldn't touch for fear of death.
her and her husband are basically divorcees stuck living together in this nightmare town with their young children trying to process everything and protect their family. and because tabitha isn't just a perfect, easy female lead (because she is a mother), everyone loves to hate on her. she is shrill, stupid, annoying, a bad mom. they harp on the actress constantly as well who is doing an amazing job, they just hate everything about her. and it's literally always tied to her being a mother. i wonder what the reaction to her would be if she wasn't the mother of the matthews family, if she was just a donna or a kristi who was already in town. audiences literally are incapable of taking her as a serious complex leading woman because she is also a mom. that completely brainwashes these people into thinking everything she does has to adhere perfectly under a list of things "all good moms do and should be" in their heads. a mother character is not brave, curious, and tenacious. they are certainly not leading a horror story where her focus is not constantly on her children, thats obviously absurd. boo, go make dinner and sit inside your haunted house all day. what are you, a complex leading woman? boring!




















