Trading spouses was a show that I used to watch, and enjoyed quite well when it first came out. I was young, and didn’t care much about any particulars, as long as it’s interesting. Now, after I’ve watched the episode, I cringe (and also laugh at the notion that this actually happened.

Why do I cringe, well some of the things are presented in a way that just makes it seem too “out there”. To outsiders, it really may be strange to them, unless you have some background information. Namely, I am familiar with some Jewish practices, so the fact that they don’t use electricity on one day, or that they separate everything dealing with food, does not surprise me. As a film studies major, I realized that editing made something that I was familiar with suddenly become over the top.

The same somewhat happened with the other family’s practices. While their religious practices don’t get much focus as the Jewish practices, the times anything related to it seem heavily forced. The hunting scene also seemed to be a bit much, but upon reading some guidelines regarding raccoon hunting, they were within them. It’s just that the scene was edited in a way that made it seem terrible. One such note was that the cries of the raccoon was clear and loud, almost as if they specifically sought out the sound itself.

Sound, as well as how scenes are cut together makes a different story depends on what music or sound effects are used, and also the order of where the cuts are placed. Dramatic or tense music will paint the scene to play out that way.

Aside from the way things were presented through editing, one thing really stood out through it all. I find it very coincidental that the Rabbi happened to visit right when there was a party going on.

Overall, mostly the things that seemed fake were that visiting Rabbi, and general impression being made. While there might have been more fabricated things, as a third party, I can’t really say much else.