The makers of TNT's Rizzoli and Isles, a show which revolves around the careers and friendship of two women, a detective and a medical examiner, apparently aren't fans of the choices made by conservative females who opt for marriage and motherhood over a career. According to the July 17 episode, it's possible that some of these mothers could be driven to kill.
The episode begins with the murder of a prominent psychologist and author of a book called, "No Need to Breed," which advocates for childless marriage. Their primary suspect is a stay-at-home mother of nine who is also the founder of a pro-family website that has spoken out against the victim in the past. As with most people in this day in age, the subject has a profile on the site where she posts website. This causes Officer Rizzoli to scoff, "it's because she leads such a fascinating life that she wants everyone to know what she's doing at all times." [Video follows page break]
When Rizzoli brings her in for questioning the suspect, she has four of she children with her. Predictably, the protagonist looks at her with absolute disgust and asks if "there's someone else that they can stay with."
After the stay-at-home mom expresses her disdain for the murdered psychiatrist's views, Rizzoli asks if she committed the crime because she was jealous that the victim "didn't have stretch marks." The suspect then lifts up her shirt and says that, "she's very proud of her womb" which leaves Rizzoli and the other detective present in the room at the time visibly repulsed.
Later, when her father's pregnant ex-fianceé comes to her for help with a medical emergency, she accuses the woman of being intoxicated, when in fact she is suffering from gestational diabetes and is lapsing into a coma. The look on Rizzoli's face when the woman tries to take her hand is one of such disgust and discomfort that it is hysterical.
Ultimately, the stay-at-home mom turns out to not be the killer and really has little to do with the plot.
Pregnancy and motherhood aren't the only things that Rizzoli looks down on. When Isles asks her if she thinks that "she could be happy in a childless marriage," Rizzoli tells her that it doesn't matter because, "with or without children, marriage is miserable."
In order to highlight this point, the show's writers apparently decided to go way over the top. Rizzoli is promptly kidnapped by a crazy bakery delivery man, who has a replica of her bedroom in his basement and a variety of photo-shopped pictures of the two of them together, and intends to keep her there as his wife. (Get it? Marriage is a prison? We've never heard that one before.)
Because this is a cable TV show, and it's still a few months til sweeps week, Rizzoli is rescued (ironically by a team of male officers) and goes back home to drink wine and make sarcastic comments about how the hostage situation mirrored a real marriage.
