Baseball meets punk on ‘Wife Swap’

The theme of this week's "Wife Swap" (ABC, Mondays, 8 p.m. ET): punk is the opposite of baseball. And they say television isn't educational.

First, we met the Collins family, so consumed with baseball and clean living that they might have come out of an ad for a time machine specializing in trips to 1956.

They were set to trade moms with the Matlock family, equally puzzling in that there's something about anarchist, punk-loving, hair-spiking parents that challenges the traditional understanding of not only the word "parents," but also the words "punk" and "anarchist."

When Mama Collins showed up at the Matlock house ("It's by the freeway!" she chirped with contemptuous amusement), she was appalled. The Matlock children enjoyed a level of personal autonomy she would associate only with, say, George Steinbrenner, who can presumably wear whatever he wants.

Mama Matlock, meanwhile, found the Collins house with its baseball furniture, baseball trophies, and baseball preoccupation somewhat creepy — sort of a theme park of the overinvested.

Much of the week's drama focused on Mama Collins and her battles with nine-year-old Carson Matlock, who took one look at her and grumbled, "I don't like Republicans."

Slideshow   Celebrity sightings Adam Lambert talks about AMAs fallout, Richie Sambora finds his way in New Jersey, Spike Lee follows his Knicks to L.A. and more. more photos

They spent the week locked in combat, right up until she forced him to try baseball, which the show insisted he really enjoyed, despite the fact that he looked about as comfortable as … well, as any preadolescent anarchist would look participating in a heavily regulated sport.

Mama Matlock made the Collins household live without sports for a few days, and Mama Collins made Carson and his father Jeff cut off their Mohawks, but as always, both families ended the episode feeling just the way we all do after watching the domestic reality genre — "Whatever is wrong with my life, at least I'm not those people."

Linda Holmes is a writer in Bloomington, Minn.

MORE FROM MORE REALITY TV NEWS, FEATURES

‘Jon & Kate’ to end stormy reality TV run

‘Jon & Kate’ to end stormy reality TV run Irina takes the gold on ‘Project Runway’ ‘Wife Swap’ couple plead guilty in federal case Man in custody in ‘Cathouse’ star’s death Heidi and Spencer shopping own reality show Jon, Kate to spend Christmas under same roof Jacksons reality series to premiere Dec. 13 White House to host ‘Iron Chef America’ Kirstie Alley to star in TV reality series In reality, some stage parents are very scary   Add More reality TV news, features headlines to your news reader: