Max & Ruby

Sometimes H watches Max & Ruby on Nick. I find this show to be really irritating. Ruby, the big sister, is always bossing Max and expecting him to be quiet or sit still. She is always doing something for Bunny Scouts, and is trying to practice a skill of some kind. Meanwhile, Max wants to play and is always interrupting Ruby, but by the end of the episode he is finally getting what he wanted in the first place.

First of all, where are the parents? You see the Grandma, who shows up and watches Ruby show off her skills, but Grandma doesn't seem to jump in and watch Max, so Ruby still has to watch Max even if she is trying to synchronize swim with her bunny troop but still has to keep an eye on Max in the pool. It's no wonder Ruby never gets any better.

You see other bunny parents, but never Max and Rubys. Are they secret agents? Are they dead? Are they buried in the basement and Ruby is trying to keep things going so they don't get put in foster care? Who pays for the house? Why does Ruby always have to watch Max? Does she say "I'm going to practice swimming with my bunny scout troop." "Take Max with you." "But I always take Max and I can't watch him in the pool while I'm swimming with the troop." "Take him with you anyway. We don't care if you get better at anything, or if it's unsafe, just take Max and let us do our mystery business."

And what about the neighbors? Don't they wonder why Ruby is always caring for Max? Is someone going to call bunny protection service (BPS) and report that the parents are neglectful? It seems like an abusive situation to me. Ruby's childhood is being eaten up by caring for Max, which is turning her into a very bossy big sister.

Today is a Mother's Day marathon on Nick. Let's see if the mysterious mom shows up, or if Max and Ruby give their grandma a present. Really, Ruby is the one who should get a present from Max, since she is basically his mom. Alas, it's the episode where they go to buy grandma a birthday present, and Ruby ends up spending all the money at the Laundromat cleaning Max's clothes, and buying food, and then not only is there no money for the birthday present, they don't even have bus fare to get home. They end up having to give grandma the vampire teeth that Max bought at the candy shop when he was supposed to be getting a lemonade. Although, why did Ruby think that Max would actually get what he was told to do? He's a toddler and doesn't really have language skills.

One has to wonder about the grandma. Doesn't she notice the neglect going on? Maybe things are different in bunny land. And perhaps Ruby is older than I think she is and is the legal guardian of Max.