An Analysis of Specific Sitcom Pests – Part 2

An Analysis of Specific Sitcom Pests – Part 2

Welcome to part two of our mini-series on pest-centered episodes in sitcoms! If you missed the first post, you can read it here. Today’s edition is all about three sitcoms that each featured an episode with a focus on a mice infestation in some portion of the main story. In reality, contacting professional pest control is the best option if you find evidence of rodents in your home or business. It is much better to tackle an infestation in its early stages than to let it grow. But the characters in these episodes did not take our advice – at least, for the majority of the runtime – and therefore participate in some humorous activities and attempts at ridding their lives of these mice. Let’s see just how accurate these portrayals of mice invasions actually are!

Mice, Mice, Everywhere

Sitcom: Abbott Elementary – “Wrong Delivery”

Episode Synopsis: Arguably one of the best modern sitcoms, Abbott Elementary continuously makes otherwise frustrating situations that the typical school faculty member experiences into hilarious episodes. The mice invasion does not occur until the last third of this episode, but it certainly makes a splash as a nightmare scenario for anyone working in the schools and other public settings. After various teachers and staff make pitches for their ideas of how to use the school’s grant money, Janine wins for her proposition to buy a computer for the library. But right as she celebrates her victory for the students, everyone in the teacher’s lounge quickly follows the sound of screaming into the cafeteria where they are met with a truly horrific sight. Hundreds of mice are scrambling to stay just out of reach of the cafeteria staff and their tongs, as well as the excitable children who are either terrified or excited to potentially have a new pet. After the majority of the grant money goes to an expensive exterminator, the remaining meager funds go towards a snow cone truck that is operated by a cafeteria staff member, which both students and teachers enjoy. 

Fact or Fiction?: This episode is a prime example of a normal situation that is heightened quite a bit for comedic purposes. The given explanation for the sudden spike in the mice population is simply that the humane exterminator chased the mice from the nearby charter school to Abbott, where they all found their way inside. While it is true that mice are constantly looking for warm shelter if they don’t already have one, hundreds of mice would not typically appear overnight. They do reproduce quite often – averaging about 5 to 10 litters a year with 6 babies in each – but even these numbers don’t add up to the sudden extreme infestation in the cafeteria. In reality, there would have been many signs before the mice were seen. They leave droppings and urine everywhere in order to mark their territory, and the musty odor would be very apparent in an invasion of this size. 

Another noticeable part of this invasion is how the mice are frantically scurrying around the cafeteria in plain sight. They would really only run like this if they were chased from their actual nests, which we do not see in this case. Mice are timid pests that like to build their nests in hidden spots, like behind walls and large stagnant objects. Mice are also most active at night, so they would not be this energized in the middle of the school day. Janine tries to have a positive outlook on mice and claims that they are “less intrusive” than rats, and this is actually true to an extent. Mice nest near their food and like to stay in that area, and are generally less impulsive than rats. Rats are even known to attack and kill mice, which is quite the battle. But given the choice between rats and mice, we would not choose either disease-infested, gnaw-happy rodent any day of the week.

An Uninvited Pest

Sitcom: The Golden Girls – “Nice and Easy”

Episode Synopsis: The process of Dorothy desperately trying to rid their kitchen of a field mouse is saved for the B-plot of this episode, but that just makes the pest’s appearance all the more frustrating for the characters. After Dorothy sees the mouse scurry across her dresser and again in the kitchen, she is ready to call the exterminator with her mother Sophia supporting her decision. But empathetic Rose insists that she can communicate with animals and wants to convince the field mouse to escape outside rather than be killed. She even tells a famous St. Olaf story where a little mouse named Larry saved her life (only Rose Nylund can tell a mouse story this well) as evidence of her gift. But this new field mouse cannot decide whether to stay or leave, so Dorothy takes matters into her own hands and corners it in the kitchen with a broom. Even Dorothy experiences some sympathy for a tiny pest, so she talks it into going out the entry hole under the sink that the mouse came in, which it finally does much to the delight of an eavesdropping Rose.

Fact or Fiction?: The whole situation with this mouse seems the most realistic of the bunch, but it is still a mixed bag in the fact department. Mice have the contradictory personality of social yet shy. They like to be around their fellow mice, especially in their own families, but they do not like to be around any other creatures at all. The fact that this mouse was seen multiple times by the women is not common at all, especially for a mouse that is living alone. In reality, if you see a mouse or two in the middle of the day, it is a sign that the mouse population is huge and overflowing from their nests. Field mice in particular like to stay outside as much as possible, hence their name. But it is possible for one to get confused and enter a house, like this one did, every now and then. 

One factor of this episode that is pretty accurate is that the mouse stayed mostly in the kitchen. Mice like to live right next to their food source, so they would definitely stay in the kitchen if they already made their way inside. The detail of this mouse’s entry point being under the kitchen sink that faces outside is also realistic. Mice can use holes as small as a dime to enter a structure, and spaces around plumbing are more likely to have these gaps. Finally, Rose’s conclusion that the mouse is “fickle” and indecisive is not completely true. Mice may be timid when it comes to humans, but they are definitely not shy when it comes to eating. They will eat just about anything, including other mice in dire circumstances! Mice also leave remnants of their food behind, so it would be pretty obvious if a mouse was eating your food. They would not willingly leave a nice shelter with reliable food. And, unless you have the “gift” to communicate with animals like Rose, we recommend not talking to any mice in your house in place of calling pest control.

That’s Some Mouse!

Sitcom: Hannah Montana – “Ooh, Ooh, Itchy Woman”

Episode Synopsis: The mouse in this episode is also saved for the B-plot, where Jackson and Robbie Ray try escalating humorous tactics to rid their home of a mouse while Miley is on a field trip. After the mouse (affectionately named Linda, by Miley) gets on Robby Ray’s last nerve by chewing on the wires and setting off the alarm system, he tries catching it with a pool net and a plate of cheese as bait. Unfortunately for him, the mouse moves at the speed of a race car and nabs the cheese when he is distracted. He also tries attaching cheese to a string, but the smart mouse grabs it while he falls asleep. Jackson even sets 248 mouse traps in the kitchen, which he predictably sets off on himself in attempting to leave his original spot. But when the mouse shows its artistic skills by playing multiple songs on the piano’s strings, Robby Ray decides to keep it and spare this musically gifted mouse from a common pest’s fate.

Fact or Fiction?: It is likely not much of a surprise to learn that this mouse plot is not the most accurate one on the list. This episode joins a myriad of others in using the stereotype that mice cannot resist cheese, but this myth is dispelled every day. Mice prefer many other foods over cheese, including seeds, grains, breads, and nuts. Also, as we have established, mice will not risk running through a house in the middle of the day. They are mainly nocturnal, and are skittish around any being that is larger than them. The fact that Linda the mouse was daring enough not only to steal the cheese from the plate, but to also take it from the string and then mockingly chitter before playing music is only a goal that real mice can dream of reaching.

But there is one part glossed over by everyone that is very accurate to real life. Like this mouse, real rodents notoriously chew through everything. Their teeth are open-rooted, so they need to gnaw and chew on objects throughout their lives in order to keep them filed down. Mice chew through wiring all the time, like the wiring to Robby Ray’s alarm system. This is another hazard of a rodent invasion, as chewed wires can potentially spark and start a fire. In fact, many house fires every year are caused by chewed wires! If you find any gnaw marks or chewed items in the house, especially in hidden areas, it is likely the work of rodents. As for Jackson’s huge mousetrap obstacle course, we recommend leaving any kind of extensive rodent treatments to the pros. Besides, the traps wouldn’t do much good out in the open like that. They need to be in the tight, dark areas that mice nest in, not on the kitchen floor where just anyone can set it off and experience a lot of pain on a random afternoon.

Effective Rodent Control is No Laughing Matter

These three sitcoms display their knack for making light of everyday (and very specific) situations that their respective audiences can appreciate long after the show has ended. But when these chilling mice situations occur in real life, it is not nearly as humorous. Rats and mice carry an immense amount of diseases that they can transmit through their feet, droppings, urine, and nests. They can also chew through just about anything, which makes for some expensive repairs later. This is exactly why our experienced technicians provide both preventative and responsive pest control. The earlier that entry holes are patched and any pests are removed, the less time and money you will spend on cleaning up the mess left behind in your home. Contact us today to learn more about our efficient services and how our team tackles any rodent problem, so you don’t have to try and convince it to leave though the magic of communicating with animals.

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Citations

Dontzig, G. and Peterman, S. (Writers) & Kendall, D. (Director). (2006, June 10). Ooh, ooh, itchy woman (season 1, episode 9) [TV series episode]. In S. Peterman, M. Poryes, & S. Lapiduss (Executive Producers), Hannah Montana. It’s a Laugh Productions & Michael Poryes Productions.

Lupo, L.J. (2022, July 11). 6 signs of a rat or mouse infestation in your home. The Spruce. Available at https://www.thespruce.com/signs-that-you-still-have-mice-or-rats-4151787 (Accessed on December 23, 2022).

Rat vs. mouse: What are the differences?. (n.d.). Terminix. Retrieved December 23, 2022, from https://www.terminix.com/rodents/differences-between-mice-and-rats/ 

Rubenstein, B. and Brunson, Q. (Writers) & Einhorn, R. (Director). (2022, September 28). Wrong delivery (season 2, episode 2) [TV series episode]. In Q. Brunson, R. Einhorn, J. Halpern, B. Rubenstein, & P. Schumaker (Executive Producers), Abbott Elementary. Delicious Non-Sequitur Productions, 20th Television, & Warner Bros. Television. 

Silverman, S., Harris, S., and Hervey, W. (Writers) & Hughes, T. (Director). (1986, February 1). Nice and easy (season 1, episode 17) [TV series episode]. In P.J. Witt & T. Thomas (Executive Producers), The Golden Girls. Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions & Touchstone Television.