The Davis Family: The WORST Family On Supernanny (Pt. 2)

Welcome to Part 2 on the Davis Family saga, where we observe one of the most dysfunctional family to ever air on Supernanny.

I highly suggest you read Part 1 first for more context, but let's recap from last time. What's wrong with this family?

• Phil is lazy and misogynistic, forcing his wife and daughters to do all the chores.
• Phil has anger problems and will scream swear words and slurs at his children.
• Phil is violent and "punishes" his kids via the belt or his bare hands.
• Phil makes weird comments sexualizing his teen daughter's clothing and slut-shames her.
• Debbie does jackshit seeing her children being abused and bullied.
• Morgan is parentified in her own house and is failing school as a result of it.
• The younger girls and Phillip witness unfiltered abuse everyday and are suffering.

...hmm...there's a LOT wrong with this family, and I don't think Jo alone can fix this. We should get CPS here. Or the police, preferably someone else. But let's see what she does.

PART 2: Fixing This Family 

Jo begins her meeting, and she starts it by saying "There are some...serious issues that need to be adressed..." That's one way to put it.

The Cathartic Call-Out

Jo immediately comes for Phil and calls him out for his outdated household expectations for women, and his blatant lack of responsibilities in the household. Starting off strong, I see. By the way, the whole time, he has this weird annoying smirk like he wants to argue, but he knows he's not in the right to. 

Why are you smiling, you weirdo? She's calling you out on being misogynistic!

She then addresses the fact he slut shames Morgan, to which he has a GENIUS excuse for...

Jo: "The man who raised her, since she was 3 years old...calls her a SLUT and called her a HOE yesterday!" 

Phil: "No, what I was saying I didn't want her to dress like one-" (?)

Jo: "That's what you called her."
Phil: "I'm not saying I called her a slut, I said if you want to dress like one, is what I said." (!!!)

Jo: "I was there."

Phil: "That's what I said-" (shut your mouth)

Jo: "Phil".

Phil: "That's what I'm saying, you can't, that's what I'm trying-" (T^T)

Jo: "Phil. Phil. I don't even think you know what you say when you're angry."

WOW. Just-...wow. The gaslighting he tried to do to undermine his atrocious behavior is disturbing. In what universe would saying your daughter dresses like a slut be better?! I feel like he's used these manipulation tactics on his wife and Morgan in the past. Thankfully, because Jo won't stand down, Phil's attempt at gaslighting are broken down, and he's realizing Jo-...well, he said it, has put him in his place. But he still tries to argue, and-

Jo: "You fly off the handles, you're like a bull-"

Phil: "You think she should show her cleavage at 14-"

Jo: "She wasn't."

W JO! GET REKT PHIL!

For once someone in his life is telling him off instead of giving in to his control. She then calls him out on his abusive discipline methods, and how they have the ironic opposite effect. Instead of teaching these kids to be smart, respectful, and improve themselves, he's teaching them to tolerate violence and be violent themselves. As she puts it, the kids are being raised in "constant earthquakes", and it's "breaking their spirits". He has nothing to say for this. Good. You shouldn't. Jo describes Phil perfectly:

"Overpowering, dominating...fueled by anger, you are a bully. And all you're doing is breaking down your relationships, your marriage, and causing more and more destruction."

Exactly. He's not a father, he's a bully. Bullies want control. They feed on humiliating and being seen as bigger than others. From Phil's perspective, he demands respect, but never wants to give respect either. If no one intervenes, it's going to destroy this household. One day, when their children grow up, they'll want no contact with them, and it'll be entirely their fault.

After calling Phil out, she rightfully turns to Debbie and says "and you allow this to happen", as the mom says nothing and dips down in the light shame she has, on the verge of tears. GOOD.

You know what this image personifies? Shame. Really. It's just shame.

I'm glad the mom got called out as well, because once again: although I blame a lot of problems in this household on Phil's abusive behavior, and I sympathize with Debbie, at the same time it's almost equally abusive to not stand up for your own children and let this go on for years, making both you and your family absolutely miserable. As Jo puts it:

"And the reason you gave me? 'Because I want my family to be together.' That's the price your prepared to pay is it? Just to keep your family all under one roof, you're prepared to DESTROY and BREAK the SPIRITS?"

Exactly x2. Even if she is a still victim in this abusive household, at the end of the day, your children should not be a last priority. She keeps getting back with Phil, she refuses to finalize a divorce, all so things can just stay the same. And even if it's easier, it's going to destroy these kids' mental health so bad that once again- they will probably avoid contact with their parents and be damaged for years to come.

"I expect 100% commitment, I expect an open mind, I expect you to accept the change, I expect you both to listen to me, and HARD WORK. Cuz trust me, this ain't gonna be no walk in the park..." - Jo

So, with that, it's time for Jo to start intervening. Now, before we examine her attempts to improve the family, I have to admit: I am sadly not that optimistic Jo can save this family. Jo already has to go through a lot to improve basic families, like teaching proper discipline, teaching parents to be confident, and establishing routines. 

..So, how are you going to fix a horrifically abusive father, a permissive apathetic mother, a teen girl clearly parentified and in a bad situation because of this, and all the younger girls who are being traumatized by all of this?...and...Phillip Jr, we can't forget him. It's gonna take a lot of work. We'll go through 5 exercises Jo does to improve this family, ranging from "unique" to constructive. Let's give this whole thing a shot. Speaking of which...

Exercise 1 - The Darts

Who needs prison-time when you can just throw darts?

If there's one thing Supernanny is known for, it's her sometimes unique exercises made to teach parents tough lessons. For example, in the Clause Family, the mom was treated like an absolute doormat like her children, because she didn't know how to stand up for herself. 

How does Jo help this mom get more confident and be less permissive? She takes her on a trip up a mountain holding rocks with permissive phrases on it, and after a pep talk, she throws the rocks down and promises to change. Creative...but will something like that work here?

Well, Supernanny's drill is for Phil to-...ok, get this...to throw darts at his kid's photos. Yep.

What beautiful little girls! ...I just wish they had parents. No, good parents.

In specific, Jo showcases Phil photos of his younger daughters, to which he calls them "beautiful". Hm...beautiful you say? If I have something beautiful, do I smack them in the mouth to show them how much I love them? This guy says something but his actions contradict what he says.

Jo then says these photos are here to make a parallel to his "abusive verbal behavior," as she instructs him to strike darts at his girls' photos. She says that every time he yells at his daughters, calling them swear words, it's like throwing a poisonous dart at them. 

Which honestly is a great analogy: verbal abuse stings, and leaves an impact, just as bad as physical abuse. Phil is hesitant to throw the darts, because quoting him "those are my girls, I love my girls". Uh-huh, uh-huh...

He's smirking again. I don't like where this is going.

Jo overrules him and forces him to chuck the darts and his kids. He says he feels "sick" and that he "didn't want to do it", but, honestly...seeing Phil throw the darts at his kids is kind of unsettling. He seems WAY to eager to aim it at their faces. Not to mention...he's smiling the entire time. Is he that "sick"? It almost feels like he's...liking this.

Welp. That's traumatic.

Eventually, all the darts are launched at the kids, and as Jo puts it, it's frankly disturbing. This whole thing really is disturbing. Jo is convinced this will help Phil verbally abuse his kids less, but honestly, I'm not so sure. If anything, I feel this was a weak promise. We need WAY more if we're going to persuade Phil to stop hurting his own children and wife.

Which brings us to...

Exercise 2 - Trust Falls

Who needs marriage counseling when you could just blindfold yourself?

Our next drill focuses on Phil and Debbies' marriage, and how Phil's broken promises are damaging it. And it's done through this kind of melodramatic trust fall exercise.

Basically, Debbie has to do a trust fall on Phil. That sounds incredibly simple, but as Debbie falls, she puts her foot back, implying she doesn't trust him. 

(Notice her right leg and left arm)

She admits Phil hasn't always been there for me...to which Phil makes ANOTHER SMIRK TO! Why does this guy keep smirking?!

"Oh, my own wife says she doesn't trust me? That's funny."

This happens a few more times, and each time, she still puts her foot back. I don't know if this is based in science, but I do wonder if a lack of trust in a relationship can impact something as basic as a trust fall. 

Phil tries to reassure that he "loves her" and that he's going to "catch her", and honestly, if I were her, I still wouldn't entirely trust him. Does he love you? But on this attempt, she finally falls without putting her foot back. Progress, I guess.

WE DID IT! WE SAVED A TOXIC MARRIAGE!...kind of.

Debbie then says: "Is this time gonna be the time he means everything he says? Or is this time once again...gonna mean the break-up of our family?" Hmmm...I feel break-up of your family is more likely.

They then do an exercise for Phil alone, to show him what it feels to have trust be broken, like his wife has had. And it's hilarious- they put him besides a pit of soft cubes and lie to him about Debbie being behind him. He falls, and BAM! ...doesn't feel to good, does it Phillip?

It was at this moment that he knew...

Phil expresses feeling worried and sympathetic on having his trust be broken:

"It made me feel sick. I didn't know if I was gonna hit the floor or what.... It was a very scary feeling not to have someone there behind you. [...] That wasn't fun. I didn't realize I was causing that damage to 'ya (Debbie)."

Hm...I still don't entirely buy it. I know for the last part he's been showing some compassion, but I just don't trust it. Can we get to the therapy part? Or jailtime? No?

Exercise 3 - (Good) Discipline

Ok, this is the part I've been waiting for- actually involving the kids and handling them. So far the exercises have mostly been attempts at changing Phil's mental status, by recognizing how destructive his behavior actually is to his family through thought experiments. 

Y'know, trying to teach verbal abuse is toxic, trust is important, stuff like that. But it's been kind of empty so far, and honestly feels more like it was made for TV then to truly psychologically change him. Now that we have the children in the equation, we can try to teach Phil how to properly handle misbehaving children WITHOUT being violent.

Now, I am not a parent, and I don't know when or if I'll be, so I can't say how worthwhile Jo's methods are. However, I will say they are pretty basic and much better than "that dastardly belt" as Jo put it.

What do you think she's doing on here?

We're first put to the test when Maddie won't get off the computer and downstairs. She's defiant (Who'd guess, bad parents make bad children), which earns her a timeout in the chair. The main goal for Phil is to make sure HE stays calm as his punishes her. By getting angry and being up in her face, that's destructive.

We start by having Phil explain why Maddie's in time out, which gets her kicking her face in his face. (Who'd guess, violent parents make violent children) He manages to remain calm and walks away. 

Look at this. Phil Davis, actually properly discipling a child without hurting them.

The timeout keeps up for some time, until Maddie finally relaxes and apologizes for being "naughty" as Phil puts it. Hm...Phil, I feel like there are some naughty things you need to apologize for as well. But it all works out, Maddie's happy again, and it's kind of cute. (Who'd guess, patient parents make patient children.)

Phil then shares some things about the working discipline, which...also kind of shows his concerning mindset:

"If you told me a week ago that timeouts were effective, I would've told you that you were crazy 'cuz I woulda used the belt. Trust me it works. I'll remember that the rest of my life."

...uh...red flags, much? And we'll be the judge of that if you "remember" this for "the rest of" your "life". But we're honestly making some decent progress this episode. What's next?

Exercise 4 - (Good) Mornings

So, remember how the mornings go in this household?

• Morgan is parentified and forced to care for her sisters
• The daughters are being defiant and won't get ready
• Mom (and dad?) have to get to their job
• Morgan is always late to school and as a result is FAILING

Yeah, this needs to stop. Not just so everyone can be on time and begin the day on a good note, but also so Morgan can...y'know...pass school. So Supernanny introduces the AMAZING advice of schedules!...This family is really so stressed they need a schedule this long for a morning. Is that a thing?

Hold on...5:30 to 7:00AM? Man does it take you that long to prepare for a single day?!

She also gives advice that they can prepare in the morning by putting clothes to wear the next day. I know that sounds like incredibly obvious advice, and it's something most people do anyway, but this family is so overwhelmed they don't think about stuff like that.

See, we're making progress and having adorable moments still!

Jo then says she doesn't trust this family to follow the steps the next day, so you know what she does? The next day, she surprises them at 5:30 in the morning to make sure they follow the routine. WOW. What a savage. But hey, realistically speaking, this family does have a habit of not following their promises.

By the way, she's so early the sun hasn't even RISEN! IT'S STILL DARK! It's THAT early!

The hectic morning goes by, but it's less stressful then usual because of the schedule, as mom actually gets her daughters and herself prepared on time. As a result, Morgan can focus on getting herself ready instead of getting her sisters ready. That way, she can get to school on time, fully-rested, and keep her grades up. Good for her!

I really do like Morgan feeling happy and being able to smile for once. I want to see more of this! 

In fact, the family ends up 17-minutes EARLY! Yes, the schedule worked that well! Who knew that such basic schedules and planning ahead could help out this much?  Progress is finally being made in this family. But there's still one last thing to address right now...which, also happens to involve Morgan!

Exercise 5 - Morgan's Vent

(Hey, Phil, as long as you don't start ranting about the chain again, this could work out.)

This is one of the most cathartic exercises of the episode, by the way. Because we get to address what ANGERED me the most earlier: Phil slut-shaming his own daughter. Like I said, why did he feel to sexualize and humiliate his own 14-year-old daughter so badly?

Anyway, Supernanny sets up essentially a revenge "vent" exercise, where Morgan can open up, but Phil can NOT say anything. In other words, it'll be like the argument from earlier, except Phil has no right to shut her down this time. Honestly, if I was Morgan, this situation would go to my head. Just imagine the rant someone could have with this much power...

So, the vent Morgan has always wanted to do finally begins, and of course, she does her best to phrase it politely, but she doesn't hold too much back either. She shares how she feels he's a "jerk", "never listens", and makes her "angry". I really do like this exercise because we've established multiple times her parents are never emotionally available. They always shut her down and minimize her. But for once, Phil can just listen instead of fighting. He contemplates for a second before giving her a hug.

"I could tell that he was actually thinking about what I was saying, and he...actually listened." Aww, Morgan! <3

Morgan even points to the fact Phil is crying, which...honestly, feels significant. Throughout this episode he has shown little vulnerability until now. He even points to the fact she didn't mention the fact he name calls her and her daughter, and he says he'll stop swearing out the family.

He also says he owes her an apology, although we don't see him giving an apology. However, even stuff as little as this- for someone as AWFUL as he is-, to be, it's a sign there's still hope for him. He's being surprisingly emotionally available and vulnerable instead of demanding control. Of course though, I'm not that optimistic, still. Keep in mind of all of this is being filmed for the episode. Would this go as well if the cameraman wasn't here? What's going to happen when the cameras leave?

Jo’s Leave

This ends Act 2 of the episode. Jo’s plan is to leave the family for a week and come back to see if they made any progress, and see which areas they still need improvement on.

Cmon Debbie, Phil… we need to do this for your children. DON’T DISAPPOINT JO!

Now, my opinion?...while there was some good progress, it's probably not going to well, let's be honest. When the camera-men and Supernanny stop watching, Phil's old abusive habits are going to relapse, Debbie's going to stop caring again, Morgan's probably going to have another breakdown, and the younger daughters will face more trauma. Ultimately, continuing the toxic cycle for years to come.

...but hey, what do I know?

Once again, I will discuss the final Act 3 in my next blog post. 

Stay tuned to see if Supernanny will be able to put a stop to all of this once and for all! Thanks for reading!

- ninesevenpotatoes, 2025