We sometimes speak of the Civil War as "The

War Between the States"-emphasizing the com-

plex and painful, but in many ways comic, nature

of any struggle involving combatants who are al-

ready joined together by deep bonds. The four-way

conflict between Brian and Erica Tate and their

two adolescent children is this sort of civil war-

the sort that nobody really wins. Like most such

wars, it is preceded by a period of growing tension.

Once the Tates were the nicest and most attractive

and successful family they knew, but now every-

thing is going wrong. Jerry-built new ranch homes

are surrounding their perfect house in the country,

Erica is bored and restless, Brian s career as a

political scientist is at a standstill, and their well-

behaved children have become revolting-in both

senses of the word-teenagers.

The first shots are fired when Erica discovers

that her husband is sleeping with a blond student

named Wendy. Brian tries to make peace by an-

nouncing that he is breaking off the affair, and his

wife promises to forgive him, but both fail to ob-

serve the terms of the truce. Erica frets and spies;

Brian not only takes up with Wendy again, but

makes her pregnant; and the war between the Tates

is joined.