Jill Taylor

Jillian "Jill" Taylor (Patterson) is a played by Patricia Richardson. Jill is Tim Taylor's wife. Jill helps Tim raise their three sons (Brad, Randy, and Mark).

Background

Jill was born to Coloniel Fred Patterson and Lillian Patterson. Due to her father being in the Army, Jill and her sisters (Linda, Tracy, Carrie, and Robin, also two other sisters Kathy and Carol mentioned) grew up without a grounded family life. Jill and her siblings appear together in "Jill and Her Sisters" and "Taps".

Jill and Robin were close as kids, but grew apart at adulthood and caused them to have trouble getting along due to mutual jealousy.

Personality

It is established early in the series that Jill serves as the voice of reason for her husband and children. Jill is known for her common sense, but is also in-tune with her emotions. Jill loves sophisticated art forms such as ballet and opera. Throughout the series, Jill has been shown to be bossy and demanding, leading her into millions of arguements with Tim. However, sometimes she realizes her Type A-ish attitude and apologizes to Tim (though he apologizes most of the time due to his narrow-minded complexion.)

Sometimes, Jill can be extremely scary and aggressive when she's angry. She has insane strength for a woman and she was able to give Tim a black eye and knock him out cold with one punch to the face. In Unchained Malady, she beat up the sender who was sending chain mails to Tim and knocked out all of his teeth and permanently disfigured his face.

College and career

Throughout the course of the series, Jill progresses from being a fairly typical housewife to a career-focused working woman. Early in the series, Jill frequently has problems finding employment; in the pilot episode of the series, she laments to Tim about how she was passed over for a job interview. However, Jill ultimately goes back to school, majoring in the Psychology field.

Politics

Jill's feminism is emphasized throughout the series, especially in its latter seasons. She and Tim would sometimes argue about a man and woman's "place" in the household. Despite Tim's frequent reluctance to understand Jill's point of view, he usually tries to compromise with her.

It is also revealed in "Taps" that Jill is a Democrat. In other episodes, Jill mentions attending protest rallies as a young woman without her father's knowledge. However, being the daughter of an Army father has influenced her personality somewhat. For example, in "Tanks for the Memories", she exhibits great skill in driving a tank.

Running gags

• Her cooking talent, or lack thereof
• Whenever she address her husband or sons by their full name, it is a sure sign they are in trouble.
• Whenever Tim wants to make changes to an appliance, Jill refuses to let him, but always eventually gives in (except in the pilot, where he rewires the dishwasher even after she explicitly said no, with disastrous results).
• Tim occasionally makes fun of her (on his Tool Time show, he jokes about her tendency to drool while asleep)
• Jill being an enthusiastic (albeit unsuccessful) matchmaker.
• Jill being more logical and perceptive than Tim.
• Her rocky relationhip with her father, as well as with her mother.
• Her unsuccessful attempts at getting her Ph.D.
• Jill seems to be extremely powerful for a woman, as she was able to give her husband a black eye and knock him out cold with one punch.
• Whenever Tim does or says something especially stupid, even for him, she always says "You're pathetic", or some variation. In one episode, she calls him pathetic several times in a row. He then asks to confirm what he is, to which she simply responds "Pathetic".