The Sims 5 has a wealth of families to choose from to return, and one of those options is continuing the sordid story of the Pleasant family. While every playable household in The Sims has their own dynamic, not all of them are in the best circumstances, with one example being how Agnes Crumplebottom lost her husband on her honeymoon and lives in a haunted house. Another one of these struggling households in the series would be the ironically-named Pleasant family, as it contains one of the most troubled dynamics in the series.
The Pleasant family in its current form began in The Sims 2, and is one of The Sims' more disturbing family dynamics. The family starts off with several difficulties. Mother Mary-Sue is a workaholic whose career has a chance of falling into disaster very early on. Making matters worse, father Daniel is carrying on an affair that threatens to throw the family into further chaos. Rounding out the family are daughters Angela and Lilith, who add one more layer to the family's problems. Angela is blatantly favored by her parents and has plenty of good memories with them. Lilith, on the other hand, receives far less favorable treatment.
The Pleasant Family Deserves More Exploration In The Sims 5
The problems with the Pleasant family are obvious just from looking at the characters' relationships in-game, and it is a story The Sims 5 needs to address. Daniel and Mary-Sue aren't even in love, with him instead being in love with their maid whom he is having an affair with. Even worse, Lilith has a negative relationship with every member of the house. That means that the other members of the house are more likely to start fights with her than have more friendly interactions. If the player doesn't prevent this from happening, those poor relationships will only get worse, further isolating Lilith.
The interesting thing about the Pleasants is that, from the outside, they look like one of the more typical families in the neighborhood. However, beneath the surface is a reason for Sims 5 to add mental health mechanics so the player can more thoroughly address the situation. There are several potential disasters that the player will need to narrowly avoid if they want this family to succeed in their current state, especially regarding the failing marriage and the parents' neglect of Lilith. It's sadly quite possible that the Pleasants could end up falling apart due to these difficulties being too much to work through.
Although The Sims 4 featured a downloadable version of the Pleasant family, this version lacked their dynamic and storyline. The Sims 5 could bring back the Pleasants as seen in The Sims 2, and give players a chance to navigate the family's problems with The Sims 5's improved features. They could try to repair Angela and Lilith's relationship so Lilith can have at least one confidant, and make a final decision regarding what can be done about Mary-Sue and Daniel's marriage. Despite all the Pleasant family's problems, they can potentially be one of the most interesting households in terms of story.
The Pleasant family's name may be misleading, but their narrative is one that many players can work with. A proper return in The Sims 5 could let newer players experience the tumult from three games ago for themselves, and perhaps find some way to write a happy ending at the end of the whole mess. The Sims 5 needs more lore, and the wide spread of playable households can provide that if the game lets players explore them. The Pleasant family's unique situation may not be sunny, but it would definitely be worth a deeper look in The Sims 5.
The Sims 5 is in development.