S07.E11: One Tiny Incision and a Coffin Dress

[jewel21]

Christy and Bonnie help Tammy with a difficult decision when her long-lost aunt, Cookie, appears with a surprising proposition.

Airdate: 01/09/2020

[Harvey]

Like Bonnie, I too wouldn't mind if Miley finally settled down.

Bonnie's running joke about wanting Christy's kidney and the line about giving Christy all of her organs and just wanting one back was hilarious.

Tammy's storyline was just heartbreaking.  😩

[SoMuchTV]

Ahhh Tammy. I know several people were pretty negative about her when she first came on. I was neutral but kind of liked her eventually. Now she’s making me feel stuff...

[bybrandy]

Yeah, I like Tammy.   I didn't love her at first when I felt like she was getting so much airtime being so new but now the occasional Tammy centric episode is okay by me.  Plus Kathleen Turner.

[Harvey]

8 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

Ahhh Tammy. I know several people were pretty negative about her when she first came on. I was neutral but kind of liked her eventually. Now she’s making me feel stuff...

Her character development has been wonderful to watch.

[greekmom]

The Tammy storyline was heartbreaking. She could have had a decent life and not be bounced around foster homes if her Aunt wasn't so selfish.  I was hoping that she wasn't a donor match.

What happened to Kathleen Turner? Had she suffered from a stroke or something?  Her speech was slurry at times.  But kodos for the casting - they actually do look related. 

 

[blitheone]

Love that Kathleen Turner hasn't let rheumatoid arthritis stop her career. Her meds, including lots of Prednisone, forced her to transition from sexy leading lady to fine character actress. 

And yep, she does look like she could be Tammy's aunt. 

[jalady]

Tammy's fine.  I don't love her, and I no longer hate her.  But!  I'm still annoyed that in her time on the show she's gotten WAY more character development and storyline than Wendy.  

BTW, did anyone find it funny when Tammy was introducing all her friends that everyone but Jill has an "ee" sound to the end of their name (Christy, Bonnie, Marjorie, Wendy and Tammy, LOL).  I never really noticed that before.

[Agent 817]

Tammy has really grown as a character. The thing with her aunt really made me remember the episode of Bonnie's mother, but it wasn't as heartbreaking. Keyword is "as." It was still a heartbreaking story, especially when you see the bit at the bistro. However, the one with Bonnie's mother really tugged my heartstrings that I am usually iffy about giving that episode a re-watch.

[kwnyc]

I've had a few friends who needed transplants, and it can be very intense for the donor. (Last year, a friend needed a liver, and another friend gave him half of hers...she was out of work for 6 weeks! He is doing very well.) Also, with kidneys, if you have a donor, they don't necessarily have to be a match...you can become part of a "daisy chain," in which several donors are matched with several recipients, based on matches. (My friend who needed the kidney got hers that way.)

That said...it really was a beautiful episode. And Bonnie knowing how to talk to Tammy about her anger because she'd had to get through her own about her mother was real growth on her part. Kristi still struggles with her own honesty...not going ahead with the organ donor form. (I have always indicated I'm a donor on my license.) NY, where I live, has the worst percentage of organ donors in the US. (Maybe because so many people in NYC don't have drivers' licenses.) Another friend of mine lost her son to a serious head injury, and he helped 5 people with his organs...but members of her family told her she was going to hell for doing that to him.

So yeah, this episode brings up a lot of deep feeling in me...which I count as an honest response to a really good episode.

 

[iMonrey]

Quote

Tammy has really grown as a character. The thing with her aunt really made me remember the episode of Bonnie's mother, but it wasn't as heartbreaking.

I don't remember that story. Can you give me a brief recap?

Very good episode. I guess they couldn't afford William Fichtner and Kathleen Turner in the same episode, LOL. I'm sure she doesn't work cheap. 

I was unclear at the end whether or not Tammy was a match. Bonnie judged her reaction to mean that she was, but is that Bonnie's cynicism at play, thinking Tammy didn't really want to be a match deep down? Maybe Tammy was disappointed she wasn't a match. I wonder if there's more to come.

I think I've said this before but it appears that many of Marjorie's cats are purebreds worthy of cat shows. I spotted at least 2 Himalayans. 

[12catcrazy]

58 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

 

I think I've said this before but it appears that many of Marjorie's cats are purebreds worthy of cat shows. I spotted at least 2 Himalayans. 

Not all purebred cats are show cats.  Generally purebred cats are put in three CATegories: Show quality, Breeder quality, and Pet quality.   Sometimes the difference between a Show cat and a Breeder cat is a color spot where there shouldn't be one or the eye color isn't up to par what it should be.   So Marjorie's cat can be Himalayans but probably not show cats (in the show - IRL, maybe they are/were).  I just wonder if they sedate the cats to get them all to sleep in the house scenes. 

And about the show itself - it was good but came off like a PSA for organ donorship.   The show's cast really is great - all such good actresses!  And on the shallow note: hard to believe that Kathleen Turner had been the Sex Symbol of 1981.  Some people don't age well - I know she has RA and how when she first got diagnosed she had let the entertainment world think she was a drunk rather than someone with an illness because, as she said in interviews, as a drunk she could still get parts, but if people thought she had a serious illness, she'd never get hired.  

[eel21788]

11 minutes ago, 12catcrazy said:

  I just wonder if they sedate the cats to get them all to sleep in the house scenes. 

I've also wonder how they get them to be so chill on camera; however, they weren't all sleeping. At least two were grooming during their scenes.

13 minutes ago, 12catcrazy said:

And about the show itself - it was good but came off like a PSA for organ donorship.   

As always in the entertainment world, they never addressed the real reasons why donating organs isn't always rainbows and unicorns. They just briefly touched on one of the more implausible reasons not to donate.

[Agent 817]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I don't remember that story. Can you give me a brief recap?

At the start of season 3, Christy got word that Bonnie's mother had tracked down her daughter. Bonnie was reluctant in meeting her, though her mother said that she was dying. There was a scene with Bonnie and her mother talking so that Bonnie could get closure. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

So Marjorie's cat can be Himalayans but probably not show cats (in the show - IRL, maybe they are/were). 

I know a thing or two about cats myself. I think we're meant to suppose Marjorie takes in stray cats. You are unlikely to find a purebred Himalayan of such obvious quality wandering the streets or languishing in a shelter. I imagine they need to use cats that are trained for movies and TV shows, hence the inclusion of these particular cats. 

[bybrandy]

I've had two purebred Hemmalayans both pet quality born to show cats.  One was just a little off.  One absolutely looked great but only liked me.  I mean truly had  temperament issue with everybody and I went to visit the kittens not knowing anything about this, friends of my dad, I think it was a playoff basketball game or something and 6 year old me was like, "Oh, I'll go and play with kittens."  She was the first one I encountered and I picked her up and she snuggled with me for our whole visit.  Two days later the owner asked my dad at work if I could have the cat because it liked me and it didn't like anybody.  Free to me.  Gorgeous cat.  Had her for 16 years.   

 

[nodorothyparker]

People dump purebreds like anything else under certain circumstances.  They get out, run off, etc.  It doesn't really matter that much to me other than having enough cats in the scenes to convince me we are indeed looking at the house of a cat lady.  Several of them were obviously awake sitting around and/or grooming themselves, which if they're comfortable enough with the cast by now they really may not give a shit as long as nobody's messing with them.  I notice Christy no longer seems to have her cat allergy, or at least she can be in the room with them without wheezing and sneezing.

Kathleen Turner being all but unrecognizable aside, the thing that gets me about this story is that had her character showed up and said yes, what happened was beyond awful and she's sorry she couldn't have done anything at the time because her own life wasn't a fit for these reasons, a disaster unsuitable for a child, whatever, Tammy and the rest probably would have understood it.  They wouldn't have found it at all admirable or necessarily wanted her around, but they all also have plenty of less than admirable stuff in their own pasts that it probably wouldn't have been the same kind of deal breaker.  It was the oh so sorry I didn't know about you and the lying that did her in and had she been at all savvy, she would have picked up on that from the life story Tammy was telling at the beginning.  I thought that ending could be read either way too that it was a match or that it wasn't.  I guess we'll see if it pops up again.

I'm one who thought the show went too big and too broad with Tammy in her first episodes out of prison.  Kristen Johnston is a big actress anyway who's more than capable of doing that, so I get how it happened but she's been terrific since the show figured what the happy medium for the character is and I love how utterly radiant she's been looking. It sucks that she grew up in foster care under those circumstances but it says something about her strength of character that she was able to be philosophical about the whole thing and I'm glad Bonnie's at a place where she can tell her yes, be angry and then work through it from your own place of safety and sobriety where you don't have to hurt yourself over it.

Love Tammy acknowledging either way that she's already got a family, thank you very much.

[Kleav]

6 hours ago, kwnyc said:

...members of her family told her she was going to hell for doing that to him.

Whoa. That's just rotten. I guess it would be unchristian to hope that someday they need an organ.

[possibilities]

Many cats will snooze or lie around grooming after being fed. I hope these cats are just fed before the scene, and not drugged. Also, they could have spare cats, so if shooting goes long, they can sub in other ones if the first batch gets restless. That's the advantage of Marjorie having "lots" of cats. They can plausibly show different ones and we just tell ourselves she has so many, these are just different ones than last time, but still hers.

[Sarah 103]

7 hours ago, kwnyc said:

NY, where I live, has the worst percentage of organ donors in the US. (Maybe because so many people in NYC don't have drivers' licenses.)

The part about people in NYC not having drivers' licenses is absolutely true. I can't imagine that people in NYC don't have some type of non-driver ID, because they would it for air travel or to prove that they are over 18 or 21. It's hard to believe that most New Yorkers would opt for passports over the non-driver ID card. 

Back to the episode: Although I wasn't thrilled with Tammy when she first appeared on this series, I am now happy she is part of the cast. Overall, I enjoyed this episode. 

[Guest]

10 hours ago, 12catcrazy said:

And about the show itself - it was good but came off like a PSA for organ donorship. 

I see what you mean but it didn’t bother me because they made signing up to be an organ donor seem like an ordeal. 

10 hours ago, eel21788 said:

As always in the entertainment world, they never addressed the real reasons why donating organs isn't always rainbows and unicorns. They just briefly touched on one of the more implausible reasons not to donate.

Yep. I have family member who recently had an in depth discussion with a organ donation coordinator at a local hospital that was deeply disturbing. 

[Harvey]

19 hours ago, Agent 817 said:

However, the one with Bonnie's mother really tugged my heartstrings that I am usually iffy about giving that episode a re-watch.

I thought I was the only one. When I saw what that episode was about, I skipped it and only watched it once many years later. It's just so heavy.

[illdoc]

16 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

I notice Christy no longer seems to have her cat allergy,

I thought it was Bonnie with the allergy.

[iMonrey]

Quote

That's the advantage of Marjorie having "lots" of cats. They can plausibly show different ones and we just tell ourselves she has so many, these are just different ones than last time, but still hers.

In reality every person who set foot in that house would walk out of there covered in cat hair. That's a lot of cats for such a small house. 

Quote

I see what you mean but it didn’t bother me because they made signing up to be an organ donor seem like an ordeal. 

I opted to sign the organ donor card when I renewed my license, but there's no way in hell I'd make a special trip to the DMV to change it. There should be a simpler way than having to sit and wait for four hours.

[ButterQueen]

23 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I don't remember that story. Can you give me a brief recap?

Very good episode. I guess they couldn't afford William Fichtner and Kathleen Turner in the same episode, LOL. I'm sure she doesn't work cheap. 

I was unclear at the end whether or not Tammy was a match. Bonnie judged her reaction to mean that she was, but is that Bonnie's cynicism at play, thinking Tammy didn't really want to be a match deep down? Maybe Tammy was disappointed she wasn't a match. I wonder if there's more to come.

I think I've said this before but it appears that many of Marjorie's cats are purebreds worthy of cat shows. I spotted at least 2 Himalayans. 

I have 2 Himalayan kitties....they are the best.

I still love this show and I have really learned to love Tammy.  Bonnie telling her that Adam was sleeping and Tammy screaming toward his room just cracked me up.  I love her little honest crush.

I’m in the minority here, but I don’t care about Wendy getting a bigger story.  I like her character as she is.  

22 hours ago, 12catcrazy said:

Not all purebred cats are show cats.  Generally purebred cats are put in three CATegories: Show quality, Breeder quality, and Pet quality.   Sometimes the difference between a Show cat and a Breeder cat is a color spot where there shouldn't be one or the eye color isn't up to par what it should be.   So Marjorie's cat can be Himalayans but probably not show cats (in the show - IRL, maybe they are/were).  I just wonder if they sedate the cats to get them all to sleep in the house scenes. 

And about the show itself - it was good but came off like a PSA for organ donorship.   The show's cast really is great - all such good actresses!  And on the shallow note: hard to believe that Kathleen Turner had been the Sex Symbol of 1981.  Some people don't age well - I know she has RA and how when she first got diagnosed she had let the entertainment world think she was a drunk rather than someone with an illness because, as she said in interviews, as a drunk she could still get parts, but if people thought she had a serious illness, she'd never get hired.  

Kathleen Turner is 65 years old.  I think she looks great.

[ButterQueen]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

In reality every person who set foot in that house would walk out of there covered in cat hair. That's a lot of cats for such a small house. 

I opted to sign the organ donor card when I renewed my license, but there's no way in hell I'd make a special trip to the DMV to change it. There should be a simpler way than having to sit and wait for four hours.

In VA, we can renew our license and sign up for organ donation online.  

[Guest]

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I opted to sign the organ donor card when I renewed my license, but there's no way in hell I'd make a special trip to the DMV to change it. There should be a simpler way than having to sit and wait for four hours.

What they showed was one way to sign up in California but no one would go the route unless they already had to be at the DMV. 
Most sign up when they renew their license but you can also register online at any time. 

[Blakeston]

On 1/10/2020 at 6:14 PM, Agent 817 said:

At the start of season 3, Christy got word that Bonnie's mother had tracked down her daughter. Bonnie was reluctant in meeting her, though her mother said that she was dying. There was a scene with Bonnie and her mother talking so that Bonnie could get closure. 

Also, Bonnie's mother made herself out to be a sweet woman who only wanted the best for her daughter, but questioning from Bonnie revealed that she could have saved her from foster care but chose not to.

So Bonnie was very much in a similar position to Tammy's. I'm glad she was able to be there for her.

I took the ending to mean that Tammy really was a match. I think if she wasn't a match, she would have shown a mixture of relief and sadness, as opposed to an outburst of anger.

[eel21788]

23 hours ago, possibilities said:

Many cats will snooze or lie around grooming after being fed. I hope these cats are just fed before the scene, and not drugged. Also, they could have spare cats, so if shooting goes long, they can sub in other ones if the first batch gets restless. That's the advantage of Marjorie having "lots" of cats. They can plausibly show different ones and we just tell ourselves she has so many, these are just different ones than last time, but still hers.

I meticulously watch the cats in all their episodes. Either it is always the same 8, or they have identical stunt doubles.

[eel21788]

16 hours ago, Dani said:

Yep. I have family member who recently had an in depth discussion with a organ donation coordinator at a local hospital that was deeply disturbing. 

Read Traci Graf's book The Gift of Life: The Reality Behind Donor Organ Retrieval if you want to learn how much manipulation goes into getting families to consent to donation. "Deeping disturbing" doesn't begin to describe it. 

Sorry for your loss.

[sleepysuzy]

I liked the episode, but I feel like we are stuck in a bit of a loop. Near the start of the show, Christy found her long-lost dad. That story line actually lasted awhile and included two half brothers, but then Alvin died and the whole plot disappeared. Bonnie later met her mom, decided not to have a relationship after learning that her mom had chosen a man over retrieving her child, and rhen her mom died. After the death, Bonnie learned that she had a half brother, but he was a coke addict and didn't want to change. Then he and his plot disappeared. Now Bonnie finds the long-lost family blah blah blah.

I can enjoy each episode individually, but when I look at the series as a whole, I can't help but want the showrunners to find a creative snd plausible way to work with all of the previous material instead of just constantly adding characters that recycle plots. My list of dropped plots and charactets I'd like to see revisted continues to grow. I wonder if we will ever hear about Cookie again, other than a phone call that she died. 

[Kirkydee]

I had NO idea until I came to this forum that Aunt Cookie was played by Kathleen Turner.  She will ALWAYS be Matty Walker to me.  

[msrachelj]

On 1/10/2020 at 5:18 PM, 12catcrazy said:

Not all purebred cats are show cats.  Generally purebred cats are put in three CATegories: Show quality, Breeder quality, and Pet quality.   Sometimes the difference between a Show cat and a Breeder cat is a color spot where there shouldn't be one or the eye color isn't up to par what it should be.   So Marjorie's cat can be Himalayans but probably not show cats (in the show - IRL, maybe they are/were).  I just wonder if they sedate the cats to get them all to sleep in the house scenes. 

And about the show itself - it was good but came off like a PSA for organ donorship.   The show's cast really is great - all such good actresses!  And on the shallow note: hard to believe that Kathleen Turner had been the Sex Symbol of 1981.  Some people don't age well - I know she has RA and how when she first got diagnosed she had let the entertainment world think she was a drunk rather than someone with an illness because, as she said in interviews, as a drunk she could still get parts, but if people thought she had a serious illness, she'd never get hired.  

I doubt they sedate the cats. I hope to God that would be illegal! Some cat’s are very laid back but it is strange since the set must be noisy and frantic at times.  

[msrachelj]

Tammy is crazy to be donating her kidney to this manipulative horrible woman.  WTF! All her friends have no problem voicing their opinions.  No one had the guts to tell her to show this aunt the door? I have relatives that abandoned me when I was younger & if they ever contacted me because they needed a kidney I would laugh in their faces, with sincere glee!

[Bastet]

15 hours ago, msrachelj said:

I doubt they sedate the cats. I hope to God that would be illegal!

It's not; there are very little legal protections for animals used in filming.  It's self-regulated (that whole "No animals were harmed" thing by the American Humane Association, which sounds like an objective outside observer but is not), and conduct would basically have to run afoul of general animal cruelty law.

[bichonblitz]

On 1/10/2020 at 9:38 AM, blitheone said:

Love that Kathleen Turner hasn't let rheumatoid arthritis stop her career. Her meds, including lots of Prednisone, forced her to transition from sexy leading lady to fine character actress. 

Kristin Johnson who was also once considered a sexy blonde actress is suffering from Lupus. Her meds have affected her looks as well, which she said is the reason for her weight gain. How sad for both of them to have to suffer from these painful incurable diseases. I'm glad they're still finding work. 

Edited January 15, 2020 by bichonblitz

[AnimeMania]

16 hours ago, bichonblitz said:

Kristin Johnson who was also once considered a sexy blonde actress 

She played a Bond Girl type, in the Austin Powers movie, so she was a "Power Girl"?

[Bali]

On 1/10/2020 at 9:08 PM, possibilities said:

Many cats will snooze or lie around grooming after being fed. I hope these cats are just fed before the scene, and not drugged. Also, they could have spare cats, so if shooting goes long, they can sub in other ones if the first batch gets restless. That's the advantage of Marjorie having "lots" of cats. They can plausibly show different ones and we just tell ourselves she has so many, these are just different ones than last time, but still hers.

Maybe the animal trainers just chose mellow cats. I have 2 that would LOVE to be on TV. They never move anyway, so why not put them on a set. 

[kwnyc]

I'll bet they are trained cats AND there is some kind of yummy smell/small treat where they are placed.

 

[possibilities]

I did have an anxious foster cat who I trained to relax and lie around more, by giving her treats whenever I caught her lying down. After a while, she became a couch potato and was chill.

I just know that sometimes filming of a scene can take hours, and once a cat decides it's done with its nap, I think it would be very hard to keep it in place.

I like seeing the cats, though. So I'm glad they've figured it out. The cats look happy.

 

[eel21788]

12 hours ago, possibilities said:

I just know that sometimes filming of a scene can take hours, and once a cat decides it's done with its nap, I think it would be very hard to keep it in place.

I just wonder how they convince them to stay on stage. When any of mine got bored, I think they would have headed out backstage or into the audience. 

[kwnyc]

...understudy cats! (Animals on Broadway all have stand-bys in case they can't be fussed to behave onstage.)