S06.E10: The Scent

[OtterMommy]

Quote

Grace's plan for a relaxing spa day backfires.  Frankie tries to find Joan-Margaret a husband.  Robert hosts a fundraiser to save the community theater.

Drop Date: 01/15/2020

[Harvey]

I love these little glimpses we get into what a neglectful parent Grace was...using Mother's day as an excuse to get away from her family. Hilarious. And the message she left for the CEO of that other company was really funny as well.

[shapeshifter]

41 minutes ago, Harvey said:

I love these little glimpses we get into what a neglectful parent Grace was...using Mother's day as an excuse to get away from her family.

I hope this starts a Mothers Day trend. It could save marriages.

[MissLucas]

I felt a little bit torn about Grace's plot. The show keeps bringing up her epic alcohol consumption (the story about the watermelon and the vodka bottle was great) and touches  upon its problematic aspects but there's almost never a follow-up. 

[shapeshifter]

3 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

I felt a little bit torn about Grace's plot. The show keeps bringing up her epic alcohol consumption (the story about the watermelon and the vodka bottle was great) and touches  upon its problematic aspects but there's almost never a follow-up. 

Yes. 

Spoiler

I suspect this is a set up for the next (final?) season —that Grace —and maybe Brianna —will have to deal with consequences of long-term alcohol abuse.

putting this in spoilers because it could also have been dealt with later in the current season

 

[Harvey]

9 hours ago, MissLucas said:

I felt a little bit torn about Grace's plot. The show keeps bringing up her epic alcohol consumption (the story about the watermelon and the vodka bottle was great) and touches  upon its problematic aspects but there's almost never a follow-up. 

 

9 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Yes. 

  Hide contents

I suspect this is a set up for the next (final?) season —that Grace —and maybe Brianna —will have to deal with consequences of long-term alcohol abuse.

putting this in spoilers because it could also have been dealt with later in the current season

 

Didn't that happen already when she was drunk driving and went out to buy even more alcohol and due to her carelesness she left her car open and it was stolen with all her stuff in it while she was in the shop buying 100 miniature bottles of whatever drink she was in the mood for at the moment?

[debraran]

I have a feeling at 80, her alcohol consumption might never really be addressed seriously. I never liked how they showed her mixing pills and liquor, never eating really but always drinking, morning, noon and night. You can't help viewers who will want to copy Grace in every way (that is stupid but people make their own choices) but I thought addressing the harm it's done over the years might have been a good subject along the with lube, vibrators and toilets. Grace is a smart, classy and sharp woman but wasn't a good mother, wasn't a strong wife and made some bad decisions because of alcohol. Keep it a comedy but they shouldn't sweep it under the rug either.

[possibilities]

I've been noticing how much Grace drinks and it's been bothering me for a while, so I was glad the show acknowledged it. I agree, though, that they've acknowledged it before, and then nothing really changes. Of course, many times alcoholics don't actually change. But it's not enjoyable for me to watch this behavior, either. So... I don't know what the best approach to it is (for the show), but I agree it's a problem.

[Harvey]

2 hours ago, possibilities said:

I've been noticing how much Grace drinks and it's been bothering me for a while, so I was glad the show acknowledged it. I agree, though, that they've acknowledged it before, and then nothing really changes. Of course, many times alcoholics don't actually change. But it's not enjoyable for me to watch this behavior, either. So... I don't know what the best approach to it is (for the show), but I agree it's a problem.

Well she is a functioning alcoholic so there is not much to do since she does not see it as a problem. This was a prominent ongoing aspect of another show called Cougar Town where all main characters had serious alcohol dependencies but they still went to their jobs and lived normal lives so it never became a problem that needed to be addressed. I see it being the same here. 

[debraran]

Sadly the "functioning" alcoholics that many know, that keep their jobs, usually do something by Grace's age to get in trouble. With Grace, she just would get out of it.  A lawyer I know said he would smell liquor on other lawyers breath at 10am but usually it was a traffic violation or accident, that made it more notable. Also money always helps in hiding things and getting good council.  Grace might drive and drink out of her purse while popping pills but most of us would be in deep trouble if pulled over. On Grace and Frankie, she'll never be caught or if caught, will never even have her license suspended. That bothers me although I love the show and I know from past fan comments on different forums, it isn't in a bubble, but the writers like her like that.

Edited January 19, 2020 by debraran

[sistermagpie]

21 hours ago, debraran said:

Grace is a smart, classy and sharp woman but wasn't a good mother, wasn't a strong wife and made some bad decisions because of alcohol.

Was she not a strong wife? It seemed like she was everything Robert needed her to be as a wife while he was a bad husband.

It's funny that as far as I remember the one place they don't seem to really play up her alcoholism is with Nick. They must realize that adding "drunk" to her persona with Nick kind of conflicts with the idea it's great that he married her.

[debraran]

47 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

Was she not a strong wife? It seemed like she was everything Robert needed her to be as a wife while he was a bad husband.

It's funny that as far as I remember the one place they don't seem to really play up her alcoholism is with Nick. They must realize that adding "drunk" to her persona with Nick kind of conflicts with the idea it's great that he married her.

What I meant was on paper, she crossed the t's for being the trophy or rich wife. Grace said she was just the "good wife" she wasn't a strong woman, did what she needed to do to get through the day, drank a lot to forget the life she had, was never strong enough to say what she really wanted in the marriage. No one seemed to care enough about her to try to get her into a program with her drinking, although the kids have laundry lists of incidences when she was "a bad mom". I feel they joke about that a lot.  She seemed to be surviving in this world and then Sol leaves her after lying all those years. I think she's the best with Frankie but everyone tip toes around her to some degree. She's right she was falling into the same pattern with Nick, being afraid to say what she wanted. I thought maybe drinking less with Nick was supposed to be she was so happy to be with him but I also don't think he'd be the type to not say anything either. She didn't know him too long and they seem to have quickly relieved her of any responsibility to him now.

[possibilities]

I actually think she does drink a lot around Nick. She says she needs a drink pretty much every time they start to talk.

[sistermagpie]

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

I actually think she does drink a lot around Nick. She says she needs a drink pretty much every time they start to talk.

Definitely she does. For me the difference is more that I can't remember any times when they combined Nick with the Grace who's embarrassed herself drinking--like in this ep.

[Tess23]

I was that mom whose husband took two little kids fishing one long ago Mother's Day so I could take a bubble bath, read a book, and take a nap. Best gift he could have given a tired young mom, then we all had a picnic when they got home. My kids meant/mean everything to me but, wow that was a nice day.

[foxfreakinmulder]

On ‎1‎/‎17‎/‎2020 at 5:38 PM, Harvey said:

I love these little glimpses we get into what a neglectful parent Grace was...using Mother's day as an excuse to get away from her family. Hilarious. And the message she left for the CEO of that other company was really funny as well.

That cracked me up!

I don't understand how Brianna could sell the company without Grace. Did Grace give the whole company to her doesn't she still have a stake in it?

[Oldernowiser]

7 minutes ago, foxfreakinmulder said:

That cracked me up!

I don't understand how Brianna could sell the company without Grace. Did Grace give the whole company to her doesn't she still have a stake in it?

Well, given that Grace had stolen the Beach Rose scent in the first place and then left evil voicemails for the other company’s president while drunk, she had kinda put Say Grace’s back up against a wall. And the company had supposedly been in big financial trouble not that long ago.

Brianna saw a number that she couldn’t refuse, apparently. 

But there are a lot of real life things like that this show glosses over...doesn’t bother me.

[Harvey]

7 hours ago, foxfreakinmulder said:

That cracked me up!

I don't understand how Brianna could sell the company without Grace. Did Grace give the whole company to her doesn't she still have a stake in it?

Let's be honest, Grace was probably fine with a lot of things as long as she was not forced to start going to AA meetings.

[Empress1]

On 1/19/2020 at 4:59 AM, Harvey said:

Well she is a functioning alcoholic so there is not much to do since she does not see it as a problem. This was a prominent ongoing aspect of another show called Cougar Town where all main characters had serious alcohol dependencies but they still went to their jobs and lived normal lives so it never became a problem that needed to be addressed. I see it being the same here. 

I have a friend whose sister and BIL are functioning alcoholics. Everybody knows and even says so, but there's really nothing the family can do about it. They tried intervening but since the couple is self-supporting (quite well) and have no children, there's nothing to threaten them with. The siblings with kids said they wouldn't let them see their nieces and nephews anymore and the couple was like "Okay then!" It's also tricky because alcohol is a part of family celebrations, so it's not like the family is a bunch of teetotalers. So the couple just drinks excessively and the rest of the family limits their exposure to them, and that's kind of that.

Grace has managed to start and build two successful businesses and she's also 80 years old. She's not going to stop drinking now.

On 1/21/2020 at 11:57 AM, Tess23 said:

I was that mom whose husband took two little kids fishing one long ago Mother's Day so I could take a bubble bath, read a book, and take a nap. Best gift he could have given a tired young mom, then we all had a picnic when they got home. My kids meant/mean everything to me but, wow that was a nice day.

My best friend's husband's Mother's Day gift to her is always something just for her that gets her out of the house. They have a family breakfast and then she gets a facial or something.

[possibilities]

People who are known to be willing to drive while intoxicated is enough can be threatened with loss of their license to drive, but you have to prove it, and get them caught in the act. Otherwise, yeah, there's not much you can do in some cases.

I think the show making a choice to show Grace's alcoholism, and its effects, without presenting a way to stop it, is illustrative of a fact of reality. She's had major repercussions at various times throughout the show's run, and she keeps going back to it. But the people in her life also enable her. They complain, but they also pick up the pieces, because their own lives are too intertwined with hers to make a boundary that sticks.

[Clanstarling]

On 1/17/2020 at 5:38 PM, Harvey said:

I love these little glimpses we get into what a neglectful parent Grace was...using Mother's day as an excuse to get away from her family. Hilarious. And the message she left for the CEO of that other company was really funny as well.

I always wanted some "me" time on Mother's Day - but never asked for it so I wouldn't be judged for needing some time away from the constant care of my kids.

On 1/21/2020 at 8:57 AM, Tess23 said:

I was that mom whose husband took two little kids fishing one long ago Mother's Day so I could take a bubble bath, read a book, and take a nap. Best gift he could have given a tired young mom, then we all had a picnic when they got home. My kids meant/mean everything to me but, wow that was a nice day.

What a great husband! Yes, you can absolutely love and adore your kids and need a break from them.

[rejnel]

One thing's for sure: no 80-year-old who drinks as hard as Grace would look as good as Jane Fonda. 
I do think they've subtly downplayed Grace's drinking while she's been with Nick--not that she doesn't drink plenty, but it seems more in a normal range, not compulsive. (That's not a carefully researched statement, just my impression.)

Edited February 21, 2020 by rejnel
left out an apostrophe!

[Bastet]

Wow, I'm clearly a minority here, but I love that Grace's heavy drinking is treated as a bad habit rather than an addiction that needs a very special episode.  The only thing I ever saw that indicated a serious problem was when Grace was hiding liquor bottles in her own home (with Frankie, not when she was hiding them in her home with Robert to keep up appearances); she has otherwise consistently been presented simply as someone who drinks too much (and abusing alcohol does not automatically mean being addicted to alcohol).  I find it refreshing, since TV likes to trot all its characters down the AA path -- I like seeing characters like Grace and Mom's Adam in the mix.

Alcoholism being a prevalent problem does not impede me laughing at things like "The three of us need to start drinking less" and "Okay, check-in - we're not alcoholics, right?"/"No.  Well, Mom may be."  And Brianna being tempted to sell the company to torture Grace by being dragged to AA meetings by the new woman.  I understand why many don't find humor in it, but I'm here for it.  (And, yes, I could probably hold my own with Grace in a drinking contest, but she'd ultimately win.)

I wonder what the fallout of Brianna selling the company will be.  All this talk about it remaining independent is just talk.

Grace knowing Frankie mixed up LOL and SOS again was great, as was her "you two deserve each other" after she arrived at City Hall and reminded Frankie and Joan-Margaret that, duh, they just fill out the same work visa forms they did at the firm.

Sol turning the theatre fundraiser into a fundraiser for the cancer patient was funny, but obviously Robert hiding the fact he spent $20k of joint funds without telling Sol is going to be a storyline, and I just do not get it - two (retired) divorce attorneys in a community property state keep all their money in joint accounts.  O-kay.

[sistermagpie]

17 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Wow, I'm clearly a minority here, but I love that Grace's heavy drinking is treated as a bad habit rather than an addiction that needs a very special episode.  The only thing I ever saw that indicated a serious problem was when Grace was hiding liquor bottles in her own home (with Frankie, not when she was hiding them in her home with Robert to keep up appearances); she has otherwise consistently been presented simply as someone who drinks too much (and abusing alcohol does not automatically mean being addicted to alcohol).  I find it refreshing, since TV likes to trot all its characters down the AA path -- I like seeing characters like Grace and Mom's Adam in the mix.

Alcoholism being a prevalent problem does not impede me laughing at things like "The three of us need to start drinking less" and "Okay, check-in - we're not alcoholics, right?"/"No.  Well, Mom may be."  And Brianna being tempted to sell the company to torture Grace by being dragged to AA meetings by the new woman.  I understand why many don't find humor in it, but I'm here for it.  (And, yes, I could probably hold my own with Grace in a drinking contest, but she'd ultimately win.)

 

Yes, at 80 years old, this is just who she is. Pickled, but getting no worse or better in response to things in her life, and it's not a shameful secret.

It's also kind of funny because on TV AA is always presented as the absolute cure for alcoholism but it really is impossible to imagine it doing anything for Grace besides irritating her. Might as well send her to the seminar Saul and Frankie went to where they named their unconscious-es. (One of my favorite details of the show.)

[snarktini]

On 1/17/2020 at 5:38 PM, Harvey said:

I love these little glimpses we get into what a neglectful parent Grace was...using Mother's day as an excuse to get away from her family. Hilarious. And the message she left for the CEO of that other company was really funny as well.

My mom was an amazing mother -- she loved being a mom, we felt loved, and she was always there for us. Still, Mother's Day in our house was absolutely her day to be OFF mom duty. Dad took us out so she could kick back! I look back on that as one of the best things about our family culture.

Grace is really giving Frankie a run for her money in the impulsive sabotage category.

[Clanstarling]

12 hours ago, snarktini said:

My mom was an amazing mother -- she loved being a mom, we felt loved, and she was always there for us. Still, Mother's Day in our house was absolutely her day to be OFF mom duty. Dad took us out so she could kick back! I look back on that as one of the best things about our family culture.

I loved my kids and family, and always wanted a day off for mother's day, but I settled for breakfast out because it sounded kind of mean and selfish to ask for it. And we did the breakfast out the day before, because I hate, hate, hate crowds.