S07.E14: Cheddar Cheese and a Squirrel Circus

[jewel21]

After a successful kidney transplant surgery, Bonnie is concerned that Tammy's Aunt Cookie is taking her second chance for granted. Also, Christy tries to track down a handsome stranger she believes is her soulmate.

Airdate: 02/06/2020

[jewel21]

I felt really bad for Tammy. I loved Bonnie‘s share and the look between her and Tammy.

Aunt Cookie was a dumbass. She just had surgery and is smoking, drinking, and not taking her anti-rejection meds? I wanted to kick her.

I really liked seeing competent Wendy at her job. 

[Harvey]

6 hours ago, jewel21 said:

.

Aunt Cookie was a dumbass. She just had surgery and is smoking, drinking, and not taking her anti-rejection meds? I wanted to kick her.

 

You would be surprised how many organ receivers act the same way.   I have seen it first-hand multiple times.

[iMonrey]

Heartbreaking for Tammy, but she should have trusted her gut instincts about Cookie. 

Christy looked great when she was stalking her mystery patient. Anna Faris can really pull off the glam look when she wants to.

[Blakeston]

Cookie was just an utterly toxic person.

They highlighted Bonnie's distaste for her so much that I was worried that they were leading up to Bonnie donating something to her. (Not that I think Bonnie's kidneys have much value, but maybe blood or a different body part?)

The actual ending was much, much better than that would have been.

With Christy and the patient, I considered the possibility that he was gay, and the possibility that he didn't speak English, but I didn't consider that the writers would go with both!

[nodorothyparker]

Cookie is one of those people who will never see beyond me me me and what do I want in this moment.  Her relationships with other people, such as they exist, will always be about what the other person can do for her.  Bonnie's share at the end putting all that together with both things she learned in therapy and in meetings could have come off feeling very trite, but it actually worked pretty well. 

I'm constantly impressed considering where we met Tammy, that she's grown into a person who has a pretty good handle on her own feelings and manages to be one of the more emotionally centered members of the group.  She knew Cookie was a user but gave her a kidney anyway because it felt like the right thing to do for her.  Knowing what she knew, she still decided it was worth it to her to let this woman into her life to find connections to her own mother she thought had been lost.   And when she finally reached a boiling point with her, she was able to clearly articulate it.  Yep, it burned her here, but the fairly hopeful ending certainly suggests she'll roll with this too.  I liked the contrast they gave us in Tammy and Cookie, where they both talked about never having had to care or think about other people much because you could see how having the love and support of the group has really made Tammy blossom.

The Christy subplot just made me tired, although Anna Faris certainly does clean up nicely when they get her out of the ponytail and sweatshirts.  I love that Wendy is professional enough to both take her HIPAA obligations seriously and be completely unbothered that  her good friend was trying to wear her down enough to violate it.    It's a nice character quirk that she's so quietly competent.

[MissLucas]

Good episode. Bonnie is really making up for what she did to Tammy and those last two scenes between the two were great. (Tammy's breakdown in the hospital immediately brought back that scene from the Fresh Prince.)

But I'm also getting tired of Christy's plots. The character needs some momentum especially compared to Bonnie. (Anna Faris looked great in red though.)

Edited February 7, 2020 by MissLucas

[Lily H]

2 hours ago, Blakeston said:

With Christy and the patient, I considered the possibility that he was gay, and the possibility that he didn't speak English, but I didn't consider that the writers would go with both!

Don't forget 'married with kids' as well!

[kwnyc]

I have a friend who is a bioethicist, and he has had to conduct interviews with potential transplant recipients when there are limited organs. And has to weigh in on which recipient would be better for the transplant in terms of how compliant they'll be in terms of followup.

With a direct donor like Tammy, Cookie didn't have to worry about passing an interview. And you know she probably will end up rejecting the kidney.

It was a good conclusion to a strong arc (and Kathleen Turner was wonderful, along with being someone you could believe was related to Tammy.)

And Bonnie...still a highly problematic person, but damn, she came through for her friend at the end.

[qtpye]

6 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

Cookie is one of those people who will never see beyond me me me and what do I want in this moment.  Her relationships with other people, such as they exist, will always be about what the other person can do for her.  Bonnie's share at the end putting all that together with both things she learned in therapy and in meetings could have come off feeling very trite, but it actually worked pretty well. 

I'm constantly impressed considering where we met Tammy, that she's grown into a person who has a pretty good handle on her own feelings and manages to be one of the more emotionally centered members of the group.  She knew Cookie was a user but gave her a kidney anyway because it felt like the right thing to do for her.  Knowing what she knew, she still decided it was worth it to her to let this woman into her life to find connections to her own mother she thought had been lost.   And when she finally reached a boiling point with her, she was able to clearly articulate it.  Yep, it burned her here, but the fairly hopeful ending certainly suggests she'll roll with this too.  I liked the contrast they gave us in Tammy and Cookie, where they both talked about never having had to care or think about other people much because you could see how having the love and support of the group has really made Tammy blossom.

The Christy subplot just made me tired, although Anna Faris certainly does clean up nicely when they get her out of the ponytail and sweatshirts.  I love that Wendy is professional enough to both take her HIPAA obligations seriously and be completely unbothered that  her good friend was trying to wear her down enough to violate it.    It's a nice character quirk that she's so quietly competent.

 

5 hours ago, MissLucas said:

Good episode. Bonnie is really making up for what she did to Tammy and those last two scenes between the two were great. (Tammy's breakdown in the hospital immediately brought back that scene from the Fresh Prince.)

But I'm also getting tired of Christy's plots. The character needs some momentum especially compared to Bonnie. (Anna Faris looked great in red though.)

Christy is a very attractive woman but the subplot was just so pathetic and sad...she really should not be this desperate.

4 hours ago, kwnyc said:

I have a friend who is a bioethicist, and he has had to conduct interviews with potential transplant recipients when there are limited organs. And has to weigh in on which recipient would be better for the transplant in terms of how compliant they'll be in terms of followup.

With a direct donor like Tammy, Cookie didn't have to worry about passing an interview. And you know she probably will end up rejecting the kidney.

It was a good conclusion to a strong arc (and Kathleen Turner was wonderful, along with being someone you could believe was related to Tammy.)

And Bonnie...still a highly problematic person, but damn, she came through for her friend at the end.

This is so evil but I hope Cookie dies and leaves Tammy a nice sized inheritance. I do love the actress that plays Cookie.

[iMonrey]

I almost didn't recognize Ted McGinley as Cookie's doctor. 

[nodorothyparker]

That was Ted McGinley!  I kept thinking that was him but then he looked just different enough that I couldn't be sure.  But yep, IMDb says it was him.

[theatremouse]

7 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

she still decided it was worth it to her to let this woman into her life to find connections to her own mother she thought had been lost.

The pull of "you can and will tell me stories about DeadParent, therefore I want to hang out with you even though I don't even like you" is so so so so so so strong.

[Blakeston]

My biggest question is why Cookie even stuck around after the transplant to try to suck up to Tammy. Once she had the kidney, I don't see much reason for someone so self-centered to seek Tammy's approval.

Maybe she liked the attention she knew she could get from Tammy, who was clearly eager to learn more about their family.

[possibilities]

I expected to find out that all the stories about Tammy's mom were just lies anyway.

[nodorothyparker]

19 hours ago, theatremouse said:

The pull of "you can and will tell me stories about DeadParent, therefore I want to hang out with you even though I don't even like you" is so so so so so so strong.

Yep.  I grew up in the same house with my dad and after he died, I still found myself suddenly willing to hang out with relatives I hadn't seen or particularly wanted any contact with in decades just because they had pictures I'd never seen before or stories I'd never heard.  I would imagine that desire would be even stronger if you hadn't had much time with Dead Parent.  Jill, who also lost her mother young, said as much.

Cookie clearly likes being the center of attention.  She was getting that from Tammy and all the other women in the group.  And like Bonnie said in her ending share, she probably believed herself to be perfectly sincere at the moment she was making all those promises but then the me me me took over and she either forgot about it or didn't think it all that important.

[Cupcake04]

I really liked this episode.  When they were at dinner Tammy looked faaaaaabulous!  She was gorgeous.  Christy looked beautiful too stalking hospital patient.  It was nice to see her hair not in a pony tail for once.

[Agent 817]

I had wondered what the resolution would be for the Aunt Cookie story. I am not in the least bit surprised. I know that there will be a third episode in that saga, but I don't want it to be so soon. I do know that there will be some resolution to that one and I know that it will not go well.

As for the B-plot, I thought it was funny. I had a feeling that the guy was looking elsewhere when Christy made eye contact with him, but the part about him being gay and not speaking English was something I didn't expect. Nice revelation. 

[Harvey]

I thought Christie's storyline was so charming in this episode. I never saw a person bribe someone with an egg-white omelette with bacon and cheddar cheese before 🤣

[ctlady]

I'm not quite sure how much real time passed between the surgery and Tammy being discharged because she seemed to be moving around pretty well after surgery.  All I can remember is the scene from Steel Magnolias when Truvy was explaining that M'Lynn had the worst part of the kidney transplant surgery as the doner because they basically had to 'saw her in half' to get the kidney out. 

I understand the pull of finally finding some semblance of blood family, but I wanted to shake Tammy and yell 'you're being had!"  Thankfully Bonnie was the only one who had the big ones to say it out loud.  If Cookie goes and squanders her second chance and dies Tammy can't get that kidney back.

And I agree with the Christy sub-plot.  Even with working and going to school, I can't believe she hasn't been able to meet anyone decent.  I mean - Bonnie met Adam via a wrong number.  Christy works at a restaurant with a revolving door of people.  I don't think she's met/dated since Patrick.

And I'm glad they're writing Wendy to be more outspoken and not just as, 'Oh, yeah, Wendy's here so we have to include her'

[CarpeFelis]

21 hours ago, ctlady said:

And I'm glad they're writing Wendy to be more outspoken and not just as, 'Oh, yeah, Wendy's here so we have to include her'

With the “Christy is desperate” subplot, I think her reactions could be hilarious if Wendy was the next one to meet someone — especially if it was a hot younger doctor and the rest of the group drove themselves nuts trying to figure out what he saw in Wendy. And then finally realized she’s just as lovable as any of them.

[Sarah 103]

1 hour ago, CarpeFelis said:

With the “Christy is desperate” subplot, I think her reactions could be hilarious if Wendy was the next one to meet someone — especially if it was a hot younger doctor and the rest of the group drove themselves nuts trying to figure out what he saw in Wendy. And then finally realized she’s just as lovable as any of them.

I love this idea. What would make it better is if no one believes Wendy at first, because they keep just missing him, or each time they have plans to meet with him he has to cancel due to a medical emergency at the hospital. She shows them a picture but they think the picture is of another guy and when she shows the group pictures of the two of them together, everyone thinks they are photoshopped. This could be a fun little subplot for multiple episodes.

Once they meet him it leads directly into your version of it. 

[CarpeFelis]

6 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

I love this idea. What would make it better is if no one believes Wendy at first, because they keep just missing him, or each time they have plans to meet with him he has to cancel due to a medical emergency at the hospital. She shows them a picture but they think the picture is of another guy and when she shows the group pictures of the two of them together, everyone thinks they are photoshopped. This could be a fun little subplot for multiple episodes.

Once they meet him it leads directly into your version of it. 

I love that! It would be hilarious.

[kwnyc]

I still think Spencer (the student Christie had NSA sex with and who fell in love with her) could come back. He was actually a younger guy who had to be "raised," but he had potential. 

[12catcrazy]

This was a really good episode.   I had been hoping that Aunt Cookie was going to wind up being decent, but no redemption there.   Bonnie's share at the end was great - and both Bonnie and Tammy have grown so much over the course of this show.   My only complaint was the "comic relief" story with Christie acting like an idiot over a guy who she thought smiled at her in the hospital.  It seemed like just an excuse to have Anna Farris put on a nice outfit and look good for once.   The comeupance was the finally seeing the guy again and having her nose rubbed in The Truth.   And she acted like such a dumb flake, she deserved it.  

It seems more and more as the show goes on that Bonnie is progressing and Christie is regressing.  When the show started, Christie was the one we rooted for as she was trying to get her life together and Bonnie was used more as a comic foil with dumbass behavior - seems that has switched.   Makes you wonder how much this has to do with Allison Janney's Oscar win in the way that having an Oscar under your belt (not to mention many other awards) heightens an actors Star power.    And on a shallow note, has Anna Farris gotten scary thin or what?   Considering that the camera adds pounds, it makes me wonder what she looks like IRL.  Yikes! 

[Guest]

On 2/10/2020 at 9:02 AM, kwnyc said:

I still think Spencer (the student Christie had NSA sex with and who fell in love with her) could come back. He was actually a younger guy who had to be "raised," but he had potential. 

I believe his name was Cooper. That could really work now that they both are in law school. I’ve thought for a while that they should bring back one of her earlier love interests. My vote was for Justin Long’s Adam from season 1. Nick Zano’s character from season 1 is another that could be interesting. Any of them would be a nice opportunity to allow Christy to grow. 

[kwnyc]

Cooper/Spencer, same difference 😉

[iMonrey]

Quote

When the show started, Christie was the one we rooted for as she was trying to get her life together and Bonnie was used more as a comic foil with dumbass behavior - seems that has switched.   Makes you wonder how much this has to do with Allison Janney's Oscar win in the way that having an Oscar under your belt (not to mention many other awards) heightens an actors Star power. 

Oh, definitely. She also won an Emmy for this role. Maybe two, I can't remember. 

CBS has a bonafide movie star in one of their top rated sitcoms, they're obviously not going to waste her in a supporting role. Look how frustrated they were that Mike and Molly wasn't a bigger ratings hit. They were obsessed with the idea that Melissa McCarthy's movie career should have translated into higher ratings for that show and eventually cancelled it when it didn't. 

[TVMovieBuff]

I don't think Christy was acting desperate for a man, in the subplot about the guy on the gurney. 

She wasn't going after just anyone, she was going after someone she felt in her gut she had a connection with. She felt it, regardless that I felt he was just woozy from anesthesia.

Christy was acting on her 'thunderbolt', but she was just really, really mistaken!

[kwnyc]

Well, after last night's episode, Christy might not have a man, but she does have a couple of really soft track suits.

[proserpina65]

On ‎02‎/‎08‎/‎2020 at 5:07 PM, ctlady said:

And I'm glad they're writing Wendy to be more outspoken and not just as, 'Oh, yeah, Wendy's here so we have to include her'

Me, too.  I don't need her to have a big storyline, but I do like when she's more than just another person at the table.