S08.E01: Sex Bucket and the Grammar Police

[Amazee-Dayzee]

Is there any chance of AF possibly dropping in for future stints or is that it for her? I was so worried that CL give Christy a crappy sendoff since he seems to be spiteful but this was actually pretty good and it was a lot better than what he did for Charlie. There must have been a reason she had to leave suddenly and I hope we find out what it is. Maybe she will come back full-time in a few seasons but somehow I doubt it. Even though she didn't get killed off and they aren't replacing her like they did with Charlie on Two and a Half Men, I feel like with her leaving the show only has a few more seasons left. I see it lasting 3 more seasons like Two and a Half Men did. Hopefully in the series finally Christy makes an appearance and finally became a successful sober lawyer and is happily married and now talking to her kids again.

[qtpye]

3 hours ago, eel21788 said:

Here's my take on it: She didn't transfer law schools to finish her final year at Georgetown. She retook her LSAT, sent only her college transcript, after two years of strip mall law school and two internships knew how to write a killer admissions essay and applied to Georgetown as a first year student without acknowledging that she had already put in a couple of years at an unaccredited school. She will now have to do another 3 years before she can take the bar; however, since she is taking a lot of the classes for the second time, she should be able to get some pretty decent grades and impress people at Georgetown. 

You put more thought into it than the writers did.

I wish the actress had stayed and this year could have been the final season of the show. Christy was getting annoying and unneeded but her triumphantly graduating law school and moving out on her own would of been a great way to end the series.

I wonder how going to Georgetown affects her youngest son that she supposedly got on the weekends?

[Amazee-Dayzee]

It shouldn't really because big red turd stepmommy is rich so she will probably try to win his affections more by sending him over to see her on a private plane.

I would just love for Candace to somehow get in trouble and for the last season Christy shows up successful and defends her.

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, eel21788 said:

finish her final year

Hadn't she only completed two years?  (I keep track via syndication and this forum, so sometimes I'm off, but I think that was the timelime.)  She's been working all along, so that would mean the part-time, not the full-time program, meaning four years rather than three to graduate.  Transferring after first year is still far more common, but after two of four makes a hell of a lot more sense than after two of three.

The fundamental issue remains shipping her off via scholarship to a prestigious law school; I appreciate wanting to give the character a happy ending, and that happy ending being professional rather than romantic, but she got into/had to argue her way into a college and then law school that admitted pretty much everyone other than her.  It's a no-brainer to, upon needing to write her out, say her big fish in small pond academic performance plus internship recommendation resulted in an offer to transfer to a better school that she'd obviously jump on - but a Georgetown scholarship is just ridiculous.

[Irlandesa]

56 minutes ago, Amazee-Dayzee said:

Is there any chance of AF possibly dropping in for future stints or is that it for her?

I think that's hard to know.  I would think anything is possible but you'd think if she were open, we'd have seen her for one episode so her character could be written out--sort of like what happened with America Ferrera on Superstore.

 

[Winston Wolfe]

On 11/6/2020 at 1:07 PM, sugarbaker design said:

In last season's last episode, Tammy shared that her father murdered her mother to Bonnie while they were driving.  It's worth looking for the scene on the net, it was well-written and supremely acted.

Now that you mention it, the acting on Mom has been far-and-away the best of any Chuck Lorre show, even Big Bang Theory. A lot of that probably has to do with the quality of the cast, never a ringer in the bunch. And the writing has been consistently good overall, so much so that I can almost accept the "Christie gets accepted to Georgetown on a full scholarship" premise.

[iMonrey]

Quote

Am I the only one who thinks that Christy's character was more or less the same throughout the series? I think last season was probably the first one where she didn't feel like one of the stars, but that's because it's not her show anymore. It's everybody's show. The ensemble has been what this show has revolved around since......season four, I want to say. And every year since, it's gotten stronger. Even when Jill left for a couple episodes in season five, the show kept moving along. So, I don't know why everyone thinks that Christy's character has declined or it started to feel like she's not part of the show anymore.

Christy was the only responsible adult back in season one when everyone - Bonnie included - was mooching off of her. As the seasons progressed, though, she became more and more irresponsible and "wacky."

And I disagree it's everybody's show. It's Bonnie's show and has been for the last several seasons. We have episodes where there's a story revolving around Jill or Marjorie once in awhile but Bonnie is always front and center in dealing with those issues, every time. More often than not the "A" plot of the episode resolves around some sort of Bonnie antics.

I don't necessarily dislike Bonnie but she definitely became the Fonzie of Mom to Christy's Richie Cunningham.

For all we know, Anna Faris might have been making some noise about leaving for a couple years now, and maybe that's why Kristen Johnston was added to the cast as a potential replacement. And the lack of story for Christy alongside that might have been the show's way of punishing her for talking about leaving, and/or their way of phasing her out of the show.

[eel21788]

17 hours ago, qtpye said:

You put more thought into it than the writers did.

I need a lot of reality in my fiction. If the writers can't come up with something plausible, I create my own.

[eel21788]

17 hours ago, Bastet said:

Hadn't she only completed two years?  (I keep track via syndication and this forum, so sometimes I'm off, but I think that was the timelime.)  She's been working all along, so that would mean the part-time, not the full-time program, meaning four years rather than three to graduate.  Transferring after first year is still far more common, but after two of four makes a hell of a lot more sense than after two of three.

Law school is three years by day, and four years by night. She seems to have been attending classes during the day. That leaves her evenings free to go to meetings and work at the restaurant and in Adam's bar. This probably would have been a better schedule for her since the tips would be better if she was working the dinner shift rather than during the day.

[Bastet]

The amount of time she was still working is what made me think she was in the part-time program, but I forgot the ABA got rid of its prohibition against 1Ls in the full-time program working more than 20 hours per week.

[ams1001]

1 hour ago, eel21788 said:

I need a lot of reality in my fiction. If the writers can't come up with something plausible, I create my own.

[Blakeston]

On 11/7/2020 at 9:43 PM, eel21788 said:

Here's my take on it: She didn't transfer law schools to finish her final year at Georgetown. She retook her LSAT, sent only her college transcript, after two years of strip mall law school and two internships knew how to write a killer admissions essay and applied to Georgetown as a first year student without acknowledging that she had already put in a couple of years at an unaccredited school. She will now have to do another 3 years before she can take the bar; however, since she is taking a lot of the classes for the second time, she should be able to get some pretty decent grades and impress people at Georgetown. 

Christy was barely able to get into the strip mall law school with her grades and LSATs, which matter far, far more to law school admission officers than internships or essays.

Going to law school wouldn't do much to help her with the logic exercises on the LSAT. Maybe it could help her think a little more logically, and do marginally better on the LSAT, but it wouldn't come close to making the difference between a strip mall law school and a Georgetown Law scholarship.

[bichonblitz]

On 11/6/2020 at 11:50 PM, ch1 said:

I may be one of the few but I missed Christy.  

I missed her, too. She had many great one liner's throughout the season's and delivered them perfectly. She and AJ had amazing chemistry. 

[Infiltr8]

I’m glad they did not kill her off, sometimes I find they have too many issues and never seem to get a break—if they give the others more storylines I think it can succeed— I’ll give it a few more episodes to see how it goes 

[bichonblitz]

Aren't these celebs under contract? How could AF just walk away like that or even be fired? Unless her contract was up for negotiation and they couldn't come to terms or AF just didn't want to do another season but if you have a contract and walk away doesn't the network sue the star? 

Edited November 10, 2020 by bichonblitz

[Guest]

1 minute ago, bichonblitz said:

Aren't these celebs under contract? How could AF just walk away like that or even be fired? Unless her contract was up for negotiation and they couldn't come to terms or AF just didn't want to do another season but if you have a contract and walk away doesn't the network sue the star? Something is just not right and things have been very quiet in Farrisland. No photo's of her on DailyMail or the other obnoxious rags. I really think she's in rehab. 

She’s not in rehab. She has been continuing to release her podcast. She was under contract but suing a star who wants to leave is rare. 

[bichonblitz]

2 minutes ago, Dani said:

She’s not in rehab. She has been continuing to release her podcast. She was under contract but suing a star who wants to leave is rare. 

Yes, I noticed she's active on IG, too, so I deleted my rehab comment. Looks like she's doing just fine!

[Irlandesa]

1 minute ago, bichonblitz said:

Aren't these celebs under contract? How could AF just walk away like that or even be fired? Unless her contract was up for negotiation and they couldn't come to terms or AF just didn't want to do another season but if you have a contract and walk away doesn't the network sue the star? Something is just not right and things have been very quiet in Farrisland. No photo's of her on DailyMail or the other obnoxious rags. I really think she's in rehab. 

 As @Dani said, it's pretty rare for a TV show to sue an actor who'd like to leave.  What usually happens is the actor approaches TPTB with their wishes and they negotiate the terms of a departure.  Here's a rundown of David Caruso's departure from NYPD Blue. With him, the producers wanted to force him to stay but eventually realized the shenanigans to force him to stay weren't worth it. 

So either AF and TPTB negotiated the terms of her departure or there was some kind of out clause in her contract that she could take advantage of.

 

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, bichonblitz said:

Aren't these celebs under contract?

She had a year left.  So, yes, they can sue for breach unless she buys herself out, but it's far more common to reach a deal so that's not necessary.  She probably at least agreed not to appear on a rival network for that remaining year, but there are numerous possibilities.  Based on both parties' statements when the news broke, though, they negotiated a departure agreement both are satisfied with.

[kwnyc]

On 11/6/2020 at 2:21 AM, Harvey said:

About Marjorie's health problems. Doesn't that just make sense? When you take drugs and abuse alcohol, they put a strain on your body, your internal organs have to work harder to function properly  and keep you alive, it makes pefect sense that with aging your body collapses more than it does for a person who leads a more sober lifestyle.

Unfortunately, that is true. I have friends who have been sober for a long time dealing with lingering issues. And friends who died too young because of the damage they caused to themselves when they were using.

As for Christy's sendoff, it was a nice touch. You can transfer law schools...RBG did it when Cornell wouldn't let her stay after her husband graduated and got a job in NYC. So she transferred to Columbia and finished at the top of her class. Not that Christy is RBG, but that might have been in someone's mind when they were writing the script.

Also, evil bitch boss might have a connection at Gtown and done her a solid after all the abuse...a quid pro quo. So I will happily not think about that. Or Roscoe. [ETA: That is SO how admissions can work at some schools...a word from a prominent alum can boost someone off the waiting list/get them admitted.]

I do think the dynamic was lacking a little without Christy...most of the previousaction was propelled by her conflict with Bonnie. But that just means they can work with the characters' actual progress in the program and use the VERY good actors they have to reknit the circle...many shows have done it with some success.

I'd like to see a new character or two; no more slips, they've done that with nearly all of them. Tammy is still relatively new to her sobriety, and the Bonnie/Tammy relationship is a lot more pleasant to watch that Bonnie/Christy.

I'm in. And happy the show is back.

Edited November 12, 2020 by kwnyc
Additional thought on law school

[ctlady]

Late to the party on this as I just had a chance to view the premier On Demand last night.

I'm not sure I like the new dynamic without Christy - or if they're going to be able to pull it off with the 'Mom' title

Bonnie is just a horrible friend - period.  Her mean-girl attitude towards Marjorie is appalling  - and only pulled back upon the mention of Marjorie's heart condition.  Which brings me to another point - can we please not turn Marjorie into the sickly old broad just because she's the oldest?

Jill's vapid, snarky rich-girl schtick was fine for a few seasons, but I've had enough.  She needs to either get a job or volunteer (whatever happened to her wanting to help out at that women's shelter she donated half her closet to?)  I just can't imagine the amount of money her ex-husband has to be able to pay her alimony, pay for the upkeep of that ginormous house AND provide for a new wife and child.  Not to mention, if she and Andy do get serious to the point of marriage, she'll lose her alimony and he won't be able to afford that house on a cop's pay.  I've really had it with her.  She's  a spoiled brat and all her little digs are wearing on me.  Who on earth could possible tolerate a friend like that in real life?

Count me in on the 'how the heck did Christy get a full ride to Georgetown?' train- especially after she got turned down by all but 1 law school.  With her gone, I will miss the restaurant scenes with Chef Rudy and silent Paul

Nice to see Wendy have more dialogue and a little less always dogging on her, though after all these years, her character needs to have their own subplot.  She's the only cast member who hasn't had one.

The Tammy/dad plotline seemed forced to me - like it was phoned it matter-of-factly just to address the issue with her father

[Wanda]

36 minutes ago, ctlady said:

Late to the party on this as I just had a chance to view the premier On Demand last night.

I'm not sure I like the new dynamic without Christy - or if they're going to be able to pull it off with the 'Mom' title

Bonnie is just a horrible friend - period.  Her mean-girl attitude towards Marjorie is appalling  - and only pulled back upon the mention of Marjorie's heart condition.  Which brings me to another point - can we please not turn Marjorie into the sickly old broad just because she's the oldest?

Jill's vapid, snarky rich-girl schtick was fine for a few seasons, but I've had enough.  She needs to either get a job or volunteer (whatever happened to her wanting to help out at that women's shelter she donated half her closet to?)  I just can't imagine the amount of money her ex-husband has to be able to pay her alimony, pay for the upkeep of that ginormous house AND provide for a new wife and child.  Not to mention, if she and Andy do get serious to the point of marriage, she'll lose her alimony and he won't be able to afford that house on a cop's pay.  I've really had it with her.  She's  a spoiled brat and all her little digs are wearing on me.  Who on earth could possible tolerate a friend like that in real life?

Count me in on the 'how the heck did Christy get a full ride to Georgetown?' train- especially after she got turned down by all but 1 law school.  With her gone, I will miss the restaurant scenes with Chef Rudy and silent Paul

Nice to see Wendy have more dialogue and a little less always dogging on her, though after all these years, her character needs to have their own subplot.  She's the only cast member who hasn't had one.

The Tammy/dad plotline seemed forced to me - like it was phoned it matter-of-factly just to address the issue with her father

As has been discussed many times, jill comes from money. It’s not alimony paying her way. She took it to make her husband pay for leaving her, not because she needed it

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, ctlady said:

I just can't imagine the amount of money her ex-husband has to be able to pay her alimony, pay for the upkeep of that ginormous house AND provide for a new wife and child.  Not to mention, if she and Andy do get serious to the point of marriage, she'll lose her alimony and he won't be able to afford that house on a cop's pay. 

Jill is not dependent upon the money she receives per the divorce settlement, nor would she need to live off Andy's salary if they got married, as she has oodles of money on her own; she was born into an incredibly wealthy family (it's why she's so out of touch - she has always lived in that world) and inherited that money when her mom died.

(Oops, I didn't see this had already been addressed.)

Edited November 12, 2020 by Bastet

[eel21788]

1 hour ago, ctlady said:

Jill's vapid, snarky rich-girl schtick was fine for a few seasons, but I've had enough.  She needs to either get a job or volunteer (whatever happened to her wanting to help out at that women's shelter she donated half her closet to?) 

I thought after orchestrating Mary's funeral she decided to do event planning, both as a volunteer and for hire. 

[ctlady]

17 hours ago, Wanda said:

As has been discussed many times, jill comes from money. It’s not alimony paying her way. She took it to make her husband pay for leaving her, not because she needed it

I do remember now that Jill had money growing up and - yeah, it can cause someone's view of other's who don't to be somewhat skewed.  It's just, after 6 seasons, I've really had enough of the rich-girl schtick.  It's just not endearing anymore - it's condescending and offensive

17 hours ago, Bastet said:

nor would she need to live off Andy's salary if they got married, as she has oodles of money on her own; she was born into an incredibly wealthy family

This reminds me of something she said after Marjorie got married - that she (Jill) knew she'd find love again, but wouldn't get married because she didn't want to give up her alimony.  Okay - you made your ex pay for leaving you - even though he probably had reason to divorce her as she was an out of control drunk.  But that just emphasizes how greedy she is - that she'd purposefully not get married just so James could still send alimony checks.   I guess I've just had it with her

[SmithW6079]

I don't understand why people are saying that with the departure of Anna Faris, the title "Mom" doesn't work anymore. Bonnie is the "mom" -- she's Christy's mother. I've always been under the impression that the "Mom" in the title referred to Bonnie, not Christy, because it's Bonnie who breezed back into Christy's life, Bonnie who basically took over, Bonnie rediscovering what it meant to be a mother. Granted, I didn't watch the show the first couple of seasons (I found the thought of a sitcom based on drug addicts and alcoholics to be depressing), so maybe it was different back then. With the departure of Christy's kids and scant mention of them, the only mother-daughter relationship we've seen is Bonnie and Christy. Also, Marjorie is a mother, and hasn't a running theme throughout been the mother issues these women have?

[possibilities]

I have ZERO info to back this up, but since we're writing our own stories where sufficient info is not provided, my theory about Anna Farris leaving is that her son is very high risk for COVID and she didn't want to come back to set, and everybody agreed to just give her a happy story send off and let her go.