S08.E05: Sober Wizard and a Woodshop Workshop

[jewel21]

Quote

Bonnie is concerned about Adam's safety when he decides to go skiing for the first time since his accident. Also, Tammy worries that Jill is sending the wrong message to the young girls they're mentoring.

Airdate: 12/17/2020

[SoMuchTV]

I’m only half way through but Gus is definitely the mvp this week!

[ams1001]

"What is it with me and white powder?" 🤣 ⛷️

[Chaos Theory]

Jill often acts like a teenage girl so of course she would get on with them.  

I liked  the stuff with Alvin.   Bonnie is truly happy probably for the first time in her life.   I can  see Alvin being the ghost of everything she stands to lose if Adam dies.

Edited December 18, 2020 by Chaos Theory

[sugarbaker design]

I love episodes that focus on my three favorite characters:  Jill, Tammy and Gus.

[Grizzly]

Alvin was a nice holiday surprise. I nearly lost it when he said he was looking out for them.

[jewel21]

I always liked Alvin so it was nice to see him again. Although I laughed when he said the last thing he had eaten was a spinach salad considering how he died, heh. 

Gus is so adorable. Man, I love that dog. 

[Blakeston]

I hate to say it, but this season isn't doing much for me so far. Jill is a funny supporting character, but we've spent so much time listening to her whine that I'm just getting sick of it.

[possibilities]

Surprisingly sweet episode. 

[Harvey]

I really liked this episode, the scenes where Jill was getting along with the girls were so much fun.  Please be renewed.

[greekmom]

8 hours ago, jewel21 said:

I always liked Alvin so it was nice to see him again. Although I laughed when he said the last thing he had eaten was a spinach salad considering how he died, heh. 

Gus is so adorable. Man, I love that dog. 

I was thinking the same thing. I mean do the writers even remember how he died??!! Because I do!

I noticed that they are not doing as many scenes at AA but more in the Bistro.

Still hoping for a return of Bonnie's brother.

[kwnyc]

I love Bonnie's dreams. Between Jesus and Alvin, she has the best guests. 

[jennylauren123]

How did Alvin die?

[nodorothyparker]

Alvin died of a sudden heart attack while giving Bonnie oral. It made all the talk of his last meal of spinach salad rather odd. Like either the show doesn't remember that or the writers were challenging you to read something into it.

"Well, everyone knows it's not cheating if it's a ghost." Nice cameo, Alvin.

I liked this one while at the same time feeling like it knew full well that Bonnie's storyline was rather self indulgent. It also felt more than a little too self aware what it was doing in highlighting Jill's central flaw: that she's so incredibly self absorbed that she has exhausted her friends and made what was supposed to be a mentoring relationship all about her own drama and teenage girls her emotional peers and support. I feel like I always have to say it that I like Jaime Pressly a lot and think she does a lot to make Jill as funny as she is, but Jill often isn't someone I would find especially likable. She's an incredibly needy high maintenance drama queen with some real boundary issues. She also sometimes really leans into the poor little rich girl stereotype to the point of just being exhausting. It's a testament to how nuanced Tammy's being written that she could yet again diplomatically make that point to Jill without pissing her off or making her defensive about it.

[60sgirl]

Gus was given more to do in this episode than Marjorie and Wendy, nothing against Gus though, it's always fun to see him.  For some reason that woman that was running the mentoring reminded a little of Wendy, like they could have played sisters.  I liked the part with Alvin, especially when Bonnie asked him if he was watching over their daughter.  I still miss Christy, as much as I like the ladies and I think they do a great job, the show just doesn't seem the same without her.  I felt that the story with Jill and those girls was just a retread of the story with her and Emily, with her being afraid of not knowing how to get along with them.

[ch1]

3 hours ago, 60sgirl said:

Gus was given more to do in this episode than Marjorie and Wendy, nothing against Gus though, it's always fun to see him.  For some reason that woman that was running the mentoring reminded a little of Wendy, like they could have played sisters.  I liked the part with Alvin, especially when Bonnie asked him if he was watching over their daughter.  I still miss Christy, as much as I like the ladies and I think they do a great job, the show just doesn't seem the same without her.  I felt that the story with Jill and those girls was just a retread of the story with her and Emily, with her being afraid of not knowing how to get along with them.

I agree.   It doesn’t seem like the same show to me either.   The tone is just off to me.  

 

[AnimeMania]

I think they are focusing to much on Bonnie, I am kind of bored with her life and her problems.

[DXD526]

Did Alvin specify that he was having spinach salad when he had the heart attack? Bonnie mentioned how sudden his death was, and I thought he was basically complaining about the last thing he had to eat, because if he had known it was his last meal, it wouldn't have been spinach salad. I didn't think he meant he was eating it when he died, but it was the last thing he ate, and he was wishing his last meal had been something tastier and not quite so healthy.

I miss Christie, too. The writers didn't seem to know what to do with her last season, but I still miss the character. 

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, DXD526 said:

Bonnie mentioned how sudden his death was, and I thought he was basically complaining about the last thing he had to eat, because if he had known it was his last meal, it wouldn't have been spinach salad. I didn't think he meant he was eating it when he died, but it was the last thing he ate, and he was wishing his last meal had been something tastier and not quite so healthy.

That's how I take it (I didn't see it yet, but based on comments here), but since Bonnie delighted in telling people he died while performing oral sex on her, it feels like something missing that she didn't make some sort of joke about her being the last thing he ate.

[eel21788]

On 12/18/2020 at 4:31 PM, nodorothyparker said:

Alvin died of a sudden heart attack while giving Bonnie oral. It made all the talk of his last meal of spinach salad rather odd. Like either the show doesn't remember that or the writers were challenging you to read something into it.

It wasn't a sudden heart attack. When he had his previous heart attack in season 1, he told Bonnie that this one had been mild, but the doctor said, "The big one is coming," which does makes you wonder why they only put in two stents.

Edited December 20, 2020 by eel21788

[iMonrey]

Quote

I hate to say it, but this season isn't doing much for me so far. Jill is a funny supporting character, but we've spent so much time listening to her whine that I'm just getting sick of it.

At first I thought the show would be just fine without Christy, given how they minimized her character over the past few seasons. But there is definitely something missing now. It's kind of like that last season of Laverne and Shirley after Cindy Williams left the show (I'm really dating myself here). Regardless of how much Bonnie has been eating the show for years now, it was still the Bonnie and Christy show. 

[qtpye]

On 12/18/2020 at 6:31 PM, nodorothyparker said:

Alvin died of a sudden heart attack while giving Bonnie oral. It made all the talk of his last meal of spinach salad rather odd. Like either the show doesn't remember that or the writers were challenging you to read something into it.

"Well, everyone knows it's not cheating if it's a ghost." Nice cameo, Alvin.

I liked this one while at the same time feeling like it knew full well that Bonnie's storyline was rather self indulgent. It also felt more than a little too self aware what it was doing in highlighting Jill's central flaw: that she's so incredibly self absorbed that she has exhausted her friends and made what was supposed to be a mentoring relationship all about her own drama and teenage girls her emotional peers and support. I feel like I always have to say it that I like Jaime Pressly a lot and think she does a lot to make Jill as funny as she is, but Jill often isn't someone I would find especially likable. She's an incredibly needy high maintenance drama queen with some real boundary issues. She also sometimes really leans into the poor little rich girl stereotype to the point of just being exhausting. It's a testament to how nuanced Tammy's being written that she could yet again diplomatically make that point to Jill without pissing her off or making her defensive about it.

I can't imagine having the hard luck life that Tammy has had but still having sympathy for Jill's very rich lady problems. Tammy really is a great friend.

14 hours ago, iMonrey said:

At first I thought the show would be just fine without Christy, given how they minimized her character over the past few seasons. But there is definitely something missing now. It's kind of like that last season of Laverne and Shirley after Cindy Williams left the show (I'm really dating myself here). Regardless of how much Bonnie has been eating the show for years now, it was still the Bonnie and Christy show. 

I totally miss Christy. She was the only character close to my age. I know Jill is supposed to be young but she just seems so much older. Christy felt like she was in her thirties though she was a decade older.

I really like the other ladies but it was the mother/daughter chemistry between Christy and Bonnie that drew me into the show in the first place. I was honestly bored this episode and might drop this show from my watch list.

[Blakeston]

On 12/21/2020 at 3:40 AM, qtpye said:

I know Jill is supposed to be young but she just seems so much older. Christy felt like she was in her thirties though she was a decade older.

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who thinks Jill comes across older than her age. (She's supposed to be about 40, right?) I'm not sure what it is - because it's not as if Jamie Pressly has wrinkles or anything. 

Maybe it's the way Jill is styled? Her hair and clothes are what I would expect from a rich woman in her early 50s or so.

[eel21788]

9 hours ago, Blakeston said:

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who thinks Jill comes across older than her age. (She's supposed to be about 40, right?) 

In the last episode, she said she was 42 which is Jamie Pressly's age in real life.

Edited December 24, 2020 by eel21788

[qtpye]

5 hours ago, eel21788 said:

In the last episode, she said she was 42 which is Jamie Pressly age in real life.

I think Jaimie Pressley  is very attractive but I really thought she was 50...color me surprised.

It might be because Jill has a very Martha Stewart vibe to her personality that makes her come off older.

[Harvey]

22 hours ago, Blakeston said:

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who thinks Jill comes across older than her age. (She's supposed to be about 40, right?) I'm not sure what it is - because it's not as if Jamie Pressly has wrinkles or anything. 

Maybe it's the way Jill is styled? Her hair and clothes are what I would expect from a rich woman in her early 50s or so.

Lots of people think that Blond hair is aging, making the person seem more mature than they really are. Maybe this is what is affecting your perception.

[Mr. Meatball Man]

On 12/17/2020 at 10:49 PM, Blakeston said:

I hate to say it, but this season isn't doing much for me so far. Jill is a funny supporting character, but we've spent so much time listening to her whine that I'm just getting sick of it.

 

On 12/19/2020 at 12:14 AM, ch1 said:

I agree.   It doesn’t seem like the same show to me either.   The tone is just off to me.  

 

 

On 12/19/2020 at 11:48 AM, DXD526 said:

Did Alvin specify that he was having spinach salad when he had the heart attack? Bonnie mentioned how sudden his death was, and I thought he was basically complaining about the last thing he had to eat, because if he had known it was his last meal, it wouldn't have been spinach salad. I didn't think he meant he was eating it when he died, but it was the last thing he ate, and he was wishing his last meal had been something tastier and not quite so healthy.

I miss Christie, too. The writers didn't seem to know what to do with her last season, but I still miss the character. 

 

On 12/20/2020 at 12:50 PM, iMonrey said:

At first I thought the show would be just fine without Christy, given how they minimized her character over the past few seasons. But there is definitely something missing now. It's kind of like that last season of Laverne and Shirley after Cindy Williams left the show (I'm really dating myself here). Regardless of how much Bonnie has been eating the show for years now, it was still the Bonnie and Christy show. 

I'm glad everybody's starting to see what I was afraid of, that the show wouldn't be what it was without Christy. When Anna Faris left, it seemed like people were celebrating because they didn't like her/her character and it had become dominated by Bonnie and Tammy, so it's not like they were going to miss her. But then you realize that Christy's absence affects the show in subtle ways.

One thing I noticed is that when Bonnie had the A-plot, Christy usually had the B-plot. Either it would be her own story or she would team up with the other characters. Her presence affected the other characters because they were usually playing off of her. She would be the one giving Bonnie advice or arguing with her, or the one that the other characters would sometimes make fun of/be annoyed by. She was capable of many different things, and without her, someone else has to fill that role or it goes empty.

I remember watching the third episode of this season and thinking that something's wrong. It was the first time I ever felt like stopping the episode and watching something else. It's not even because the characters were acting differently, or the story didn't make sense, or because the show was trying to be something it's not. It's literally the same show it's always been, but without Christy there, it felt emptier than it did before. 

I don't think the show has become unwatchable or anything like that. Like I said, it's literally the same show as before. But Christy was someone that could give an episode that extra assist when it needed one. The others have always been kinda stuck in their roles, so I don't know if they can take her place. What I do know is that the show's future is a lot more uncertain than it was about six months ago.

[qtpye]

8 hours ago, Harvey said:

Lots of people think that Blond hair is aging, making the person seem more mature than they really are. Maybe this is what is affecting your perception.

The thing is that Christy had blonde hair and she always came off very young...maybe it is just that actress that played Christy just seemed younger than her years?

 

51 minutes ago, Mr. Meatball Man said:

 

 

 

I'm glad everybody's starting to see what I was afraid of, that the show wouldn't be what it was without Christy. When Anna Faris left, it seemed like people were celebrating because they didn't like her/her character and it had become dominated by Bonnie and Tammy, so it's not like they were going to miss her. But then you realize that Christy's absence affects the show in subtle ways.

One thing I noticed is that when Bonnie had the A-plot, Christy usually had the B-plot. Either it would be her own story or she would team up with the other characters. Her presence affected the other characters because they were usually playing off of her. She would be the one giving Bonnie advice or arguing with her, or the one that the other characters would sometimes make fun of/be annoyed by. She was capable of many different things, and without her, someone else has to fill that role or it goes empty.

I remember watching the third episode of this season and thinking that something's wrong. It was the first time I ever felt like stopping the episode and watching something else. It's not even because the characters were acting differently, or the story didn't make sense, or because the show was trying to be something it's not. It's literally the same show it's always been, but without Christy there, it felt emptier than it did before. 

I don't think the show has become unwatchable or anything like that. Like I said, it's literally the same show as before. But Christy was someone that could give an episode that extra assist when it needed one. The others have always been kinda stuck in their roles, so I don't know if they can take her place. What I do know is that the show's future is a lot more uncertain than it was about six months ago.

I agree. Christy and Bonnie's relationship was the heart of the show. Also, Christy was always good at calling Bonnie on her bullshit and vice versa. However, the character really had been floundering the past seasons so I do not blame the actress for leaving. 

[Bastet]

2 minutes ago, qtpye said:

The thing is that Christy had blonde hair and she always came off very young...maybe it is just that actress that played Christy just seemed younger than her years?

Christy's wardrobe, coupled with how tiny she is, is what made her look young to me.

[ch1]

Yeah, the connection between Allison Janey and Anna Faris is what has driven this show.   Bonnie is who is really missing Christy.

I think what makes Jill comes across older is the short hair.  I recently watched an episode where she had shoulder length hair and she looked younger and her features were softer.

[possibilities]

I still like the show. I don't see that it's a lot different than before. I think that Bonnie being less dysfunctional has changed the dynamics of the show a lot more than Christy being absent. All of the characters are now much farther along in recovery, and there's less total crisis all the time. I also don't see Jill as being old-looking. I think her life of leisure makes her seem retired in a way, but we rarely see any of the other characters at work anymore, either. Christy was the one who was still having addiction issues flaring up the most-- so she was the most stressed out. That might have added some tension, especially with her and Bonnie living together, but it was so one note that it didn't really play to me as interesting anymore.