S08.E13: Klondike-Five and a Secret Family

[jewel21]

Quote

Bonnie worries about Adam when his amends to a woman from his past doesn’t go as planned. Also, Tammy pays a visit to the steakhouse she once robbed.

Airdate: 04/08/2021

[SunnyBeBe]

How does Adam get around inside that travel trailer with his wheelchair? The isle in it is too narrow to roll the wheelchair. 

[Harvey]

Tammy's ammends was hilarious, that restaurant manager was amazing 😄

[Ms Lark]

Wow, Bonnie is really going off the rails! She gets worse by the week. I'm kind of glad the show is ending. I'll miss the rest of "the girls," though.

[greekmom]

Just a filler episode for me but I loved the scenes between Marjorie and Adam.

 

[Blakeston]

When Adam was explaining why he called Marjorie and not Bonnie, and why he hadn't talked to Bonnie yet, I thought his admission would be that he's sick of Bonnie and her nonsense.

[TeapotWakeen]

I'm glad they finally acknowledge that Al-Anon exists, but there's no way Marjorie wouldn't be busting Bonnie's chops for trying to be Adam's sponsor. Program couples work when they stay out of each other's nuts-and-bolts programs, and support each other's principles. Ugh ugh ugh. On a program level, episode was BAD, on a comedy level, it was okay. I'm about ready for the series to be wrapped up, but I'm going to miss the characters.

[Chaos Theory]

So the show is ending?   I kept seeing promos for “# of episodes left” but was unclear if it was season or series .   It’s sad but I think it’s time.   The show really isn’t the same without Christie.  As must as Bonnie is a fun character the down side of her arch type is that you really do need a compelling “straight man” to play against and Adam isn’t one.  That is why BBT worked for as long as it did Sheldon might have been the run away favorite but he had Leonard to bounce off of who was just as funny in his own way. 

Mom has too many funny characters  bouncing off each other trying to put mug each other.   If anything the show should have made Wendy the new Christy (slight off but the most normal of the bunch) but it didn’t.   
 

this episode was sweet with the Adam and Marjorie stuff and I thought it was funny that Marjorie had a “relationship” with front desk cop.   That scene made me smile.   

Tammy’s amends  was fun

Edited April 9, 2021 by Chaos Theory

[ams1001]

59 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

So the show is ending?   I kept seeing promos for “# of episodes left” but was unclear if it was season or season.

Yeah, series is ending. 

I love the restaurant guy. 

[chitowngirl]

When I saw the episode title, I thought “ugh, they are going there” with a Secret Family. Glad they didn’t!

[bad things are bad]

Too much Crazy Bonnie.

My husband is getting to the point of leaving the room rather than watching this show. For me, I feel I have to see it to the end, and I still like everyone else, especially Tammy. 

[bichonblitz]

Why did Adam need to make amends? I'm confused about that. Do they follow the 12 steps in Al-Anon? 

As usual, shutting Wendy down every chance they get. 

Tammy is the only one remotely tolerable anymore. 

[Chaos Theory]

1 hour ago, bichonblitz said:

Why did Adam need to make amends? I'm confused about that. Do they follow the 12 steps in Al-Anon? 

Al-Anon sometimes parallels  AA.  If you do wrong by someone you make amends to them.   And there was this whole big thing in the beginning his relationship with Bonnie where they actually did talk about how he was this big womanizer when he was a stuntman.   Just like now years later Bonnie actually does feel shame about the way she raised Christie Adam feels shame about the way he treated women.   And the first woman he tried to give an amends to turned up to be dead would send someone on a spiral. It would be like Tammy finding out the place she robbed burned down a couple days before she she went there.  

Edited April 9, 2021 by Chaos Theory

[rejnel]

I watch this show more as a serial comedy/drama with nice long arcs rather than a laugh-a-minute sitcom, and this was just a wonderful example of what I value about it. And a nice chance to see Fichtner's dramatic chops. Loved his quiet scene with Marjorie.

[possibilities]

It's bad enough when Bonnie bags on Wendy for no reason, but this episode they had all the other women, including Marjorie, doing it. Why is that supposed to be funny? It makes them all bullies and I don't get why Wendy would continue to spend time with them, either.

[SunnyBeBe]

3 hours ago, possibilities said:

It's bad enough when Bonnie bags on Wendy for no reason, but this episode they had all the other women, including Marjorie, doing it. Why is that supposed to be funny? It makes them all bullies and I don't get why Wendy would continue to spend time with them, either.

The writers seem to diminish her for no reason. It’s inexplicable.  I don’t understand it.  Maybe, they need to go away.  

[Blakeston]

Everyone bagging on Wendy is nothing new. They've done it throughout the series.

The writers think it's hilarious that the other women have no patience for Wendy whatsoever. That seems to be the whole point of her character. It's the same dynamic as Jerry/Gary on Parks and Recreation - he was a perfectly nice guy that all the other characters crapped on for no good reason, and the show's writers thought that was comedy gold.

[Kiddvideo]

Bonnie goes from 0-250 in about 2.1 seconds. She finds a note pad and suddenly Adam is cheating on her with 5 pages of starred women and has a secret family.

They’re not giving themselves very much time to wind down the series.

[Such A Flirt]

All about the Fichtner, so I was quite happy. Beautiful work.

[mammaM]

On 4/9/2021 at 8:24 AM, Chaos Theory said:

So the show is ending?   I kept seeing promos for “# of episodes left” but was unclear if it was season or series .   It’s sad but I think it’s time.   The show really isn’t the same without Christie.  As must as Bonnie is a fun character the down side of her arch type is that you really do need a compelling “straight man” to play against and Adam isn’t one.  That is why BBT worked for as long as it did Sheldon might have been the run away favorite but he had Leonard to bounce off of who was just as funny in his own way. 

Mom has too many funny characters  bouncing off each other trying to put mug each other.   If anything the show should have made Wendy the new Christy (slight off but the most normal of the bunch) but it didn’t.   
 

this episode was sweet with the Adam and Marjorie stuff and I thought it was funny that Marjorie had a “relationship” with front desk cop.   That scene made me smile.   

Tammy’s amends  was fun

This. I said the same thing a couple of weeks ago. You need a straight man to anchor the craziness or the craziness isn't as funny.

I've always liked this show because I think they balance the comedy and the drama well, especially for a sitcom, but maybe it's time to end

[ch1]

I think Jill’s line about fire being beautiful or whatever it was is a sign to call it a day. When writers have to reach like that for a laugh it’s time to go.

[juno]

So they have Bonnie act like a total POS to everyone and then have a big redemption for her at the end of the show. What was even more funny to me was have Adam making real and emotional amends while Bonnie acts like garbage towards him.

Why anyone puts up with her is beyond me? It would make me happy if they can end it with Adam running away with Tammy and the rest of the group giving Bonnie the heave.

[nodorothyparker]

Another episode that wasn't about Bonnie and her issues but became all about Bonnie and her issues anyway. Without anyone to rein her in or reality check her, it's just exhausting.

I don't know much about Al-Anon. It's shown up a couple of times now, but if anyone had asked me I probably would have said I just thought it was a support group for people who have ongoing relationships with alcoholics. I had no idea they also made amends too. In Adam's case, I don't think that apparently having quite a long history of being terrible to women has much to do with alcoholism or his relationships with alcoholics but maybe it's more of a catch-all for whatever issues you had as a person that made marrying someone like Bonnie seem like a good idea? Adam has been so laid back and accepting of the big wheel of crazy that living with Bonnie and Christy was that it's easy to forget he clearly was a mess of a person too once upon a time. Fitchner does really lovely work when he's allowed to be serious.

Loved Tammy's attempt to make amends with the restaurant she robbed that started it all and that her idea of making it right is to throw regular business their way and maybe keep an eye on the suicidal manager. Jill actively seems to be devolving at this point.

 

[Snow Apple]

"The real crime is I'm still here after nine years" - restaurant guy.

He and Tammy were hilarious together. I liked that he just accepted her coming back.

[ctlady]

On 4/9/2021 at 5:53 PM, possibilities said:

It's bad enough when Bonnie bags on Wendy for no reason, but this episode they had all the other women, including Marjorie, doing it. Why is that supposed to be funny? It makes them all bullies and I don't get why Wendy would continue to spend time with them, either.

I've pondered this for several seasons championing Wendy in my posts.  Let's hope she gets some sort of revenge in the finale.

I loathe Bonnie more and more every week.  She always starts out the same with accusatory, passive-aggressiveness rather than talking things out, goes and bellyaches to the group because, you know, once she sits down it becomes all about her, something winds up showing her the err of her ways and she finally apologizes.  You would think someone with that many years of AA and now therapy that she'd learn to act instead of react

I liked the convo between Adam and Marjorie too and was also secretly hoping he'd admit that he just can't take it anymore

Jill's rich girl digs are getting about as tired as the Wendy bullying.  Can someone just please tell her to shut up already.  We get it, you grew up with a silver spoon in your mouth and the thought of shopping at The Gap or eating at a franchise steak house is beneath you.  Now.....shut up!

 

[Spunkygal]

Get ready for even more obnoxious Bonnie when next episode she “ponders her self-worth when Tammy finds success.” Ugh, of course she does.  I missed Gus this episode. He is why I keep watching.

Edited April 10, 2021 by Spunkygal

[Sarah 103]

5 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

Adam has been so laid back and accepting of the big wheel of crazy that living with Bonnie and Christy was that it's easy to forget he clearly was a mess of a person too once upon a time. Fitchner does really lovely work when he's allowed to be serious.

I can't remember if it was this episode or another episode, but Adam talks about thriving on crazy and being attracted to crazy. With that in mind, his relationship to Bonnie makes more sense. I think Adam and Bonnie have discussed they both knew they had fallen in love with someone and were marrying someone with quite a past. 

[TeapotWakeen]

7 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

I don't know much about Al-Anon. It's shown up a couple of times now, but if anyone had asked me I probably would have said I just thought it was a support group for people who have ongoing relationships with alcoholics. I had no idea they also made amends too.

Al-Anon is a group for anyone who has, is having, or ever has had a relationship (of any kind: boss, employee, grandparents, teacher, etc.) with someone who is alcoholic. We work the program, we work the steps, we have sponsors (non-related to us, and same gender, MOM), we make amends, we do service work, etc.  There is only one word different in the Steps between AA and Al-Anon. Persons who might find Al-Anon helpful are those who focus too much on someone else's behavior, who aren't able to set and keep boundaries, people who accept unacceptable behavior, people who focus on people-pleasing ----- all of these traits CAN BE learned from within the family disease of alcoholism. In Al-Anon, we learn to put the focus on ourself, to take responsibility for our own craziness and crazy-making behavior, and find a life that is happy, joyous and free, whether the alcoholic in our life (if any) is drinking or not. Everyone is welcome to contact me privately if they have questions. Al-Anon saved my life, literally, and has been a part of my life for 25 years.

I did love the discussion between the steakhouse manager and Tammy. She really is one of my favorite characters across all the seasons.

[eel21788]

On 4/9/2021 at 3:53 PM, possibilities said:

It's bad enough when Bonnie bags on Wendy for no reason, but this episode they had all the other women, including Marjorie, doing it. Why is that supposed to be funny? It makes them all bullies and I don't get why Wendy would continue to spend time with them, either.

Wendy really has been the most successful at post-alcoholic life than any of the rest of them. Maybe they are jealous of that.

Edited April 11, 2021 by eel21788

[KayVeeTeeVee]

On 4/9/2021 at 12:46 PM, bichonblitz said:

Why did Adam need to make amends? I'm confused about that. Do they follow the 12 steps in Al-Anon? 

As usual, shutting Wendy down every chance they get. 

Tammy is the only one remotely tolerable anymore. 

Yes.  Al-Anon follows the same 12 Steps as AA.  People who love alcoholics suffer from the disease of thinking, not drinking.

Edited April 11, 2021 by KayVeeTeeVee

[KayVeeTeeVee]

16 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

Another episode that wasn't about Bonnie and her issues but became all about Bonnie and her issues anyway. Without anyone to rein her in or reality check her, it's just exhausting.

I don't know much about Al-Anon. It's shown up a couple of times now, but if anyone had asked me I probably would have said I just thought it was a support group for people who have ongoing relationships with alcoholics. I had no idea they also made amends too. In Adam's case, I don't think that apparently having quite a long history of being terrible to women has much to do with alcoholism or his relationships with alcoholics but maybe it's more of a catch-all for whatever issues you had as a person that made marrying someone like Bonnie seem like a good idea? Adam has been so laid back and accepting of the big wheel of crazy that living with Bonnie and Christy was that it's easy to forget he clearly was a mess of a person too once upon a time. Fitchner does really lovely work when he's allowed to be serious.

Loved Tammy's attempt to make amends with the restaurant she robbed that started it all and that her idea of making it right is to throw regular business their way and maybe keep an eye on the suicidal manager. Jill actively seems to be devolving at this point.

 

Al-Anon follows the same steps and principles of AA.  It's for folks who love (and usually live with) active or recovering alcoholics.  Member of this Program eventually realize how much of their own baggage adds to the situation.  The focus on Al-Anon is never, ever, on the alcoholic. 

[SmithW6079]

Which step involves being a narcissistic bully and making everything about you? Because Bonnie works that one to perfection.

Bonnie: sees Adam is upset and says, "But what about meeeeeeee?"

The best thing in this episode was Adam and Marjorie's talk. Those two pros really brought it.  I would watch Adam and Marjorie have discussions about life anytime. And Tammy's interactions with the restaurant manager, arguing about whether an apology and an amends are different, were terrific.  

If I were Wendy, at some point, I would just stop going to dinner with these people and find another meeting. Is her self-esteem that bad? It doesn't appear so, because she seems well-liked and competent at her job and in other interactions we've seen with other people. I've been in occasions like that where you realize your "friends" are really a bunch of assholes and you don't want anything to do with them anymore. It's too bad Wendy hasn't reached that point.

As someone mentioned above, Jill's schtick is beyond tired. If she's super rich, why doesn't she go to an AA meeting for the 1% instead of slumming with the hoi polloi?

 

[SunnyBeBe]

Recall they had to make Wendy appear less than back when she chose to have a relationship with a married man.   Then he dumped her. Why so cruel to her?

Edited April 12, 2021 by SunnyBeBe

[Sarah 103]

23 minutes ago, SmithW6079 said:

As someone mentioned above, Jill's schtick is beyond tired. If she's super rich, why doesn't she go to an AA meeting for the 1% instead of slumming with the hoi polloi?

I know this was explained in an episode at some point. I think the answer was she didn't want her rich friends to know all about her issues and her past. Also, she still goes to 1% AA, but uses it more as a dating service. 

[nodorothyparker]

We've seen Jill go to the higher end AA, but she told Christy it wasn't a place to be honest about anything and used it primarily to pick up men. Jill seems to continue to want to have it both ways in that she's been at points desperate to get back in with her old richer crowd but then doesn't seem to like them very much and becomes all about superficial appearances whenever she's around them.

I sometimes think Wendy's happy ending is going to be dumping all of these people and finding a different home group where she's not the continual butt of the joke.

[AnimeMania]

I think Wendy's happy ending is that we find out she has recently been writing number 1 best selling Young Adult fiction books about her AA friends and she has secretly become a millionaire. Wendy replaced the people with animals to teach life lessons. There is Brawny the Bear, Margarine the Owl, Dammy the Beaver, Frill the Peacock, and Bendy the Tortoise. Wendy then offers to share her new found wealth with her compatriots.

[Sarah 103]

On 4/13/2021 at 12:20 PM, AnimeMania said:

I think Wendy's happy ending is that we find out she has recently been writing number 1 best selling Young Adult fiction books about her AA friends and she has secretly become a millionaire. Wendy replaced the people with animals to teach life lessons. There is Brawny the Bear, Margarine the Owl, Dammy the Beaver, Frill the Peacock, and Bendy the Tortoise. Wendy then offers to share her new found wealth with her compatriots.

It would be the younger side of young adult, but the book series could work. I know the owl is Majorie, the peacock is Jill and the tortoise is Adam. Is the bear Tammy or Bonnie? Is the beaver Wendy, Christie or Tammy?

 

[AnimeMania]

2 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

On 4/13/2021 at 12:20 PM, AnimeMania said:

I think Wendy's happy ending is that we find out she has recently been writing number 1 best selling Young Adult fiction books about her AA friends and she has secretly become a millionaire. Wendy replaced the people with animals to teach life lessons. There is Brawny the Bear, Margarine the Owl, Dammy the Beaver, Frill the Peacock, and Bendy the Tortoise. Wendy then offers to share her new found wealth with her compatriots.

It would be the younger side of young adult, but the book series could work. I know the owl is Majorie, the peacock is Jill and the tortoise is Adam. Is the bear Tammy or Bonnie? Is the beaver Wendy, Christie or Tammy?

Brawny is Bonnie

Margarine is Marjorie

Dammy is Tammy

Frill is Jill

Bendy is Wendy