Season 2 Discussion

[pennben]

 

Oh my God, you're right. My apologies. I totally forgot saying it. I have been a bit distracted lately, and I had a killer headache that kind of reset my brain earlier this week, but I didn't realize I was quite that out of it! How mortifying... I wonder what other chaos I've been spewing....

 

Ha! I didn't mean to cause a "who's on first" scenario with the comments. 

 

Your "Beckett" comment translated in my mind to "Becker" the tv show.  Anyway, that made me think about that show, starring Ted Danson, in the late 90s.  As I recall, he was a recovering alcoholic and cranky on that show that, at least in the early years I watched, touched on very uncomfortable subjects and wasn't always "haha" funny.  Perhaps the better comparison for that show was "All in the Family" than "Mom", but your comment randomly sparked me to think of that show and I ran with it.

 

Hope you are feeling better

Edited January 31, 2015 by pennben

[Passing Strange]

OMG I just realized that Lorraine is Beverly D'Angelo. I can usually spot a face in a second but then again her face isn't quite the same.  WTF?

Thank you! I'd been looking at her and thinking I should know who she was. Wow. OMG and WTF is right.

Edited January 31, 2015 by Passing Strange

[Katmai]

 

OMG I just realized that Lorraine is Beverly D'Angelo. I can usually spot a face in a second but then again her face isn't quite the same.  WTF?

I recognized her, but still did a double-take, or two, at her face. But, her voice! WTH is with her voice? What has she been smoking?

[Mama No Life]

Her voice was always rough.   I thought it added to her appeal when she was in her prime.

 

It's her face. She looks like a Rock'em sock'em robot crossed with Farrah Abrams.

[6 MeowMeowBeenz]

Wonder how many Alvin-lites we must endure to move out of this plot arc? Although Hillbilly Alvin was amusing

[candall]

The black leather jacket actually stepped Hillbilly Alvin up several notches.  Hee.

[The Kings Foot]

Hey, that Hooters girl was Kandi from 2 and 1/2 men !.

 

Also far from being stupid  Billy was quite perceptive and aware  what was going on, he just didnt care.

[candall]

There's the "I don't watch comedy to be depressed" crowd, but I'd much rather see them working humor into the darker issues than this episode, where they turned into Lucy and Ethel--pratfalls and exploding sink geysers.

 

Death of a loved one, drug dependency, unplanned pregnancy are relatable to everyone's lives.  Otoh, It's a total goof that either woman is equipped for those management jobs "where hijinks ensue."  I'm still hanging in, but I think the show needs to figure out whether it wants the characters to be real or cartoons.  Pick a lane?

[The Kings Foot]

Wait we're back at the restaurant ?  I thought  the show dropped those characters a while ago. 

[kelslamu]

I thought the storyline about her telling the tenants secrets if they didn't keep her was a bit far-fetched.  She can't just go into their apts whenever she feels like it and look around.  I just hope the show gets better as I do like it.  

[ApathyMonger]

Wait we're back at the restaurant ?  I thought  the show dropped those characters a while ago. 

 

I think they stopped crediting them in episodes where they don't appear, but they're still credited as regulars when they do.

[DXD526]

I'm totally ticked about the time and day change. Scandal is also on from 9-10 on Thursdays, which puts three things I watch on at the same time, so something will have to go. Haven't decided what yet, as I like all three, and considering I also watch only a handful of network shows, it's incredibly annoying to have most of them running at the same time on the same day. 

[kelslamu]

We actually saw her son this episode.  I forget his name cause it's been that long.  

[GrtGzu]

We actually saw her son this episode.  I forget his name cause it's been that long.  

LOL!! HIs name is Roscoe and I was thinking the same thing....

[kelslamu]

So, is your name like the Great Gazoo from the Flintstones? lol  If so, that's just a little awesome. :0)

[GrtGzu]

So, is your name like the Great Gazoo from the Flintstones? lol  If so, that's just a little awesome. :0)

Yep...that's exactly where I got it from and have been using it since 20001, LOL!!!

[TheOtherOne]

I really liked this one, especially the unexpectedly generous attitude toward religion and faith (I'm not particularly religious, but I appreciate an open-minded--but not preachy--treatment of faith on shows). The final scene for Bonnie in particular was really sensitive and quite nice.

 

Also nice was the producers giving Octavia some work after her Fox show got canceled. As wonky as the show's continuity can be at times, I'm glad they revisited Regina.

[GrtGzu]

I'm so glad they brought Regina back! And the scene with Bonnie at the end was indeed epic.....

 

But they had me DYIN' laughing when they were in church singing along with the congregation....Bonnie doing it had me in tears, she was so funny....

 

Who else loved the zinger Christy gave to her ex's wife about his jail time?? That was priceless....and so was the look on his face...

[The Kings Foot]

Who would have figured a Chuck Lore comedy  could have a closing scene like that . 

[The Kings Foot]

double post

Edited March 6, 2015 by The Kings Foot

[candall]

Wow, Christie's really skating on her gambling situation.  She lost her family's home and no one confronted her.  Octavia let her off the hook.  Is she going to get kneecapped before this becomes a thing?  (It's okay, though--more Serious Issues for future eps!)

 

The end made me feel tear-y and comforted.

Edited March 6, 2015 by candall

[possibilities]

I love that they are showing that it's not just about alcohol, it's about addition. I don't know what it will take for Christy to reach rock bottom with gambling, but it's going to be something when it happens, considering how much  damage it's already done and how little impact all that has had on her.

 

Regina getting out of jail that fast seemed lacking in credibility, but I handwave it because of what they did with it-- exposing another layer of Christy's gambling, and that dream Bonnie had with Jesus. Amazing. I'm not always the most reliable person for recognizing faces, so can someone tell me if Jesus played by the kid who plays Violet's boyfriend? If so, LOL to Bonnie's subconscious.

 

Tackling actual issues of faith, having problems come back and not be resolved neatly, and seeing that even if Christy's ex seems like he got his life together, his new spouse is petty and competing with Christy -- and doesn't know her honey's true history-- well, well, well-- it's not as easy as he made it look, now is it? I really had wondered why (and how) that guy had suddenly gotten his act together. I guess he only sort of did. Okay, then.

 

Also liked that marjorie couldn't tolerate Regina as a housemate. Remember how seriously she missed Christy and family when they moved out? Regina had to be really a bad housemate to put Marjorie over the edge.

[mstar1125]

I finally realized in last night's episode that the actress playing Baxter's girlfriend is Sara Rue. She got really skinny. 

 

Loved them all at church, but I suspect that was a one-off joke rather than a true revelation on Christy's part. I can't imagine a network sitcom going the church-y route except for laughs. 

[iMonrey]

 

Regina getting out of jail that fast seemed lacking in credibility

 

Does anyone remember what her original sentence was supposed to be? I'm thinking the kind of non-violent crime she was convicted for is exactly the kind of crime they let people out early for when there's an overcrowding situation.

[Blakeston]

Does anyone remember what her original sentence was supposed to be? I'm thinking the kind of non-violent crime she was convicted for is exactly the kind of crime they let people out early for when there's an overcrowding situation.

When she went to prison, they said it was a three-year sentence.

 

One thing that seemed out-of-character for me was that Marjorie seemed to have no problem with the idea that Regina would live off of stolen loot when she got out of prison.

 

Being such a tough, no-nonsense AA member (and someone who's always calling people out on their shit) I'd expect Marjorie to be adamant that Regina should give the money back to the people she stole it from. Taking responsibility is her whole thing.

 

And really, as reckless as Christy's gambling has been, I was annoyed at the beginning of the episode, when the other characters were acting like she had horribly wronged Regina. "How dare you steal the money that she rightfully stole!"

Edited March 8, 2015 by Blakeston

[possibilities]

Only 3 years? I guess that makes early parole easier to believe.

[ferretrick]

 

Does anyone remember what her original sentence was supposed to be?

 

Having to act on Red Band Society?  Seems like pretty severe punishment to me.

 

Seriously, that was all I could think about when Octavia Spencer started talking about an early release.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I knew David Krumoltz was too young to play 42!   I feel vindicated!  (He's 36.)

[Actionmage]

So in addition to being named Roscoe, that sweet kid has to live in a closet, all Harry Potter style?  No wonder he snaked the room when it looked free!

 

Roscoe's dad was a bit skeevetastic, with the whole thing about Violet to her boyfriend-now-fiancé.

 

I thought it was a bit fun, in that  trying to be good hosts, the recovering alcoholics didn't have a way to open the wine.

 

The banter was fun and quick between Bonnie and Christie. Then again, it usually seems to be.

 

I appreciated the scene where the divorced moms were talking to Violet about trying to find love. I was a bit saddened and a little disappointed in Violet's seeming jadedness. I know how she got there, but it seems opportunistic. I may be reading it wrong, though.

 

"Have you given up on love?"

"No; I want a housekeeper."

 

"Now we know what to get her for a wedding present."

 

I don't watch this every week, but I tend to enjoy it. 

[Donny Ketchum]

So in addition to being named Roscoe, that sweet kid has to live in a closet, all Harry Potter style?  No wonder he snaked the room when it looked free!

That was the best part to me!

 

Also:

 

Roscoe: Mom, you're going to college now, right?

Christy: Uh, yeah, I am, honey.  Why?

Roscoe: Do they teach cooking classes there?

Christy: I thought you liked my tuna casserole.

Roscoe: I liked it better when you made it drunk.

Violet: Roscoe, I cooked it when she was drunk.

Roscoe: . . . That solves the mystery.

Edited March 14, 2015 by Donny Ketchum

[Ms Blue Jay]

Yeah, I kind of totally get Baxter's appeal, so I was disappointed when he was high fiving the professor.  That's gross.  It didn't really seem in his character to me either.

[Frost]

This is the first episode I've seen.  Is the daughter always so rude?  Are we supposed to sympathise with her because she has alcoholics for a grandmother and mother, so she's gets a pass for being completely obnoxious?  It didn't work for me.  She just came across as an entitled brat.  Was this an over the top episode, or is she always like that?

[FineWashables]

^ Yes, she sure is.  The core idea is that Bonnie was a bad mother to Christy and Christy is still mad about it, and then Christy was a bad mother to Violet and so Violet is still mad.  At one point Violet was pregnant and I thought they'd keep going in that direction but then Violet gave the baby up for adoption because she didn't want to be a bad mother herself.  And yes, having to clean up after Christy all those years has put a big, big chip on her shoulder.  Mr Washables, who has been sober for almost 20 years, has two daughters who still won't speak to him.  My understanding is that this angry, entitled attitude is one classic response to an alcoholic parent.

Edited March 13, 2015 by FineWashables

[Ms Blue Jay]

Violet is the worst.  I think the actor is very pretty, but yeah.  The worst.  Roscoe is an absolute doll.  The actor who plays Roscoe was so, so, so funny in Bridesmaids.  That was him, right?

Edited March 13, 2015 by Ms Blue Jay

[Donny Ketchum]

This is the first episode I've seen.  Is the daughter always so rude?  Are we supposed to sympathise with her because she has alcoholics for a grandmother and mother, so she's gets a pass for being completely obnoxious?  It didn't work for me.  She just came across as an entitled brat.  Was this an over the top episode, or is she always like that?

Unfortunately, yes, Violet is like this almost consistently.  I didn't mind it much in season one, when she was dealing with the baby, but this season, I don't see why she's still acting that bad.  I think the only time I liked her was her scene with Baxter a few weeks ago, when he offered to give her a tip on how to really get under Christy's skin, and she turned to him and told him she was listening.

[The Kings Foot]

Is it me or is "Mom" a serious  drama pretending to be a comedy ?

 

  I really like the Violet storyline . it s clear that despite Christy's bests efforts the drinking, gambling , series of boyfriends, repeated loss of homes has damaged her.  Her teen pregnancy was a symptom not a cause. She came into the Pilot episode damaged.

This is the first episode I've seen.  Is the daughter always so rude?  Are we supposed to sympathise with her because she has alcoholics for a grandmother and mother, so she's gets a pass for being completely obnoxious?  It didn't work for me.  She just came across as an entitled brat.  Was this an over the top episode, or is she always like that?

 

You missed the parts where she had a teen pregnancy  and where her mom lost their house because of  a gambling addition. Also Christy pretends VIolet's dad is dead because he beat the crap out of her ( Christy) . 

 

Unfortunately, yes, Violet is like this almost consistently.  I didn't mind it much in season one, when she was dealing with the baby, but this season, I don't see why she's still acting that bad.  I think the only time I liked her was her scene with Baxter a few weeks ago, when he offered to give her a tip on how to really get under Christy's skin, and she turned to him and told him she was listening.

 

Violet's pregnancy was symptom not cause. She came into the series damaged already. 

Edited March 14, 2015 by The Kings Foot

[candall]

Is it me or is "Mom" a serious  drama pretending to be a comedy ?

 

It's a comedy that opted to have some serious meat on its bones instead of befuddled dads, double entendres and face plants du jour.  (Yay!)

 

 

ETA:  I just realized, when they go for the straight silly, I don't enjoy it as much, because that's usually just rooted in everyone being rude to strangers and Christy making giant eyes, but when they face down their own tough stuff with humor, it's excellent.

Edited March 14, 2015 by candall

[kelslamu]

Only halfway through the latest episode and the laugh track is making me want to stab things.  What is up with Violet?  She's seems stepford-like now or something.  I used to be able to kind of let her personality slide cause of the teenage thing, but now I just don't like her at all.  The character just somehow doesn't fit right anymore.  

[ApathyMonger]

Not sure how I feel about Jaime Pressly being made a regular for Season 3. I liked her episodes, but I think she's better in small doses.

[MissLucas]

Violet is certainly not the most likeable character on this show - but I find her the most intriguing because she's the voice of discord so to speak when things get a tad too cute for a show dealing with the long term consequences of addiction. She's often the one who has to remind Christy (and the audience) of the harsh reality that was her drinking for her kids. Like in the episode where Christy raged against the idea that Baxter had any rights as a father to Roscoe and it was Violet who reminded her how Baxter at least tried to be around when she wasn't. Or in this episode when she told Roscoe that the casserolle he remembers was prepared by her. The other aspect I find intriguing about her is that Violet stubbornly tries to break the family mold. I was really impressed when the show went through with the adoption arc. And now she's ditching the idea of romantic love for economic security. We might agree with Christy and Bonnie that this is a recipe for desaster but it's hard to counter Violet's argument - which is basically pointing at their biographies full of drug abuse, shady criminal activities and a string of broken relationships.

[mstar1125]

Is it me or is "Mom" a serious  drama pretending to be a comedy ?

 

I stumbled onto this show quite by accident - I think the first episode I saw was when Violet gave birth - and that episode left me with the impression that they are straddling the line between comedy and drama. In a quite enjoyable way, IMO. I can see how it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. Mr. Mstar once commented that it was too "depressing", but that's kind of why I like it. It's funny, but then it's also real, and I think it handles the heavier issues with humor without making light of them. I am not someone going through addiction, or teen pregnancy, or the death of a loved one, or cancer, or a prison sentence, but I still find all these different characters incredibly relatable while not always being likeable. It helps a lot that they have excellent casting. 

[Blakeston]

I was somewhat bothered by the episode where Violet gets engaged to the professor.

 

I was glad that the other characters acknowledged how insufferable Violet can be. But at the end, her attitude was basically, "This man is madly in love with me, and I don't really care about him, but I'm totally going to marry him for his money and then leave him! Yay me!"

 

And it felt like they wanted us to think it was sad that Violet was "settling" for being a first wife, instead of trying to find love for herself. Whereas I thought it was much more sad that she was behaving like a sociopath, and not being called on it.

[mstar1125]

In the scene where Bonnie gets back out of bed after telling Christy that she would flush the pills if they became a problem, I was really hoping that she was going into the bathroom to do just that (realizing they had become a problem for HER, not Christy). It's too bad that doesn't seem to be the case, but I can understand why given that she must still be grieving over Alvin.  I did enjoy the scene with the two bible students. "We're getting really good at this!"

[GrtGzu]

In the scene where Bonnie gets back out of bed after telling Christy that she would flush the pills if they became a problem, I was really hoping that she was going into the bathroom to do just that (realizing they had become a problem for HER, not Christy). It's too bad that doesn't seem to be the case, but I can understand why given that she must still be grieving over Alvin.  I did enjoy the scene with the two bible students. "We're getting really good at this!"

That's exactly what I was thinking too...She's still hurt over losing Alvin....Interesting also that this isn't wrapped up "neatly" in just 1 ep..Part 2 is next week and I'm looking forward to it...

[Blakeston]

I thought this one was very, very funny, and (like usual) the acting was great.

 

One thing bugged me, though. No way in hell would Marjorie have recommended that Bonnie take prescription pain meds. AA and NA are quite clear in their stance that they're bad news for recovering addicts. The whole "Just take them as the doctor recommends" approach makes no sense, coming from her.

 

I also don't buy Christy being naive enough to think, "My mother claims she's taking them responsibly, so that must be what she's doing."

[Taylorh2]

I agree. I didn't buy it for one minute that Marjorie (her sponsor) would have said it was okay to take those prescription pain meds

 

Only in sitcom land.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Taylorh2

[LADreamr]

I loved how they personified the pill bottles, though. Going fom silly and flirtatious to scary and "I own you," was realistic, and kind of the best and most economical way of getting that situation across. I'm looking forward to seeing how they handle the rest of this SL.

[Yeldarbe]

The whole thing is just dumb because they make non-narcotic pain medication.

As a fellow addict in recovery I can really relate to this show.

[SanDiegoInExile]

CBS appears to be testing timeslots for the show.  The next episode (April 9) is airing at 9PM, with behemoth BBTheory airing after, instead of as lead in.  I doubt The Odd Couple will be much of a lead in.  Seems odd that they would try to juice the ratings for Elementary @10PM.   The schedule shows the next week, MOM is back to 930PM, where presumably it will stay for the last two episodes of the season (23rd and 30th).

[purplemouth]

As someone (unfortunately much younger than Bonnie) who recently threw her back out, the beginning of this episode had me cracking up. I know I looked just as ridiculous getting up off the floor or down stairs.

This show has been very dark this season, but I like it!