S05.E01: Twinkle Lights and Grandma Shoes

[paulvdb]

Quote

Season five opens with Bonnie getting cold feet when considering her future with Adam, and Christy risks failing an important test in order to help a fellow alcoholic.

[HoboClayton]

Damn it show... Damn it. Fat suit, and she's going to marry Adam? Which I know probably won't happen, but, ugh. Still cannot stand Adam, I like the actor, but not a fan of his character. I really want Bonnie storylines that do not involve him. The preview for next week doesn't look promising either. 

[msani19]

What is up with Jamie in a fat suit? That was a total what the hell....but the way they were acting in the cafe scene I suspected that was what it was going to be yet hoping I was wrong. Ugh, so distasteful. We will get a backstory on how it happened and flashbacks. So fun, can't wait /sarcasm

Adam as a character is awful. I rolled my eyes so hard when I realized he was still a thing. I guess they didn't hear all our complaints and objections about him last season...lol. I can see Bonnie isn't going to marry him, but can they not draw this out too long! I will say I give Bonnie credit for knowing on some level that although she might love Adam (groan), marrying him would be the wrong decision.

Is Christy already studying for the LSAT? Did I miss her graduating from college? It's possible. 

[kitkat343]

The fat suit was written in to accommodate the actress' pregnancy with twins.  I'd be totally opposed to this if she weren't pregnant, but since she is I'm willing to see how the show handles it.  

Edited November 3, 2017 by kitkat343

[HoboClayton]

Ahh! That makes sense. I wish they could have found another way around it then, because that just looks completely ridiculous. 

[msani19]

I knew she had twins but I didn't make the connection! Duh! I agree that it would have been nice if they found another way around it. Hopefully, the story they use will be interesting. 

[chocolatine]

13 minutes ago, kitkat343 said:

I'd be totally opposed to this if she weren't pregnant, but since she is I'm willing to see how the show handles it.  

I'm still opposed to it. They could have had her carry a big purse, stand behind counters, etc. This show is too good for fat suit shenanigans.

Having said that, why must we have the stupid marriage plot? Why can't a woman in 2017 just say that marriage is not for her?

[Irlandesa]

Tonight's episode borrowed from previous sitcom plots on superior shows. 

The "fat suit to hide pregnancy" was done on Frasier with Jane Leeves/Daphne.  Great show but it wasn't easier to accept on that show.  Why not make her pregnant?  She could still do the foster thing while managing a baby of her own.

And "Will you marry me?" when the woman being proposed to finds herself saying "no" even though she thinks she's going to say yes was done for Sam & Diane on Cheers.  And, IMO, done much better.

[possibilities]

Doesn't Jill still have that foster teen? Did I forget that situation going bad?

[paulvdb]

There was a whole plot in this episode about Christy helping the foster kid's mother get a job so that she could get the kid back. So that would mean that Jill will lose her.

[Ina123]

The stripper, Natasha?...Natalie? was the mother of Jill's foster child? Wow! I didn't get that.

[EtheltoTillie]

7 hours ago, msani19 said:

 

Is Christy already studying for the LSAT? Did I miss her graduating from college? It's possible. 

You take it while you are still an undergrad so you can apply to law school for the fall following graduation (like taking the SAT in high school). Of course this show isn't giving us a lot of details. 

For example, I think at one point there was a throwaway line about Christy getting her kid back. What was that about?

Edited November 3, 2017 by GussieK

[Ina123]

The former stripper that Christy was helping was trying to get her child back. Not Christy.

[paulvdb]

35 minutes ago, Ina123 said:

The stripper, Natasha?...Natalie? was the mother of Jill's foster child? Wow! I didn't get that.

She was also in one or more episodes in season 4. But I can understand that you forgot about it. That happens to me all the time when old plot points are brought back months or sometimes years later.

I also noticed that they have new opening credits now and no longer show Christy's kids in the photos. So I guess that means that we'll get to see even less of them.

[roughing it]

11 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I'm still opposed to it. They could have had her carry a big purse, stand behind counters, etc. This show is too good for fat suit shenanigans.

I thought it was funny as hell (especially knowing it was covering Jaime's pregnancy).  You could tell all of the ladies were trying not to crack up.

[Blakeston]

I wasn't sure if we were supposed to assume that Jill was stress-eating because she's likely to lose her foster daughter, or if they were doing a "wait and see what terrible thing happened to her!" plot twist. I guess it's the latter.

[Chaos Theory]

Just now, Blakeston said:

I wasn't sure if we were supposed to assume that Jill was stress-eating because she's likely to lose her foster daughter, or if they were doing a "wait and see what terrible thing happened to her!" plot twist. I guess it's the latter.

Neither really.  I think the joke ended up being she was just sad and lonely and with all her money she never had to actually leave her rich lavish home so no need for even the basic exercise of life.  I mean once you do get past the fat suit it is kind of funny watching everyone try not to laugh.

[monakane]

Wow.  That was really terrible.  The whole fat suit thing was distracting.  Why not just have the character be pregnant?  And what happened to the Christie's kids?  And shouldn't Anna Faris get equal air time in the opening?  That was the worst episode of the show that I can remember.

[illdoc]

2 hours ago, monakane said:

And shouldn't Anna Faris get equal air time in the opening?

What do you mean "equal air time in the opening"? The credits? Everyone has the same amount (each has 1 picture of them drunk/mug shot/etc., with a single "sober" picture of Anna & Allison at the end).

[Judi Sunshine]

Fat suits are never my thing and I didn't even like Monica's back in the "Friends" days, but I actually really appreciate that the show doesn't seem to be making Jill pregnant. As a 42-year-old with no children, I really felt Jill's storyline last season something fierce and I thought the show and Jaime Pressly did a beautiful job with it. I loved her foster kid and storyline and I really am digging Natalie on the show; I think that actress is funny and fits in well with the cast. She brings out the strength in Christy and it's nice in the absence of Christy's kids (whom I miss), getting to see her nurturing towards someone else. 

 

[bad things are bad]

I was OK with Monica's fat suit in Friends because it worked with the plot organically. This, though. WTH?

Bring back the kids, lose or minimize Adam.

And they are making Jill progressively more awful (she's turning into Alan from 2.5 Men).  It doesn't amuse me to see someone's pathetic loneliness played for laughs 

[CarolMK]

Looks like Christie's kids are gone. The opening changed so that they're no longer in the family picture, so I guess they were written out.

I did laugh out loud seeing Jamie Pressley in the fat suit. I imagine the story is going to be rather than indulging in alcohol, she's indulging in food. I thought it was actually a clever way to hide the pregnancy, especially one of twins. Katie Mixon of American Housewife was also pregnant the entire time they were filming her first season, and the wardrobe specialists did a fantastic job of hiding the pregnancy. Her storyline also included the character being overweight. 

I'm thinking that Bonnie doesn't end up marrying Adam. For the show to work, she has to continue living with Christie, just as Alan did with Charlie in Two and a Half Men. If Bonnie moves out, the show wouldn't be the same anymore. 

[monakane]

2 hours ago, illdoc said:

What do you mean "equal air time in the opening"? The credits? Everyone has the same amount (each has 1 picture of them drunk/mug shot/etc., with a single "sober" picture of Anna & Allison at the end).

I'll have to rewatch.  I thought I only saw Anna in the sober picture at the end.  Thanks.

[paulvdb]

I believe there are three pictures of Bonnie, two of Christy and at the end there is one of the two of them together. So Bonnie has one more picture in the opening credits.

[MaryMitch]

The pictures are of drunk/stoned Christy, Bonnie, Marjorie, Jill, Wendy, then there might be one more but it ends with a nice picture of Christy and Bonnie.

[juliet73]

16 hours ago, paulvdb said:

 

I also noticed that they have new opening credits now and no longer show Christy's kids in the photos. So I guess that means that we'll get to see even less of them.

I noticed that too. The pics with the kids were replaced with pics of Bonnie looking like a hot mess.

Adam can be written off any time now. The storyline is stale.

[paulvdb]

4 hours ago, MaryMitch said:

The pictures are of drunk/stoned Christy, Bonnie, Marjorie, Jill, Wendy, then there might be one more but it ends with a nice picture of Christy and Bonnie.

Thanks for pointing that out. I guess I didn't pay close enough attention to the credits and just assumed that they were all pictures of Christy and Bonnie.

[TheOtherOne]

This show is so bad at continuity. Bonnie and Adam's first date was at a perfectly nice, fancy restaurant, not a burger shack, and was utterly charming. (It's one reason I can't get onboard with the hate for his character--those first episodes of their relationship were great, before they decided to tear him down last season.)

Edited November 4, 2017 by TheOtherOne

[iMonrey]

If I ever met Anna Faris I'd want to ask her how she feels about the fact that Allison Janney essentially eats her show.

I'd also like to know how much of a time jump is supposed to have taken place since last season ended. It does seem way too soon for Christy to be taking her LSATs and it would have taken a long time for Jill to get that heavy too.

[Gothish520]

5 hours ago, TheOtherOne said:

This show is so bad at continuity. Bonnie and Adam's first date was at a perfectly nice, fancy restaurant, not a burger shack, and was utterly charming. (It's one reason I can't get onboard with the hate for his character--those first episodes of their relationship were great, before they decided to tear him down last season.)

I just started reading the forum here and I am surprised by the Adam hate. I haven't read all the back threads yet - I'm sure there's a lot of good insight on why, but I'm glad to see that at least one other person likes his character, lol.

[MaryMitch]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

If I ever met Anna Faris I'd want to ask her how she feels about the fact that Allison Janney essentially eats her show.

I don't think Anna Faris gets enough credit for what a good job she does; I think she's really funny. Allison Janney is good too, but she's one of those actresses that always gets praised; Anna deserves some love too!

[Maharincess]

22 minutes ago, MaryMitch said:

I don't think Anna Faris gets enough credit for what a good job she does; I think she's really funny. Allison Janney is good too, but she's one of those actresses that always gets praised; Anna deserves some love too!

I know I'm at a table for one here but I don't think she's that good. I guess she does well at the comedy stuff but in the scenes where she's supposed to be playing mad, I think she really over acts and it looks phony to me.  My daughter and I just had a disagreement about this so I know she thinks I'm wrong. 

[MissLucas]

Also not on the Adam-hate train. I'll keep an open mind about Jill's fat-suit plot. The character went through a lot and seems to have taken to eating instead of drinking to cope. Wendy reading her the riot-act was the highlight of the episode.

Not a fan of Christy's protégée - she's already got a self-absorbed woman in her life who does not respect her needs and boundaries. I could not help thinking that Christy might had managed an above average score if only she'd been actually given the time and space for learning she was asking for.

[Sarah 103]

On November 2, 2017 at 10:47 PM, msani19 said:

Is Christy already studying for the LSAT? Did I miss her graduating from college? It's possible. 

She would graduate college this year. I have no idea what her course load was like. It seems impossible because while she could have been going to school year round, it would have been part time. 

On November 3, 2017 at 11:41 AM, monakane said:

And what happened to the Christie's kids?  

Roscoe has been living with Baxter and Candace since season 4. Early in season 4 Violet got back together Luke. She moved in with him.

On November 3, 2017 at 3:25 PM, CarolMK said:

Looks like Christie's kids are gone. The opening changed so that they're no longer in the family picture, so I guess they were written out.

I'm thinking that Bonnie doesn't end up marrying Adam. For the show to work, she has to continue living with Christie, just as Alan did with Charlie in Two and a Half Men. If Bonnie moves out, the show wouldn't be the same anymore. 

I like the new opening. The show focuses more on the group from AA than Christy's family, so to me the new opening better reflects the nature of the show. I think Bonnie may end up marrying Adam. This is a sitcom, so I can totally picture something happening to Adam's apartment and he ends up moving in with Bonnie and Christy. I could also picture them moving. I'm not sure where, but Bonnie's job and the apartment isn't 100% necessary to the plot. You need Bonnie and Christy living together, but the where isn't too important. 

[paulvdb]

They got the apartment as part of Bonnie's job so Bonnie would have to live there if she wants to keep the job. If Bonnie moves out Christy would have to take over Bonnie's job or also move out. As you said, the job and apartment are not necessary for the show. After all, they originally lived somewhere else and could either both move in with Adam or find another place to live.

[iMonrey]

Does Christy still work? I don't think she works at the restaurant anymore, right? Last thing I remember, she was working for that ponytail lawyer guy as his office assistant be we haven't seen him in awhile either. I'd like to know how Christy is paying for all this school because she's always been portrayed as broke. I suppose it's possible she's taking out student loans but they haven't said anything about it.

[MaryMitch]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Does Christy still work? I don't think she works at the restaurant anymore, right? Last thing I remember, she was working for that ponytail lawyer guy as his office assistant be we haven't seen him in awhile either. I'd like to know how Christy is paying for all this school because she's always been portrayed as broke. I suppose it's possible she's taking out student loans but they haven't said anything about it.

Good question!  Near the end of last season they did call the ponytail lawyer guy (Steve) to help Bonnie with her tax problem, and he was in Mexico hiding from a drug cartel. Towards the end of that episode they got Bonnie's half brother Ray to handle it, and Christy helped him. Did Christy end up working for Ray?

[Gothish520]

On 11/4/2017 at 3:49 PM, Maharincess said:

I know I'm at a table for one here but I don't think she's that good. I guess she does well at the comedy stuff but in the scenes where she's supposed to be playing mad, I think she really over acts and it looks phony to me.  My daughter and I just had a disagreement about this so I know she thinks I'm wrong. 

I've enjoyed Ana's work on the show for the most part, but man I think her character overdid it with the snark towards Bonnie in the season opener. She was really nasty - Bonnie's in the kitchen making food - Christy could easily move her laptop to another part of the house if she wants quiet. 

Also, in the past it seems her comments to Bonnie about being a bad mother and not being there for her were pointed and sarcastic, but not quite as - venomous, I guess? 

[SanDiegoInExile]

On 11/4/2017 at 9:43 AM, iMonrey said:

If I ever met Anna Faris I'd want to ask her how she feels about the fact that Allison Janney essentially eats her show......

 

I suspect the paycheck trumps all.  Plus, this show would have been cancelled years ago without Allison Janney.

[Big Mother]

It felt like we had missed an episode of two. Like, why was Jill suddenly overeating like that. I was sure her foster daughter had been taken from her. She hasn't? I'm so confused.

[hnygrl]

On 11/4/2017 at 9:49 AM, Maharincess said:

On 11/4/2017 at 9:20 AM, MaryMitch said:

I don't think Anna Faris gets enough credit for what a good job she does; I think she's really funny. Allison Janney is good too, but she's one of those actresses that always gets praised; Anna deserves some love too!

I know I'm at a table for one here but I don't think she's that good. I guess she does well at the comedy stuff but in the scenes where she's supposed to be playing mad, I think she really over acts and it looks phony to me.  My daughter and I just had a disagreement about this so I know she thinks I'm wrong. 

Consider it a table for two then.

I honestly don't think Anna Faris could carry the show. Her character is to mealy-mouthed, whiney, and "mamby-pamby" to carry the show. Her little girl whine in the first couple seasons drove me bananas. They NEED Allison Janney, she's a great foil for Anna. She's the reason Anna's so good on this show. 

It was quite jarring, seeing the children officially written out of the show. Going from principal to intermittent to fired his to suck. And the kid is like what? 13, 14 years old now? Only storylines left for a kid that old is the same ole same ole son of addicts getting addicted. I'm sure if they get in trouble ratings-wise this year they'll pull out that old chestnut eventually. Although it's been played out with the daughter already...

[movingtargetgal]

JP is very tiny and was pregnant with twins, so I will give TPTB a pass for using a fat suit. My niece is just under 5 feet and just delivered her third child last week.  Because she is so petite, there was not a lot of room for the baby so she grew "out" and got to be beyond HUGE.  She could not fit behind the wheel of her small SUV.  I was amazed that the baby was only 6lbs and 17" long.  JP being pregnant with twins made it so they did not need to have a real fat suit, they just needed prosthetics to make her face look fuller.   

[iMonrey]

But realistically, how long would it take someone who looked like Jill in last season's finale to get as big as Jill looks now? A couple of months? Years? I'm trying to gauge the minimum amount of time that's passed since they seem to have done some sort of time jump in order to fast-track Christy's new career.

[SanDiegoInExile]

Adam mentioned that he had been away on the shoot for two months (?).  Wasn't he AWOL for the final few episodes last season?

I'm not against a time-jump. It does help facilitate the already ridiculous Christy-Becomes-A-Lawyer story.  It doesn't have to be clumsy either.  Christy could have said something to the Foster Kid's Mom like "you haven't had your daughter for a year, so this is a step in the right direction".  Or one of the recovering troika could have warbled something about the Foster Kid being with Jill "for the last year".  Or have a Plunkett say something like "Roscoe is flourishing while living with his dad for the past couple years".

All in all, I'm ok with the suit vs large handbags.

[possibilities]

On 11/7/2017 at 4:26 PM, iMonrey said:

But realistically, how long would it take someone who looked like Jill in last season's finale to get as big as Jill looks now? A couple of months? Years? I'm trying to gauge the minimum amount of time that's passed since they seem to have done some sort of time jump in order to fast-track Christy's new career.

Several years ago I got into a bad situation during a storm, developed hypothermia, and it killed my metabolism. I gained 60 lbs in a few months after that, without eating any differently than I always had, nor doing anything self-destructive at all. So, if Jill is actually doing some severe stress eating, and generally not taking care of herself, I think it's not impossible for her to balloon up fairly quickly, especially since previously she was probably the sort of person who was very calorie and exercise conscious. But more than that, I think it's supposed to be comedic exaggeration,, so we aren't meant to use it as a real indicator of how much time has passed.

[4leafclover]

Quote

I'd like to know how Christy is paying for all this school because she's always been portrayed as broke. I suppose it's possible she's taking out student loans but they haven't said anything about it.

 

I thought she was probably using the money her father's sons gave her when he died.  The younger son said something about them "discovering" she hadn't been paid for her previous 2 years of employment at the shop, so it sounded like a significant amount.  

[EtheltoTillie]

On 11/6/2017 at 8:54 PM, hnygrl said:

Consider it a table for two then.

I honestly don't think Anna Faris could carry the show. Her character is to mealy-mouthed, whiney, and "mamby-pamby" to carry the show. Her little girl whine in the first couple seasons drove me bananas. They NEED Allison Janney, she's a great foil for Anna. She's the reason Anna's so good on this show. 

It was quite jarring, seeing the children officially written out of the show. Going from principal to intermittent to fired his to suck. And the kid is like what? 13, 14 years old now? Only storylines left for a kid that old is the same ole same ole son of addicts getting addicted. I'm sure if they get in trouble ratings-wise this year they'll pull out that old chestnut eventually. Although it's been played out with the daughter already...

I found it jarring too. But didn't they have an episode where the little boy used marijuana?  A couple of years ago?  I was dreading that becoming a plot line. That just wouldn't be funny. 

[Ina123]

On ‎11‎/‎4‎/‎2017 at 0:43 PM, iMonrey said:

If I ever met Anna Faris I'd want to ask her how she feels about the fact that Allison Janney essentially eats her show.

I'd also like to know how much of a time jump is supposed to have taken place since last season ended. It does seem way too soon for Christy to be taking her LSATs and it would have taken a long time for Jill to get that heavy too.

Well, the show is called "Mom". Christy's kids are non existent now so that leaves her mom, Allison Jannney, to be the mom in "Mom".

Besides, Allison Janney is carrying this show, but I love them all...except Adam.

[iMonrey]

I've always liked Missi Pyle but I don't know how viable it is to incorporate her into the cast if all she does is bus tables whenever the gang meets up at the diner. Surely the actress has better things to do, she's been in virtually everything. I sometimes feel sorry for the supporting players like Mimi Kennedy, Jamie Pressly and Beth Hall because they usually have one scene and a couple lines apiece and that's it. Yeah, I'm sure it's nice to have a steady paycheck but it's got to be kind of demeaning to play such a bit part when you used to have a much larger role on another show, like both Mimi and Jamie have. Now they're trying to throw Missi into the mix. That might be stretching it.

[Star Aristille]

On ‎11‎/‎4‎/‎2017 at 5:53 AM, TheOtherOne said:

(It's one reason I can't get onboard with the hate for his character--those first episodes of their relationship were great, before they decided to tear him down last season.)

 

On ‎11‎/‎4‎/‎2017 at 11:45 AM, Gothish520 said:

I just started reading the forum here and I am surprised by the Adam hate.

 

On ‎11‎/‎4‎/‎2017 at 8:05 PM, MissLucas said:

Also not on the Adam-hate train.

I just yawn at the hate and ignore it, really.