S06.E19: Lumbar Support and Old Pork

[paulvdb]

Bonnie has an unexpected reaction when she learns that Adam’s bar is doing well. Also, Christy and Tammy go on a double date.

Airdate: April 18, 2019

[Uuuugghh]

Hasn’t Christy been gifted two cars? I mean this is just lazy repetition. 

[jmonique]

Allison Janney is very gifted, but Bonnie's entitlement is out of control and not entertaining.

[hnygrl]

Christy was right. I knew that dude was gonna choose family over a girlfriend. Saw that coming. Christy was right to do it. If they get busted for receiving stolen property she goes back to prison. 

Good to see Baxter. 

Bonnie storyline  was stupid. So stupid barely tolerated it. 

Edited April 19, 2019 by hnygrl

[Caseysgirl]

Have the writers not been paying attention to the previous storylines? I believe that people can change, but this was a complete reversal of everything we know about Bonnie.  Several seasons ago she was ready to marry her daughter off to an older man for the money, now she won’t accept a car from her mate of years. Doesn’t seem in character. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

Have the writers not been paying attention to the previous storylines? I believe that people can change, but this was a complete reversal of everything we know about Bonnie.  Several seasons ago she was ready to marry her daughter off to an older man for the money, now she won’t accept a car from her mate of years. Doesn’t seem in character. 

I've seen a concerted effort to redeem or reform Bonnie for the past couple of seasons. She was a truly awful character back when the show first started out but for some reason the writers have been trying to backpedal on that.

It's nice to see Baxter pop up once in awhile. I just wish the same thing would happen with Christy's kids! Especially Roscoe since he's still a minor. I get that Violet doesn't want anything to do with her (and I actually had to look up her name because I couldn't remember it) but Roscoe is supposed to be living with Baxter and we just saw Baxter. No mention of Roscoe. You'd think Bonnie would ask how her grandson is doing, since she never sees him as far as we can tell. 

[qtpye]

8 hours ago, hnygrl said:

Christy was right. I knew that dude was gonna choose family over a girlfriend. Saw that coming. Christy was right to do it. If they get busted for receiving stolen property she goes back to prison. 

Good to see Baxter. 

Bonnie storyline  was stupid. So stupid barely tolerated it. 

I know she did the right thing but it was not her choice to make.

10 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I've seen a concerted effort to redeem or reform Bonnie for the past couple of seasons. She was a truly awful character back when the show first started out but for some reason the writers have been trying to backpedal on that.

It's nice to see Baxter pop up once in awhile. I just wish the same thing would happen with Christy's kids! Especially Roscoe since he's still a minor. I get that Violet doesn't want anything to do with her (and I actually had to look up her name because I couldn't remember it) but Roscoe is supposed to be living with Baxter and we just saw Baxter. No mention of Roscoe. You'd think Bonnie would ask how her grandson is doing, since she never sees him as far as we can tell. 

I'm glad Baxter admitted that he was very lucky that he hooked up with someone with money. He seems to still get high a lot but otherwise, his life seems pretty cleaned up.

Yes, Roscoe almost seems to not exist at least we check in on Violet once in a while.

[nodorothyparker]

Nice to see Baxter again.  At least he's self-aware enough to know that he is where he is and not still living in a van in someone's driveway because he happened to get lucky enough to hook up with someone with money.  Bonnie and Adam doing car karaoke at the end were adorable.

Yeah, they've done the someone gives one of them a car story before, but it was interesting how this go round both played into Bonnie's general sense of entitlement in referring to Adam's earnings as hers when they're not married yet while also hitting a note that everyone who's been poor long term knows: that if you do happen into a windfall it's tough to feel confident enough that you won't be going without again right away to not stress about spending the money.  You're always waiting for something to happen to take it away because you're often one accident or one expensive repair from it.  Adam also isn't a rich older guy Bonnie doesn't care about or a former son-in-law that she figures owes her something.  Not so very long ago, Adam sank his entire life savings into the bar and even less long ago than that, he was bouncing checks and having to sublet his home just to stay afloat.  Since Bonnie shows no signs of getting any closer to making any actual income herself,  she's not wrong to be cautious.

Christy was right to be concerned about Tammy associating with criminals.  Tammy wasn't showing good decision making and was on the verge of being a statistic in wanting to choose a guy over protecting herself, although it was still a little naive for Christy to think she could fix it so easily.  

[sugarbaker design]

37 minutes ago, nodorothyparker said:

Christy was right to be concerned about Tammy associating with criminals.  Tammy wasn't showing good decision making and on the verge of being a statistic in wanting to choose a guy over protecting herself, although it was still a little naive for Christie to think she could fix it so easily.  

I'm glad the show illustrated that doing the right thing doesn't necessarily make you feel all warm and fuzzy.

[bichonblitz]

6 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

Since Bonnie shows no signs of getting any closer to making any actual income herself,  she's not wrong to be cautious.

Cautious is one thing, Bonnie was being a nasty bitch and it was not the least bit entertaining. Adam buys groceries and Bonnie has an attitude. Really? It's groceries. Thank him and shut up. He buys you a car because your's is falling apart and you have a tantrum, storm out of the house and try to  return it? This was the worst episode ever. 

[nodorothyparker]

A lot of this episode was more observational humor than laugh out loud funny, but Bonnie wasn't being a bitch for the sake of just being a bitch.  Maybe it's something you have to have lived at some point in your life to be able to fully appreciate the anxiety that would accompany suddenly being given a "gift" that was actually monthly payments stretched out over years you weren't confident you'd be able to pay back or a refrigerator full of food that you could almost hear the expiration dates on all the expensive perishable items ticking away on.  For all the crap poor people get about their food buying habits and why aren't they healthier, there's a reason poor people tend to buy a lot of shelf stable junk.  After seasons of jokes about how dependent they were on how much food Christy could steal from the restaurant or how many extras they could bum off Jill picking up the check at the Bistro, this was another take on it.

[CatsAndMoreCats]

1 hour ago, nodorothyparker said:

A lot of this episode was more observational humor than laugh out loud funny, but Bonnie wasn't being a bitch for the sake of just being a bitch.  Maybe it's something you have to have lived at some point in your life to be able to fully appreciate the anxiety that would accompany suddenly being given a "gift" that was actually monthly payments stretched out over years you weren't confident you'd be able to pay back or a refrigerator full of food that you could almost hear the expiration dates on all the expensive perishable items ticking away on.  For all the crap poor people get about their food buying habits and why aren't they healthier, there's a reason poor people tend to buy a lot of shelf stable junk.  After seasons of jokes about how dependent they were on how much food Christy could steal from the restaurant or how many extras they could bum off Jill picking up the check at the Bistro, this was another take on it.

Preach it, Sister.  I love outlet shopping.  Actually I love any scenario that allows me to shop for less.  (Grocery Outlet, anyone? lol)  I find myself leaning a bit on the side of hoarding when it comes to food.  Finally sat myself down and asked myself "Why?"  It's because I know what it's like to survive on $180/month, paying my own rent and other expenses.  Yeah, it was the 70's but so what? It's still poverty wages if you pro-rate it out.  I was never hungry.  But I also never ate at 5-star restaurants.  I just got back from a 4-day trip to California paid for in part with frequent flyer miles.  Up until the plane took off for CA, I questioned whether it was worth it?  All the planning, all the expense...  

Never, EVER will I forget what it was like to be so poor that I felt I was being suffocated.  Fear, fear, fear that one wrong move and I'd end up in the poor house.  Which is ironic, because I pretty much lived there anyway. lol

TMI, perhaps.  But my way of illustrating why I understand Bonnie's fears, and her reluctance to accept anything "luxurious."  Even food.

Edited April 20, 2019 by CatsAndMoreCats

[MissLucas]

I can see the point the show was trying to make with Bonnie's anxiety about the sudden windfall - but continuity-wise it made little sense.

I wish more time had been given to the B-plot because it was way more interesting. While I agree with Christy, it was not up to her to interfere. Tammy knew the stakes and admitted that she was willing to take the risk. Going behind her back is implying that she's not fit to make her own decisions - and maybe she isn't but it still felt high-handed. I wish Christy had alerted the other ladies to what was going on. It would have been interesting to hear what they had to say about the situation and what solutions (if any) they had to offer.

[ctlady]

Both Bonnie and Adam had issues here.

While I completely understand Bonnie's anxiety over not going overboard with spending - especially the car - I think she over-reacted with the groceries.  He put his life savings into that bar and his first thought upon turning a profit was to provide for his 'family' (which I thought was sweet).  I'm sure up until the bar business that he'd been receiving either disability/stuntman residuals (or both) and was hopefully contributing to the apartment expenses.  This was his way of giving back a bit of necessities (food). 

As for the car, I could've seen a more modest purchase (a newer used car).  I mean - they still have a wedding to pay for, not to mention they're not exactly spring chickens and need to think about putting some money away for a rainy day, retirement or even care.

The B-Plot had me on the fence as well.  I saw both sides and have a hard time leaning farther towards one.  While I saw Yuri choosing his cousin in a heartbeat, I wish there had been some kind of middle ground - like maybe scheduled nights Marjorie can let Tammy and Yuri have the house to themselves.  I mean - Yuri loves her, so him dumping her on the spot was rough.

Also - no mention of Christy still in law school, her internship - or even if she's still working at the restaurant?

[bichonblitz]

5 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

Maybe it's something you have to have lived at some point in your life to be able to fully appreciate the anxiety that would accompany suddenly being given a "gift"

Like I said in my post, cautious is one thing, she was downright  ungrateful and accusatory. There is a much nicer and appreciative way Bonnie could have gone about pointing out to Adam to cool it a bit with the spending than the way she handled it. It was over the top and nasty.  Then again, it's Bonnie. 

Edited April 20, 2019 by bichonblitz

[Sarah 103]

On 4/18/2019 at 9:45 PM, Uuuugghh said:

Hasn’t Christy been gifted two cars? I mean this is just lazy repetition. 

I know Christy has been given cars, but I do not think someone has given Bonnie a car before. 

On 4/19/2019 at 12:03 PM, iMonrey said:

It's nice to see Baxter pop up once in awhile. I just wish the same thing would happen with Christy's kids! Especially Roscoe since he's still a minor. I get that Violet doesn't want anything to do with her (and I actually had to look up her name because I couldn't remember it) but Roscoe is supposed to be living with Baxter and we just saw Baxter. No mention of Roscoe. You'd think Bonnie would ask how her grandson is doing, since she never sees him as far as we can tell. 

I have no problem with Roscoe no longer appearing, but at least mention him once in awhile. This would have been a perfect time to have a quick line or two about how Roscoe is doing and what he is interested in, or something along those lines. 

15 hours ago, MissLucas said:

I wish more time had been given to the B-plot because it was way more interesting. While I agree with Christy, it was not up to her to interfere. Tammy knew the stakes and admitted that she was willing to take the risk. Going behind her back is implying that she's not fit to make her own decisions - and maybe she isn't but it still felt high-handed. I wish Christy had alerted the other ladies to what was going on. It would have been interesting to hear what they had to say about the situation and what solutions (if any) they had to offer.

I would have loved to hear what the other women in the group would have had to say. They all have such different backgrounds and experiences that they would have brought to it. 

Edited April 21, 2019 by Sarah 103

[ShortyMac]

7 hours ago, ctlady said:

Also - no mention of Christy still in law school, her internship - or even if she's still working at the restaurant?

She had her waitress attire on in the previous episode.

[SmithW6079]

Regarding the groceries: have these people not heard of this invention called a freezer? Fresh fruit & vegetables you generally don't freeze, but all the meat could be cooked and frozen or frozen uncooked. I didn't understand Bonnie's mad rush to eat everything. Any dry goods keep almost indefinitely. 

The car I could see, especially one you had to finance for six years. 

[possibilities]

Bonnie freaked out. It was just a panic reaction. Those are generally never rational.

[Amazee-Dayzee]

As for not mentioning what has been going on with Roscoe, considering the fact that Chuck Lorre has said that he wants to move away from the kids and he is very mean-spirited, I could see Candace sending Roscoe off to a fancy boarding school and him just forgetting about his mother and not bothering to contact her. Only because the show seems SO desperate to make Christy look like a shitty mother who has never ever changed while Bonnie seemed to be perfect with a few mistakes.

I wonder if the show even remembers that Christy has a granddaughter.

[Sarah 103]

14 hours ago, Amazee-Dayzee said:

I wonder if the show even remembers that Christy has a granddaughter.

Yes, but not really. The granddaughter was adopted. Christy and Violet saw that the baby was being well cared for by people who loved the baby and were better able to provide for her than Violet. Violet was pleased with the result and saw no reason or desire for further contact, and Christy seemed to agree with that. 

[theatremouse]

On the one hand: I am so with everyone who noted we've seen a sudden-car plot twice before and I am bored of this show going to that well. It feels very repetitive.

On the other, emotionally I think this was completely different than when either Christy's dad gifted her the used car he fixed up or when Christy basically badgered Baxter into gifting her the new car to make up for eons of missed child support. In both of those cases, it was someone external giving Christy the car. Not giving her those cars would only have the effect of: she does not have that car. But with Bonnie and Adam, they're engaged. It's their household. So when he spends money on name-brand food, or a new car, Bonnie sees that as money that was theirs or otherwise would've been going to something else for them. Not that I think Bonnie has the diligence to actually save a nest egg...but restaurants have such thin margins if he was doing so poorly so recently, aside from her history I do think it was rational that she felt like "why are you spending so much" or even just spending comfortably...spending like it might not all disappear in five minutes. She was coming from a logical place. Plus it pisses me off that he was all luxury features and NEW car. I mean, OK maybe do the math it's best to have a warranty, but he could've replaced the crappy old car with a very reasonable, reliable, 3-4 year old Toyota or Honda or something and given her that. She'd probably have had a lot less anxiety about a smaller purchase. Fix the actual problem: her car was shit. But not with all the bells and whistles. I mean I know then we don't have the whole heated seats joke, but it's weak plotting that they're acting like there's no in between. (It also pisses me off when they act like you can return a car the next day when generally speaking, you cannot, but this plot was too far gone before that happened for it to super blip.)

Which I guess is a long way of saying: when there's such a simpler reasonable alternative, going big because it's funnier isn't funny to me because it requires characters to not think of something it's really unlikely they'd not think of.

[kwnyc]

Quote

The granddaughter was adopted. Christy and Violet saw that the baby was being well cared for by people who loved the baby and were better able to provide for her than Violet. 

...and since it was an open adoption, if for any plot-related reasons, they want to bring the baby back in, they can.