S5E2 "Fish Town and Too Many Thank You's"
Bonnie's newly-sober half-brother Ray is in town, and he has some really funny lines, my favorite of which is when he says that the black part of him likes basketball but the gay part of him doesn't. He gets along really well with Adam, which creates some entertaining moments. Ray seems to be doing really well, but Bonnie is suspicious, as she hasn't seen anyone doing so well so soon after getting sober.
Adam and Ray drive to a basketball game while Bonnie and Christy take Ray's car to a meeting, and both cars have a lot of laughs, as Bonnie and Christy love how nice Ray's car is, and Adam and Ray ask each other questions, about gay relationships and being disabled. However, things stop going well for the ladies when they get pulled over and Christy discovers cocaine in the car.
Bonnie is very awkward when they get pulled over, completely freaking out. At first I don't really believe that Bonnie would behave in that way, but Bonnie and Christy's conversation afterward causes it to make sense, it's been some years now since their days of using and breaking the law.
When Adam and Ray get home, Bonnie and Christy confront Ray, who insists that he doesn't have a problem. I really enjoy seeing on this show how different people have different paths in their recovery, or lack thereof. It really illustrates how complicated and difficult addiction is. I also enjoyed seeing Bonnie and Christy in this role, and it's funny when Christy points out that Bonnie is like Marjorie now, something Bonnie is not happy about.
The beginning and the end of the episode take place in the diner, where Natasha is struggling in her new job. At the end of the episode, after overhearing the women talk about the struggle of sobriety and their concern for Ray, Natasha expresses her gratitude for Christy's help by hugging her, which is a really nice ending for the episode, reminding us it isn't all bad. While Ray seems to be going down the wrong path, Natasha isn't.
This was a great episode of Mom. While last season there were many episodes that I wasn't a big fan of, just like the season premiere this season, this episode serves as proof that Mom can still deliver episodes with both strong story and a lot of great jokes. This episode went beyond that even, giving us a story about a realistic struggle where the ending isn't all happy.
Score: 10/10
What did you think of "Fish Town and Too Many Thank You's"? Leave your thoughts in the comments!