S5E13 "Pudding and a Screen Door"
The episode begins with Jill's return, and it's a dramatic entrance. There are some funny lines as the ladies wait in anticipation of Jill's arrival, and Bonnie is funny as she tries to figure out if Jill just lost weight, or if she had some work done. The girls, back together again, go out as usual, but one thing is different, Jill decides not to pay for everyone. With the others not having as much money as Jill, Christy looks for another solution. However, Jill is not a fan of this solution, especially when she feels uncomfortable sharing what she wants to share around someone who sits next to her. It is very funny when Wendy doesn't understand the process, and ends up with three drinks but no food.
The next time the girls plan on going out after a meeting, things get heated, as they end up fighting, and Jill lashes out. The women avoid each other, and Jill goes to a different meeting than usual. At this meeting, she shares how she has always been unsure as to whether or not people actually want to be her friend. Bonnie also ends up at this meeting, and when she hears Jill share, it leads to a sincere moment between the two of them, where a couple of funny lines are delivered as well, about when Bonnie experienced that.
Also in this episode, Christy is hearing back from the law schools she applied to, and the results aren't good. When she doesn't even get into the school that is supposed to be easy to get into, she keeps it from the other AA women. When she hears about how all of her classmates got into schools, and they are all drinking, Christy comes close to erasing the progress she has made with a drink. It's a powerful moment as she stares at the glass, and a wonderful relief when she gets a call from Jill in that moment where she needed it. At the end of the episode, the women are reunited, and Christy shares what she has been through. It's a wonderful final scene to the episode, showing how in the end, these women are always there for each other.
Jill's return led to some interesting conflict among the group, which in turn led to assurance of how much these five women care about each other, and showing us how they struggle on their own. The serious parts of this episode were executed with perfection, and there were some strong jokes, largely, as usual, delivered by Allison Janney.
Score: 10/10
What did you think of "Pudding and a Screen Door"? Leave your thoughts in the comments!