Mom S6E8 Review

Did you forget that Christy has a daughter named Violet? For a while it seemed like the show might have, but it turns out it has not. In the latest episode of Mom, Violet returns, and she has a lot to say about Christy from when she was drinking.


S6E8 "Jell-O Shots and the Truth About Santa"

The episode begins with Christy's usual complaints about her mom, but when a classmate refers her to a podcast where someone complains about their mom, that someone turns out to be Violet. Christy can't believe that Violet would talk about how bad of a mother she was when she was drunk to everyone, and eventually calls Violet from Bonnie's phone. Christy's awkwardness while leaving a voicemail is funny, but it also really shows how Christy and Violet don't talk. After Violet responds by playing the voicemail on her podcast, Christy decides to go to Violet.

After some initial angst from Violet that comes off as over-the-top (such as when Violet takes offense to Christy asking about Luke, assuming she thinks she couldn't get this apartment on her own), the mother and daughter get serious. Talking face-to-face, Christy and Violet are really able to tell the other how they feel. Violet recognizes how Christy has changed, but reminds her, and especially us in the audience, as we've only ever heard about Christy's drinking days, what life was like when Christy drank.

There's an understanding between the two, but the show doesn't use this to take the expected route. Instead of having them reconcile and decide to work together to repair their relationship, Violet tells Christy that, right now, she doesn't want them to have a relationship. In doing this, the show recognizes how complicated this relationship is, and it also gives good reason for the fact that Violet is going to continue to not be on the show. But the moment in the hall between Christy and Bonnie after this is a reminder that this is just for now, and gives the show the chance to re-introduce Violet at some point down the line (probably a couple of years from now, I would guess).

Compared against this nuance and ending that certainly isn't typical, the subplot about Adam and his bar feels out of place. Mom frequently does episodes with just one story, and this would be an episode where it would make sense to do that. Instead, we also get a forgettable story where Adam worries about how his bar will perform once it is opened. It's not that this story is that bad, it just lacks substance, and feels generic. Most of all, it just seems unnecessary.


The main story of this episode felt grounded and overdue. Mom can be a really funny show, but the part of this episode that worked best was when they didn't go for any jokes. Sadly, the subplot didn't even come close to the quality of the main one. Still, this was a strong episode.

Score: 9/10

What did you think of "Jell-O Shots and the Truth About Santa"? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Mom S6E6 Review

This episode revisits the money that Christy owes Jill after gambling away the money she lent her to bail Bonnie out of jail. Also, Bonnie and Adam venture into the world of tattoos.


S6E6 "Cottage Cheese and a Weird Buzz"

Trying to find some peace and quiet, Christy goes to Jill, where she really gets a good look at Jill's luxurious lifestyle. This is all a bit over-the-top, but then the episode gets to its point when Jill reminds Christy of the money she owes her. So, Christy works hard to come up with seventy-five dollars for Jill.

After seeing how Jill doesn't even actually care about the money once she has it, she gets enraged, and after a sequence of events that includes pushing Jill into the pool, Jill ends up telling Christy that she doesn't need to pay her back the money. At a gambler's anonymous meeting though, Christy is reminded that it's not about the money, but about her addiction, and that she needs to pay back the money so that it doesn't feel like she beat the system. This felt like a fairly typical Mom lesson, but it was still well done.

Meanwhile, after being called grandparents by a couple of teenagers, Bonnie and Adam decide to get tattoos. This story also takes a little while to get going, but eventually Bonnie is really enjoying getting tattoos, while Adam becomes concerned about her. While what Bonnie ends up learning, how tattoos age, isn't particularly interesting, Adam does learn a more interesting lesson, as he realizes he doesn't have any power over Bonnie's addiction, and begins going to Al-anon meetings.


This episode had a slow start, and some of the lessons the characters learned were either typical in Christy's case and uninteresting in Bonnie's, Adam's decision to go to Al-anon meetings is a good decision for him and a high point of the episode.

Score: 6.5/10

What did you think of "Cottage Cheese and a Weird Buzz"? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Mom S6E5 Review

Mom has dealt with tragedy many times, and it does it again with this episode.


S6E5 "Flying Monkeys and a Tank of Nitrous"

This episode deals with the death of Marjorie's husband Victor. Everything before Marjorie gets the call about him having another stroke feels like the episode is wasting time, but after this happens, the rest of the episode is all spent on his death, and Marjorie's lack of displaying grief. Christy, being Christy, desperately wants Marjorie to show emotion over Victor's death. She keeps prodding her to try to make this happen, despite everyone around her telling her not to.

The group takes a road trip to spread Victor's ashes. However, it turns out that the orchard that he wanted his ashes to be spread at is now a Costco. There are some good jokes about the Costco (such as Jill's experience of buying in bulk), and this is where Christy ends up making a seemingly uncharacteristically oblivious Marjorie react. This leads to a car ride filled with silence, which leads to an entertaining group text.

Marjorie ends up sharing that she's upset that she isn't grieving, and Wendy shares that people often mourn sick loved ones before they die. However, later Marjorie ends up crying as she remembers how one cat was Victor's favorite. While this moment is heartfelt, it somewhat counteracts Wendy's point from the car ride.


This episode took a different look at death than the show has in the past with others close to main characters that have died. There were a few issues with the execution of that, but overall this was a good episode.

Score: 8.5/10

What did you think of "Flying Monkeys and a Tank of Nitrous"? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Mom S6E3 Review

This episode continues this season's stories of Christy in law school and Bonnie planning for her and Adam's wedding. It also includes a guest appearance by Constance Zimmer.


S6E3 "Ambulance Chasers and a Babbling Brook"

Law school is a challenge for Christy, especially one class with a really tough professor, played by Constance Zimmer. She plays the hard ass professor well, especially when we see a slightly different side of her, when Christy sees her at a meeting and they talk.

However, the talking leads to dependence. Natalie, the professor, constantly vents to Christy (something Marjorie has a very funny line about), and Christy as a result feels that she is what's keeping Natalie sober. Because of their new friendship, Christy is doing well in Natalie's class, but she decides to give that up, knowing that this dynamic is unhealthy. It's a very Mom sort of story.

Bonnie and Adam are planning for their wedding this week, and that leads to a game of manipulation for Bonnie when she books a venue without asking Adam, and then has to convince him of it. It is really funny when Bonnie asks the others what she should do, and dislikes the honesty answers from Christy, Marjorie, and Wendy. (Also in this scene, there's a really funny bit where some fruit gets passed around the table depending on who needs it.) Bonnie's plan works, but has another result: Adam buying an old factory they looked at to turn it into a bar.

Bonnie and Adam's argument about this gets funny when she accidentally reveals her manipulative plan. In the end, Bonnie apologizes to Adam, and she comes around to his bar idea. There were some really funny moments in here, but really, it was a fairly generic story. It works though, because of that humor, and because of how good the dynamic is between Bonnie and Adam.


This was the type of episode that isn't the slightest bit groundbreaking, but proves that Mom is good at what it does. While a sense of familiarity hung over most of the episode, it still entertained as it provided humor in interesting stories. It was nothing exceptional, but this was a good episode of Mom.

Score: 8/10

What did you think of "Ambulance Chasers and a Babbling Brook"? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Mom S6E2 Review

The second episode of Mom's sixth season deals with Christy's gambling addiction, which the show had delved further into in the fifth season. Christy has been going to Gamblers Anonymous, but now she's not sure that she needs it. This episode also includes a guest appearance from the wonderful Yvette Nicole Brown.

S6E2 "Go-Go Boots and a Butt Cushion"

Christy isn't relating to anyone at her Gamblers Anonymous, and she expresses doubt that she needs to be there to her AA sponsor, Nora. Nora is entertaining in her matter-of-fact manner, especially when she asks Christy if she has taken steps to really try GA. Christy takes one of those steps, finding a sponsor. The woman she first approaches, who it turns out hasn't gambled for 3 days, is pretty funny. Christy then finds a sponsor in Ned.

Ned helps Christy figure out whether or not she actually has a gambling problem, suggesting she try controlled gambling. Bonnie's reaction when she finds out about this is really funny, especially when she discovers that the others don't agree with her. The funniest part here is when Bonnie wonders why she didn't get the controlled drinking option. After Christy gets a big check, she goes to the casino. It's a great, impactful moment when she calls Bonnie, needing her help. All of Christy's AA people show up, and each entrance is really funny, as is Bonnie's doubt that the money is in the trunk.

Bonnie also gets some great moments in the episode outside of Christy's story, as she has committed to driving their blind neighbor, Mr. Munson. This is entertaining because the two of them have always had a great dynamic in this show. That continues to be true in this episode. The best part of this is when he doesn't respond to the things she says because he's pouting because Bonnie won't let him drive her car again.

This was a stronger episode than last week's season premiere. When Mom deals with more serious issues, like this episode did, it tends to do a great job. This episode had a meaningful story for Christy, and entertained along the way. Also, Allison Janney was wonderful all throughout the half-hour, though that isn't anything new.

Score: 9.5/10

What did you think of "Go-Go Boots and a Butt Cushion"? Leave your thoughts in the comments!