CBS' Mom - Episode 6.09 "Pork Loin and a Beat-Up Monte Carlo"
Christy competes with her classmates for a prestigious internship. Bonnie babysits Tammy following her oral surgery.
In 2018, it has become very difficult to keep up with every television show out there. It's even more difficult to provide adequate coverage on this site about the episodes that air every week. Not every show can get full coverage because of my busy and hectic viewing schedule. As such, some reviews will now be condensed to give only some summary thoughts. But it also affords a space for me to jot down my thoughts on the various episodes. And so, here are my thoughts on this week's episode of CBS' Mom.
"Pork Loin and a Beat-up Monte Carlo" was directed by James Widdoes with story by Warren Bell & Alissa Neubauer and teleplay by Nick Bakay, Marco Pennette & Britté Anchor
Confident Christy is such a remarkable change of pace for the character. However, it's a very welcome development as well because it shows how the character has evolved over time - especially now that she's in law school. She is even surprised by how confident she is when she learns that there is an internship opportunity that she would be perfect for. And yes, there are still plenty of insecure moments throughout this specific story for her. She is practicing with Jill and Adam while being unsure if how she is presenting as a prosecutor is the most effective strategy. She isn't keeping their attentions. They are instead distracted by something incredibly trivial - the career and personal life of Angie Harmon. But the confidence does spring back into action for Christy. That's what defines her throughout the story this week. She knows that she is the best student in this particular class. She can do well with this mock trial because it's a situation she has experienced before with her mother. She knows the best way to present her case. She just needs a push in the right direction to know for certain that that's what she needs to do. It still builds to a very broad punchline of her declaring her scandalous past to the rest of the class. That proves that she still sees herself as a woman who took too long to get her life together because of all the mistakes that she made. She sees herself with a chip on her shoulder and always comparing her tragic backstory with others around her. And yet, that does give her the edge here. Sure, there is the fake out where it seems like she didn't get the internship. However, it's more rewarding because she gets a paid job instead. It may not be the greatest job. But it is further proof that she is moving up in the world and has the skills to actually make a difference. It's cases like this that made her interested in the law in the first place. And now, her knowledge is put to the test and leads to major rewards for her. This is a major victory that is worth celebrating. Elsewhere, it's appreciated that the show remembers its own history when it comes to the subplot with Bonnie and Tammy. The show recalls that it told a story previously about the dangers of prescription drugs for recovering addicts. Tammy is afraid of a relapse because she goes into the dentist for the first time in years. She has a root canal and needs more than just a simple tylenol to make the pain go away. She just has to be very mindful of only taking them as needed. Bonnie is in charge of her care. It's a significant role reversal. That previous story about this subject saw her with the injury. She had a full-on relapse because of it as well. That's what makes it powerful when she is able to make that statement. It informs her actions in a meaningful way. It relies on the audience's memory of what has previously happened to these characters. That's very much appreciated. It makes it so this isn't completely repetitive. It's still building to that silly punchline of Bonnie just now realizing that helping other people stay sober actually helps her stay sober too. But it's also so powerful to realize that she never once thought about using these pills herself even though she's carrying them around everywhere for her friend. That's huge progress as well.
