When Christy gets sick, Bonnie is consumed with an overwhelming urge to mother her.
In 2018, there were 495 scripted shows airing amongst the linear channels and streaming services. The way people are consuming content now is so different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, there is less necessity to provide ample coverage of each specific episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site is making the move to shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of CBS' Mom.
"Soup Town and a Little Blonde Mongoose" was directed by Rebecca Ancheta Blum with story by Gemma Baker, Adam Chase & Sheldon Bull and teleplay by Anne Flett-Giordano, Michael Shipley & Britté Anchor
This immediately presents as an insanely broad episode of the show. It's very simple in its main premise. Christy is sick and Bonnie suddenly feels the urge to step up and care for her. This is a dynamic she has never really experienced before as a mother. It's an entirely new opportunity for her. She is here now to give Christy all that she needs to make a full recovery. It's just fascinating and a little frustrating how the show presents Christy as a child throughout every aspect of this story. It's basically all told from Bonnie's perspective. Christy doesn't really come across as the multi-dimensional, very human character she has been throughout six seasons. That's a little bit of a bummer. It's all in service of that one central joke. Even the rest of the ladies in the program understand that the dynamic of their lives has changed without Bonnie and Christy in them for a few days. They too understand it in some pretty broad terms. They see Bonnie as the snake that needs to attack and reign everyone in to keep the conversation engaging at any point in time. Sure, Bonnie and Christy may be the dramatic ones of the group. But that's also what keeps life exciting and fulfilling. And now, they are removed from that environment. There is never any serious fear that this could all take a dark turn at any point in time. No one is questioning their sobriety. It's just difficult for Bonnie to balance all of the demands of being a mother. At first, she loves the celebration and appreciation of her finally being seen as a good parent. She takes that compliment even when it comes to the detriment of Christy's health. She is just not used to hearing it. As such, she wants to hear it as often as possible now. That's what fuels her to keep going. And yet, she doesn't have that near constant appreciation in her ear. Instead, she is dealing with a sick child who has to be the priority throughout all of this. Christy is miserable and just trying her best to recover. Bonnie grows increasingly frustrated with her because all of her hard work seems to be going to waste. Sure, it's outrageous that Bonnie sees herself as a great mother because she pours everything into a soup. Christy doesn't want it and it actually destroyed her kitchen. Bonnie doesn't quite know how to balance everything in her life. That has long been a consistent characteristic for her. She is annoyed that she misses out on an Eagles concert with Adam. It turned out to be one of the best nights of his life because he got to go backstage and meet the band. He doesn't want to rub it in but it's hard not to. It's the same exact thing Bonnie would do if the situation were reversed. She feels like this day has been one of the best of her life as well because she sees how fulfilling it can be to be a parent. It just doesn't take long before the agony and brutal reality sets in and she truly struggles. It presents as if the easy solution to all of this is Bonnie needing to go out and take care of herself. She has a support system that can look after both her and Christy. People are lucky to have that. Not everyone does. As such, it really is a little too neat a conclusion here. As such, this mostly presents as a filler episode in which the actors got to have fun with the broad hijinks they get to do here. Of course, some of those broad laughs are pretty effective. This cast can really make a lot work after all.
