This blog was originally published on elkharttruth.com on May 7, 2015, in honor of Mother’s Day. Season 4 of “Mom” premieres at 9 p.m. tonight.
Why do so many TV shows portray messy yet perfect families?
Even “Modern Family,” arguably one of the more realistic family sitcoms in the last 10 years, has happy endings every week.
The old saying is don’t go to bed angry, but is that reality? Not for all.
But “Mom” is different. It shows ups and downs and everything in between. And even though it’s a comedy, some episodes end with sad or frustrated characters.
The CBS show focuses on a three-generation family struggling to survive after the mother, Christy (Anna Faris) and grandmother Bonnie (Allison Janney), finally get sober. Its season two finale aired April 30, and the show was renewed for season three in March.
The former alcoholics are by no means perfect; in fact, they are far from it. They aren’t role models, but they’re trying.
On “Mom,” Christy’s daughter Violet (Sadie Calvano) is hostile toward her family because the two mothers are former alcoholics. Violet had a baby, which she gave up for adoption to give the child a better life, in season 1, and while Christy and Bonnie supported her, she struggled to move on in life. Then, Violet got engaged to an older professor in season 2, much to Christy and Bonnie’s dismay. They want better for Violet, but they haven’t provided enough reason to prove what’s better.
Christy’s son Roscoe (Blake Garrett Rosenthal) decides to live with his dad, who has turned his life around, at the end of season 2, which breaks Christy’s heart after she tried to turn her own life around by going back to school and getting a promotion at work.
Bonnie falls off the sobriety wagon after taking painkillers for a back injury, causing a riff between her and Christy, who celebrated two years of sobriety at the end of season 2.
They’re a broken and exhausted family. But the show provides laughter and heart as the family continues on in life.
They may yell or fight, but with love and support from friends (featuring Octavia Spencer and Jaime Pressly), they remember they are family, and continue to work through life’s challenges together.
So on Mother’s Day, even though it’s not easy, it’s important to remember that no one, not even your mother, is perfect.
