Bonnie (Allison Janney) and Christy Plunkett (Anna Faris) are both recovering alcoholics who also happen to be mother and daughter. In the hit CBS show, Mom, the unorthodox duo navigate relationships, finances, and friendships all while attending Alcoholics Anonymous. What could’ve easily turned into a show that was too heavy or dark is actually a hilarious comedy that at its core, celebrates relatable relationships between complex and wonderfully flawed women. What’s even better is that the show is available to stream all the way through season six on Hulu.
Going Seven Seasons Strong
Christy and Bonnie’s relationship was strained due to both women struggling with substance and alcohol abuse, but they gradually repair their relationship over the course of the series – (even though they do typically remind each other of past incidents in comedic cases of guilt tripping). Both mom and daughter are aware of their addictive personalities, but the show portrays it in funny ways. For example, Bonnie tells a new therapist who recommends medication for her ADD that if she’s prescribed one pill a day she’ll take 120 and she simply has to stay away from drugs, prescription or otherwise.
What’s great about the show is the fact that while it’s a comedy, it never forgets the impact of what Christy and Bonnie’s past behavior has done to others. In a poignant scene where Christy reunites with her estranged daughter Violet, who was running a popular podcast regaling stories of Christy’s past drunken mishaps. After reuniting, Violet flat out tells her that her life has been better without Christy. The show balances humor with realism, but never gets too heavy or preachy.
Female Friendships
The series eventually shifts its focus to the friendships Christy and Bonnie have with the other women in their Alcoholics Anonymous group. Each woman in the group has their own story to tell, and that’s what makes their interactions with Bonnie and Christy so interesting. Another amusing example is when Jill (Jaime Pressley) makes sure Christy doesn’t forget to repay a debt she owes her. When Christy throws a fit about the way Jill uses the money that Christy repays her back with, Jill says she was trying to help her take accountability for another addiction of hers: gambling.
While the earlier seasons of the show focused more on Christy’s family, the shift to the friend group in AA definitely has improved the show for the better. Each episode finds a way to explore the women’s addictive personalities that encourage accountability and are also just quite hilarious. The best way to explore feminism in television is by presenting women who are flawed and complex. In other words, Mom gets it right by showing that women can be just as imperfect and interesting as men can be, and each character on the show is incredibly relatable. Mom is definitely a great show to watch, and definitely a must for Mother’s Day. The show is currently in its seventh season, and is still going strong.
