Mom – Xanax and a Baby Duck

By: Julie Mante

On this week’s episode of Mom, Christy (Anna Faris) is frantic with worry about her son Roscoe (Blake Garrett Rosenthal). As the episode begins, Christy is asking Marjorie (Mimi Kennedy) for advice as she waits for Roscoe to come out of his therapy session. When he opens the car door, Christy tries to get him to open up and fails miserably.

At home, she continues to worry about her son’s experimentation with drugs and alcohol. She does not feel that her mother Bonnie (Allison Janney) is taking the situation seriously. Bonnie feels that Roscoe will work on whatever problems he has in therapy and tries to get her daughter to worry less. Christy notices that Roscoe is taking too long in the bathroom and wants to check on him. Bonnie advises her daughter to give him space, but Christy succumbs to the pressure. It turns out to be nothing. When it is time for Christy and Bonnie to go to their AA meeting, Christy informs Roscoe that he has to come and he is not happy about it. At the AA meeting, Bonnie and Marjorie encourage Christy to share her worries about her son with the group. As she is sharing, she notices that Roscoe left the room and hurries to find him. He comes back moments later, but no one wants to tell Christy because they are annoyed by her constant worrying.

Later, Christy checks in with Roscoe’s father, Baxter (Matt Jones), to make sure he is doing all he can to make sure that their son is not drinking or doing drugs. He feels that she is overreacting. Frustrated, she ends the call when she sees her mother’s boyfriend, Adam (William Fichtner), drinking beer while watching the game with Roscoe. Seeing that his mother will be mad at the situation, Roscoe leaves immediately. Christy starts yelling at Adam and says it is irresponsible for him to be drinking in front of Roscoe. He is surprised by her reaction. Bonnie comes into the living room and sees them arguing and tells her daughter that she is being ridiculous. She says, “You’re trying to raise your kid like he’s the boy in the plastic bubble.”

At her wits end, Christy feels like she is the only one concerned about Roscoe and bans alcohol and drugs from the house. Bonnie says she has crossed the line. Christy replies, “Don’t you tell me I’m over the line. A couple years ago, the only lines you knew went up your nose.” She then storms out.

When Christy meets with her friends at the diner, without Bonnie, she tries to get some support, but is surprised that they are siding with Bonnie and not her. Wendy (Beth Hall) tells her a story about a baby duck she loved as a kid that she accidentally smothered because she was afraid to leave him by himself. Marjorie uses the story to point out that while Christy feels she is protecting her son, she is overdoing it. She suggests that Christy should start attending Al-Anon meetings. Al-Anon meetings are a safe place to talk for friends or relatives of alcoholics. Christy scoffs at the suggestion. Later, Bonnie and Christy are still upset with each other as they wait in the waiting area at Roscoe’s therapist office. Christy asks her mother why she does not feel guiltier about the things she did when she was high and drunk like she does. Bonnie’s answer, or lack of one, is not satisfying to Christy. When Roscoe finishes his session, Dr. LaSalle (Tim Bagley) invites Christy and Bonnie inside to chat. He reveals to the women that he believes that Roscoe does not have a drug problem. While Bonnie is relieved, Christy is still worried. Christy wants assurances from him that her son won’t go down the path she went through, but he cannot give it to her. He does say that Roscoe is working hard to rebuild his mom’s trust.

When they are dropping Roscoe off at his father’s house, Christy goes inside to talk to him one more time. Inside the car, Bonnie talks with Roscoe again and tries to explain to him why his mom is freaking out. She encourages him to use the anger and frustration he is feeling and work hard in school and be successful. After Christy returns and Roscoe goes inside Baxter’s house, Christy continues to defend her behavior. Bonnie reveals to Christy that she has been going to Al-Anon meetings and encourages Christy to go.