Hot in Cleveland: There's Something About Him...

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Ever meet someone and there is just one thing about them that completely niggles at you? Sometimes it's something that you can get over pretty quickly. Other times, it winds up being a deal-breaker. In this episode of Hot in Cleveland, three of the four ladies hit a deal-breaker, and the fourth is pretty darn close. Some of the reasoning they use is fairly crazy, but in other instances it makes good sense. The episode is average when it comes to plot, but some of the jokes I'll remember for years, so I call it a win overall. Would you have kept dating any of the men in question this episode?

Hot in Cleveland "One Thing or a Mother" (S02E05): Elka is dating Roy. Victoria is dating a hand model, played by Sean Hayes. Joy is dating a guy named Lou, and can't figure out his age. (She hasn't decided how old she's going to make herself, so she can't ask him.) Melanie is dating Andy, a soccer coach. (It's her 12th date, and she thinks it's "time.")

The hand model won't eat with his hands, since he cuticles may get discolored, so he asks Victoria to feed him. [...that would have been my deal-breaker, LoL.] Joy tries to figure out Lou's age by asking about his music preferences, but he prefers classical so that doesn't work. [I thought that this was pretty funny.] Elka goes to Roy's place with a picnic basket, and unexpectedly meets his mother, who does approve of her or her relationship with Roy. She dislikes Elka so much, in fact, that she fakes chest pains! Meanwhile, Melanie and Andy have (good) sex, and when he's hungry afterward, he heads downstairs for food, sans bottoms. [I'm fairly prudish when it comes to wearing clothing around the house, but at someone else's I can't imagine not putting anything on!] Well, the other ladies see him and confront Melanie about it the next morning, joking about Andy looking like Pooh Bear since he had a red shirt on. [haha on Elka's "you could ask Piglet."]

The girls plan to have a cocktail party so that Roy's mother could get to know and like Elka. Plus, Roy (the former guidance counselor) could tell Andy to wear pants, AND the ladies could help guess how old Lou is. [I liked "Hundred Acre Wood" even better. the jokes are so bad they're good.] At the party, there is a deluge of hand comments toward the model. [loved Victoria's dress! you can see it to the right.] When Roy's mother arrives, her first comment is about how Elka could stand to lose some weight. [jaw drop! how rude!] Elka responds politely, talking about how great it is to be around Victoria, Joy, and Melanie. This gets left aside when everyone learns that Lou and Roy went to high school together... Lou is only about three years younger than Roy! [I was a bit shocked. and haha on the air clap!] Later, the focus returns to Elka, who made her famous pierogi for the party. Roy's mom said that they were hardly okay, and brought her own, which she pulls out. She then demands Roy choose a pierogi, and he chooses Elka's. [the drama of high schoolers being parallel to the drama of the elderly is funny to me.] Roy's mom goes to pull a heart attack again, and she and Roy end up leaving, but not before Roy confronts Andy in front of everyone. [whoa. that was rough! I couldn't believe that he made such public comments!]

As a result, Andy tells Melanie that they're done dating, and can't believe that she called him Pooh Bear. [running around naked is awkward, buddy!] Victoria tells the hand model that she has no future with a man who won't clap for her, so they're done, too. [strange, but probably a deal-breaker only for people like Victoria.] Roy tells Elka that it's too stressful to date her while his mother is faking heart attacks. [I agree with Elka - at that point in life, you shouldn't have to deal with potential mothers-in-law!] Joy is about to call it quits with Lou, because of his age, but then decides to call him anyway. They have sex, and she tells him that his age isn't an issue for her. However, the sound of his teeth plunking into a glass weirds her out. [well.... yeah!] 

Fun Fact: if you receive a text that reads, "GTGTPIRIO," it means "Got to go The Price is Right is on."