Melissa & Joey: Mel's Mom Won't Leave!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

How many episodes of television have you seen where the main storyline is about someone's parent coming to visit and being overly critical of everything? If you include in-laws, I think the number is pretty high! So, I wasn't all that thrilled with the bulk of this episode, though the B-plot with a lying Lennox was pretty good... though I totally don't believe that she was unable to lie just last episode and can now keep a lie going for multiple days! I particularly loved how Mel worked that right on in to her plan to ditch Monica, though!

Melissa & Joey "Mother of All Problems" (S02E12): Mel's uber-critical mother, Monica, has come to visit. [as much as she nitpicked at every little thing, I think what made me angriest was that she constantly forgot Ryder's name!] Ryder, Lennox, and Mel try to avoid Monica as much as possible, though Joe tries to get to the bottom of the visit... it seems that her husband left her for a younger woman just days before their anniversary. Mel isn't surprised until Monica announces that she's going to file for divorce... because of Joe's advice to move on with her life. [what was with those plants in little window-box-type-things on the sides of the house? Is this the first time we're seeing them?] Monica begins to re-decorate the living room, planning to stay for the long term. Joe keeps trying to calm Mel... right up until he finds out that Monica ruined one of his pans. ["what the hell did she stir it with? a backhoe?" was funny!] Mel tries to send her mom on vacation, but the woman doesn't want to travel alone

facebook.com/MelissaandJoey

Okay, let's switch gears for a second... in order to get out of soccer for the next two months of gym classes, Lennox goes to make an excuse about her period, but the coach misunderstands and thinks that she's pregnant. [it was a teeny bit too contrived, but it was almost genuinely funny.] Lennox goes along with it, but she knows it won't work in the long run. When she tries to come clean, the coach cuts her off by explaining her own teenage pregnancy. [yikes! didn't see this going there!] The news is soon leaked to the class, so Lennox comes home and tells Mel and Joe... who decide to use this opportunity to remind Monica how crazy it is to live with teenagers. [I LOVED the look that Mel gave Joe to make him come over and get involved!] Monica takes it the other way, and feels that she'll be needed when Lennox has an infant. [whoa.] Because that scheme didn't work, Lennox has to explain the truth to Monica. BUT, things are looking up when Joe thinks that maybe the younger woman is only after the Burke fortune, so Mel calls the woman to inform her of Mr. Burke's vasectomy, ending that relationship. Monica and her man make up, and they plan a quick getaway. [all's well that ends well? and what was with Joe's sweater?] The only thing left is for Lennox to be honest with her gym teacher, so she explains that it was all a false alarm... but the coach has her talk to a group of at-risk youth anyway. [well, do you think that Lennox's new service project will become an ongoing thing of sorts? I don't think it would really fit in with the comedic tone of this show, but I could see Lennox making friends with some troubled teens...]