Hot in Cleveland: Political Elka and Oscar-Nom'd Victoria

Not to be ageist, but is someone in their nineties really the best candidate for city council? The publicity stunt was a bit over-the-top and would probably have caused me to vote against the woman. Though, I have to say from the season I spent in politics that the slightest gimmick really makes a difference and both wins over and alienates people. It's been an interesting ongoing arc for the characters, but I would be surprised if the choice was made to stick with it and have Elka win, as that could weight the show heavily with political material. Of course, this series could also completely ignore it, as we really only see Melanie's professional life when she's getting hired or ending a job, and Joy's undercover work pops up so randomly that it's laughable. Still...

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Hot in Cleveland "Undercover Lovers" (S05E11): Joy and Bob work undercover as lovers to chase some identity thieves. Joy plays Natasha, a Russian mail-order bride, who is honeymooning in Cleveland. [just shake your head now!] They rent the room next to the thieves, and Bob downloads some information onto a drive to convict them. However, Joy falls for Bob, but it turns out that he was attracted to the allure of Joy, not Joy herself, so he takes off to move back to Canada. [what a random way to write-off a character!]

Melanie needs to do a publicity stunt for her new job, so she's going to do a 24-hour show. She also needs to sound more folksy, so she tries a little Southern accent, which only lasts until Joy calls.

A councilman is trying to close the dog parks in Cleveland, so Victoria decides to run for office and save the dogparks in an attempt to increase her chances at an Oscar nomination. [does anyone else find all of this ill-timed? I mean, the Emmy nominations are around the corner, not the Academy Award noms!] However, when the councilman turns out to be a black man in a wheelchair, Victoria drops out and Elka steps up. [strange twist.]

Hot in Cleveland "I Just Met the Man I'm Going to Marry" (S05E12): Joy meets Mitch, her new boss, and instantly feels like she'll marry him. [wow!] He doesn't care for her accent, as it reminds him of his ex-wife, so Joy's dream is off to a slow start. It's even worse when he is immediately taken with Melanie, so when she hears a message Joy left for herself about her own feelings for Mitch, Joy must pretend she's interested in Elka's campaign manager instead. [I'm surprised that Melanie bought that!]

Victoria is invited to help announce the The Academy Award Nominations, so everyone flies to Los Angeles to support her through the experience if she isn't nominated. [sure, why not?] On the plane, she sits next to an accountant who handles the ballots, so she tries to get into his briefcase, only to get caught, severely damage her hair, and get the group booted from the plane. [like, there was an emergency landing and everything?] During the announcement, Victoria wears a wig and is drugged up, but gets nominated. Unfortunately, she learns that she has a contractual obligation to wear a Mrs. LadyPants gown to the Oscars. [if it's not one thing, it's another! also, I love how that brand just keeps working its way into this show!]

Jim, the councilman against dog parks, airs an ad that depicts Elka as a lesbian convict with mob ties. [ha!] Nate, her campaign manager, wonders if Victoria can get Elka a celebrity endorsement. Instead, they rig it so Victoria's dress lights up with a vote Elka message when the power goes out.

Hot in Cleveland "People Feeding People" (S05E13): Melanie dumps Mitch after the third date, so Joy comes clean about being attracted to him. [where did the broken toe thing come from??] He's crushed, so Joy tries to pounce on his vulnerability, but she can't get him to be interested in her romantically. [this is like high school.]

Victoria is trying to become the face of a major charity to help her Oscar bid, so she calls UNICEF,  but they went with someone else. [haha, "unicorn" !! and odd top on Joy with the open shoulders.] Melanie goes out with a guy to get Elka an endorsement and Victoria a spot as a spokesperson, but must suffer through the man's stories of how he survived a plane crash by becoming a cannibal. [wow... I was not expecting this series to go there.] The other girls use that as blackmail to get what they want.  

Hot in Cleveland "Murder House" (S05E14): Melanie's HS BFF, Rachel, is visiting, and there's a major storm brewing. The house is allegedly haunted, so Elka is paranoid that something horrible will happen. [eh. I'm skeptical of houses that become haunted out of nowhere. That could/should have been introduced long ago.] Joy's mother arrives unexpectedly with her fiance, as their plane had to make an emergency landing. [how common is that, really? The show began on that premise, it seemed to have just happened as with the Oscar nominations, and now again??] Decades ago, Joy slept with the man, which poses even more awkward moments with her mother than usual.

Victoria returns from a relaxing beach vacation with beads in her hair and a steel drum player by her side. [what? she left on a whim and nobody tagged along? also, this episode is airing out of order.] It only takes a gossip rag to kick her back to her normal ways of thinking, and as she's about to drive the musician to the airport, they learn that all of the roads are closed because of the storm. The power goes out, so the Island guy performs a seance to calm down everyone. Melanie's friend talks of staying in Cleveland, and Daniel remembers Joy, but before you know it, we're back to the status quo. [which is sometimes tough to do with this program!]