Hot in Cleveland: Seeing Yourself

I don't think I had heard the term "doppelganger" until How I Met Your Mother made a big point of the gang all finding theirs, but it's become a regular word in my vocabulary now, and I enjoy seeing it played out both in reality and in the media. While it was humorous to see Elka write and stage a play with amusing look-alikes of the girls, I think this episode rather solidified why Hot in Cleveland is on TVLand. Concepts like this are dated on sitcoms, with similar antics being popular in the late 90s, which is now quite a while ago. The number appear steady, but I have to wonder if this means the series's days are now limited. Thoughts?

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Hot in Cleveland "Playmates" (S05E15): The girls learn Elka has written a play, Devil's Due, but when they head to see it, they're shocked to learn they're the focus... and written in caricature! [are there cities doing promotions like that on coffee sleeves?] They speak with Elka at intermission, and when she's not willing to change anything, they decide to approach the actors to amend their performances. Melanie's doppelganger doesn't like the character, Victoria's takes the job too seriously, and Joy falls for hers. [I thought this was all hilarious!] So, the girls themselves decide to change themselves - Victoria to be less conceited, Melanie to have more of a backbone, and Joy to be less of a nightmare in relationships.

But, that doesn't turn out to be the best idea! When Melanie confronts an employee about getting her coffee order wrong, he gets fired, his boss has a heart attack, and a chain of terrible things happen in the establishment, causing her to realize she likes being herself better. [this was a bit over-the-top, though!] Similarly, she goes back to being the way she is. Similarly, Victoria decides to choose her next project based solely on the story... until she learns her favorite is a student film! [ha!]

The girls decide to go see the second act of the show, and learn that Elka is glad they're in her life. [kinda sappy ending, no?]