Was it Canceled?

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

When I was a kid, I didn't understand much of why a show was canceled or renewed. I generally thought that the writers had no more stories for a specific set of characters, and that's why so many series finales were big, all-out episodes. The randomness of Michelle's amnesia on Full House comes to mind. Later, I thought that they ended shows when the characters got past the age that the show was designed to portray - like when the Saved by the Bell gang graduated from high school. That made perfect sense to me, especially because Saved by the Bell: The College Years was a completely separate show, as was Good Morning, Miss Bliss, when Zack, Screech, and Lisa were in middle school. When I got to high school, however, I started to learn (the hard way, of course), that it wasn't so much to do with the writers or the characters - it was the ratings. Somewhere around 1998 I began to "try out" new shows, as opposed to catching ones that were already established and joining the crowd. I loved a show I've written about before, which was so forgettable that nobody has ever been able to tell me what it was called... I suspect it lasted about five episodes, and was about teenagers going to high school while pursuing Olympic dreams. In 1999 I thought that Get Real was an awesome show, and I became a fan of Anne Hathaway even before The Princess Diaries. It lasted a single season. Just like last year's Better with You. A lot of shows don't last that long, though... 10-13 episodes are all they get, like Miami Medical, Sons of Tucson, and The Goode Family.

But, the time has come and the hammer is down... the majority of the 2011-2012 shows on the broadcast networks have now been renewed. We knew that the time was coming, what with the network up-fronts this coming week, but the vast majority of renewals and cancellations have already been announced, so here ya go. Hope you're not too upset! After the announcements I'll post a few thoughts.

First, the cancellations. Because, otherwise, you'll just scroll down to read those first anyway. I know you. :)

NBC really has the boatload of cancellations. Chuck is the only show that "just ended" while they have also pulled The Playboy Club, Free Agents, Awake, Bent, Best Friends Forever, The Firm, Harry's Law, Prime Suspect, and Are You There, Chelsea?. If you haven't heard of some of them, you're not alone. Many are blaming poor marketing and bad timeslot placement for several of these shows failing, particularly Bent.

From ABC, many of these were already known, but they've canceled Charlie's Angels, Man Up, Pan Am, Work It, Missing, GCB, and The River. Desperate Housewives has ended as well.

FOX has canceled Allen Gregory, Terra Nova, Breaking In, Alcatraz, I Hate My Teenage Daughter, and The Finder. They've also pulled the plug on House. They have not yet announced the futures for Napoleon Dynamite or Bob's Burgers.

CBS is holding onto the announcements for seven of their shows (including both CSI spin-offs and Two and a Half Men), so stay tuned for more on those, but they've actually canceled A Gifted Man and How to be a Gentleman.

If you care about the CW, they've canceled The Secret Circle and Ringer, and One Tree Hill is also finally ending. An announcement is pending for The LA Complex.


Now, onto the renewals!
On NBC, you'll see more of 30 Rock, Whitney, Up All Night, Smash, The Office, Grimm, Community, Parenthood, Parks & Recreation, and Law and Order: SVU.

ABC will bring you more Modern Family, The Middle, Suburgatory, Once Upon a Time, Last Man Standing, Grey's Anatomy, Castle, Body of Proof, Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, Happy Endings, Private Practice, Revenge, and Scandal. Cougar Town has not been canceled, but you'll have to have TBS to watch new episodes next season.

FOX has decided to renew Bones, Glee, Fringe, New Girl, Raising Hope, Touch, American Dad, The Cleveland Show, Family Guy, and The Simpsons.

Over on CBS, look forward to more NCIS, NCIS: LA, CSI, How I Met Your Mother, 2 Broke Girls, Mike & Molly, The Big Bang Theory, Criminal Minds, Person of Interest, Hawaii Five-0, Blue Bloods, The Good Wife, and The Mentalist.

And, if you're a CW person, have fun with additonal 90210, Gossip Girl, Hart of Dixie, Nikita, Supernatural, and The Vampire Diaries.


Now, some thoughts...
None of the announced cancellations truly upset me this year. Perhaps if ABC would have officially canceled Pan Am a few months ago I would have cared more, but I've made my peace with it by this point. I'm a tad bummed that Terra Nova won't see the light of day again, but I didn't think it would get renewed so I wasn't crossing my fingers there. Alcatraz's cancellation does bum me out a bit, and I was hoping for an eleventh-hour renewal, but I can handle it going away, too. I'm downright thrilled that GCB is off the air and I'll wave goodbye as House finishes up in a few weeks. I do think that Bent deserved more of a chance, but it's too late now, anyway. I hope you're able to make your peace with the future of your favorite show (and hang in there, folks banking on one of the remaining few to be saved!), but we're going to have a lot to look forward to with the rest of the new pick-ups coming this week!

GCB: Ending Season One in Mexico

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

How many times must we be reminded that Amanda is an alcoholic? I'm sick of it. I'm ready to bet that GCB will get cancelled come next Tuesday (ABC's upfront), and, even if it is renewed, the previews for season two would have to be mighty impressive to get me to tune in once more. This season finale was one of the more annoying episodes of any television show I've watched this season. The women being hauled off to the desert, only to signal help by using hairspray and a gun? And their cell phones just happened to be brought back to the original shop? And Sharon and Cricket are both going after the same get-rich-quick scheme on eye cream that would never be approved in the United States? The Ripp-has-a-secret-daughter storyline was just icing on the cake of ridiculousness. No thanks, ABC. Take back your Good Christian B!tches/Belles and forget we ever had this foray into Texan shenanigans.

GCB "Revelation" (S01E10): Carlene, Sharon, and Heather are going to Juarez so that Carlene can file the deed to her new property and the other two can purchase illegal skin cream. Cricket fights going until Blake questions her about the men in her life. Zack is also going, and Carlene had begged the pastor to join them to bless the sand. He brought along Gigi, as Amanda had other plans - namely, flying to Austin to see Luke. Well, Luke's lies are uncovered when she arrives at his house and he's away, so she rushes back to join the crowd to head for Juarez, as Luke's neighbor shared that he was there. [she flew to Austin and back before the other group left? and what kind of neighbor shares travel information with a stranger??] So, when they land in Mexico, most of the group goes shopping while Amanda and Gigi take a cab to the address provided by Luke's neighbor. There, they see Ripp with a younger woman. Amanda wants to squeal to Carlene immediately, but Gigi asks her to wait a bit, and then they meet up with everyone at the site.

After they ground breaks ground in unincorporated Juarez, they're supposed to go to City Hall... instead, they are brought to the middle of the desert, have their hands bound, and walk with bags over their heads to a shack of sorts. [why did the pastor take a different vehicle away from the groundbreaking?] Cricket offers up a German SUV and an ostrich for their freedom, but it turns out that Carlene's land is sacred Aztec grounds and a descendent of that tribe wants Carlene to give up her condo dream. [Cricket stepping up when she finds out that their captor is homosexual was odd... and it should have struck some of the other girls as peculiar, too.] Carlene refuses, but after a while, the Aztec woman just takes the deed paperwork from Carlene's purse and leaves the girls there.

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Carlene takes on the leadership role of leading the group through the desert at night, but by morning they're dehydrated. The only nourishment they have is a bottle of tequila that Sharon bought. [why does she have that on her person? Why wouldn't she have left it in the limo?] Even Amanda eventually takes a few swigs, and when things start falling apart, Amanda tells Carlene about having seen Ripp. Gigi's confirmation shocks Carlene, and the girls must carry her as they continue on. [this scene was so over-the-top I almost gagged.]

Meanwhile, Zack and the pastor have no idea where the women are, have been trying their phones for hours, and tried talking to the local authorities. Zack is a little preoccupied, as he has decided to sell Sharon's business (for $20M) without her consent, and he's been dealing with some quality control issues at a basketeria. In retracing the girls' steps, they find the cell phones at the skin cream shop [just how they got there and why, I'm not sure.] The girls have made it back to the groundbreaking site, and Gigi pulls a gun out of her bouffant and throws up a can of hairspray to light the billboard on fire. [resourceful?] After they're rescued, everyone heads to where Amanda and Gigi saw Ripp, and he admits that he recently learned that he has a daughter. Similarly, Luke admits to doing the legwork for Ripp so that Carlene wouldn't find out the truth until there was something to tell. [I thought that this was dumb.] Afterward, despite Luke professing his love for Amanda, she tells the pastor that he's great at rescuing people and kisses him. [because this show just had to have a love triangle?]

GCB: BBQ Time!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I have to hand it to GCB this week. I didn't care about large portions of the episode, but they finally got their corny titles and phrases to fit the show and they managed to have a wholesome lesson that multiple townspeople took part in. I mean, c'mon, "Braise the Lord" is pretty funny. And, the episode actually managed to work in the fact that Amanda has children. Sure, we had to push aside the Luke-Amanda and Gigi-Burl storylines to do it, but I thought it was a nice change of pace. Of course, we can't drop Carlene's condos or Sharon's meal baskets, but the bigger picture revealed that this was a decent episode. The previews for the season finale sure don't look all that great, and I'd be lying if I said I'm behind the show getting renewed. It has until the 15th to "wow" folks...

GCB "Adam & Eve's Rib" (S01E09): There's a big barbecue competition coming up between various churches, and for our Dallas friends, the men usually do the competing while the women cheer. Things change when Laura wants to help and is turned down because "it's a man's game." Amanda, not wanting her daughter to think that there are certain things that women cannot do, starts her own team with her daughter. [Laura wanting to serve tofu was hilarious!] Gigi joins in, and Amanda invites Heather, who is afraid that men won't look at her if she does so. [how hard is it to find a man who believes a woman can BBQ??] Amanda struggles not to burn briskets in a smoker before remembering her late father's advice - you have to use good wood. So, Amanda and Gigi go to a thicket, which turns out to be on Cricket's land. [of course.] Luckily, Cricket is willing to let them take some wood from a pecan tree, as she also has a daughter who should learn that women can do anything. [though it's not like we see her.] Sharon, upset that her husband has donated a car to the winning team, joins in to be in charge of sauces, upon the condition that she keeps the car as her personal prize. [not a bad way to help things, though I'm sure others will question it!] After meeting a butcher who will give the team some good meat (Carlene bought out almost all of the Wangus beef in the area), Heather agrees to join the team. [that whole shenanigan about nobody faulting Heather for dating a lowly butcher was crap, though. you know they talked about it as soon as she wasn't around!]

Carlene later crawls through the doggie door at Gigi's to sabotage Amanda's brisket (you know, because it wasn't enough that she was hosting a spa day during the BBQ to tie-up any women interested in BBQing), but decides against it at the last minute. When Gigi's dogs go after her, she hides in the pantry, carelessly leaving the refrigerator door open. So, the dogs get the brisket. Carlene turns over a new leaf after hearing Amanda tell Gigi that she wants to set a good example for Laura, so Carlene offers up more meat, in exchange for being allowed on the team, too. [yeah, you want to set a good

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example, but your daughter has to wear an apron, rather than a fitted shirt that doesn't even show cleavage? don't play fair or anything. and how do you have a rabbi as a head judge? we know that the teams can use pork, so that judge can't even eat everything...] Spicy Racks ends up winning, the only females in the competition. There don't seem to be any hard feelings, despite the fact that a few of the women had husbands on losing teams.

A few different side stories are also going. In one, Cricket is hunting down a prize-winning stud to impregnate her horse. She pays handsomely, despite the advances of the owner. When they meet a second time, she is a little more accepting of his flirting, but still holds back. She considers making a move, but seeing a photo of her and Blake stops her. In the end, they kiss anyway. [I like Cricket's business plots but not her personal plots.]



Carlene has come up with a model and video for her Condos for Christian Living project, which she now wants to build on a reservation in Oklahoma. However, Ripp tells her that the Lord spoke to him and told him to keep it in Mexico. This may be a ruse of sorts, though, as we also find out that Ripp sent Andrew to go to Juarez, Mexico to track somebody. [ridiculous. season finale next week...]

GCB: Performing for the Church & for Cable TV

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I'm pretty close to declaring this the worst episode yet. Amanda wants to help the pastor show up an old competitor by organizing an original musical. Carlene and Cricket both want to play the main character. In trying to make everyone happy, everyone quits. The girls have a mud fight. All the while, Sharon is doing her own thing - trying to get her business of selling "Holy Meals" off the ground. The one plus? We're not dealing with a half-dozen secondary characters for once! The odds are starting to look bleak for GCB, but we may not know its fate until the 15th of next month so hang in there... but don't get attached... as if you could...

GCB "Pride Comes Before a Fall" (S01E08): While taking literature from the foyer of the church to which their congregates are flocking, Amanda and the pastor run into an old rival of his. [I'm amazed when two pastors know each other from long ago... it's not THAT SMALL of a world, and pastors are always called to serve in other communities and whatnot...] To help out her pastor, Amanda claims that they have an original musical in the works. Well, in order to make this true, she pulls out a play that Heather wrote in tenth grade. But, Amanda has to be the director, as they recently lost the choir director. [hahaha, this should be rich!] Cricket and Carlene both want to play the lead character, The Holy Spirit, and Cricket tries to solidify the role by offering to fund all sorts of spectacle. Carlene gets the part, so Cricket drops out completely. [you know, just like seventh grade.] Amanda asks Cricket to come back, bring the special elements she originally suggested, and she can be The Holy Spirit.

Carlene, not wanting the part of the lowly leper, cuts a deal with Heather - she'll give the real estate agent first crack at selling the condos in her Christian Living project if she can return to being the lead. [you know, assuming that the illegal project ever takes off and that Heather is licensed to sell in Mexico.] Heather re-writes the play so that the leper is the narrator, but Amanda doesn't like the idea. All deals are destroyed and everyone walks out. Amanda sends anonymous texts to Heather,

(ABC/KAREN NEAL)

Cricket, and Carlene, dresses in her old cheerleader uniform, and invites them to pour mud on her like she did to them in the old days. [really? gross.] It takes some more prodding, but soon there's a mud fight and they agree to put the show back together. [because, just like in seventh grade, it doesn't take too long to make up again.] But, at the show, the fly is still weighted for Cricket so Carlene goes soaring and crashes through some stained glass. [it was funny. trust me, I tried to find a picture of that!] 

Where's Sharon during all of this? Well, she's enlisted Gigi to help her sell her Holy Weight Loss Meal Plans on television. Gigi gives her tips like lowering her voice, not saying y'all, and changing the curl in her hair, but Sharon comes off as unnatural and boring, so she goes back to her old self. [$1299.99 per month?!?] When over 500 sell, Sharon suddenly realizes that she will need to whip up a TON of food! [cue next week... and another eye roll!]

GCB: Vow Renewal, then Sex

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Who has a vow renewal EVERY SINGLE YEAR? Carlene and Ripp, apparently. And it's not just a small, personal dedication, either. It's a full-blown event, with a new theme, bridal showers and girls' weekends, and a rotating wedding party annually. It was interesting to have just one major story (and Cricket's small side-story) for an entire episode, but it's not something you should get used to. The next episode turned around and had four plotlines going, one of which even included one of Amanda's children, as unlikely as that seems. Yes, that's right... seven episodes in and we've only barely seen Will, and Laura has had a total of about ten minutes of screentime. Heather has also taken a backseat to the Carlene-heavy episodes that use Cricket and Amanda (and Gigi, really) as filler when needed. The show is starting to be slightly more appealing to me - though I can't put my finger on why. At this point it's safe to say that I'll likely finish out the first season. A second season is still iffy for the drama, but we'll probably get word about it before I'm able to make a decision regarding how long I'll stick with it...

GCB "Turn the Other Cheek" (S01E06): Carlene and Ripp are having an annual vow renewal for their 17th anniversary, and the theme is Gone with the Wind. [I have ten snarky things to say in this moment...] Sharon is the matron of honor for the first time, so she's taking the opportunity very seriously. [Carlene has NEVER chosen Sharon? She doesn't seem to have many female relatives, and she's not a big fan of Heather (or Cricket, half of the time!), so who has been doing it all this time??] Luke asks Amanda to be his date to the vow renewal, but she's reluctant to go until Gigi convinces her. [why is this grown woman always taking advice from her mother? the Abraham Lincoln costume was funny, though.] Carlene, however, demands that Luke bring one of the girls from the bridal party, and when he threatens to just not attend, she strips Sharon of her title and presents Amanda with the task of being the matron of honor. [!! shock!!] Sharon, of course, is upset, but she dutifully passes off all of her duties to Amanda - including hosting a "they rod and thy staff, they comfort me" bridal shower and an overnight girls' weekend. The way that Sharon had talked to Amanda about the shower, she thought it was a "dirty rod and staff" party, so her gift was inappropriate. [I thought that it was one of the funnier moments.]

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Amanda also thought that the overnight trip was fancy, but it's actually a hunting excursion. [didn't see that coming, but it's not too far-fetched for the crowd, either.] After some heated remarks, Amanda drops her gun and walks away from Carlene, only to have the gun accidentally shoot Carlene in the behind. [even if it was an accident, wouldn't you get charged with mishandling a firearm or something?] Carlene needs crutches for a bit, then hobbles later.

To anger Carlene, Amanda shares that Luke lost the original marriage license 17 years ago, so the Cockburns aren't actually married. [I can't imagine how angry I'd be if this happened to me. Luckily, it's less likely in this day and age, when you need your validated marriage license to change your name and whatnot.] Carlene is terribly upset and cannot be comforted, so Amanda eventually has to apologize. Carlene demands that her wedding memories be destroyed, but Amanda won't let it happen. In the process of saving the 17-year-old cake tier, Amanda discovers the marriage license in the box, so she heads right down to the clerk's office to beg to have it filed retroactively. However, the clerk is an old high school classmate with bad memories of Amanda, so she has to clash him to get her way. [I'm just going to act like it was nothing...] Carlene and Sharon make up in the end, and Sharon resumes her role as matron of honor, especially when Amanda is late to the event. [whatever.]

While all of this is going on, there's a side story with Cricket and Blake. Blake wants to have another child and convinces Cricket to do it, but only after promising that he'll never leave her to fulfill his true sexual desires full-time. [yeah, that's a good enough reason...] Oh, and they plan to invest in a sperm bank.


GCB "Sex is Divine" (S01E07): Amanda is offered the job of church secretary, which she accepts. [first Sharon, now Amanda? Are the writers just trying to give the pastor more airtime than just giving sermons?] The latest sermon is only for adults, as the pastor asks the congregation to have sex daily for a week. [a strange premise, especially by not specifying that this is only for married folks or something. but kinda odd, unless we see the end result in the next episode?] Amanda and Luke plan to rent a hotel room in another name, as they can't get any privacy at her place or his. This gets Carlene started on an abstinence program for teens, called Purity Pioneers. [I take issue with "pioneers" by definition. but the dumber part is pulling "paper covers rock" ... really??!?] The "popular kids" join, so Laura want to as well, but Amanda tries to talk her out of it. Well, things escalate when Carlene hosts a "Heck House" to scare kids into not having sex, an idea with which Amanda completely disagrees. After Amanda's daughter and Carlene's son are caught kissing, however, they decide to talk to each other's children. [I would have been so weirded out if the parents of a boy I'd kissed had such a talk with me!] We also learn that Amanda has only ever been with Bill, but Carlene has had multiple partners before Ripp. [slightly surprised?] Amanda then admits to Luke that she hasn't had to much experience in bed, and Luke tells her that they can wait as long as she wants. Of course, when he says that, she's ready to jump into bed. [such a cliche scene!]

Cricket and Blake interview surrogates, turning them down for a variety of reasons (like supporting Obama). Blake pushes for Cricket to carry the child, but she doesn't want to give up sushi and alcohol. [agreed. sushi will be quite the struggle for me someday!] She finally agrees, but they struggle to be intimate, as it's been a while and they don't know what one another likes anymore. They try taking some pills but all that does is make them sweat and freak out. [so strange!] In a selfish ploy, Cricket tells the pastor that she wants to open a scholarship fund for unwed mothers with high SAT scores. [ha!]

Sharon and Zach lose weight by eating like they would have in the Bible, which gives Zach the idea for a news business. This is good news, as the dealership is going under. [sure, they'll sell some... but enough to make a living??] 

Heather tries to sell Burl some property, and he proposes to Gigi so she'll live with him. [not that surprised here...] Gigi doesn't answer right away, and after his heart condition flares up, he thinks that she's giving him a "pity yes." It works out in the end. 

GCB: "Fun"draising

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

The fifth episode. At this point, I generally dump a show if I'm not into it. But, here's the thing... it's not that I dislike this show... it's not that it annoys me... it's that it hasn't hooked me. I don't love the characters, I'm not thrilled with the storylines, and I have no interest in finding out "what happens next." While that is sometimes enough for me to cut my losses, I'm strangely clinging to this show, perhaps because I wanted it to be more interesting. Two episodes next week should do the trick, so let's hope that they reel me in... because Kristin Chenoweth just isn't enough, as sad as that is to say.

Now, about this particular episode... meh. It's nice to see Amanda and Gigi working on the same team, but did we really need to bring in ANOTHER character (Luke)? And why end Heather and Andrew's relationship so early? Plus, with the way Carlene and Cricket are always treating Heather, it's become very difficult to understand why she still associates with them at all... Too bad not everyone was able to have fun with the fundraiser.

GCB "Forbidden Fruit" (S01E05): Sharon is up to typing twelve words a minute, but her volunteering around the church is hindering not only the pastor's work, but also her family's life. [I understand that she's terrible at her "job," but why did Zach have to make it worse by throwing paper balls all over the floor?] In an effort to trap Sharon into spending more time at home, Zach pulls their son out of boarding school, claiming he was expelled yet again. [if your child has been expelled multiple times, the last thing you need to do is remove him from a school that will take him...] The kid immediately begins getting into trouble and Sharon catches on, telling Zach to control their boy. Zach doesn't bother until his son is caught with Cricket's daughter, then he lays down the law. Of course, the pastor also tells Sharon to stop volunteering and spend more time with her family, so she's also available to supervise his behavior from now on. [a last thought about this family? I really don't like the daughter. her jokes are terrible and her eating disorder reference was uncalled for and made little sense.]

Andrew is in the process of moving his company to the area, and Heather and Carlene fight over who will throw a welcome party. [although I understand that Heather wants to one-up Carlene at something, but I don't think throwing a party would have done it.] It soon dies out when Carlene decides to just invite them to the big (as in, they "need" $3M) church fundraiser. [three.million.dollar.fundraiser. not for a new hospital wing or to save lives, but for a single church, for a single project.] The current pastor has only been with the flock for six months, so he doesn't really know how things "normally" happen, and asks Heather to take charge. [I'm surprised Sharon didn't jump in and let him know. Though, of course, fundraisers generally have meetings before the week of the event...] Carlene, upset that Cricket is in charge of entertainment this year, tries to cut off potential donors from Heather. Andrew tells Heather to cut out both of them, and he puts her in touch with Sheryl Crow to entertain instead. Too bad that's where things go downhill for Andrew and Heather, as he is afraid that she only wants his money and power, so he calls off their relationship. [while she does deny it, you know that she did enjoy it.]

Running late from work, Amanda is in an accident on her way to Bitsy's funeral. The (pantless) driver of the other car knows who she is (even having her driver's license number memorized), so he drives off, his pants falling behind. [I don't even have my own DL# memorized... what a creepy guy! And unless Amanda goes into anaphylactic shock upon being stung, she overreacted to that bee.] Amanda later learns that the driver is Carlene's younger brother, Luke. At his first opportunity, he asks her out... taking her to Boobylicious. [even if it's your favorite local place, do you really take a girl there on a first date?]

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Burl invites Gigi to Paris, but she declines. That night, Carlene, thinking Luke and Amanda are making out in the bushes, calls the police on Burl and Gigi. [haha!] Shocked, Carlene decides to blackmail Amanda - either she will give up Luke or Carlene will spread the word that Gigi has been "seducing" Burl, the recent widower. [what was the point in having Cricket witness the conversation? Carlene has proven herself to do mean things regardless of who is around...] So, when Luke comes to pickup Amanda, she turns him down without much of an explanation. Gigi brings Amanda to the fundraiser anyway, and Amanda soon has to confess to her mother what happened, thanks to the fact that Carlene didn't get her story straight with Burl. ["casual," by the way, means no diamonds bigger than your head. take note.] To solve the problem, Gigi decides to go public with her relationship and kisses Burl on the stage. [I still think it's rather scandalous, but it doesn't really matter.] Late that night, Luke and Amanda make up. [eh. He lives in Austin, so how often will he be around, anyway?]

GCB: News Jobs for Amanda & Sharon?

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Another episode where Amanda's children are barely seen. Sharon and Heather have small parts as well, as this installment focuses mainly on Amanda and Cricket, with a side-story of Carlene, her family, and Gigi. I don't see the latter lasting long, though, unless Burl and Gigi are going to become a couple before a suitable period of mourning. Of course, the former doesn't really last, either, as Amanda has already bowed out of working with Cricket and Blake. I'm okay with it, as I didn't see her making that great of a fashion consultant anyway. Plus, Carlene's immediate return of Amanda's laptop didn't further that story arc, either. The only new thing that really happened this episode that will carry over? Andrew bought some land in Texas and Sharon wants to work outside the home. Disagree?

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GCB "A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" (S01E04): Amanda wears high-waisted slacks and open-toed shoes to church, horrifying Carlene and Gigi. [because they feel like women must wear dresses and men must wear suits in the presence of the Lord, as seen to the right.] That's not the most shocking thing for Gigi, however... Carlene's uncle Burl comes back to town with his wife, Bitsy. It quickly becomes apparent that Burl has been harboring feelings toward Gigi for years. [so it's the older generation of Zach being married to Sharon but caring for Amanda...] Gigi throws a "Come as Your Favorite Texan" bash, complete with a wide variety of barbecue available. Even the local opera lends its costumes to the attendees. [what money won't buy! more on the party later, though...]

Blake asks Amanda to work as a fashion consultant for his company, which is trying to relaunch a 70s brand of jeans, Western Ho. Amanda is worried about what Cricket will think, but goes ahead and proposes a design for the modern woman by borrowing pockets, stitching, and tapering from old styles. [if Gigi was so upset that Amanda was taking the jeans out in public, why was she keeping them in her home?] They immediately go into production to make ten pairs for Amanda's Boobylicious friends to model, as there's a business meeting the next day. Amanda witnesses a guy giving his number to Blake, so Amanda lets Blake know that she doesn't judge. It's clear that Blake is considering confiding in her, but Cricket makes sure to tell him that, while she can handle Amanda being around, she doesn't want her too close. [if we believed the first part, the second would work, but I don't think anyone buys any of it.] "LordLover87" leaks photos of the jeans to a Christian website, so the business may suffer a $25M loss, especially because Cricket doesn't want to issue an apology. [I wasn't sure whether or not to be suspicious of this, but I definitely should have taken Cricket's actions more seriously...] Amanda is shocked that she isn't the scapegoat, but she still tries to help by asking Andrew to figure out the identity of "LordLover87." Caruth Industries soon loses a big client, but Amanda has another potential solution: rename the brand to "Western Hosannah," which would appeal to the same people who were offended. [I was impressed with her idea, though I don't know that it would fix things.] 

The pastor suggests that Sharon and Zach swap places for a week to learn to appreciate one another. So, Sharon tries to do odd jobs around the church, and although she breaks a nail and it takes her all week, she does finish a bookshelf. Proud of her independence, she feels belittled when Zach tells her that she makes too much work around the house for herself and that he just needs to learn to thank her more often. Sharon decides to keep her job at the church as an assertion of her ability.

Rip asks Carlene to steal Amanda's laptop so that he can continue to search for information on Bill, but Gigi catches her snooping. [why would she cut out the stain from her shirt?] Carlene manages to smuggle out the computer between her knees (and under her skirt). [I'm impressed that she made it down the stairs like that!] When she gets home, however, her son has his pants down and is looking at the Western Ho jeans online. See, he's not allowed to bring the "family laptop" upstairs, as he had previously been caught ordering "subversive books" like Harry Potter. [who has a "family laptop" in 2012? seriously...] Carlene decides this was a punishment from God, so she returns the computer before Rip can download the hard drive (which would have been password-protected anyway...).

Andrew is heading to Alabama to check out a property, so Heather is desperate to find him a suitable parcel locally. [even though he's only been back for a short time, I guess Heather really has the hots for him, huh?] Burl is ready to see a large chunk of land that he and Carlene own, but Carlene wants to buy him out and build an all-Christian housing complex, which is against a fair housing law. [I know that Carlene is accustomed to getting around laws, but thinking that this would work is ridiculous!] Heather winds up working out a deal with Burl, and Andrews is so thrilled that he gifts her some ornate earrings. [who can spot new earrings from across the room? that darn Carlene!] Burl tells Carlene that he sold the land for twice what it is worth, and she's bummed. [duh. but let's move on.] 

[Now, back to that party!] Sharon dresses like Anna Nicole Smith, but then changes to Mary Kay, to fit her new, "independent woman" mode of thinking. Amanda is dressed as Farrah Fawcett in her famous red swimsuit. Bitsy dresses as Barbara Bush and asks Gigi to play Laura, which she agrees to after Burl encourages her to be nice to his wife. [the Laura Bush looked very realistic.] Anyway, Andrew gives Amanda the cell number to LordLover87, but when Cricket answers the phone, Amanda is shocked. [ooooh... tricky GCB! I thought maybe it would be Carlene, but Cricket makes more sense.] Amanda tells Gigi what happened, then shares that Cricket and Blake have an open marriage. [the first secret I was fine with, but why tell Gigi (a gossip) about Blake and Cricket??] Amanda then talks to both Cricket and Blake and tells them that she can't stay on as a consultant, though she wishes them luck in the endeavor. [I guess that's the tactful way to get out of it?] Amanda comes across Carlene at the party, off in a corner praying for guidance. Amanda says that she'd hand off a similar situation (walking in on your son), and pawned off the problem to his dad, which she can no longer do. Carlene seems genuine for a moment, then takes the opportunity to ask if Bill's funeral was open-casket, and Amanda says that it was. [for Carlene and Rip, this means that Bill likely isn't hiding around in South American somewhere.] Bitsy confronts Gigi about Burl's feelings, then announces that they'll be going back on a world tour. Before anyone else finds out, however, Cricket and Blake come across a passed out/dead Bitsy. [heart attack? choked on some food?]

GCB: Relationships

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Three episode in and I'm supposed to recognize three husbands in addition to four girls, plus Amanda, her family, and other townspeople? I'm not so great at keeping all of these people straight, so they better become clearer soon or that's going to be a deal-breaker alone! Of course, maybe I don't need to worry... opening with 7.25M viewers, they're already down to 6.07M, so if the show continues to drop, ABC will likely cancel it anyway. While I was surprised to find GCB premiered well below Pan Am (in the same timeslot), the latter went from 11M to 6.3M in the first three weeks, so they suffered a much more significant drop in viewers. Of course, ABC still hasn't actually cancelled Pan Am yet, despite the fact that they dropped to somewhere in the 3M range by the end of their 14-episode run. Anyway, back to Texas... this episode was a bit Cricket-heavy and family-light for me, though I did like the spotlight on Heather's love life (Carlene's, notsomuch). Overall, not a great episode, but I wasn't complaining the whole way! 

GCB "Love is Patient" (S01E03): Rip has been unable to perform in bed, so Carlene asks Cricket for advice. Cricket, meanwhile, is upset with her trainer, who just got engaged and can no longer "have sessions" with her. [apparently, Cricket believes "sessions" and "sex" are interchangeable.] Cricket is returning to Tae Kwon Do, and suggests that Carlene give it a try to ease her tension. [I liked Carlene's dress just before she went to the Tae Kwon Do lesson.] Carlene goes to the martial artist and asks for the same treatment he gives Cricket... but when he pulls out his genitals, Carlene injures him and takes off. [a great Kristin Chenoweth scene!] Carlene later confronts Blake, asking him to handle the situation and satisfy Cricket. Blake is angry at Circket "being sloppy" about their extramarital relations, and she says she's tired of acting like everything is great. They make up in the end, as Cricket knows that Blake does love her for who she is. [just another shrug-your-shoulders-and-move-on moment...]

Gigi is determined to get Amanda dating again, going as far as cancelling Family Movie Night, setting her up with multiple men, and having the pastor invite her to a singles' group at the church. Amanda isn't thrilled, as she's still grieving... which becomes increasingly difficult to do when she receives a letter from Bill. [written before his death.] Speaking of match-ups, Heather shows a house to an old classmate, Andrew, who talks about how he was a spazz when they were younger. Things haven't changed too much, and both are rather clumsy. Still, Heather takes an interest in him and drags Amanda with her to that singles' group in order to be around him some more! [Heather can be crafty, too, apparently.] 

At the singles' event, Cricket, Sharon, and Carlene are there with their husbands, as "marriage all-stars" to lead groups - one for never married and one for previously married. Well, this means Heather and Andrew can't hang out together, though they are kissing by the end of the episode. [I kinda wanted this romance to drag out. Guess it's not my day. Or things just move too quickly in Texas!] Well, Rip takes this opportunity to try and snoop on Amanda - her husband suckered him into that Ponzi scheme and he's dying to get back some of his lost money. This is news to Carlene, but she's willing to help Rip, especially when it comes to learning Amanda's secrets! So, Rip pulls the fire alarm in order to steal the pinata into which Amanda has

(ABC/RICHARD FOREMAN)

stuffed her "marital grievances" and he and Carlene go through it later. They realize that Bill might still be alive, hiding out in South America. Amanda busts a pinata at her house and realizes that it isn't hers. [I really don't have much to say about this whole plotline... these folks are sneaky and nosy... these are points that have certainly been driven home in the short time that the drama has been on the air. though I hope something juicy comes of Amanda smashing the wrong pinata!]

Sharon finally decides to fight for Zach, so she tells Amanda to stay away from him, though Amanda just blames Zach. [and it WAS his fault.] It takes a while before Sharon can actually confront Zach, and she even calls the Texas Chili council for advice. [I don't mind getting advice from a complete stranger if you want it, but a cooking hotline for marriage advice??] Sharon finally says something at the singles' night, and Zach admits that he doesn't have the life he dreamed of. Sharon panics, but Zach later expounds, explaining that he's upset about not lasting as a professional football player, and asks Sharon's forgiveness. [well this whole multi-episode arc was now pretty pointless, huh?]

News Roundup: Information Overload

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

So much has been announced in the past 12 days! I can hardly believe it! What news are you happiest about? For me, it's that we finally have return dates for Melissa & Joey and Falling Skies!!

Renewals, Cancellations, & Scheduling:
FOX's Terra Nova was cancelled, which I, among others, saw coming. Netflix is in talks about picking up the series, but, let's not lie... it is a might expensive undertaking...

TLC has canceled All-American Muslim, citing poor ratings (which is true), though some wonder if it wasn't the negative backlash that the show received from many sources, including some pulled advertising.

The Discovery Channel has cancelled Man vs. Wild, seemingly because star Bear Grylls won't participate in other projects.

A third horse died during the production of HBO's Luck, which ultimately led to the early cancellation of the show.

Bravo's Love Broker has been cancelled after two episodes.

OWN cancelled The Rosie Show, which will tape its final episode March 20th, to air March 30th (at 7pm ET/PT). We saw this coming, given the downgrades the show experienced throughout the season.

FX renewed Justified for a 13-episode fourth season.

CBS renewed The Talk for 2012-2013. They also renewed NCIS, NCIS: LA, Blue Bloods, Person of Interest, The Mentalist, Criminal Minds, The Good Wife, CSI, Hawaii Five-O, 60 Minutes, 48 Hours Mystery, The Amazing Race, Undercover Boss, 2 Broke Girls and Mike & Molly.

ABC renewed The Bachelor Pad for a third season.

NBC renewed Grimm for a second season

Lifetime has ordered another twenty episodes of America's Most Wanted, to continue airing Fridays at 9pm ET/PT.

TLC's My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding's second season will begin Friday, March 23rd, at 10pm ET/PT.

Showtime announced some return dates. Dexter will premiere its seventh season at 9pm ET/PT on Sunday, September 30th. Homeland's second season will follow at 10pm ET/PT.

CMT has a new series, Southern Nights, premiering Saturday, April 7th at 10pm ET/PT. It will bring together ten cast members from Sweet Home Alabama, and they'll live together in Georgia to create drama.

A&E's new series, Rambug, will debut on Saturday, April 28th at 10pm ET/PT. It will focus on a group of "hard-working, over-the-top Italian exterminators from Brooklyn who dress in camouflage and wage war on the city's nastiest critters."

ABCFamily's Melissa & Joey will be back for its second season on Wednesday, May 30th at 8pm ET/PT.

The History Channel's new half-hour auction show, Sold!, premieres Wednesday, April 11th at 9pm. It will be a ten-part series that goes behind the scenes, shows haggling, appraisals, and many other aspects of the business.

TLC's Say Yes to the Dress: Bridesmaids, will be back for a second season, beginning Friday, April 13th, at 9pm ET/PT.

HBO's Game of Thrones is back Sunday, April 1st, at 9pm ET/PT.

E! has a new show coming on Sunday, May 20th, called Mrs. Eastwood & Company, chronicling the lives of the Clint Eastwood family.

Cartoon Network's Adventure Time will begin its fourth season on Monday, April 2nd at 7:30pm ET/PT.

Weeds and Episodes will both be back on Showtime on Sunday, July 1st.

TLC has Mama's Boys of the Bronx premiering on Monday, April 9th at 10pm ET/PT. It's an eight-part series about five Italian-American men in their 30s who still live with their mothers.

HBO has a new comedy, Girls, beginning Sunday, April 15th at 10:30pm ET/PT. It will be about four twentysomething girls in New York getting through life.

FOX is no longer moving I Hate My Teenage Daughter to Wednesday nights, but will finish the Tuesday airings April 3rd, after which point the remaining episodes will burn off in the summer.

TNT has announced a bunch of premiere dates... Rizzoli & Isles is back for its third season on Tuesday, June 5th at 9pm ET/PT, Franklin & Bash will be back for its second season on Tuesday, June 5th at 10pm ET/PT, Dallas will premiere on Wednesday, June 13th at 9pm ET/PT, Falling Skies will begins its second season on Sunday, June 17th at 9pm ET/PT, The Great Escape premieres Sunday, June 24th at 10pm ET/PT, The Closer is back on Monday, July 9th at 9pm ET/PT, Perception begins Monday, July 9th at 10pm ET/PT, Leverage is back Sunday, July 15th at 8pm ET/PT, and Major Crimes begins Monday, August 13th at 10pm ET/PT, though it will regularly air at 9pm ET/PT.

The Katie Couric talk show, Katie, will premiere on Monday, September 10th on ABC.

One of the former stars of Toddlers & Tiaras, Eden Wood, will have her own show starting Monday, April 16th, called Eden's World, where she and her mom will enter pageants as well as help coach new girls.

Cast & Plot Updates:
Freddie Prinze Jr. has signed onto an NBC comedy pilot (still untitled), to play a guy who dumps his fiance and now faces her revenge.

Martha Stewart will guest on 2 Broke Girls on May 7th.

Stockard Channing and Kurt Fuller will play the parents of Mandy Moore's character on the ABC untitled pilot where Mandy Moore and her new husband will run a restaurant.

Nick Jonas will return to Smash for the season finale on May 14th.

NBC's Smash will have a Bollywood dream sequence for the song, "A Thousand and One Nights" on the April 23rd episode.

Shows in Development & Other Fun Stuff:
Nickelodeon's Figure It Out is coming back for 40 new episodes.

CBS' drama pilot, Quean, was deemed to be too similar to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, so they changed "the lead's employer from a PI to a law firm, her boss from a white male private investigator to a black female lawyer, and the protagonist herself from a loner to a girl with a boyfriend." But, it still wasn't enough, and the procedural has now been scrapped.

The CW has three new reality series this summer - The Star Next Door, which will be a nationwide music competition series, Breaking Pointe, which will be a behind-the-scenes look at competitive ballet companies, and The Catalina, which follows employees and guests at the Miami hotel by the same name.

A huge "Roseanne" dance party is schedule in Chicago on March 24th.

A&E is partnering with Mark Wahlberg, among others, on an unscripted pilot (tentatively called Teamsters) It will "give viewers a first-hand glimpse of the most legendary union in the most aggressive and territorial city in America: Boston."

Mob Wives' spinoff, Mob Wives Chicago will debut on VH1 this spring.

GCB has been under plenty of fire since it premiered, perhaps most notably that Kraft pulled its advertising from the series.

Al Roker's company is backing Coast Guard Florida, a new docuseries for The Weather Channel. It will debut this October and 13 hour-long episodes are planned.

The Bates family just had a one-hour special on TLC, and now they're going to have eight half-hour shows on TLC, starting in June.

Fun fact: have you ever thought about the audience for Univision? Well, in 2011, they had a larger age-18-to-34 audience than NBC did on 267 nights! AND, last month, they out-performed one or more of the big networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC) on 26 out of 28 nights.

Logo is going to have an all-stars edition of RuPaul's Drag Race.

Wallace, a series that is a historical drama based on the life of Braveheart, is being developed.

In 2013, History will treat us to Vikings, a scripted drama chronicling the "extraordinary and ferocious world of the mighty Norsemen who raided, traded, and explored during medieval times."

Hallmark Channel now has the rights to syndication for The Middle, and will begin airing the first 88 episodes in March 2014.

The CW now has a mobile app (apple and android) that allows you to watch full episodes of primetime series at 6am ET the morning after broadcast.

TBS has green-lit eight episodes of King of the Nerds, which will invite "competitors spanning the full nerd spectrum to come together to face challenges that will test their intellect, ingenuity, skills and pop-culture prowess."

GCB: Making Friends?

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

If you missed the first week and jumped on into this show, it's a darn good thing that Carlene filled you in a little bit! There has been so much going on and a few weeks have already passed within the show that it's pretty easy for people following closely to get a little confused, let alone a newbie! Plus, SO.MANY.CHARACTERS! I'm not in love with this show yet, but I have no ill feelings toward it yet, either. I was surprised how little focus there was on Amanda's family this episode (particularly Will), but I suppose I need to realign my attitude toward this show as being about Heather, Carlene, Amanda, Sharon, and Cricket (and maybe Gigi), with everyone else as more ancillary characters. What do you think so far? Are there too many characters? Is it confusing to you? Would you want more focus on Amanda's family?

GCB "Hell Hath No Fury" (S01E02): Gigi doesn't want Amanda buying the kids' clothes at ArmadilloMart, but Amanda doesn't want Gigi buying the kids' clothes from Neiman Marcus. [pick and choose your battles, ladies.] Amanda struggles with affording her children's school supplies (a saddle, a microscope, and a tablet), though Gigi wants her to just use family money. [a saddle?? a home microscope?? I can get on-board with a tablet, but the other two kinda shock me.] Gigi is planning a luncheon (with Heather's help) to re-introduce Amanda to society. The other girls don't like this idea and immediately begin talking others out of attending, pushing the fact that Amanda is an alcoholic. Gigi is soon forced to cancel the luncheon, due to lack of interest in attending. [the amount of people who sent flowers amused me... wasn't expecting that!]

Zach continues to show interest in Amanda, frustrating Sharon. [to "out-Christian" somebody? I like it!] Sharon thinks she can win her husband back by cooking the same foods that Boobylicious offers, but Zach then claims that he's watching his weight. [so, yeah. not much here.]

Cricket's daughter, Alexandra, has gotten C-cup implants, and Sharon's daughter is envious. [the comment about "Christmas coming" bothered me. What kind of gifts are these??!?] Because Laura is "unattractively smart," the girls plan to slap a scarlet pig "javelina" on her "by recess tomorrow." [recess?? in high school??] They do, but Laura doesn't seem to notice; Heather and Amanda see it and panic. Amanda confronts Carlene, who claims innocence and invites her to lunch. [I wouldn't accept lunch with her alone, but maybe I've overly paranoid.] The eatery winds up being 80 miles from Dallas, and because Carlene needs to bring a pig back with her, there's no room for Amanda, who must ride in the back of a truck back home. [told you not to go anyplace alone with Carlene!] Meanwhile, Laura

(ABC/KAREN NEAL)

goes to the pep rally with Sharon and Cricket's daughters. [how naive is this chick? She doesn't remember to never trust popular girls from her previous school experiences? and that scene with the fire marshal was overly annoying!] When Amanda finally arrives (Heather couldn't even get in, by the way, as Amanda had her blacklisted), she finds Laura covered in glitter rather than mud. The girls have awarded her the role of "fox," and Amanda immediately tells Laura not to hang out with those kids. Of course, Laura thinks that Amanda just wants to spoil her fun. [finally! a teenage behavior I can relate to!] Oh, and, because Alexandra's top is now too small for her breasts, it bursts open during the cheerleading routine. [over-dramatic much?]

Carlene is re-branding her restaurant to be a frumpy, Amish place. None of the waitresses are happy so they call Rip and threaten to quit. He pulls rank and puts things back to normal, as Carlene didn't run any of those changes by him. The episode ends with Gigi hosting that luncheon anyway, at the bar. [I was surprised at how Rip rules Carlene. Feminism be d@mned on this show, apparently.]

NEW SHOW: GCB

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

This one has been a long time coming! I feel as if America has been waiting for this show to actually debut for the better part of a year at this point! Not to say that it's any good, but I didn't hate it, either. So much to say about this pilot episode... let's start with the fact that the writers included a LOT of background! So many characters (and their spouses!) and so many events (both now and twenty years ago) makes it difficult to keep things straight... so let's hope that the next few episodes give us a chance to catch our breath and not expect us to remember what everyone does for a living and what their full names are! Oh, and the sheer size of the cast befuddled me... does anyone else find it bothersome that Kristin Chenoweth has practically been the ONLY face for this show and she's not even the main character?? Speaking of the main character, did it strike you that Ponzi schemes are showing up more often lately? Sure, Amanda wasn't involved, but it was a Ponzi scheme that got the show on the road... much like how one was part of the premise that brought together the characters on Melissa & Joey. Ahhh, and even more with the repeated story ideas everywhere - what's with all of the revenge on television in this day and age?? Anyway, let's just get started on the actual episode...

GCB "Pilot" (S01E01): In Santa Barbara, California, Amanda's husband, Bill, is with her best friend, speeding away in a sportscar along a coastline with millions of dollars. She decides to orally pleasure him and they end up veering off the road; the crash kills them both. Three months later, it's revealed that the money was from a Ponzi scheme, leaving Amanda with a meager amount to raise her two children, Laura and Will. She wants to leave the area for a fresh start, so she reluctantly heads to her hometown upon her lawyer's suggestion. Upon her arrival in a Dallas suburb where everyone seems to know everyone, a group of ladies is already talking about "the bully" being back in town. See, across the street from Amanda's mother lives Carlene, who quickly calls Sharon, Cricket, and Heather about the situation. [I love the idea that the group of fortysomething ladies calls one another 24/7 to discuss the latest gossip.]

We're then introduced to Amanda's mother, who prefers to go by Gigi, especially around her grandchildren. Gigi believes that the internet is for p0rn, though she does decide to get it for the children. [I'm intrigued to find out where the family money comes from...] She's not making Amanda very happy, what with teaching Will to mix cocktails, giving Laura a push-up bra, and telling the kids about Amanda's "mean girl" days. [the first two I could chalk up to the south, but who would tell teens that their mother was an awful person in high school??] Amanda's also not thrilled that Gigi demands the entire family attends church. [though I imagine she could have seen that coming... I wonder if we'll get flashbacks in future episodes?] There, Amanda meets a whole bunch of folks from her younger days, though not everyone is thrilled to see her - Carlene, for instance, refers to her as the Prodigal Daughter. ["Amazing Grace" as a ringtone? really?]

Amanda doesn't know much about working, but figures that she could be an interior designer, as she's had a few classes in that. [um, do you not need a license for that in Texas? Because I know some states require one!] An old pal gets her some interviews but they don't go well, as one of the ladies is pulling favors all over town to keep Amanda from being hired. [revenge, got it.] On the bright side, Heather, a realtor, helps her find a place to live. Amanda isn't thrilled with the houses she's being shown, so she looks some things up online and then confronts Heather about the situation. [at least she's not a pushover! though I wouldn't really expect her to be, either.] It smooths over well, as Amanda apologizes for the past, and it looks like Heather may even begin to believe Amanda. Unfortunately, this is when the rest of the girls show up with a gift basket. [that largest gift basket I have EVER seen! and it contains some very strange items...]

(ABC/BILL MATLOCK)

The girls are really there to find out what's going on with the expensive car (that is from Sharon's husband's dealership) and nearly $100,000 of stuff from Neiman Marcus that has anonymously shown up at Amanda's door. Amanda doesn't know, but that's not good enough for Carlene, who lifts the gift card (Amanda sent all of the gifts back) and makes Sharon go into the store for more information. [so... Carlene is totally running the show around here...] However, the store wants ID, so Sharon runs out and Amanda is called in, to make sure foul play wasn't at hand. Amanda lets it go. [part of me was surprised, but part of me thought she just needs to play everything cool right now.] Later, Amanda's mother admits to sending her everything. [hmm. didn't suspect that!]

Desperate for work, Amanda applies at a bar (even though it's implied that she's a recovering alcoholic) which would require her to wear a revealing uniform. [odd.] It doesn't take long before this news is all over town, and the ladies confront Amanda at a big town event/ball. [which, I thought, was made out to be a much bigger deal than it actually appeared.] Amanda apologizes to Cricket for the wrongs she committed years ago, but not a single apologetic word is directed toward Carlene. A week has passed by now, and in church, Amanda stands up to announce that she's thankful for her job at a bar owned by Carlene's corporation. [hahaha!]