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Unfortunately, to hype the season finale, both the weakest and strongest character make a weird shift. One I’m not sure either can easily recover from.
Sticking Your Nose Where It Doesn’t Belong: Anna, Nina, Shawn, Maxine
With Shawn being worried about an investigation which suddenly gets dropped, and Maxine giving Nina only pregnancy segments, she is getting agitated. So agitated she decides to look into this murder case and even enlists Anna to provide her some information. Which she reveals to Maxine she is doing. Leading to Maxine warning her about trying to find skeletons in her closet. Of which, Nina, being the expect liar she is, says she has none. So Maxine brings up Andrew and Nina holds strong. Even says, like how Maxine says Anna could be discredited, so could Andrew.
Commentary
I think Nina has been the only character I have gone without really praising for her development on this show. This episode didn’t change anything. All this episode did is make me think that they wanted to justify this character so bad that they had to pull a 180. They had to make her so petty over not getting the type of segments she wanted, she had to go nuclear.
Which, to be honest, can you blame her? With Mo coming back, it kind of becomes clear that even if you test Maxine, there is still a chance you can stay on the show. So why not ruffle her feathers and pull some power moves? I mean, unlike Heather, Kibby, and even Mo, Nina doesn’t need this job. She has her own platform just with the Pulitzer. So Maxine threatening her, calling her a guest on her show, isn’t saying much.
With that said, who wants to bet that maybe Shawn was so drunk maybe he doesn’t remember killing Ted? For you noticed that he hasn’t mentioned witnessing or anything when it comes to his drinking. Much less where he got blackout drunk. But with the subpoena to get those phone records, which Maxien squashed by, once again, using her show to get her out of trouble [note]Someone in the deputy mayor’s family wanted to get into entertainment and Maxine gives them a internship so that the deputy mayor would shut things down.[/note] it seems the answer to the Ted question will remain prolonged.
Meet The Stars of “In A Pinch”: Tandy, Kibby, Mo, Vance
Kibby is doing everything it takes to keep the white R. Kelly from preying on her sister. She threatens him, tries to talk Tandy out of it, but nothing works. But what really makes things bad if she has gone beyond a slip and is on a full blown bender. I’m talking taking 8balls, Adderall, and being a messy addict. Including on air.
As for Mo? With how funny she is, you may have questioned why being on The Lunch Hour was something big for her? Why didn’t she become like Martin Lawrence or someone like that? Maybe a Tiffany Haddish type? Well, answer is: Mo can’t act. Which was keeping Maxine from the blessing of seeing Mo less and having an empty chair, or revolving guest, more.
However, Maxine has friends, and those who she has the power of mutually assured destruction, in high places. So she makes sure Mo gets that job with Vance for their sitcom “In a Pinch.” Featuring Mo as the wife, Vance as the dad, and Tandy as Mo’s step daughter whose mom is dead. But, here comes one problem with all this: Vance’s life is setup in LA and Mo’s in New York. So, originally, they were going to accommodate Mo. However, Maxine reminds Vance of his star power and tells him to use it. Thus sending Mo to LA and she by no means happy about it. For while there was a moment it seemed she truly made peace with Maxine, every step of the way of getting this job, anything that went wrong, she assumed it was because of Maxine.
Commentary
So it gets confirmed that Vance is the reason Kibby got into drugs and his creepy ass believes that the feelings were mutual and he blames her for not handling her drug habit. Which is fine. However, I don’t know why but Bridges sort of took a nose dive, no pun intended, when it came to her performance. Mostly in the form of not being a… I don’t want to say believable addict, for drugs affect everyone differently. However, I do feel she gave into the campiness of the show and made Kibby more of a joke than a tragedy this episode.
Which disappointed the hell out of me since she has been so consistent and a highlight on this program. But, I guess, like there was an attempt to raise Nina up, they had to knock Kibby down so she wouldn’t remain in her shadow. Though what Kibby ends up doing next just takes the cake.
Gun Control: Heather, Kibby, Maxine, Mo
While Kibby is getting out of control, Heather is dealing with people not respecting her 2nd amendment rights. She is a proud gun owner, with a concealed weapons permit, and it causes major issues. First on the show and then at her kid’s school. For, to some surprise her and Brad have agreed to this school called Crossroads. A place where Ella can be Ella and they are supposed to be progressive. However, after seeing the segment about Heather’s gun, they threaten to kick Heather’s kids out if she brings it anywhere near the school.
But, flipping things back to Kibby and “In A Pinch,” Mo has the casting news done on The Lunch Hour and that means Vance being on the dais. Now, being that Kibby is drinking and drugging, any decorum she could and should have is non-existent. She hints at it being a surprised Vance is having an age appropriate relationship, and is rude to whoever talks while she is doing. As she does the whole episode.
However, once she learns Tandy is playing Vance’s daughter she loses it. She loses it to the point Maxine can’t ignore it or play it off anymore. She decides to address it but uses the wrong words. She calls Kibby and investment and with that she feels like a product. Thus she storms off and following that Heather gets mad about a no guns allowed sign, Mo calls her out about the LA move she has to do then Kibby comes out with Heather’s gun [note]Which she secured by putting it in her purse, in a desk drawer, and not keeping the key after she locks said draw, but throwing it into a cup so anyone could get her gun.[/note]. Something she points toward Vance but then Ramona dives to stop her and it goes off when Kibby hits the floor.
Making it seem Mo may have been hit.
Commentary
I honestly barely want to watch the finale. They ruined Kibby, Nina is now at war with Maxine over petty reasons, and Heather? Well she is just lost in the mix at this point. Even Mo and her wild self seems shadowed by the nonsense with the formerly best and least interesting character. But, fingers crossed maybe the finale can fix the multitude of issues this episode caused. One can only hope.
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