'Mom'

I am rewatching 'Mom' for the third or fourth time, and now I am just buying the physical media because I want to own it. I want this TV show to be near me every time I want to revisit it. I started following the series early, since the third season, and since then, I am positively sure that this is my absolute favorite sitcom ever. This is my comfort show; I can play it anytime, and it will do what it is meant to do, which is relax me, give a different perspective, remind me that I am on the right path, and boost my motivation to deal with my real life. This show is about a bunch of alcoholics/drug addicts who are dealing with their daily lives while struggling to hold on to their sobriety. Even though this is a comedy show, the subject and the serious tone of the episodes give it a beautiful dramatic and realistic glow that delivers great messages every episode. The comedy is actually the sugar that helps the medicine go down easily, and I have to say it is hilarious! Now, I am on the second season, and I know every episode, but still, the show is capable of delivering jokes and heart, and I relive every part of it.

I've been following Anna Faris's career since 'Scary Movie'. Then I saw her in 'Brokeback Mountain', 'The House Bunny', 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs', and of course, 'Smiley Face'. I have to say, here in 'Mom', she is at her best. Christy Plunkett, alongside her mother, whom we will speak about soon enough, is the heart of the show. This is why the show stopped after just one season without Anna Faris in it. The dynamic that made 'Mom' such a huge hit was gone. We still do not know exactly what went on there and why she took that road and exited the show after the seventh season, but sometimes it is better not to discover it, or when she decides to tell it, I'll be listening. I am keeping an eye on her podcast just in case she wants to elaborate on what went down. Seeing my girls from 'Charmed' feud with one another even after more than two decades is kind of ruining the show for me. No, I am kidding; nothing can ruin 'Charmed', and probably nothing can ruin 'Mom' for me. I am a die-hard fan by now, so Anna, when you are ready to tell your story, I am here for it.

The Plunkett family really delivers. The things that they go through make my life story easy to swallow, and that is the point of entertainment after all: to allow you to come down from that cross that we all bear or put it aside for a while so you can relax and have a great time. The show really provides different perspectives and life experiences that I know could sometimes sound unbelievable, but if you've ever been to an AA meeting, you know they are all probably real or at least inspired by real events. The show taught me the valuable lesson to help others. I know it sounds stupid, but in my 20s, I was a bit selfish, so helping less fortunate with whatever I can really works as a great antidepressant. I am not a saint here, but helping someone, buying them lunch, or providing them clothes when they need it really helps me. I am still this selfish guy, but when in my selfishness I am able to help another human being, it is a win-win situation, right? I was thinking the other day about altruism and how cynical I was to think that every good deed is eventually selfish. Then I thought harder about it, and I realized that unselfish behavior, where you do something good not to gain something in return, is a matter of a moment. Those are the seconds where you do it without thinking through it, saving someone's life, deciding to help impulsively, empathizing on a problem just before you start judging. There are selfless acts; they are just lost in thinking. But let's come back to the show.

Bonnie Plunkett is the other half of 'Mom'. Too bad that it wasn't enough to sustain it, even though I would probably watch it till it's over. I love this character, and Allison Janney, whom I discovered after this role, has become one of my favorite Hollywood working actresses of all time. She really nails Bonnie and gives her so many levels in her performance. That is the thing about these shows: you spend so much time with them; they become part of you. When the characters are so good and fleshed out, they become real, and for me, Bonnie Plunkett exists. For some years, I've been trying to pin her down to a person that I know, but no, I can't. She is her own thing. And now, I am watching the show for the first time with my partner, and he is trying to pin her down to some relatives. Apparently, we want her to be real. She is so funny; since then, I've been on the Janney train, and I loved her in 'I, Tonya', where she won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, but Plunkett is her signature role. I am tempted to watch 'The West Wing' because of her; you know what? I'll do it. This is the power of Plunkett and Janney.

I do not want to be disrespectful to the other cast because I love them, and I will probably find more time to talk about Marjorie played by Mimi Kennedy, who brought so much joy and wisdom to the show. Regina, played by another Oscar winner, Octavia Spencer, the kids, Wendy, Jill, and Tammy, the guys of the show. All of them made this show stick the landing, and they changed my life. Because of this show, I am now sober, and I love seeing my partner discovering it. We are both sober, and seeing these perspectives really gives you another glimpse into addiction and that there is life after it, and the minute you overcome it, your life begins to unfold. Like Christy said at the end of the first season, '...I got sober just in time'.

Iliya Badev