Too many comedies nowadays forget the core-concept that sitcoms were built on - simple is better. Mike & Molly was a show that firmly understood that concept, always keeping the premise of the episodes (and the series as a whole) easy to follow while making sure the material revolved around the jokes.
By the time the series had reached season 5, the lovable sitcom about a Chicago cop and his professional-writer wife still hadn't gotten much critical acclaim, but the show's loyal fans continued to show up week after week to laugh with the Biggs-Flynn family.
10 Molly's Neverending Story, Episode 5 (7.2)
The life of a writer is a mentally exhausting one - nitpicking every sentence, word, and punctuation mark that ends up on the page, and Molly experienced that first-hand during this episode when she couldn't stop tweaking her newest book. After declaring the novel finished, she goes back to edit and finds that she can't stop making changes and finding errors, causing her to lose confidence in sending the book to her publisher. As a (supposed to be) loving gesture, Mike emails the book to Molly's publisher anyway... which causes Molly to hit the fan and be angrier with Mike than she's ever been. Luckily, Mike has Harry hack into the publisher's computer and erase the email.
9 Mike Check, Episode 8 (7.2)
One of the main themes that the show always handled delicately was the size of the two main characters, and how their weight genuinely affected their health. Those issues came to a head this episode when Molly discovers that Mike hasn't been to a doctor in over a decade and forces him to get a physical. After skipping the first appointment (and lying about going) Mike finally gets tricked into getting a check-up... only for the doctor to discover a sensitive lump in Mike's chest. After a potential breast-cancer scare, the lump is revealed to be a cyst and Mike ends up in the clear.
8 Hack to the Future, Episode 9 (7.3)
Publishers and producers know what they're doing - that's why they're in the positions they are. But sometimes, such as during this episode, they try to work things into a story where it simply doesn't fit. When Molly meets her publisher for the first time, he tells her that he wants to incorporate time-travel into her new novel.
Under contract, Molly is forced to try and work the time-travel element into her story (where time-travel does not work at all) and makes several failed attempts. Thankfully, Molly outsmarts the publisher in the end and tricks him into asking for a story that is identical to her original book.
7 Mother from Another Mudlick, Episode 19 (7.3)
One of the toughest things for kids to understand growing up is that they don't know why their parents act the way they do, mainly because they haven't experienced the things they have. But, during this particular episode when Mike meets his aunt for the very first time, he starts to put the pieces of the puzzle together on his mother's bitter attitude, realizing that it stems from the poor way her family treated her as a child. The episode eventually ends with Mike and his mother revealing to each other that, while they might frustrate one another from time-to-time, they wouldn't want anyone else to be their mother/son.
6 Near Death Do Us Part, Episode 21 (7.3)
Things got rough during this episode when Mike and Carl had a near-death experience at work, making them both realize that they had to start making changes in their life. Through a series of miscommunications, it's implied that Carl wants to ask Victoria to marry him and Mike ends up telling this information to Molly (who then tells Joyce, Vince, and Victoria). Later at dinner, expecting a proposal, Victoria is devastated when she finds out that Carl has decided not to go through with the proposal yet... which sadly leads to a fight between the couple where they ultimately break-up.
5 The Last Temptation of Mike, Episode 6 (7.4)
Mike was a pretty charming gentleman for most of the series (albeit a tad quirky and awkward at times) but he was madly in love with Molly so he was never one to flirt with other women. However, during this episode, a rookie cop on the force named Staci decided that she wanted to flirt with Mike, even going so far as to make a move on Mike and kiss him. Mike immediately ends the kiss and runs to his wife to let her know of what happened... causing Molly to inform Staci that very bad things will happen if she gets near her husband again.
4 The Bitter Man and the Sea, Episode 22 (7.4)
Carl and Victoria had sparked their relationship towards the ends of season 4 and it carried over into most of season 5. However, by the time the finale came around, the couple had split up and things were still weird between them. Unfortunately, their strained relationship caused problems during this episode when the entire family plans a cruise on Lake Michigan (with Carl invited) and everybody thinks that Carl should skip it.
To make matters worse, Mike is put in the middle of the confrontation... and is eventually forced to side with his wife and her family, causing the season to end with Mike and Carl at ends with one another.
3 Checkpoint Joyce, Episode 10 (7.5)
It was no secret that Joyce had a drinking problem (everybody on the show had a vice) but things got messy quickly during this episode when Mike ends up arresting Joyce at a drunk-driving checkpoint due to her refusing to comply with Mike's orders. Naturally, this causes Joyce to be furious with Mike... only to be insulted when the rest of the family assumes that she was actually drunk when Mike arrested her. In response, Joyce tries to force everybody in the house to give up their addictions - only to finally admit to Mike that she was a little tipsy when he arrested her, allowing the two of them to bury the hatchet.
2 Mudlick or Bust, Episode 17 (7.5)
Peggy was never one to talk about personal things or her pasts, but due to Molly needing research for her book, the two of them decided to take a road-trip back to Peggy's hometown - Mudlick. Upon arrival in the town, Molly reveals to Peggy that she has arranged a meeting with her estranged sister, Rosemary (whom she hasn't seen in 50 years) and Peggy becomes furious. After meeting with Rosemary alone, Molly convinces the two of them to meet and hash out their problems... whereupon they start brawling in the middle of a diner. However, after the punches were done being thrown, the two sisters talk things over and agree to, at the least, be civil with one another.
1 Whatever Happened to Baby Peggy, Episode 14 (7.6)
The graphic content of Molly's novels was always hilarious material for a sitcom, but in reality, the obscene nature of her work made things awkward among the characters who had to act as though it was all real. However, this episode escalated things past awkward and touched base on some of the truly sad realities that people have to face when Molly interviews Peggy about her past for a new book. During the discussion, Peggy becomes stand-0ffish and eventually winds up getting drunk and revealing several dark secrets from her childhood to Molly... who then tells Mike, only for Mike to immediately go to his mother and give her a warm, nurturing hug.
https://ift.tt/39jaiVE
January 12, 2021 at 04:30AM
