WHAT WORKED?

Displaying the ladies' vulnerabilities this season is where the writers knocked it out of the park during the gut wrenching episodes. Anything with Bonnie crackled. Whether it was her dating woes with Adam, or dealing with more angst from her mother's death. Both revealed her vulnerabilities and shifted her from toxic trainwreck toward a surviving heroine. Janney's exchanges with Adam's ex-wife Danielle (Wendy Malick) crackled, as even Danielle admitted "God help me but I love her." Bonnie gaining closure at her mother's grave was touching, beautiful and connected the dots in Bonnie's personality, as well as bring a new member to the family with newfound brother Ray.





Marjorie often spends each episode playing the matriarch/mother goose to the out of control ladies. The episode which her sponsor fell off the wagon after 52 years not only showcased her vulnerability, but also gave her a long-deserved story since her wedding the prior season. The lost sponsor story may have been eclipsed by Christy dealing with her former rapist, but also delivered the perfect two-punch method needed for the season's gut-wrenching episodes. Jill's grief over her mother's suicide exposed why she has remained a disaster, as well as led to a rewarding foster-parent arc where she learned to care for others and give her narcissistic streak a rest.



