Mike & Molly

Mike & Molly

Episode 18: Peggy Goes to Branson

By: Carlos Uribe

Mike & Molly is a show about two fat people in love.

Spoilers Ahoy!

Peggy goes to Branson this week with a church group. She can't take Jim with her, which means having to leave it with the titular characters. She doesn't completely trust them to properly take care of Jim but Mike assures his mother that Jim will be fine. One of the things about Peggy is the constant reference that she is a terrible mother. For example: Mike makes comments about how Peggy would give her liver to Jim but refused to drive seven blocks to pick Mike up after he broke his arm. It's a bit troubling that the show thinks that a negligent parenting is that funny and should be making Peggy to be less sympathetic towards the viewer. I'm going to credit Rondi Reed's performance on why I continue to like Peggy, who is easily the most complex and layered character on this show. I have no doubt that Peggy loves Mike more than the dog, it's just easier for her to show Jim love. It's easier for her to act as a mother to Jim. Having the rest of the characters take care of Jim wasn't funny, but the situation created some conflict between Mike and Molly that really drove the episode.

It turns out that Mike isn't so sure that he wants to have kids. He had previously promised Molly that he would father three children with her, but it seems he merely stated that to keep the peace. He simply isn't sure if he wants to have kids. He doesn't want to just rush into being a parent and he doesn't want to be unprepared. This makes Molly really angry at him because she really wants to have his babies. She reveals that she didn't even want to be a mother before she met Mike. Being with a man that she considers to be so full of goodness has made her want to be a mother. She wants to be the mother of Mike's kids. She doesn't want any indecision from Mike because she wants to know that she'll be such a mother. Mike may want to be a father one day, but he isn't convinced that he'll be a good father. Molly might realize that he would make a great dad, but he doesn't know that. It makes sense that he would have these issues.

His father had abandoned him when he was young and his mother was definably not a good parent to him. This means that he doesn't have any model to base his parenting skills on. He can't what to do as a father when he never really had a father figure. He realizes that his mother didn't raise him properly and so he can't look for her as a model. The only things he can know for sure is to not do what his mother did. That's only half the solution. If he doesn't do what Peggy did, then what exactly did he do? The viewer knows that Mike would make a good father, but that doesn't mean that Mike knows how to be a good father. If the series decides to make Molly pregnant, then it would be nice if Mike went on a character journey to try and learn what it means to be a dad. It would be realistic and it would provide a fresh perspective to the prospective parents stories.

One thing that I've constantly noted about this show is that it has an extremely strong emotional core, but it doesn't have that many good jokes. I watch the show's new episodes because of this core but that doesn't mean I wish this show would improve it's sense of humor. This episode was sweet, had it's heart on the right place, but it didn't make me laugh. It's hard to recommend a comedy that isn't funny, which makes this show so difficult to give a good review to. It has good characters and a strong core but it has weak jokes and lazy punchlines. This episode told a good story but it didn't have anything that made anyone who isn't in the studio audience (or the laugh track) to actually laugh. This show is getting a third season, but I'm not sure it actually deserves one.

Oh and show-Jim dragging his arse over a carpet? Not funny in the slightest. Also not funny? Poop jokes.