Mom Season 5, episodes 21 and 22 recap
In the two part season finale, Bonnie and Christy take a road trip to Reno to forget about their troubles, but trouble always has a way of finding them. Here’s what happened this week on Mom.
Unsure of what to do, Bonnie asks the group whether or not she should tell Christy about Patrick’s engagement to that “fitness model” he started seeing after they broke up. But, we find out, she saw the news on Instagram, and is inconsolably upset.
Taking her sadness out on a tube of cookie dough, Christy asks Adam why he moved on so fast. Adam, as charitable as always, suggests Bonnie take her in his place to Reno for a weekend trip, slyly mentioning that there is a game on that he simply cannot miss.
On the way to Reno, Christy and Bonnie discuss the former’s social media stalking of her ex. Christy, forcing her mother to pull over for ice cream, says nothing would help her get over Patrick like a chocolate blizzard. While incorrectly singing the theme to the Titanic in the parking lot of a Dairy Queen, Bonnie is approached by a police officer saying the car she is driving doesn’t have plates. Discovering she has been dodging some Nevada parking tickets for 20 years, the police officer takes Bonnie in.
At the station, the officers start getting sick of Bonnie bossing him around. With over two grand in fines due, they are forced to lock Bonnie up. Christy, with instructions from her mother to get Adam to transfer the money, takes off for the nearest ATM, which is 12 miles away at a hotel. Adam, who finds the whole situation hilarious as he eats pizza and drinks beer on the couch with Gus, promises to send the money right over.
The holding officer, asking what Bonnie did to rack up 17 parking tickets over the course of one weekend, learns a lot more than he bargained for. Revealing that she and an old boyfriend must’ve gotten too high to remember where they parked their car after selling some Mexican pills to people worried about Y2K, the officer reminds her that Bonnie has the right to remain silent. Getting a phone call from what must’ve been his wife, the holding officer sounds concerned about something his daughter has gotten into. Trying to make small talk, Bonnie tells the officer that she saved Christy from a life of drugs, gambling, and stripping to which he replies that he sent her to a casino to get the bail money.
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Over at the casino, Christy, at fist, holds out on spending the money, but caves at the last moment. While waiting for her daughter to return, Bonnie gets comfortable with the holding officer, who has let her out if the cell. Asking what’s to stop her from making a run for it, the officer replies the fact that it’s over 100 degrees outside and they are in the middle of nowhere. Thinking on that for a second, Bonnie then makes a run for it, without any resistance from the officer.
Shortly after, Bonnie returns to the police station, overheated and exhausted. Losing all the bail money at the casino, Christy calls Jill pretending Bonnie was just arrested. Jill, who was in the middle of making out with her tennis instructor, gets off the phone with her fast, promising to send the money her way. Showing up at the station very late, Christy reveals that she gambled away not only Adam’s, but also Jill’s money. The officer, who has gotten to know Bonnie quite a bit, takes pity on her and Christy’s situation, and let’s her go. But on the way to the spa Christy makes what must’ve been an illegal U-turn. Bonnie then asks whether or not her daughter has done anything illegal in Nevada before to which Christy replies “I guess we’re going to find out.”
The next episode begins with Christy receiving a birthday cake from her sponsor, Nora, while everyone at the meeting sings to her. Now five years sober, Christy is in high spirits, despite all she’s been through, especially in the past year.
Instructed by Nora to write about what happened in Reno, Christy struggles to force herself to do it. Over a meal at the bistro, Christy gives Jill some of the money back that she gambled away. Thankful for all the support the ladies have given her, Christy invites them to her college graduation. Marjorie then hands her a gift from them all, in celebration of her birthday, sober anniversary, and impending graduation. Inside the small box was a gorgeous pair of diamond earrings.
Back at home, Christy walks in on Bonnie trying on the former’s cap and gown. Reflecting on their lives, Bonnie starts getting a little sentimental. Asking if her daughter is proud of her, Bonnie gets a little pep in her step hearing how far she has come from the old her.
Bonnie, after snuggling up with the oh so adorable golden retriever Gus, hands Adam an envelope containing a payment from Christy for the money her sent her. Asking why she is paying him back, Adam points out that lending money to family members without expecting to get it back is just something they do. He then goes on, wondering when they’ll just have a normal life, without constant crises.
Over at the restaurant, Chef Rudy makes his grand return after having been absent for a few seasons. Approaching Christy about a poker game, she struggles and fails to resist. Losing all the money she made that shift, Christy starts looking desperate, asking for one more hand.
After graduation, Jill holds Christy a party to celebrate. Everyone, including Nora, shows up to support her. Marjorie, in an attempt to make herself look better in front of Christy’s new sponsor, tells her to show off her new diamond earrings. While, at first, saying she forgot them, she soon switches her story, insisting that she didn’t want to lose them. Obviously lying, the truth is forced out of her, Christy bet them and lost playing poker. Furious, Bonnie goes off on Christy, telling her that she has a huge gambling problem she’s not addressing. Upset, Christy leaves.
After returning home, Bonnie and Adam expect to find Christy there, but she’s nowhere to be found. With her car there, Bonnie starts getting really nervous and heads out to find her. While driving around, she finds her walking down the street, still wearing her graduation gown. Apologizing for the bad timing for her blow up, Bonnie expresses her worry over Christy’s gambling.
The next day, after a meeting, Christy apologizes to her friends for gambling away the gift they gave her. Insisting that they go on to the bistro without her, Christy says she’ll finish cleaning up the place and she’d see Bonnie at home. Instead of heading home after, she goes down the hall to a gamblers anonymous meeting.
Back at home, Christy tells her mom about the meeting. Revealing that she didn’t tell her because she wasn’t all that sure she was actually going to go, Christy seems at peace saying how glad she is that she did. Bonnie, handing her a letter, instructs Christy to open it, since it looks pretty important. Learning that she got into law school, the two celebrate, even though Bonnie had already opened it and read the contents. While jumping up and down, Christy says all she needs is $150,000 to pay for it with Bonnie replying “one day at a time.”
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What did you think of these last few episodes? Sad to see Christy’s gambling problem get the best of her? Proud to see her get help? What will happen next season? Will Bonnie and Adam finally get married or will they keep pushing it off? Excited to find out Christy’s hard work has paid off and she’s going to law school? Let us know in the comment section below!