Emmy Episodes: Mom

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. For the sixth year in a row, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

Mom: Season 8, Episode 16 “Scooby-Doo Checks and Salisbury Steak” (C)

I’ve seen only seen four episodes of this show over the course of its entire run, the last three of which were for the most recent times that star Allison Janney got nominated. I will be watching the series finale, which is her submission for her return to the race, but this episode earned the show a first-ever bid for directing. I can’t understand why since there was nothing all that fantastic about it in my mind, and it was actually one of two episodes put forward by the show for consideration in that category. Since I’ve barely watched the show, I’m not familiar enough with any of the characters, but I did appreciate seeing two actors I did not know were part of the cast. Rainn Wilson is one of them, playing a very different role than the one he’s most famous (and Emmy-nominated) for on “The Office,” and his inability to speak like a person when Bonnie convinced him to call his crush from high school was slightly amusing. Will Sasso was also somewhat fun as the shorts- and crocs-wearing love interest for Jill who wasn’t able to drive and be emotionally honest at the same time. I’m a big fan of William Fichtner from his “Invasion” and “Prison Break” days, and I’m sure that the relationship between Adam and Bonnie has one through a lot to get to the point of him thinking kissing is overrated and not feeling any sympathy that she squirted barbecue sauce on her pants. I don’t have high hopes for the finale.