Bless This Mess Review: Bang For Your Buck (Season 2 Episode 4)

Bless This Mess Season 2 Episode 4, “Bang For Your Buck,” puts relationship goals in the background and focuses on the power of the press. While Mike and Rio ultimately come together to face the situation, their connection as a couple isn’t the central focus and theme of this script.

Today the press is a mixed bag. Everyone can get in on it, posting articles and insightful tidbits wherever they would like. Sadly, that isn’t necessarily the best thing. 

With the ability for anyone to pop up anywhere, the truth gets bogged down with opinions rather than hard evidence. This is exactly what happens in Bucksnort.

It turns out that Bucksnort’s “royalty” isn’t all it is cracked up to be. 

One would think that a small town like Bucksnort would have less trouble with these kinds of situations because rural areas have spotty internet connections at best. Without proper channels, social media has to be hindered. Gossip is gossip though, and it always finds its way around.

All of this puts Kent and Rudy at odds with each other, causing them to argue over which one is really of “royal lineage.” While it is sort of cliche at this point, I never seem to get sick of seeing two grown-ass men going at it like a couple of toddlers. I don’t feel like it is an attack on men in general, but a commentary on the way we interact with each other. 

Sometimes it takes an outside view of ourselves to see how we look to other people — and let’s face it — sometimes we make ourselves look like fools.

Mike gets intertwined with this feud as he takes the reigns of the local newspaper.

At first, Mike takes Rio’s advice and tries not to get involved. This is good thinking on Mike’s end because even though we are all our own separate person, it is always best to consider other people’s feelings — especially when you live under the same roof.

Rio: We are a Bucksnort power couple now!

Unfortunately, Kent stirs the pot by trying to bribe Mike with free sperm. I have to admit, this gives me a good chuckle. It isn’t every day that you hear someone trying to bargain with the seed of an animal, and extra points for the character being serious about it!

Being the journalist that he is, Mike sees a red flag go up. If there isn’t anything to hide, then why try to cover it up?

The press was created to uncover the hard truths that some people don’t want us to hear. President Trump continues to discredit the media repeatedly throughout his time in office, and it is clear why. He doesn’t want us to exhume the thousands of bodies in his closet.

And that is exactly what happens when Rudy reveals all of his treasured memories from his sacred chest. Diaries, bones, and even the real cape are unearthed, spelling out a much different story than what is being told. 

Mike investigates the realities these items create, bringing an alternate possibility to the public eye.

Like with any other unwanted change, the townspeople have mixed emotions over the whole bit. Tantrums ensue causing Rio’s part in the re-enactment to be recast.

When something is unexpectedly taken out of our hands, we lash out and grab on to the nearest thing we can control — and oftentimes it is something rather petty.

I expect this turn of events to cause Mike and Rio to find some truth of their own, henceforth giving us our moral of the day. Surprisingly, this isn’t the case.

Yes, they do have a little heart-to-heart conversation as normal, but it doesn’t conclude the way that one would think. Rio sees that her actions to snuff out Mike’s journalistic integrity is misguided. She should be helping him achieve his dreams instead of putting a damper on it. 

This small revelation feels more like a byproduct of the plot more than a theme. I’m glad the writers can squeeze it in since it goes with the overarching morals of the show.

I’m even happier that the writers seem to be branching out from the singular theme of relationship study and chomp down on something that I feel is equally important — unbridled truth. 

If you think about it, the two go hand-in-hand. Relationships thrive when based upon honesty.

Any hidden secret can cause a seed of mistrust to start growing. When not treated properly, that baby can grow into an oak tree.

While oak trees are beautiful, they can get so big that they block our views. Cutting them down is no easy task either.

The polyamorous secret that everyone wants hidden is the humongous oak tree that has grown into the center of Bucksnort. This causes a major divide between two families that have a lot to gain from each other. 

By Mike attacking this tree head-on and in the public eye, he is taking a freshly sharpened ax to the trunk, and giving it the hardest swing of his life. The townspeople see the impact it makes and is no longer able to look in the other direction. Now that the job of cutting this beast down has started, they can all join in on taking it apart together.

We need to face the fears that a lie creates — plain and simple. Before we do any of that, we need to have the truth presented to us. 

This is the power and responsibility of the press. When used properly, the press gives us the power to take matters into our own hands, creating an open discussion between both parties with everything laid out of the table. 

Mike does his job, and he does it well. Now no one can look away from the cold hard facts staring in their faces. The truth sets the townspeople free from the woven deception of gossip and rumors. It may not be a pretty picture that is painted, but it is a portrait that everyone needs to see.

Looking over the words I just wrote, I feel I need to correct myself. 

On the surface, this episode isn’t majorly focused on relationships, but underneath I have to admit that it is. 

The marriage relationship, the family relationship, and even our relationship with media are all affected by the truth in some form or another. If we can learn to live in truth at all times, many hurdles will be cleared from our paths, giving us a stronger bond at our core. 

What did you think of this episode of Bless This Mess? What did you think of the town secret? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Bless This Mess airs Tuesdays at 8:30/ 7:30c on ABC.

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