Bless This Mess : Six Out of Six (Season 2 Episode 7)

Bless This Mess Season 2 Episode 7, “Six Out of Six,” attacks something new this time around. Mike and Rio discuss the fear of babies. Okay, not literally fearing babies, but fearing the change a baby can bring into a relationship and life in general.

The episode starts with some very hungry piglets causing a ruckus because their mother is too sick to feed them. A call to the local vet puts everything in perspective, letting Mike and Rio know that they have to put everything aside to tackle this concern. The results are a quick trip to the corner store to get some special formula.

While at the store, Mike and Rio run into a majority of their neighbors who are setting up for what looks like a party. At this point, I think I already have the episode figured out.

Mike and Rio are going to sneak their way into getting invited, and by the end, the townspeople will all have a closer understanding of each other. Blah, blah, blah.

It isn’t that this would be an extremely horrible premise per se. It’s just this idea has been done several times on this show’s short-run, and it is headed towards redundancy. 

Luckily, my assumptions prove wrong.

Instead, the discussion of the piglets comes up and how they are thriving. Everyone seems shocked they haven’t lost any yet. Eventually, the topic evolves into Mike and Rio having children. 

This surprises me a bit. The thought of Mike and Rio with a baby has never occurred to me. Sure, they are a great couple, so why not?

It seems strange to me now that I think of it because there are no children on the show. Jacob is well into high school, so he doesn’t count. The next youngest person would have to be Brandon.

One would think with living in the country there would be more children running around. More time at home means more alone time (wink, wink).

This topic hasn’t occurred to Mike recently either. While still in front of the neighbors, Mike decides there is no time like the present, and there isn’t anything that should be holding him back. 

Rio, on the other hand, still has her apprehensions. 

Again, I assume where this is going to take us. Rio is going to hide her true feelings until the end of the episode, and then let them spill out on Mike right before the credits roll. Nope, wrong again — damn, I’m sucking this week.

Moments outside of the shop door, Mike and Rio are already having a heart to heart about what it means to have a baby.

It is good to see Mike maturing as a character. He realizes immediately that he blindly agreed to have a baby without the concern or involvement of his wife. Well, technically she would be involved, but you know what I mean.

After an apology, this opens a dialog between the two about what is holding them back at this point. Mike produces an old pros and cons list from his pocket, and they go over it together.

Mike: We’re gonna have a baby!

I love that this list already exists. It makes the situation more believable because it has been discussed before. It furthers the couple’s backstory, making them feel more like real people instead of just likable characters.

Upon reading the list, the two discover that many of their cons are no longer founded according to where they currently live.

We do this often in real life, make a list of excuses to not do something, and then never revisit the situation — even years later. Just because something was a no back then,  it doesn’t mean it should always be a no. Situations change, plain and simple.

It is always a good idea to reinforce any decision you make by rehashing your decisions at a later date. Maybe going back to school was a bad idea after you just bought the new house, but now that you are financially stable again, that excuse doesn’t hold much water.

Mike and Rio understand this, so they do the right thing and make a new pros and cons list. Many of their cons are laughable, along with a couple of their pros. This is to give us a chuckle, but it isn’t necessarily a bad idea.

Get every crazy, hair-schemed excuse out of your head. Sometimes once it is out in the open, we are more likely to see how ludicrous it is. 

Rio recognizes these cons as being a little out there, and eventually uses the clause of “a real con” to show Mike that she does have some legit anxiety of the situation. Of course, Mike is afraid as well, but he understands that some things shouldn’t be avoided out of fear alone.

Sometimes the possible blessings outweigh the possible burdens. Only you and your partner can decide that together. And this is exactly what Mike and Rio do.  

They come together and decide that having a baby is something they want to do, even if it means there will be a few potholes in this road we call life.

Soon after their unanimous decision, life throws them a curveball because that, of course, is how life works. Every action has a reaction as a result.

Mike needs to run to the store for more formula, leaving Rio alone with the piglets. Before he even gets the car started, Rio is texting him for help. Yep, all hell breaks loose. 

So many times this happens to us. We think we have everything figured out and we are on the right path, just to be blindsided by something out of left field. This will make you doubt every decision you just made, no matter how grounded and level-headed it is. 

With the piglets on the loose, Rio takes this as a bad omen that they shouldn’t be parents. It is easy to come to these kinds of conclusions. It often feels like the world is against us.

Falling prey to her doubts, Rio and Mike make mistakes leading to the piglets being locked in the car. Almost every high is answered with a low if you haven’t noticed by now.

Eventually, Kay and Beau come to help out by not only freeing the imprisoned piglets but also lending some helpful life advice. 

This is key. After coming to a major decision about something, share it with someone who has had similar circumstances. They can weigh in on the subject, possibly relieving some of the doubts you still have. 

Everyone doubts their abilities at some point. An outside perspective can put things in focus and realign what you hold to be true. 

All of these ideas hold true in life, no matter if the decision is about having a baby or whether or not you should buy the newest video gaming system. 

No one person has all the right decisions at the right time.  Things happen, things fall apart, and if you handle things correctly, things get rebuilt. Often when things get rebuilt, they end up stronger and better than before.

Such is Mike and Rio’s relationship. They face their concerns head-on and end up in a better place because of it. They still have their fears, but they are willing to face them together.

What did you think of this episode of Bless This Mess? How will Mike and Rio having a baby affect the show? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

 

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

 Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

Lisa Linke on ABC’s ‘Bless This Mess’ [Exclusive Interview]