Bless This Mess Review: After-Prom (Season 2 Episode 17)

Bless This Mess is normally a show I like to dote on. Each of my reviews I ramble on about the wonderful lessons that the show teaches while sprinkling plenty of open and honest communication throughout. So much to the fact, that I often fear my reviews have become one-sided to some extent.

I especially enjoy the treatment the writers give Mike as a husband and as a man in general. He isn’t some clueless, bumbling idiot who only cares about sex and not pissing off his wife. Mike is a responsible adult who looks out for his wife and their relationship — a man who I can not only relate to, but look up to as well. 

This is why Bless This Mess Season 2 Episode 17, “After-Prom,” is such a let down to me. 

While the characters are typically well written, in this episode they boil down to stereotypes. Even the morals they attempt to put across are lost in drunken slurs and idiocracy.

This isn’t to say there aren’t any laughs along the way. I have a giggle or two at the ultimately lackluster competition between Rudy and Brandon. Their awkward bromance is a highlight of the episode.

Enough with beating around the bush though, I can’t just say the episode sucks and expect you to take it as gospel. I must do my duty and set out to convince you why I feel this way — opinions work best when backed up with hard evidence after all.

The episode starts with Jacob receiving an acceptance letter to the University of Nebraska. A tiny celebration is thrown for the occasion with a few simple pats on the back and looks of surprise from people that aren’t Jacob’s parents. 

A time like this is often met with mixed emotions. Happiness for new beginnings, but fear of change settles in rather quickly. 

This is true in nearly any new endeavor in life. You got a new job that pays more — hurray! Then reality sets in. What if the job sucks or you just aren’t that good at it?

These are natural reactions that all of us go through. Plain and simple, this is the way the brain works. We get comfortable in our lives, settling in situations that aren’t ideal — it’s amazing what you can learn to live with.

Although one would think these thoughts would weigh heaviest on Jacob or Kay, the one it hits hardest is Beau.

My first thought is, great, a lesson about the complicated emotions men often feel in these times of turbulence. I’m especially excited that Mike recognizes the change in Beau’s demeanor almost instantly, instead of taking a majority of the episode to come to terms with what is going on.

I am quickly let down by how Mike decides to handle the situation — by getting Beau plastered.

Don’t get me wrong, I love to toss back a couple of cold ones with my friends and shoot the breeze about this, that, and the other thing. It’s a simple way for men to blow off steam built up from the typical day-to-day hustle. I get it, I do it, and when done responsibly, there isn’t much of a problem with it.

The problem lies in the belief that this is the only way Mike can get Beau to open up to him about his problems. Supposedly, men are so closed off and sheltered from other men that they need to be well lubricated to open up to each other. 

While I’m guessing this may be true for some men somewhere — this isn’t a cold, hard fact. 

I can easily go to one of my friends at work and let them know exactly how I’m feeling. It is a mutual sign of respect to be able to let your feelings known to another man. It may be difficult to do this with a stranger, but Mike and Beau have known each other intimately enough that this shouldn’t be a problem. 

Men indeed like to have a tough exterior. We face many problems in silence, even though we are falling apart inside. It’s part of our genetic makeup.

Close friends help us to chisel through the walls we build and see the real man hidden inside. Alcohol shouldn’t be the thing that does this for us. 

When alcohol is the go-to to get us through any given situation it becomes a dependency. Dependency then turns into alcoholism, and the ball keeps rolling until you hit rock bottom.

If and when the person dependent on alcohol hits rock bottom, he will hopefully realize alcohol isn’t the solution he hoped it would be.

Unfortunately, Mike and Beau truly bond over the confiscated booze. Beau opens up about the past, lashing out at the decorative jersey that replaced his on the high school wall.

Again, this is all quite humorous. The steady flow of changing emotions that spews forth from Beau isn’t only comical, but sadly a bit relatable as well. 

Kay: The doctors were wrong about you — I knew it!

Mike tries to help Beau see that all of these pent up emotions relate to Jacob, but Beau won’t hear it. It isn’t clear if Beau really isn’t seeing the connection, or if he is flat out lying to Mike. Either way, Mike’s plan isn’t as fool-proof as he believed it would be in the beginning — at least that is one saving grace of the situation.

At this point, I’m hoping that Mike’s idea fully backfires in his face, but alas, it does not. Mike gets the exact results he wants from the situation,  and I think that this is very irresponsible of the writers. 

I get that Mike and Beau are full-grown adults and of drinking age, and the demographics for the show isn’t your typical fourth grader. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a bunch of impressionable children watching with the rest of their family, misinterpreting the moral of the story that alcohol solves your problems. 

Even if it isn’t children that are watching, this message can reinforce negative behavior and stereotypes in adults. 

Someone who currently is going through alcohol addiction and is finally coming to terms with it can see this episode and feel that they have judged themselves a bit too harshly. After all, it is a hoot to see Mike and Beau get wrestled down to the ground by some scrawny teenager.

What I’m trying to get at here is that the end doesn’t justify the means. 

Sure, Beau eventually spills his beans and there is an amount of healing that takes place because of it. That’s great for the character’s breakthrough and the further understanding of himself. 

The process, on the other hand, is just wrong. I feel there is no way to whitewash the scenario. Drinking to deal with your issues is not a solution at all.

If you or someone you know are dealing with alcohol addiction, please reach out for help. The quicker you deal with the situation, the more likely you will be able to recover with fewer consequences. 

What did you think of this episode of Bless This Mess? Am I being a bit too harsh on the episode? 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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