Workin’ Moms Season 7 Review: A Hilariously Touching, if Somewhat Bumpy, Conclusion

Workin’ Moms concludes its seven-season run with a hilarious and touching final bow that finds the magic despite narrative bumpiness. The series satisfyingly wraps up each leading player’s arc, giving them the sendoff they deserve. 

Season 7 boasts some of the funniest, laugh-out-loud moments in the series, notably Kate messing around with the vibrating zombie head prototype when Nathan and Nathan Jr. walk in on her. The creative choice to play “Monster Mash” while Nathan complains about ice cream, along with the clever editing and camerawork, effectively builds comedic tension and culminates in a moment of unadulterated hilarity. 

Catherine Reitman is an understated comedic force who injects nuance and subtlety into each moment and never goes over the top to deliver laughs. She’s a grounded onscreen presence in that regard. Arguably, the season’s most humorous scenes are centered around Kate, whether it’s her dialogue and quirky terminology (ahem, “c*msicles”) or acting like a baby in front of Lionel because she’s angry with Anne. 

Enuka Okuma has been a boon for the series for the last few seasons. While Juno Rinaldi’s absence is profoundly felt, Sloane steps in as the polar opposite of Frankie, bringing a different facet to the core group dynamic. This allowed Val to become more of the eccentric comedic relief and fill the Frankie void.

Okuma fires on all cylinders this season, injecting Sloane with an abundance of idiosyncrasies and depth. Sloane has one of the best and most rounded arcs on the show despite her debut occurring five seasons in. She goes from being a staunch and immovable career woman who refrained from processing her childhood trauma to a mother who realizes she deserves love. 

While some might argue Sloane’s storyline is a bit tired and overdone — career woman tries to multitask working while mothering and refuses to accept help from her partner — it veers toward a fitting conclusion. Sloane is a character of extremes; she’s either all in or all out. She attempts to normalize breastfeeding in the workplace, which is wonderful but perhaps takes it a touch too far in her impassioned quest. 

Sloane undergoes quite a bit of transformation in Season 7 as she navigates the waters of new motherhood and how that affects her career. The season also artfully pulls back the curtain on Sloane’s tragic childhood and links it to her present. We discover why she is the way she is and why she rejects any dissection of her trauma. Sloane learns to cultivate the motherly love she was sorely lacking and that there’s nothing wrong with shifting your priorities. 

Nowadays, women are conditioned to shy away from softness, as it’s sometimes perceived as a “weakness.” Even Sloane’s client refers to her newfound focus on motherhood over her career as “weak.” However, Sloane, especially at the end of the season, doesn’t view it as such. Her growth is beautiful to witness. Workin’ Moms reminds us that women contain multitudes. They’re strong and soft. 

Other standout players include Dani Kind as Anne. Anne’s arc this season is somewhat perplexing, but Kind attacks it with verve, delivering a layered performance that digs deep into another side of Anne’s personality. The season could’ve stood to delve further into the accident’s impact on her. After a brief adjustment period spanning a few episodes, Anne ostensibly recovers. It feels like too quick of a shift. 

Similarly, Anne’s obsession with high schooler Seamus is another strange/creepy facet of her arc. Of course, Anne’s newly established fixation with achieving another adrenaline rush pre-accident is, ultimately, what fuels it. She’s living vicariously through him.

While the age difference is questionable, and she violates plenty of medical laws as a therapist, perhaps the weirdest aspect of all this is her getting off on Seamus describing what he loves about his girlfriend. Granted, this is before she discovers he’s dating her daughter, but still. Anne’s rebellious arc deserves to be fleshed out more. That said, Anne and Alice’s complicated mother-daughter bond has never been more exciting to explore. The show depicts the intricacies of their relationship with grace and sensitivity. 

Writing-wise, the season rushes some storylines, presumably to wrap every character’s arc in a neat bow at the end. Disjointedness is present, especially with fewer Kate/Anne and group scenes. Kate and Anne’s friendship is the crux of this series. Needless to say, the moms feel more separate than ever. However, the series finale makes up for the narrative unevenness. 

Workin’ Moms shines when its talented ensemble is together. Case in point, Season 7 Episode 7, “It’s All Gone.” This outing feels like a return to form, with the cast hilariously attempting to recount a fun night they don’t recall. Is there anything funnier than Forrest dressed as a vagina while quizzing Alice on male anatomy? Yes, but it’s still pretty damn funny. 

Raymond Ablack is a charming supporting character and a swirling storm of conflict for Kate as she embarks on an emotional affair with his character, Ram. His chemistry with Reitman is off the charts. Kate’s fortitude in the face of temptation is admirable, especially given her husband’s outright affair with Mean Nanny in Season 1. 

Hats off to Jessalyn Wanlim for portraying a hotly contested character like Jenny with such humor and depth. This season, we meet Jenny’s mother, which sheds light on her behavior and allows us to empathize with her. Of course, Jenny boasts questionable morals, and her lack of redemption up to the series finale is frustrating, but she’s realistic. There are plenty of Jennys in the world. 

Sometimes, it takes a while for someone to absorb the gravity of their actions and make notable changes. Jenny doesn’t fully realize the scope of her negative influence until the end, but again, this is grounded in realism. Jenny also spends most of the season directionless, which is also true to life. We’re supposed to be irritated by her lack of growth and how long she takes to evolve while cheering for it regardless. 

Sarah McVie is a consistent and reliable presence on Workin’ Moms. While her ability to still produce milk is damn near inexplicable, Val selling her breast milk is such a fun bit that aligns with her character. McVie embraces Val’s absurdness without going over the top. She lets the hilarious dialogue and her physicality speak for themselves. 

Season 7 Episode 13, “The End,” the series finale, is a beautiful homage to the beating heart of Workin’ Moms: finding the magic in the madness. It brings to a close the respective arcs of these messy, complex, and darkly hilarious women who strive to strike that balance between motherhood and professional pursuits. Everything from Kate’s poignant conversation with her father’s ghost (some of Reitman’s best acting work) and the show’s use of flashbacks (Kate’s dad telling a young Kate to find the magic in life) to Anne learning to let go provides profound closure for us all. 

That’s a central theme of Season 7 — learning to let go and let live. Sloane struggles to let go of what she can’t control and embrace the unknown, aka being a mother. Jenny grapples with letting go of her old ways. Anne tries to let go of Alice as the latter embarks on a trip to Australia. Kate lets go of perfection and sacrifices a bigger paycheck for more fulfilling work.

While Val tends to go more with the flow, she lets go of her past with her ex-husband and clings tightly to Mel, her future. In the end, they all find their form of magic. It’s cathartic and gratifying. 

Overall, Season 7 of Workin’ Moms isn’t the show’s strongest collection of episodes; however, despite the rough patches, it’s still equal parts fiercely funny and deeply heartfelt. Everyone in the cast brings their A-game for this last hurrah. It’s a moving meditation on womanhood, motherhood, and having it all. These characters are lovably imperfect and have left an indelible mark on the TV comedy landscape. 

Here’s to the moms and the magic. 

Stray Observations: 

• I miss Frankie and was crossing my fingers for a Juno Rinaldi appearance in the series finale. Other characters I wanted to see in the finale include but are not limited to the following: Ian (Dennis Andres) and Alicia (Kat Barrell). While Frankie was a series regular for five seasons, Ian also played a major supporting role as Jenny’s baby daddy. Alicia was a fun “straight man” character. 
• Kate harbors far greater willpower than me — it would’ve been challenging not to jump Ram’s bones at any given moment. Hotdog. 
• I love the idea of male birth control that gives them the same symptoms as women. Let them suffer for a change! Nathan’s experience of these symptoms when he takes Seedless is hilarious. 
• If you didn’t cry while Kate talks to her father’s ghost, you might be a robot. This was filmed after Ivan Reitman’s passing, Catherine Reitman’s father. Her emotion is so genuine and palpable. I bet she didn’t have to dig deep to tap into that emotional state. What a gut punch. Seeing Dan Aykroyd return is a delight, especially given his connection to Ivan. 
• Is there a better love story than the one between Lionel and Tula? I think not. 
• This show boasts a surprising amount of crossover with Wynonna Earp because of its cast. Quite a few major/supporting players also have roles on the latter. 
• Lionel is the MVP of Husbands and has been for seven consecutive seasons. He’s the gold standard. 

What did you think of this final season of Workin’ Moms? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Workin’ Moms Seasons 1-7 are currently streaming on Netflix.

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