So Help Me Todd returned from a brief two-week hiatus to another strong installment, after receiving its long-anticipated season 2 renewal. The show has had strong ratings on CBS since its debut, and this week’s episode was its strongest showing yet, scoring series high ratings. Viewers are hooked and rightfully so. Everything from the creative writing, relatable characters and the amazing dynamic between Skylar Astin and Marcia Gay Harden, almost guarantees that this show will be a hit for a long time to come.
The theme of this episode was family, specifically how far people are willing to go to support family members in times of struggle. It is well known by now that the Wright’s are far from a perfect family, and their dysfunction was on full display this week when Lawrence returned to town. Lawrence has an important job, Chief of Staff for the Governor, which keeps him away from his family almost full-time. When he does get some time away from his career to spend with family, he is stoic and guarded, except for when he is with his daughter, Clem, who he has a soft spot for. Lawrence’s contentious relationship with Todd took centre stage this episode, with the two spending the majority of the hour squabbling with one another. But thanks to the magic of Psilocybin mushrooms, viewers were finally able to see a softer side to Lawrence and were given a better understanding of the reason for his robotic nature. We will get to that in a minute.
The purpose of Lawrence’s visit was to bring Governor Willa to meet with Margaret. The Governor was cashing in a debt that was owed by Margaret, for the Governor’s assistance on a previous case. The Governor has her own family drama, by way of an estranged relationship with her sister, Debbie, whom she claims is a struggling alcoholic. Debbie took over the family farm when their grandmother died, and she has a man squatting on their land causing her trouble. The Governor wants Margaret to help remove the squatter from the property officially, legally and quietly, since he is a US veteran.
This is by far the most absurd case that the Wright’s have investigated to date. Debbie claims to be getting terrorized at night by flying lights in the sky, which Todd is convinced are aliens. Margaret, Todd and Lyle speak to the squatter, Ben, who insists that the neighbours are involved in the strange occurrences. The threesome end up at a farmer’s market run by the neighbours, Sara and Joe, who happen to be Psilocybin mushroom farmers. When asked about the supernatural events that are happening at Debbie’s farm, the couple alleges that Ben must be behind it, as they have seen his violent tendencies when they’ve approached him about leaving the farm. As Margaret, Lyle and Todd are leaving the farm, Margaret gets a call from Debbie that the farm is on fire. During the arson investigation, the police find illegal drugs and Debbie is arrested for felony possession of a controlled substance.
Margaret, Todd and Lawrence decide to spend the night at the farm, to see if the strange occurrences will occur while they are there. Margaret, desperate for her sons to find common ground, parallels the governor's estranged relationship with her sister to Lawrence and Todd. Margaret encourages the brothers to mend things while they still can, so that they don’t end up estranged after she inevitably passes. Things take a strange turn, when Lawrence begins babbling nonsense. They discover that he drank the Psilocybin tea that was given to them by Sara and Joe at the market. Under the influence of mushrooms, Lawrence lets his guard down and confesses that all he wants is for Todd to like him. All of these years, Todd has believed that Lawrence hates him, when that is far from the truth. Yes, Lawrence is extremely bothered by the fact that Todd continues to get bailed out by his mother, despite the plethora of bad choices that he has made. Underneath the surface, however, all Lawrence wants is the love and acceptance of his brother. This revelation put things into perspective for Todd, and despite an uncomfortable family dinner with the Governor, the Wright’s are in the best place they have been as a family since the beginning of the series.
After a bizarre chain of events, including Margaret and Todd using football plays to take down the supposed UFO, the flying object in the sky turns out to be a drone which is discovered to belong to the neighbours, Sara and Joe. Knowing Margaret and Todd are on to them, the couple kidnap and tie them up. The two, however, are far from experienced felons. Sara is upset because Joe is the one who has put them in this predicament, leading to them getting so distracted by fighting, that Lyle and Lawrence are able to use their military expertise to swoop in and save Todd and Margaret. I am not sure viewers were ever made aware that Lyle was in the air force and Lawrence served time in the military. Nevertheless, Lawrence’s military background showcased his softer side yet again, as he vowed to help Ben the squatter, also a former vet, get back on his feet.
In the end, the charges are dropped against Debbie and the sisters are able to reconcile their differences and move towards a better future. It appears the Wright’s have landed in the same place, however it is difficult to say how long this will last. Todd and Allison’s past legal battles were once again discussed as a potential barrier for Lawrence to run for governor successfully, when the time comes. It was also made clear that Allison isn’t finished claiming her life back from underneath her mother’s clutches. The foreshadowing is strong that a storm is brewing for the Wright’s. Exactly what that will look like remains to be seen, but with such a strong writing team, there is no doubt that viewers are in for a strong dramatic storyline.
The earlier visit to the farmer's market proved to be somewhat of a gift for Margaret. A palm reader predicted that she has recently experienced heartbreak, and is therefore blocking herself from allowing love in again. He gave her a charm to use to unblock her heart when she is ready. At the end of the episode, Margaret opened the charm and it gave her the courage to take the next step in her relationship with Gus. She texted him, asking to meet for drinks and the scene ended with the three infamous dots, indicating that Gus is writing back. Viewers will need to wait and see if Gus is ready to move forward as well. Margaret has made substantial growth since her husband left at the beginning of the season, and it is great to see her finally let her guard down and be willing to try and find love again.
This episode also gave us a tender moment between Todd and Susan, and it was made clear that Todd feels like he made a huge mistake letting Susan go all those years ago. Susan has been a highly under-utilized character thus far, and it was great to see that there is the potential for things between her and Todd to be coming to a head soon. Susan has the potential to be a strong character and a positive presence in Todd’s life, and there is an undeniable chemistry between Todd and Susan that has the potential to be a great story. Viewers will have to wait and see what happens as we move into the penultimate episode next week. Will we finally get to meet Susan’s fiance? Does Susan even want to start things up again with Todd? Share your thoughts below and follow me on Twitter @MiddleofCanada.
