I was really into the ongoing saga of Anna and Seb and Faye and they're various health and social services problems. But today I am all over the story of Mary and her relationship with her recently reunited son Jude and his new bride Angie.
Keep in mind that I'm still new to this show. I'm still catching up with the various characters' histories. I don't know what happened, but somehow Mary lost contact with Jude. But he's back in her life and she's all over him and her young grandson.
Of course, she's also just meeting up with her new daughter-in-law and has some concerns. And there's some merit to her concerns. Angie is a little bit off. She's stressed and exhausted and still adjusted to being a mother. Basically, she's struggle with postpartum depression.
But Mary somehow decided that Angie is a struggling alcoholic and is trying to drive that point home in passive-aggressive ways. Like hosting a small party and inviting one of her neighbors, who happens to be a recovering addict.
Anyway, Mary was caring for Baby Aidan in today's episode. And she's worried because Baby Aidan is feverish and crabby. She rushes off to get Angie and discovers that her daughter-in-law has a glass of wine in front of her. Angie tells Mary that she's going to take the baby to the hospital and Mary begins freaking out because of Angie's "drink problem" -- even after everyone assures her that Angie really hadn't had more than two sips.
Mary freaks out and ends up calling the police, accusing Angie of drunk driving. This results in Angie getting pulled over in front of her in-laws and forced to undergo a breathalyzer test. Of course, her BAC is well within the legal limit and she's allowed to take Baby Aidan to the hospital -- but not before she tells Mary that she'll never see her grandson again!
Mary gradually realizes that she's made a big mess of things, with help from her husband and friends. Unfortunately, things don't get any better when she's eventually confronted by Jude. Jude yells at his mother and tells her that she's a "freak" and unsafe to be around children. He tells her that she'll never see her or his family again.
Which, of course, was very upsetting for Mary.
But it's also a reminder that there are better ways of addressing concerns that your daughter-in-law might be an alcoholic than calling the police during a high-stress moment.