THANKSGIVING

Reba

Season 4 (2004)

Nick is a big fan of Reba and I... not so much.  Some of the characters are too exaggeratedly stupid for my taste and it has a bit too much of that cookie-cutter sitcom feel to overall.  However I must admit that this Thanksgiving episode is pure fun.  It leans heavily on tropes but is buoyed along by Melissa Peterman’s performance as bubbly second wife Barbara Jean and, to a lesser extent, sassy Reba herself.

Once again we’ve got a conflict over hosting duties, as Reba does battle with replacement wife Barbara Jean over who gets to have the family for the holiday.  They end up agreeing to hold the festivities at Reba’s house but Barbara Jean gets to make the meal.  Reba is rebuffed when Barbara Jean’s changes to the traditions are welcomed by the family (artichoke dip instead of French onion; embossed gourd place cards instead of a centerpiece, and so on). 

Obligatory family-at-the-table picture

However it’s Barbara Jean who ultimately gets the blues when the family runs off with Reba to play football and she’s left alone in the kitchen.  The two women come together when Reba assures Barbara Jean that one day she’ll take the central “turkey” role in the family instead of just being the supplemental “gravy.” 

Barbara Jean gets her "hip-Hopi" on

So a basic plot but it’s dripping in Thanksgiving elements, including lots of fall leaf garlands, paper turkey cutouts and food galore.  By far the best scene is when Barbara Jean dances along to an all-Navajo radio station to get in the Thanksgiving mood. If you can block out the annoyingly dumb secondary characters and focus on the two female leads and the great Thanksgiving décor you’ve got yourself one tasty treat of an episode.

Recurring Themes: Only our second episode in and we’ve got another Who Hosts?

The Menu: Artichoke Dip (formerly French Onion), Sweet Potatoes, Twice-Baked Potatoes, Sweet Carrots, Turkey & a Carrot-tini for Barbara Jean (she was out of olives)

Thanksgiving Quotient: 5

See It, Skip It, Own It?

Worth seeing for sure; I would say own it but I can’t vouch for the quality of the entire season/show.

Amen.  Let's eat!