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!

TURKEY OR FISH?

Everybody Loves Raymond
Season 1 (1996)

Certain shows often have a specific holiday on lock.  Roseanne claimed Halloween and The Drew Carey Show dominated April Fool’s Day.  And while some purists (like my mom) may argue that The Bob Newhart Show owns Thanksgiving, really it’s Everybody Loves Raymond.  From this Season 1 episode onward, Everybody Loves Raymond brought us the best in Thanksgiving entertainment, a natural fit since the show regularly trafficked in small yet relatable family conflicts.  And what holiday brings out the familial conflict more than Thanksgiving?

In this episode Debra decides that for the first time she wants to host Thanksgiving dinner, meaning bumping mother-in-law Marie’s turn to host back a year.  True to character Marie is outraged and refuses to attend but then suddenly agrees.  Ray is suspicious of her motives, however, when she invites two eccentric relatives and Debra decides to make fish instead of the beloved turkey.  He’s convinced Marie is anticipating disaster (she later shows up with turkey in tow).

Have turkey, Will travel

Now alarmed, Debra goes a bit crazy in trying to pull together the perfect meal, leading to a kitchen meltdown.  This episode captures all too well the stress of entertaining.  Like Debra and my own mother before me, I love to entertain but am highly susceptible to stress-related freakouts.  And in real life boyfriend Nick definitely plays the Raymond role when it comes to party planning: helpful but a bit baffled by it all and definitely wary of emotional outbursts on my part.

Enterainin' ain't easy

After Ray accidentally puts the fish in the dishwasher and Frank chokes on it Debra concedes defeat, only for Marie to confess that Debra did indeed do a good job and should host Thanksgiving from now on—much to Ray’s dismay.   From the petty family interactions to the holiday stress to the ultimate feeling of togetherness, this episode nails it throughout.  The young daughter is even dressed as a yam for most of the episode.  It just doesn’t get more Thanksgivingy than this!

Enough for 11 adults and 3 kids?!

Side note: Both Nick and I had the same reaction when we saw the fish: no way was that going to feed all those people!  For shame, prop person who bought that fish.  And while I noticed that the red wine the adults are seen drinking with dinner looks awfully fruit punch-like, Nick pointed out that whether they went with the fish or the turkey either way they should be drinking white wine.  How gauche!

Recurring Themes: This episode centers around the classic Thanksgiving conflict of Who Hosts?  The Barones also receive two Last-Minutes Guests in the form of their great-uncle’s friends.

The Menu: Garnish plate (including radishes), Yams, Yellow Squash, Striped Bass, Turkey, Apple Brown Betty, & No Biscuits (since Ray got Baking Soda instead of Baking Powder)

Thanksgiving Quotient: We are starting the season off right with a solid 5!

See It, Skip It, Own It?

The whole series is worth owning for the Thanksgiving episodes alone, but watching this episode especially should be an annual tradition.