MOM Boss on Finding Comfort in Alvin’s Return

[Spoiler alert! This post contains spoilers for the Thursday, December 17 episode of MOM.]

MOM brought back a familiar face for the Thursday, December 17 episode: Kevin Pollack’s Alvin.

Bonnie (Allison Janney) had a complicated relationship with her ex—AKA Christy’s (Anna Faris) father who abandoned them right after Bonnie gave birth—with the duo estranged until Christy met him in season 1. Bonnie and Alvin found their way back to each other, despite him being married, and he died (um, while in bed with Bonnie) when they were on the verge of moving in together. But with Bonnie now happily married to Adam (William Fichtner), “Sober Wizard and a Woodshop Workshop” found her channeling her worry about her new husband’s safety into conversation with her long-dead boyfriend.

“We set out to tell a story about Bonnie trying to handle a situation differently than she would have in the past,” MOM co-creator Gemma Baker explained via email. “When Adam decides to go adaptive skiing, she is genuinely scared that he’s going to get hurt or die. In the past, she would have made sure he didn’t go on the trip because of her own selfish motives.  But she’s growing up a bit so she doesn’t even tell Adam that she’s worried so he can have fun. Bonnie is left alone with the discomfort of her fears which get bigger and bigger as the weekend goes on.”

“As we were discussing this in the writers’ zoom, we realized her crazy thoughts were actually not that crazy because this is a character who has experienced a lot of loss,” she continued. “Most notably when Alvin suddenly died of a heart attack just as they were moving in together. So we thought it might be nice for Bonnie to get some comfort directly from the source of her pain and have Alvin somehow materialize to talk her through it. And of course, we got excited by the idea right away because we all love Kevin and have missed him so much.” 

Typically, when an important character returns, the tape night for a multi-camera show has a little extra energy, as fans get to experience the shock of the reveal live. But with COVID-19 preventing studio audiences from attending tapings, they filmed the return in a bit of a bubble.

“You know, it’s so funny, I hadn’t really thought about it until now,” Baker admitted. “I guess I’ve gotten used to our new reality but you’re right, the live audience would have loved that! Aw, now I’m bummed! There are so few of us on set now and it’s challenging to do our show without the audience to give us feedback. In a way, the audience was like a character on our show—that’s how much they were part of the process.”

“But even with our small group, filming the Bonnie and Alvin scene was really special,” she continued. “They have such great chemistry. Not to mention, in this time where everything in our world is so uncertain, it’s comforting to see an old familiar face. Oh no, Kevin’s gonna think I’m calling him old. But you know what I mean, it was a very reassuring scene—and not just for Bonnie.

And while they don’t have something immediately in the works, Baker isn’t taking the possibility of Pollack returning off the table. “Nothing in the works yet, but we definitely welcome any excuse to bring him back!”

MOM, Thursdays, 9/8c, CBS

RELATED:

• MOM: ‘Sober Wizard and a Woodshop Workshop’ Photos
• MOM: ‘Astronauts and Fat Trimmings’ Photos
• MOM: ‘Tang and a Safe Space for Everybody’ Photos
• MOM: ‘Smitten Kitten and a Tiny Boo-Boo Error’ Photos
• MOM Post-Mortem: EP Gemma Baker on What’s Next for Bonnie Post-Christy
• MOM: What You Need to Know About the Season Premiere
• MOM Co-Creator Previews Christy’s Exit and Why the Comedy Isn’t Incorporating COVID
• LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT and MOM Stars Share Back-to-Work Photos
• MOM: Anna Faris Exits Ahead of Season 8

Follow @GiveMeMyRemote and @marisaroffman on Twitter for the latest TV news. Connect with other TV fans on GIVE ME MY REMOTE’s official Facebook page.

And be the first to see our exclusive videos by subscribing to our YouTube channel.

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases made through links/ads placed on the site.