HALF & HALF: THE BIG THANKS FOR FORGIVING EPISODE (TV)
Summary
One in this comedy series about a pair of half-sisters living as neighbors after many years apart.
The Dee Dees extend an invitation to Mona and Phyllis to have Thanksgiving dinner at their house. They reveal that the invitation is at the behest of Ruth, Charles’s mother. They accept the invitation; Phyllis gets along well with Ruth and appreciates that she “get[s] under Dee Dee’s skin.” Spencer is invited to the dinner as well. Mona and Dee Dee realize that Ruth has treated each of them differently growing up: she gave Mona great affection and attention, but behaved more like a “drill sergeant” around Dee Dee. Mona arrives at Big Dee Dee’s house for the dinner, and Dee Dee makes it a “Thanksgiving goal” to try to connect with Ruth on a personal level, buying gifts for her in an attempt to win her over. Phyllis and Spencer arrive; Mona is angry at Spencer for accidentally revealing that she got a tattoo while drunk, drawing Phyllis’s ire. Phyllis discovers that Big Dee Dee has had their Thanksgiving dinner catered instead of preparing it herself as she promised Ruth, and Phyllis threatens to tell Ruth. Phyllis relents, but only if Big Dee Dee refrains from insulting her over dinner and goes out of her way to compliment her.
Ruth arrives, and Dee Dee’s attempts to endear herself to her quickly backfire. She warmly greets Phyllis and Mona but makes her distaste for Big Dee Dee quite apparent. Dinner begins, and everyone says what they are thankful for, although most of their toasts contain veiled insults at other people at the table. Soon everyone becomes suspicious when Big Dee Dee lavishes praise on Phyllis, and Mona and Spencer argue with each other constantly. Spencer eventually becomes frustrated and leaves the table; Dee Dee and Mona excuse themselves as well. Dee Dee is still upset over Ruth’s dismissive treatment of her and wants her approval, but Mona points out that she may be trying too hard, and that her worries mirror Mona’s own feelings about growing up without her father. Dee Dee becomes more determined to get Ruth to like her. Phyllis comes in and reveals that the real reason she is upset at Mona getting a tattoo is that she also has one, explaining that she made a similar “dumb mistake” when she was in her youth. Ruth manages to deduce that Big Dee Dee lied about preparing Thanksgiving dinner, leading to Big Dee Dee and Charles leaving the table.
Dee Dee and Ruth are left alone with each other, and Dee Dee defends her mother by explaining that both of them are constantly worried about what Ruth thinks of them. Ruth explains that all of her behavior towards Dee Dee over the years was part of an attempt to teach her about the value of hard work and the importance of earning what she has; she feels that Dee Dee has been “coddled” since birth and she felt it was necessary to give her a “wake-up call.” She admits that despite her attitude she loves Dee Dee and always has. Eventually everyone reassembles at the table and Ruth begrudgingly apologizes to Big Dee Dee. Mona also takes the opportunity to apologize to Spencer. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: UPN
- DATE: 9:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:20:57
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 122046
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - Comedy; TV - Comedy
- SERIES RUN: UPN - TV series, 2002-2006
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Yvette Lee Bowser … Executive Producer
- Jamie Wooten … Co-Executive Producer
- Jay Dyer … Producer
- David M. Matthews … Producer
- Beverly Rose Kubik … Producer
- Gina Scheerer … Associate Producer
- Jeffrey Klarik … Consulting Producer, Created by
- Winifred Hervey … Consulting Producer
- Ellen Gittelsohn … Director
- Beth Seriff … Writer
- Geoff Tarson … Writer
- Kip Collins … Music by
- Rachel True … Cast, Mona Thorne
- Essence Atkins … Cast, Dee Dee Thorne
- Chico Beynmon … Cast, Spencer Williams
- Valarie Pettiford … Cast, Big Dee Dee
- Telma Hopkins … Cast, Phyllis
- Diahann Carroll … Cast, Ruth
- Obba Babatunde … Cast, Charles