The Trades - A Dose of Reality: Breaking Bonaduce 2

Home · Reviews · Interviews · Contests · Blog · Forums · Follow Us On Twitter

CONTESTS

CD Giveaway - Sam Shrieve, "Bittersweet Lullabies" Ends Nov 29, 2009
The current student at Berklee College of Music has a rock 'n' roll pedigree, but delivers a pleasing and diverse collection of soft pop on his debut record. Enter our contest for your chance to win!

The Twilight Saga: New Moon Prize Pack Ends Nov 29, 2009
The second installment of the Twilight saga is hitting theaters, and we've got the stylish goodies you'll howl over!

Straight No Chaser, "Christmas Cheer" CD Giveaway Ends Nov 22, 2009
Those a capella maestros return with a refill of the bubbly fun stuff we can never get enough of at Christmas time.

Orphan Blu-Ray Giveaway Ends Nov 22, 2009
There's something very wrong with Esther... and it's not what you think.

Up - Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack Giveaway Ends Nov 22, 2009
Pixar's greatest film yet is available on Blu-Ray and ready to fly your way.

ARTICLE

A Dose of Reality: Breaking Bonaduce 2 - Episode 4
by Caroline Roberts
Published: November 12, 2006

	Print this article
	E-mail this article
	More articles by this author

Related Sites:
· Official Site
· SirLinksaLot.net: Breaking Bonduce

If Breaking Bonaduce has done anything to benefit society, it has helped show people faced with mental illnesses what to do and - more important - what not to do. In this episode, the audience leans that if Danny Bonaduce can stay on his meds, then they can, too.

While Danny's wife, Gretchen, is telling Dr. Garry how easy it is for her to file for divorce, Danny is speaking to his own therapists - the television cameras in his car. He says that their trip to Boston, where Danny accepted the Harvard Lampoon spoof Hasty Pudding Award, was a "wash." But, other than the shouting match in the hotel room when Gretchen refused to sleep with him, Danny seemed to have a mighty fine time.

On the bright side, Danny receives the results of his drug test, and the doctor declares that, much to everyone's surprise given his recent erratic behavior, Danny is clean. Danny is elated because he now has bona fide proof that he must be really crazy if he still acts nutty while he's off the illegal drugs.

Armed with his increased awareness of his own mental instability, Danny shuttles off to yet another doctor, only this one should be familiar if you saw last season. Anyone remember Dr. Kumar, the guy at the rehab center who dressed nicely because the cameras were coming? That's my kind of guy! Dr. Kumar is now on board to supplement Dr. Garry by making sure Danny stays on his regular Kurt Cobain Cocktail of medication. (Between Dr. Garry, Dr. Kumar, the Dr. who administered the drug test, and the rockabilly-punk intervention team, Danny's got an antidrug army that would make Nancy Reagan proud.)

Now that Danny's taking his legal meds, Dr. Garry is willing to speak with him, probably because he feels somewhat assured that Danny won't tear his face off. In Dr. Garry's office, Danny is downright contrite. He even says to Dr. Garry, "I'm really, really sorry."

Not content with mending the fences with his therapist, Danny also sends flowers to Gretchen in a full-on love ambush. Not that Gretchen notices. He calls her to reveal some deep feelings. Granted, Danny's deep feelings tend to occur at odd times, but Danny seems to be improving. And all Gretchen can do is say, "That's a conversation for another time, okay?"

Does she want things to get better, or does she not? If Danny's trying - and he did have a clean drug test - then she needs to try, too. Either that, or she should have walked out a long time ago. There's no point in stringing Danny along. He has enough troubles without love troubles.

As part of his campaign for self-improvement, Danny also spends time with his kids. With Isabella, he's great in the role of Cool Dad, but he takes it a touch far when he takes Dante out for lunch. Dante's a verbal kid, as any Bonaduce Offspring would be. During lunch, he calls a bird that is about to poop on Danny's head "Bastard!" It's cute the first time, but then Dante points and says, "Bastard!" again. It's definitely not cute the second time. Where's he picking that up? Did I mishear it? I sure hope I did.

Danny and Gretchen finally meet together face-to-face, but it's not in Dr. Garry's office. Instead, they discuss their personal problems on - you guessed it - television, and they air out their neuroses on Dr. Drew Pinsky's show "Strictly Dr. Drew."

Since this is the second time Danny and Gretchen have appeared together while Gretchen scrupulously avoids Danny otherwise, it's time to talk about Gretchen. The audience has no clue what happens on camera, but, the way that it's edited, it looks as if Gretchen only cares about and encourages Danny when she gets the chance to be the public "Mrs. Bonaduce." It isn't clear that she wants to be the private "Mrs. Bonaduce." When she talks about that matter with Dr. Garry, she doesn't seem especially interested.

When Gretchen is in Dr. Garry's office, she never talks about herself - she talks about herself only in relation to Danny. She has identified so much with being the public "Mrs. Bonaduce," that it might be weird for her to split, but, at the same time, if she's not interested in having Danny-Bonaduce-the-Person around, then she should cut him loose. She's had him in a limbo for a while, which really can't be helping matters.

This discussion leads into what is going to happen next week. Gretchen allows Danny to move back into the house, but she won't let him sleep in their bedroom. Nothing says "I don't like you in that way" more than making your husband sleep in the guest bedroom when you haven't even had a fight yet.