Momma Drama right in your home, on NBC

We all remember those days when we lived at home, in the presence of our mothers loving care twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. We remember the lunches she packed us, the soccer games she drove us to, the school excuse notes she wrote. Our mothers did a lot of great things for us, and got so little in return. So, who says she can’t get a say in who we marry? Oh no! In NBC’s new series Momma’s Boys, the belief “momma knows best” is put to the test as three young men embark on a journey in search of passionate, undying love. But, unlike anything else seen before, they cannot act like whimsical Prince Charmings because…their momma’s are right on the scene, ready to put in their word.

The show opened with a bang last month. We saw everything we love to see in the beginnings of a quality show: the beachside, California estate, the huge room where everyone sleeps, and girls from all different backgrounds (though many seemed to be from Texas, oddly enough. I guess moms love Texans). We soon meet the boys – JoJo, a student and Michael Phelps sound-alike, Michael, a fireman, and Rob, a real estate broker. The good stuff, the real meat of the show, floods us as the three moms march in – Lorainne, Esther, and Khalood (aka Mrs. B). Mrs. B immediately sets off a firestorm by standing her ground she set before the show that she will not allow her son, sweet JoJo, to end up with an Asian, Muslim, Hispanic, or African American. Most girls ignore this, or at least keep their game faces on, but Vita, a strong-willed woman of color, will have none of it. She is immediately in Mrs. B’s face, yelling, insulting, making sure she knows what a bigot she is. But Vita can tirade and tantrum all she wants because Mrs. B knows she’s the one with the power, that she is the one who possesses the link into JoJo’s mind. Vita will be gone in a New York second, Mrs. B assures herself. However, does she know JoJo’s heart, does she know enough to control it? Can she make her wish come true? Another biological question, less mushy and more carnal, can she control his…well…something else?

I leave these questions up for you to answer as JoJo, Michael, and Rob with their moms venture on to find everlasting love. Who will go, who will stay, who’s hearts will be broken, the girl’s or, possibly more likely, the mom’s? Watch and see if the mothers can realistically get one last say, one last nudge in the side, right before they are no longer the only women in their son’s lives.

-Ben Reinhardt