Ep 9. The Mess

Mackenzie "Mickey" Murphy is a brash, irresponsible woman who has been living her life with abandon. When her wealthy sister and brother-in-law flee the country to escape federal charges, the guardianship of their three children falls to Mickey. She quickly learns that parenting is not as easy as she thought, but she tries to make the best of the situation. In season 1, episode 9 titled "The Mess," Mickey finds herself constantly cleaning up after the kids, but realizes they need to take responsibility for their own actions.

The episode opens with Mickey and the kids sitting around a coffee table littered with food and drinks. Ben, the youngest child, spills his milkshake all over the table and his siblings. Although Mickey is exasperated, she tries to keep her cool and called in Sabrina - her niece, to help clean up. But Sabrina is too busy on her phone, and Mickey is forced to clean up the mess herself. Later on, when Mickey discovers that the kids have been lying to her and sneaking out, she decides to teach them a lesson.

In order to make the kids realize the importance of cleaning up after themselves, Mickey institutes a new system in the household. For every mess they make, they will have to match that mess by cleaning it up somewhere else in the house. It's a scene of controlled chaos as the kids try to keep to the new cleaning system. Ben and Chip, the middle boy, try to get out of it, but Mickey doesn't budge, reminding them that this is a life skill they need to learn and integrate into their daily routine.

While the kids continue to grudgingly clean, Mickey heads out to a social event. She meets a handsome man and ends up making out with him in a bathroom at the event venue. Her blissful moment of passion quickly fades when she discovers the man is none other than Chip’s principal, Mr. Devereaux. Mickey tries to end the tryst, but Mr. Devereaux insists that they should continue their romance in secret. Mickey is uncomfortable with the situation but agrees to keep things under wraps.

Meanwhile, Sabrina and Alba, the housekeeper, discover an old video of Mickey performing a dance in a college talent show. Over the years, Mickey had claimed that she lost the video, but it turns out that she had lied about it. Sabrina leverages this new knowledge to get Mickey to take her to a party. She threatens to show the video to the kids if Mickey refuses, and before long, Mickey is deep in a party scene surrounded by Sabrina's friends.

Mickey starts to feel overwhelmed and goes outside to take a breath of fresh air. As she's outside, Mr. Devereaux calls her and asks when they can see each other again. Mickey stifles her disgust and tells him that she'll think about it. She is then interrupted by a call from Alba, informing her that the kids have made a mountain of laundry, and they need her help. Mickey drops everything to rush back home.

Back home, Mickey unintentionally sets a disastrous chain of events in motion. The family dinner turns chaotic as the kids start a food fight. Mickey loses her patience and threatens to cancel Ben's piano recital if they don't quit it. The children try to stand up to Mickey, but they soon realize that they are no match. Eventually, they submit and things start to calm down.

As the night winds down, Mickey and Sabrina share a moment of reconciliation. Sabrina admits that she uses her phone to escape from what makes her uncomfortable, and Mickey vows to help her navigate through some of life's tougher moments. It's a touching moment between the two of them.

The episode wraps up with Chip apologizing for trying to test Mickey and promises to behave better in the future. Mickey tells him that she can't promise it will be easy, but she's in it for the long haul. Overall, "The Mess" is an entertaining and heartfelt episode that highlights the challenges and joys of parenting.