Mother's Day

As the girls prepare for a Mother's Day brunch, they remember other Mother's Days that were special while they wait to receive calls from their children.

Plot
The girls are all dressed to go out for brunch on Mother's Day, but are also waiting for their children's expected phone calls before they leave. Sophia first receives a call from Phil, who Sophia expected would call to try to scam her for money as an indirect way to ask her for money. This prompts Dorothy to remember a past Mother's Day when she and Stan approached his mother to ask her for money since his business was not doing well.

Mother Zbornak
Dorothy and Stan arrive at Mother Zbornak's trailer home, which is filled with photos of Stan on the walls. Stan's mother greets Stan warmly and dotes on him immediately, while giving Dorothy the cold shoulder. As she goes to prepare tea for Stan, Stan pleads for Dorothy to tolerate his mother's behavior and urges Dorothy to ask for money instead of himself, explaining that he would break her heart if he was the one asking and ruining his image of being a successful salesman. Stan excuses himself as his mother returns, saying he needed to make a phone call, and leaves the two women alone with each other.

Dorothy quickly finds out that Stan's mother is sharper than she appears, as she immediately deduces that they were here to ask her for money. She explains that she always knew Stan was a "yutz" that would never amount to anything, but is grateful he married someone loving but strong like Dorothy. When Dorothy then asks why she was always so mean to her, Stan's mother explains that if Stan thinks the two of them get along, he would continue to be dependent on his own mother. She then provides Dorothy with twice the amount of money they were asking for, and asks her to hide the fact she is supporting them from Stan.

As Stan returns, they continue to pretend to not get along, and Dorothy tells him their attempt to borrow money was a failure. As soon as Dorothy and Stan head out the door, Stan's mother immediately takes down all her photos of Stan, revealing it as a facade to stoke Stan's ego every time he visits.

Back in the present, Sophia is losing her patience to go to brunch. Rose's son Charlie Jr. then calls, and Blanche begins to recall a story of a time she visited her own mother on Mother's Day while Rose speaks with her son.

"Big Momma"
Blanche makes a visit to Virginia to see her mother, Elizabeth, at her nursing home on Mother's Day. Despite her mother's ailing mental health, Blanche reminisces and regales her mother about the wild adventures she had in her youth. Just as it seems to Blanche that her stories were not getting through to Elizabeth's spotty memory, her mother corrects her about very specific details about her stories. Elizabeth assures Blanche that despite having her memories come and go, she will never forget every stunt Blanche ever pulled. She then seemingly misremembers her own age, stating to be 85 instead of 89 as corrected by Blanche, but reveals she purposefully did not tell her real age as a "true lady," something Blanche often does herself.

As Blanche finishes her story, Sophia grows even more impatient. Asking the group if they can finally go to brunch, they refuse, with Dorothy remarking that her son Micheal has not called yet. Blanche tells Sophia that it means a lot to a mother to speak with their children on Mother's Day, which reminds Rose of a time she spoke with another mother on their way home in Minnesota on Mother's Day.

Bus Station to St. Olaf
On her way back to St. Olaf for Mother's Day, Rose waits at a bus station for a connecting ride that is set to arrive in an hour. While there, she meets Anna, who herself is a mother, and the two connect due to growing up in neighboring towns. Despite Rose's long-winded stories, Anna is appreciative of Rose's company. As their respective bus rides seem to take longer than expected to arrive, Rose worries she should call her children to update them about her status, and urges Anna to do the same to the daughter she is going home to see. Anna then reveals to Rose that her daughter has long since passed, but she still makes the trip home to where she is buried to spend time with her, as Mother's Day was special to both of them. She worries, however, that this may be the last time she can make the trip, since she left her nursing home without permission. A local police officer shows up soon after and approaches Anna, suspecting she is the runaway. At the same time, their bus is announced to have arrived. Rose, thinking quick, tells the police officer he has the wrong person, and pretends Anna is her mother and that they are traveling together. She then escorts a thankful Anna off with her, leaving the police officer baffled.

Back in the present again, Dorothy's son Micheal finally calls, leaving Sophia aghast that she will never go to brunch. She then begins to recount her own Mother's Day story.

Picture It: Brooklyn, 1957, The 2nd Sunday of May
A middle-aged Sophia is expecting her own mother, Eleanor, to visit on Mother's Day, much to Sophia's husband Sal's chagrin. Sophia wants them to get along, as she wants to ask the aging Eleanor to move in with them. Eleanor then arrives with a younger Dorothy, but Eleanor is irate at the thought of coming to Sal's home because she suspects he hates her. Sophia counters that it cannot be true, as they both want her to move in with them. Sal then confronts Eleanor about his sincerity, and the two come to an agreement despite Eleanor's reluctance to show affection.

When Sophia finishes her story, Dorothy asks Sophia is she wants to speak with her grandson. Sophia then hangs up on Michael after a brief word, stating she cannot wait any longer to leave. As the girls move to leave the house, Blanche's daughter Janet calls. This prompts Sophia to start bringing pots and pans to the stove, stating she does not want to "starve to death."

Trivia

 * This episode reveals Blanche was born in the year of 1932, making her 56.
 * This episode suggests Sophia's Mother was still alive in the US 1950s when during My Brother, My Father she died in Sicily when Sophia was in her 20's.
 * Sophia's Mother being played by Bea Arthur competently dismisses the plot of Foreign Exchange.