(S01E04) I am so excited for the return of the infamous bong lamp, but wow, does it cause some major trouble. Last week, we saw Lux sell Baze's pride and joy to help cover his bar rent. Two weeks ago, the offending lamp was also one of the reasons Baze was denied full custody of Lux. This week, it's the reason she gets suspended from her fancy-pants public school. Stupid lamp, can't do anything right.

We're ratcheting up the drama here this week. Lux's illusions of family life crumble a bit more as she and Cate, in the grand traditions of mothers and daughters everywhere, clash something awful.

There were a lot of touching moments this week. First, Cate and Baze receive a copy of Lux's case file, that includes a sweet letter she wrote to Santa when she was eight years old, asking for a Mom and Dad for Christmas. It's so adorable it makes you want to vomit. After that, we got Cate sticking up for Lux to her old high school principal, rightfully pointing out that Lux made a simple mistake and shouldn't be punished so harshly for it.

In fact, there were a lot of "touching moments" during this episode and honestly, most of them didn't work. The Santa letter was cute but could have been toned down a bit. There was no subtlety in those scenes, just an obvious yanking of the heartstrings that made the whole thing a bit cheap.

I was worried that this show had the potential of getting too sappy, and I fear we are knee deep in that territory. What do you think readers? Did the tone of this episode work for you? It seemed like every other scene was a heartfelt moment and really, how many of those can you have? By the time Cate and Lux had their showdown in the parking lot, I was rolling my eyes. Conflict, I can appreciate, but the overplayed dramatics bring the show down without adding any depth or intrigue.

Despite bong lamp shenanigans and a scene where Ryan and Cate inexplicably make out in a fitting room, there was too much emotion and very little plot to tether the episode. There was one bright spot, though: Lux's brazen eff-you to Cate at Baze's bar, where, after their epic fight, she outed Ryan and Cate's relationship to radio listeners during the Drink-a-Date. It was pretty great. I felt a little thrill seeing Lux lash out like that. It wasn't what a mature person would do but exactly what a pissed off 16-year-old might. As an added bonus, Cate and Ryan don't have to worry about hiding their relationship anymore, which was a pretty lame plot device anyway.

Another complaint about this episode? Not enough Baze! He and Lux had a small moment, when he advised her to go back to Cate's, but there's still uneven development of his character. As always, Baze's friends are welcome comic relief, and one day I will remember both their names.

So, what do you guys want to see more of next week? A lot less crying and a bit more funny on my part.