Having been on vacation for 5 weeks (and the previous week's episode), Vivian comes back looking better than ever. she admits that she did not go to the Caribbean but went away to have a facelift. After everybody gets through the initial shock and spends time flattering her, reality kicks in and it's back to normal with the arguing and Maude telling Vivian for doing something that she's been tempted to do for years. She then gets into an argument with Walter over even more complex issues, and it's obvious that Maude is more confused than ever, torn between her own feminist views on what real beauty is and her deep desires as a woman to be considered attractive.
This is a very enlightening episode because it discusses the conflict that humans have between reality and fantasy and acceptance of their own skin and vanity. It becomes obvious that Maude is only hearing what she wants to hear, and no matter what Walter tells her, she'll never be happy regardless of what decision she makes. That's where this show succeeded very nicely is showing the characters as flawed but relatable, and everybody in the ensemble gives great performances with some terrific writing.
This is a very enlightening episode because it discusses the conflict that humans have between reality and fantasy and acceptance of their own skin and vanity. It becomes obvious that Maude is only hearing what she wants to hear, and no matter what Walter tells her, she'll never be happy regardless of what decision she makes. That's where this show succeeded very nicely is showing the characters as flawed but relatable, and everybody in the ensemble gives great performances with some terrific writing.
