Bomb Girls 207: The One Where She Brings A U-Haul

Sweet baby Jesus’ sweet baby cheeks, Bomb Girls is back! Did you make it through the hiatus? Were you able to find an outlet for your tears and your feelings and your strong investment in fictional 1940s lesbians? I had to take up a hobby in order to deal with all the pent-up emotion I wasn’t sobbing out once a week, so I’m now a skilled taxidermist! Feel free to shoot me an email the next time you need your pussy stuffed!

taxigay

This episode had everything: enough human tears to power the Canadian equivalent of the Hoover Dam, your (okay maybe second) fave lesbians shackin’ up, Marco once again taking first place in Son, You Gotta Stop With These Workplace Romances, and Vera saving the entire operation for the one zillionth billionth time. When is this girl gonna get a raise/general life break?

In the first scene of the show that has ever taken place in the good ol’ United States of America, Gladys & Witham Clan are in Massachusetts for James’ funeral. I’m a little disappointed that this scene didn’t involve McDonalds, a bald eagle, redneck tourists, or any of the other things I have come to expect with non-American portrayals of Americans. James’ mom is super bitchy and definitely blames Gladys for her son’s death. Shockingly, Gladys is not 100% on board with this accusation.

oh my lumpin god this is such a lumpin drag

oh my lumpin god this is such a lumpin drag and my underwear isn’t even lumpin matching today

The moral of this story is that Gladys’ sadness makes baby angels cry and I literally cannot even watch her shed tears because I don’t understand how her face is actually that perfect.

Picture 492

daddy and i will be in the hotel bar so page my assistant if you need anything else

Lorna’s sons are stormin’ Europe and Lorna really wants a telephone. Like, she really wants a telephone. Probably because she has some important calls waiting.

KSTEWphone

Our favorite lesbians are back, and they’re gardening because that’s not gay at all. Community gardens, an investment in fairly sourced food, and vegetarian phases are definitely not some favorite pasttimes of the lesbian community. Betty is showing Kate how to gently and yet forcefully pluck the ripe fruit of the tomato vine. This is a thing I do with my platonic friends all the time – I show them how to slowly grasp at round objects handing in front of them, and then tell them to give those objects a gentle but playful squeeze.

Boobs. I am talking about boobs.

Picture 494

what else do they expect us to do with all these excess cucumbers

Kate ditches the gardening biz to go eat pancakes with Ivan. Betty tries not to roll her eyes too hard, and starts thinking about getting her “uteruses before duderuses” tattoo removed.

Betty: I thought you said we finish what we started here.

Kate: I’ll pull my share. Later.

Oh, ladies. We’re not really talking about vegetables, are we? We’re talking about the remaining tension between you two and the relationship that never was but may yet be, aren’t we?

Slide on over to Ye Olde Factory Floor, where Carol is slidin’ on down to ground level to slide on up to Kate and Betty. Turns out Gladys has gone Full Emo and Carol thinks that maybe her Token Lesbian Friends can pull her out of this mess. Betty’s Face of Skepticism is just on full blast today.

Picture 496

jeez carol how many times do i need to turn down a threesome with you

Up on the factory roof, Marco and Vera are feasting on Italian food. Marco, I’ve said it once, and I’m gonna say it again: You need to start meeting women outside of your workplace who are not in compromising positions of authority. Then again, I’m sure if we broke into Marco’s laptop (since his password is probably RIPBABYCANNOLI) we would find lots of Women in Compromising Positions of Authority Porn. Marco tells Vera that they are putting erection-killing chemicals in the food so that the employees will stop boning each other. Which, honestly, has actually been a problem at the factory, lez be real. Anyway, I am Team Vera/Whatever Vera Wants so go get it, honey. They are cute and eat cutely together.

you wanna watch me put 20 olives in my mouth again?

you wanna watch me put 20 olives in my mouth again?

A telephone guy is putting the telephones in at the factory, and Lorna decides she is going to bribe her way into acquiring a telephone. Oh, Lorna, you wonderful set of grey morals, you.

lilbvagg

Vera is, as usual, 100% on top of factory shit and has noticed a discrepancy in numbers that means someone is stealing chemicals from the factory! Aikens ignores her because he thinks she’s on her period or something, and he is not the best at listening to women or acknowledging women or seeing women as people beyond sexual objects. Vera has very little tolerance for this kind of bullshit.

did you not read that post about intersectional feminism i reblogged last night

did you not read that post about intersectional feminism i reblogged last night

Aikens takes this issue downstairs to the boys so they can have a boy talk about boy feelings. Kidding! Boys don’t have feelings. Aikens tells Leon, Marco, and Buster that someone is stealing chemicals and Leon and Marco form a mystery solving gang called “Actual Minority and Political Minority Crime Busters.”

Picture 501

where did you find all my Women in Positions of Supervision porn

Kate and Betty are bantering about the uses of excess vegetables when surprise! There’s a lesbian here to see Betty. And not just any lesbian, but Theresa, the lesbian that Betty was canoodling with last episode. Let the record show that Kate looks at Theresa as if trying to turn her to a pile of lesbian dust with her eyes. With her eyes.

Picture 502

you are lower than jenny schecter to me do you understand

Betty and Kate are supposed to be going to see Gladys but Betty is like bitch please, I am gettin’ me some. She gives Kate a considerably “fresh” response.

Betty: Kate, you go, I’ll catch up.

Kate: Betty, you promised.

Betty: It’s just like you and the garden, Kate. I’ll pull my share later.

Yeah, we still ain’t talkin’ about vegetables, ladies.

Over at Chez Witham, Gladys is told to turn down her Elliott Smith record and come downstairs to have tea with her friends. She wipes the excess black eyeliner from her eyes and straightens her Bright Eyes shirt, “Needle in the Hay” whining in the distance. In all seriousness, James has been dead, what? A week? Is she not allowed to mourn for at least a week, guys?

and mom won't even let me listen to dashboard confessional anymore

and mom won’t even let me listen to dashboard confessional anymore

Carol is trying to keep things forcibly fun and upbeat like a middle school dance, but Gladys is too busy mouthing the lyrics to Brand New’s “The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot”. Mrs. Witham’s attitude about the whole thing is pretty clear.

schwastey

That American soldier guy is there to get James’ car. Gladys is not down with this plan. Also she hasn’t cleaned out the backseat and it’s full of empty Starbucks cups from all the times she gets in her Uggs and starts craving a frappuchino to Instagram.

Picture 505

uh ma’am can you turn down the mcr i can’t hear you

One of Marco’s old friends is in the mafia because Italians! He stops by so Marco’s mom can give him the largest most phallic vegetable ever, and so Marco can confront him about the missing chemicals. Wise Guy says it has nothing to do with him, and look at his miniature tie!

i don't...yeah i can't write a caption for this

i don’t…yeah i can’t write a caption for this

Lorna finally gets that telephone. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the telephone guy doesn’t get any nookie for it.

i'm gonna be real, sir, this feels like the start of a cuckold porno

when i said threesome, i was talking about the telephone

Betty is entertaining Theresa in her room and staving off sexy times by claiming neighbors and thin walls. Oh girl do I ever feel you there. I miss a lot of things about college, but listening to the gentle hum of my neighbor’s vibrators and the weird things they called each other during climax are things I do not miss at all. Theresa wins her over with strawberries because I guess we’re going there with the lesbian fruit metaphors this episode?

is it cool if i touch your cantaloupes

is it cool if i touch your cantaloupes

In da club, Vera and Kate have dragged Gladys out for a drink, because hey, if you can’t get happy through emotional support and distraction, why not alcohol? Kate basically tells Gladys to get a fake boyfriend and become an alcoholic because it sure has done wonders for her issues, while Vera is direct and tells Gladys shit happens and she’ll get over it.

i wish kate and ivan would stop having a bottle deep throating contest while we're having this conversation

i wish kate and ivan would stop having a bottle deep throating contest while we’re having this conversation

Ivan bugs Kate about her brothers and doesn’t really get that there’s a reason she doesn’t talk about her family. Well, if you can date a lesbian for as long as he did, I’m not terribly surprised he’s missing out on other strong cues.

Wise Guy shows up at da club and does some disrespectful stuff. Marco snaps at Vera and she is not happy about it because she’s a fucking queen and deserves respect. Also maaaaaybe she has a little crush on Marco, we shall see.

did you not get the memo that you can only address me as  her royal highness from now on

did you not get the memo that you can only address me as
her royal highness from now on

Betty shows up at work the next day and blatantly checks all of her coworkers out. Her dyke swag is truly amazing.

Buzz around the water cooler is that there are soldiers coming to work at the factory now. And yet again, we are bombarded by surprise lesbians! Because guess who brought her U-Haul?

reporting for booty duty, ma'am

reporting for booty duty, ma’am

Betty looks exactly like I did when I was in college and kept walking into the first day of class only to find I had slept with half the class.

ummmmmmm

Vera gets a call from Robyn. Robyn says she needs to call her girlfriend because it’s time they had the talk. I’m kidding, it’s actually a mysterious voice that tells her the chemical stealer person is going to be arriving by truck at 2 pm. Oh, okay.

robyn i told you to stop calling me

robyn i told you to stop calling me

Lorna gets a call from Robyn, too! JK LOL it’s Bob because their son Stanley is missing in action. Betty comes across her being super upset and gives her a bro hug, which is what you do when you sidehug your buddy in a non-homo way. It’s actually really adorable how loyal and protective Betty is and I’m just really touched on a million levels, guys.

it's okay, mrs. corbett. i cry about lip service being cancelled too

it’s okay, mrs. corbett. sometimes i cry about lip service being cancelled too.

So, who is driving that 2 pm truck? It’s Marco. He’s like come on, guys, spaghetti! But they arrest him. Vera is super torn because maybe she has a lady boner for him. Maybe.

DON'T TAZE ME BRO

DON’T TAZE ME BRO

Lorna is super stressed and the continually ringing phone is making her a little edgy. Her neighbor Ellie is ringin’ the phone off the hook and Lorna has had enough.

LILOLORNA

Ivan made airplanes for Kate’s brothers. Dude, what about don’t push the subject do you not understand? But again, dude dated a lesbian and then dated lesbian’s sexually confused friend who is clearly in love with lesbian so okay, we get it. Not the brightest bulb in the crayon box. Ivan says that her brothers should definitely come visit. Kate is like he he he he he he he he…no.

oh ivan if only this plane was lifesized so i could fly away from you forever

oh ivan if only this plane was lifesized so i could fly away from you forever

Betty and Theresa are eating together and discussing when they will adopt a cat together. Theresa has already driven the U-Haul around back behind the boarding house and has spent the day unloading her Birkenstocks, so she’d like to hear a timeframe. Betty is a little overwhelmed but totally down for this “making hay” thing. Oh, 1940s slang for sex acts! You’re precious!

girl do you like the canteen peas because i'd like to appease your vagina

girl do you like the canteen peas because i’d like to appease your vagina

Gladys asks Lorna if she can come back to work. Lorna doesn’t think she’s ready, but she gives in. It’s touching. I don’t have funny things to say about this because I am genuinely invested in Gladys’ happiness and the intense character growth she has been going through this season.

i threw out everything i owned that involved conor oberst. i'm ready

i threw out everything i owned that involved conor oberst. i’m ready.

Lorna gets a call from Stanley, who is alive and well. She and Bob cry. I also cried. I hope you cried. We had a lot of pent-up tears to deal with, okay? We deserved a good cry.

beyonce???????

beyonce???????

Vera and Gladys decide to form a crime-busting team of their own, and solve the Mystery of the Missing TNT. Whodunit? Buster dun it! They hold up his car with pure womanpower until he is caught and arrested. And he would have got away with it, too, if it wasn’t for those meddling kids and their lesbian friends!

either you get out of that car or we absorb you with our magical feminist vaginas okay

either you get out of that car or we absorb you with our magical feminist vaginas okay

Vera goes to Marco to apologize for getting him accidentally arrested and explains that Buster dun it. Marco thanks her by putting his mouth on her mouth. And boom goes the dynamite.

Picture 523

Some other things happen: Bob says he is going to go move in with his brother for a while and work on a farm? I don’t even know what you’re doing anymore, Bob. Marco and Wise Guy hang out and bond Italian-style aka they non-sexually kiss and talk about how it’s hard out here for an Italian. But most importantly, Vera gets a promotion!!!

BALL SO HARD MOTHER FUCKERS WANT TO FINE ME

BALL SO HARD MOTHER FUCKERS WANT TO FINE ME

The ladies gather to plant a tree in James’ honor and also do an impromptu Iwo Jima flag raising tribute? It’s touching, but it’s also this fantastic metaphor for how much these ladies accomplish together. Womanpower, guys. This show is all about womanpower, and don’t you ever forget it.

carol, stop singing that pocahontas song

carol, stop singing that fucking pocahontas song about the sycamore growing

Before you go! Autostraddle runs on the reader support of our AF+ Members. If this article meant something to you today — if it informed you or made you smile or feel seen, will you consider joining AF and supporting the people who make this queer media site possible?

Join AF+!

Kate

Full-time writer, part-time lover, freelancing in fancy cheese and cider.

Kate has written 130 articles for us.

32 Comments

  1. This. Show.

    I legitimately cried when Bob broke down, but I knew that his crying was a sign that it was okay because he wouldn’t cry if his worst fears were confirmed, ya know? Also, I’m having a subtle shipping war with my girlfriend because she thinks Kate and Ivan are cute but that’s like blasphemous to the lesbian front.

    (She read this comment over my shoulder and now we’re debating again. Sigh)

  2. I am so glad Bomb Girls and these recaps are back. It was a hard seven weeks. (Thank you for the continued Baby Cannoli jokes)

  3. So glad it’s back. I love how Betty butched it up and carried the heavy part of the tree. Betty and Theresa are cute. Ivan is just getting more annoying every week, dude does not get a hint when to shut up about a topic.

  4. Even though I’m still a little invested the Betty & Kate dynamic/hot mess/pile of feelings, I’m totes Team Theresa.
    ::cue Destiny’s Child- “Soldier”::

  5. THIS SHOW YOU GUYS.

    At the end, was anyone else shocked and amazed by how quickly they dug that hole? Like, Gladys walked away to flirt with Soldier Boy (ughhh) for like 30 seconds and BAM, GIANT HOLE. I’ve planted trees before so I know those things don’t dig themselves!

    CLEARLY I AM INVESTED IN THE IMPORTANT ISSUES

  6. Love love love your recaps, they always put the most stupid grin on my face! :-) A little friendly spelling advice, though (cause I have this thing where my toenails curl when names are spelled wrong). I think it’s Akins, and Teresa is without a an H. But other than that, your recaps are PERFECTION.

  7. I like Teresa but, I feel like her role is just the more sexually experienced lesbian who teaches Betty how to “make hay”. She then will be written off as being getting lost on her bond tour or something.

    Or actually she’ll be written to have like 7 other lesbian lovers that she hooks up with on her bond tour (cause you know she is) and eventually Betty can’t handle that and leaves her cause she gets too attached and still likes Kate, the closet case.

    • why i don’t actually like the pairing or teresa (theresa? idek idec): she is not actually a character. what do we know about her besides the fact she wanted to bone betty and is now boning betty? that is literally it. and she is a soldier. those are the things we know. we know nothing else. there’s no development, there’s no depth, ain’t nothin’. it’s super hard for me to ship something when one half of the pairing is a flat stanley.

      • Oh my GOD, I am so glad someone finally said something about that. I was super weirded out when all these people started jumping ship from McAndrews to McBond. I mean, sure Teresa is kind and considerate, she’s confident, she has amazing gaydar, she’s good-looking, she rocks her CWAC uniform, and she wants to shag Betty … but we know absolutely nothing else about her! One fully fleshed out character and a character with no development (who we’ve known two episodes) does not an OTP make.

      • Yeah, I feel so weird for not liking the pairing either, even though I am really excited about Betty having a ladyfriend. I guess it’s because I’m not invested in Teresa like I am with Kate?

      • Yeahhh, that’s what I’m saying. If she develops as a character I’d be surprised…

      • yes i agree with all this! i was hoping her entire purpose was just to make kate jealous so that kate would make the move on betty but that seems to not be happening quite yet

      • Yes, i do agree with all of this but really i just ship betty and ‘whatever makes betty smile’ so i’m happily jumping on board anyway.

  8. That gif of Betty checking out her coworkers killed me. I had to remind myself that I was only halfway through the recap so that I could look away.

  9. All these LSP jokes make me wish you’d do Bubbline coverage. You make me laugh you lovely thing you. Can’t wait for the next episode (and your resultant creation!)

  10. I had to scroll down and immediately acknowledge the fact that I had an adjacent window with Call Your Girlfriend playing on youtube as I read the sentence “Robyn says she needs to call her girlfriend because it’s time they had the talk.”

    #insertlesbianhashtaghere

    Also so happy bomb girls is back.

  11. Putting this out to the universe: Bomb Girls Season One is on Netflix. (So is the L Word!)

  12. Lorna and Bob KILLED me in this one. I cried some ugly tears over those two.
    I’m totally team Teresa, but we all know Kate is end game. It’s just nice to see Betty happy on this front now.

  13. Am I the only one who doesn’t like Kate? I mean, whatever she’s fine I guess in that she has 0 personality, but I do not understand why Betty is so gone on her. I don’t even hate her. There’s nothing to hate. I just don’t understand. Someone make me understand why everyone seems to ship them.

    • i think she reminds lesbians of their ‘straight best friend who is actually gay for me’

      • As someone who is normatively feminine, rather quiet around strangers, mostly only able to express herself through an art form of choice, making it on her own far away from her family, trying to make friends in a new city, trying to get past masses of quasi-Catholic guilt, Kate actually reminds me of ME. And the only labels that adequately describe my sexuality are “raging lezzer” or “gay as ffffaaaahhk.”

        I’ve never seen Kate as Betty’s straight best friend – she spends the entire first episode of season one unsubtly perving on girls and the rest of the first season gazing at Betty like she’s magic. Maybe she’s capable of attraction to men, but she’s not what you’d call a beacon of heterosexuality either.

    • Idk. I think if Kate seems boring, it is only because she grew up in an environment where she was probably just trying to please her father so that he wouldn’t beat her. Any expression of a semblance of a personality apart from what her father wanted (and probably even the personality her father wanted her to have) would have resulted in abuse from her father. So she never really got the chance to figure out who she was. And right now Kate is really more focused on forgetting her troubles than building a personality. I also think that Betty loves Kate because she feels that Kate genuinely loves her. I mean, there is probably more to it, but all of the instances where you see Betty really falling for Kate are the moments when Kate’s attention and affection are fully on Betty, which is REALLY often.

  14. Let me start off by saying I was so excited to see this recap! This one was another amazing job as always (The Captions, I can’t even…) I am nearly as addicted to the recaps as the show.
    I always think “there is no way for this show to get any better” after I finish each episode, and the next episode always proves me wrong.

    Am I the only one who stopped shipping McAndrews the moment I saw Kate at using that Shovel when they were burying the tree? I mean I don’t think she even moved any dirt.

    I have to say, I have been getting progressively fed-up with Kate and her storyline this entire season. I think seeing Betty moving on made me realize how little I care about McAndrews happening as much as I just want Betty to be happy (and remain a lesbian). Betty owns my soul.

  15. am i trippin or are some of the photos like changing colors when i scroll my mouse over them? is my computer broken or do i need to go to the hospital?

  16. I just watched the whole of season 1 and caught up with season 2 in less 48 hours, because of this recap. And done.

Comments are closed.