'Mom' Recap: The Plunketts Suffer Heartbreak After an Unforeseen Death

Warning: This recap contains character and storyline spoilers for the "Three Smiles and an Unpainted Ceiling" episode of Mom.

Of all of Chuck Lorre's sitcoms currently on the air — Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, and Mike and Molly are the others — none is as grounded in reality as Mom. It deals with money issues and addiction and even, sometimes, mortality. Thursday night's episode is centered around the death of Christy's father, Alvin.

The episode begins with Alvin and Bonnie in bed. Bonnie is preoccupied with a unit opening in her apartment building, and before you know it, Alvin has moved in. Christy is thrilled with the idea of having both of her parents together in one place for the first time in her life.

The kids like the idea, too — well, Violet likes it as much as a 17-year-old girl can like anything. Roscoe warms to the idea even if he can't quite get on board with his grandfather's idea of cool: a walkie-talkie ("Can you text on it?" he asks).

Just as everything seems to be going well, and Alvin and Bonnie have finally healed their 35-year rift, Alvin has a heart attack while in bed with her. It's sudden — so sudden that Christy thinks her mother's cries are cries of passion, not grief. Alvin had a heart attack last season, so if any character were to die, he was the most likely, but it's still a shock.

Christy is forced to keep it together while the rest of the family members grieve in their own ways. Roscoe sits quietly, unwilling to watch TV or play video games as you'd expect a kid with a day off from school would do. Violet tearfully regrets having turned down her grandfather's offer to go out for pizza the night before — who doesn't fear that their last words to someone will be (or already have been) something banal or even terrible?

Bonnie, of course, is on a rampage. Alvin's ex-wife Lorraine (Beverly D'Angelo) doesn't want any of the Plunketts at Alvin's funeral. The insult nearly sends Bonnie into a tailspin, so Marjorie recommends that they all go to an AA meeting.

Related: Chuck Lorre Teases a Charlie Sheen Return to 'Two and a Half Men'

Bonnie breaks down while telling the story of their 35-year on-again, off-again relationship and runs out. Christy finds her at a nearby bar with a beer and a shot. What follows is a tense standoff as Christy orders her own beer and a shot and threatens to ruin her sobrietyif Bonnie loses hers.

Rather than that, they decide to crash Alvin's funeral. It's the high point of the episode, as Lorraine's nastiness goes head-to-head with Bonnie's bullheadedness. Lorraine spins a story about Alvin begging to be taken back, and Bonnie sets the record straight in front of everybody. "Alvin and I were in love 35 years ago, and we were in love the day he died," she says, before placing a kiss on the casket and stealing Alvin's portrait.

The episode ends on a very somber note. "I hardly had any time with him. It's not fair," says Christy, sobbing in her room. The only thing Bonnie has to offer is the truth. "No," she says, while holding her daughter.

It's grim, but it displays an emotionality you almost never see in a sitcom.

Tweets surrounding the episode reflected those emotions — some even following the traditional model of grieving. First, there's denial:

Followed by anger:

Then bargaining:

Depression:

And, finally, acceptance:

And, of course, a lot of love for Allison Janney — not that you should expect anything less from a multi-Emmy award winning actress.

What do you think? Too much darkness for a comedy or just enough? Let us know below.

Mom airs Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. on CBS.