Georgie And Mandy's First Marriage Finally Explained Mandy's Inability To Handle Money

Contains spoilers for "Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage" Season 1, Episode 19 — "Snitch V. Deadbeat"

Mandy McAllister (Emily Osment) has spent much of her time in "Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage" looking for a way to climb the corporate ladder to success. But she has a chronic inability to save cash, which keeps dragging her — and her young family — into terrible debt.

It turns out that there's a familial inheritance at the root of her spendthrift ways. In "Snitch V. Deadbeat," Meemaw (Annie Potts) (who ought to be a main character on the show) enlists Mandy to track down a deadbeat who owes her a thousand dollars plus in gambling debts — and the man in question turns out to be Mandy's pop, Jim (Will Sasso). This revelation double-underlines that poor money management is a McAllister trait and how Jim's spoiling of Mandy has led her to a lifetime of failed attempts at buckling down.

While Mandy is finally starting to taste financial independence since her job at the local news station is finally panning out, her tendency to spend her way into debt continues to be a big problem. This time out, Georgie (Montana Jordan) steps in with his own money to quell the burgeoning family feud. But Jim — and Mandy's — money problems seem destined to go ever onward, as they've been well-foreshadowed before this episode.

While Jim seems like a jolly, well-meaning fellow, previous episodes of "Georgie and Mandy" have hinted that he's got a pretty bad gambling problem. In "A Tire Convention and the Moral High Ground," Jim takes Georgie to what he describes as a tire convention — but it turns out to be a cover for his once-a-year gambling trip, which he keeps secret from his wife, Audrey (Rachel Bay Jones). He doesn't understand that Audrey already knows where he goes every year and uses her husband's trips as an excuse to leverage presents out of Jim.

This, along with Jim's alcoholism, has hinted at his inability to properly regulate his impulse control — which mirrors Mandy's love of luxury items, her willingness to participate in pyramid schemes, her overcharged credit cards, and her dreams of living in Dallas or Florida. It all stems from Jim's tendency to spoil his daughter and Mandy's resultant expectation that her every whim will be catered to. While the McAllisters' impulses are clearly carrying them into deep, dangerous waters, at least they have Georgie's help — for now. Time will tell how long he's willing to put up with their free and easy ways.