‘The Moodys’ Star Elizabeth Perkins on Ann as a Therapist, That Wedding Flashforward and More

The therapist will see you now … in her garage. Ann (Elizabeth Perkins) is officially seeing patients as a psychologist in the April 15 episode of The Moodys.

“I based the whole storyline of Ann going back to school on my mother, who raised three children and then decided, ‘I dropped out of college to get married and have children. I’m going to go back to college and I always wanted to be a counselor,'” Perkins tells TV Insider.

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“Ultimately I think Ann needs to be in therapy as opposed to being a therapist,” she continues. “She has a lot to say, which may not lend itself so well to listening.”

Below, Perkins previews Ann’s arc as a therapist this season, discusses how finding out her son Dan (Francois Arnaud) and her mentor Grace (Nadia Dajanin) are involved might affect her, and points out a clue as to what’s happening in the wedding-turned-crime scene flashforward.

What are we going to see from Ann as a psychologist this season?

Elizabeth Perkins: She grows and changes, but it’s a pretty rocky start for her. She’s so not used to having her own space and her own time that she tends to overshare when what she really might need is just to be in therapy for a few years herself.

Speaking of that need to be in therapy, we see that in her dynamic with Grace a bit, but now her mentor’s involved with her son.

She’ll inevitably find out about it. It’s going on right under her roof and I do think she takes it as a huge betrayal and ultimately has to come to terms with [the fact that] this profession might not be all that it’s cracked up to be for Ann, in terms of her relationship to it and the seriousness with which she takes it.

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Ann seems to rely on Grace. How does that come into play when Ann finds out about Grace and Dan?

She sort of idolizes Grace. She’s wearing these stupid glasses because Grace wears these stupid glasses. Her bubble is shattered quite a bit and she realizes, “I am my own personal source of strength. I don’t have to rely on just admiring this other person in my life who I aspire to be.” Instead, she embraces who she is all on her own, which I think is the goal.

The family’s back under one roof once again. How soon before Ann tries to kick the kids out?

It’s so funny because Ann really likes having the kids under one roof. Most mothers, once your children leave home, you reminisce about all the kids coming back to the house. And yet in reality within a couple of weeks — I’m sure a lot of people experience this over the holidays — there are dirty dishes in the sink and people haven’t changed their clothes in three or four days and there are wet towels on the floor. Everything that you romanticize about when you’re an empty-nester really gets sidetracked within a couple of weeks.

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What’s coming up for Ann and Sean Sr. (Denis Leary)?

Ann and Sean ultimately really love living alone. And yet, as I was saying before, there’s always this attachment to your children. There’s always this [feeling of], it’s not really family unless the children are around. They battle that within themselves. And as much as we crave the empty nest, we also really miss the arguing and the love and the closeness and the camaraderie and family time that the children do bring with all of their neuroses and difficulties.

What else is coming up for Ann?

Ann does come to terms with whether or not she wants to be a therapist. Because as much as she’s reached this pinnacle in her life and she’s accomplished this thing, ultimately she’s sitting out in the garage by herself and she’s not surrounded by the things that do give her the most joy — her family and her friends.

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Let’s talk as much as you can about that wedding and crime scene in the flashforward.

You won’t guess who is getting married. That’s all I can really say about it. And the horse is a little bit of a clue. It’s a little secret about who ends up at the altar, but it’s probably not who you expect it to be.

The Moodys, Thursdays, 9:30/8:30c, Fox