"The One Where... Grant's Mom Finally Visits" - Season Finale

After countless mentions, one infamous phone call attempt to shame Jay, and years of anticipation, we finally welcome Grant's Mom into the studio for our season finale. But first, a word of caution: while we're known for finding humor in the darkest corners of mental health, this episode tackles some heavy subjects including depression, anxiety, loneliness, suicide, and molestation. Don't worry though – our dynamic duo still manages to navigate these waters with their trademark blend of sensitivity and wit.

In what can only be described as a masterclass in elderly interviewing (yes, you read that right), Jason shocks everyone by trading his Angry Ginger persona for that of a surprisingly skilled interviewer. Who knew he could be professional? Certainly not Grant!

The episode peels back the layers of Grant's childhood, revealing the complexities of growing up in a home where Dad's presence was measured in weeks away rather than time present. We learn how the family eventually needed therapy just to reintegrate him back into their daily lives – both as a father and husband. Grant's Mom opens up about the challenges of essentially solo-parenting two boys while instilling the values that would shape Grant into the ice-cream-binging, anxiety-managing, deeply empathetic human we know today.

In an unexpected turn, a discussion about a recently deceased family friend evolves into a powerful moment when Grant confronts the disconnect between his parents' memories and his own traumatic experiences with this person. It's a stark reminder that sometimes, even our own parents, can forget about our most touching moments.

The conversation shifts to parenting tactics, exploring what we inherit from our parents and – in true grandparent fashion – how all those carefully crafted rules go straight out the window once grandkids enter the picture. Because apparently, "What happens at Grandma's stays at Grandma's" is now a legally binding contract.

We wrap up with Mom sharing her favorite memories of Grant, proving that even our most sensitive moments can lead Jay to an unexpected tugging on the wrong kind of heart strings of conversation – though Jay's contribution to this touching maternal moment certainly had Grant wishing his mom had packed some extra absorption for the emotional overflow.

This season finale serves as a powerful reminder that understanding our mental health often means looking back at where we came from, even if that journey requires a few laughs to get through the years and years of tears. Thank you for joining us on this wild ride through the landscape of mental health, family dynamics, and the occasional inappropriate joke that somehow made it past the editing room.

See you next season, where we'll continue our mission to make mental health discussions a little less heavy and a lot more human – one questionably appropriate conversation at a time.

Feel like you've found your people? We'd love to hear from you! Shoot us an email at OnHiatus@MonkeyPooStudios.com – your story might be exactly what someone else needs to hear (and might temporarily distract Grant from his ongoing love affair with Ben & Jerry's).

Join our digital circus over on Twitter/X @Podcast_Hiatus, where Season 4 promises the shocking debut of... While you're there, give our resident sass master, The Angry Ginger, a follow @S7evendaysageek. He promises to only bite on days ending in 'y'.

"The One With... Jay's Cousin Lori" kicks off our two-part season finale with what can only be described as Grant's attempt at investigative journalism – if investigative journalism involved interrogating your co-host's cousin about childhood trauma and angry ginger origins.

Enter Lori, Jay's cousin and childhood partner-in-crime, who grew up more like a sister to our beloved Angry Ginger. Grant, armed with the subtlety of a sledgehammer and the determination of a true-crime podcaster, dives straight into the deep end. What was life really like growing up with an alcoholic mother? Who hurt little Jason? And the question burning in Grant's mind like a forgotten Hot Pocket in the microwave: has anyone actually seen Jay cry?

This episode peels back 47 years of Jason's life like an onion – marriages, kids, affairs, divorce, dating – the whole enchilada of human experience. From mountaintop moments to valley-dwelling lows, nothing is off-limits. But in classic "On Hiatus" fashion, what starts as Grant's mission to expose Jay's hidden depths ends up revealing something unexpected about himself. (No spoilers here, folks – you'll have to press play to uncover that gem!)

Stay tuned for next week's grand finale where the tables turn and Grant brings on a mystery guest. Who could it be? Let's just say Jay's got some questions of his own locked and loaded.

Want to join our dysfunctional family? Drop us a line at OnHiatus@MonkeyPooStudios.com. Your message might just save Grant from his nightly ice cream binge (results not guaranteed). Follow our shenanigans on Twitter/X @Podcast_Hiatus, and give our resident Angry Ginger a follow @S7evendaysageek. Breaking news: Grant might actually join the digital world in Season 4 to help manage the show's social media. He actually hasn't commited to this nor is he aware that it's something that will be brought up in an upcoming On Hiatus Team Meeting... so we'll see.

Thanks for letting us share our mental health journey with you this season. Join us next week for our final episode of the year, where we promise to maintain our tradition of questionable decisions and unexpected revelations!

P.S. Grant still wants to know if anyone's seen Jay cry. The investigation continues...

"The One Where... They Read From The Notebook" isn't your typical tear-jerker (though Grant probably wished it was). In this revealing episode, The Angry Ginger unearths a nine-year-old notebook - and yes, we're absolutely certain about that timeline, as Grant fact-checks it approximately seventeen times.

What starts as Jason flipping through old podcast ideas and show concepts quickly turns into an unexpected time capsule of vulnerability. Tucked between creative brainstorms and the early seeds of what would become "Deconstructing Dad," lies something Grant has been hunting for like a truth-seeking missile: evidence that his seemingly unflappable friend once grappled with the same dark questions that keep him up at night.

Through pages of raw introspection, we witness Jason's past self wrestling with questions that would make any therapist's notepad weep: "Will I ever be loved again?" and the eternal quest of "What is happiness and how to find it?" The crown jewel of this literary excavation? A one-year plan that begins with the hilariously self-deprecating goal to "do a sit-up because he's a fata**!" (Spoiler alert: He's done at least three since then.)

Grant, like a kid who just found out Santa is real (plot twist!), can barely contain his excitement at this glimpse behind the curtain of Jason's comedic armor. His "Where has this book been my whole life!?" reaction perfectly captures the moment when you realize your friend's class clown routine might have been masking some serious soul-searching.

But here's the kicker - Jason reveals these thoughts were likely meant for his "Deconstructing Dad" podcast, during a period when Grant was too preoccupied with his own chaos to tune in. In classic Angry Ginger fashion, Jay lands the episode's most pointed jab with a laugh: "Maybe if you were a better friend and listened to my podcast, you would have known all this years ago."

Sometimes the best therapy sessions happen when you're reading old notebooks with a friend who's been waiting nine years to say "I told you so."

But wait, there's more! Just when you think the vulnerability hour is wrapping up, Grant whips out "The 10 Questions" from his sadly departed but deeply missed "The Stranger Conversations" podcast. Jason, still slightly salty about never receiving an invitation to this apparently prestigious show (no, he's not holding a grudge... much), initially refuses to play along. But Grant, master of selective memory, plays innocent while Jay sees right through it like a freshly Windexed window.

What follows is Grant's attempt at serious, soul-searching questions designed to peel back the layers of human nature... met with what can only be described as peak Angry Ginger responses. But we're not giving away the goods here - you'll have to press play to witness this masterclass in question-dodging and sass-mastery for yourself.

As always, thank you for spending your valuable time with us. We hope that by sharing our struggles and pain through both serious and decidedly less-serious conversations, we're making your day a little brighter... or at least giving you an hour's worth of distraction from whatever chaos you're currently calling normal. Keep listening, keep laughing, and remember - sometimes the best therapy comes with a side of snark.

***Only Two more episodes left for the season. These are going to be big ones!****

YOU CAN REACH US-and please do:

Jason @S7evendaysageek

Grant @PodcastHiatus

Email the show: OnHiatus@MonkeyPooStudios.com