ISam's Mom

iSam's Mom is the second episode of Season Four of iCarly and the 72nd episode overall. Jane Lynch guest stars as Sam Puckett's mother, Pam Puckett. The episode first aired on the anniversary of the September 11th attacks in 2010.

Plot
Sam moves into Carly and Spencer's apartment after having another argument with her mother, and her peculiar habits make her a terrible house guest. She quickly wears on Spencer and Carly’s patience after leaving a half eaten tamale in Carly's bed, leaving her underwear on the stairs, and deleting "Celebrities Underwater" from Spencer's DVR.

Desperate to have her move out, Carly tricks Sam and Pam into meeting at a therapist’s office to reconcile their differences. Carly unwittingly gets stuck with the two when they are put in a “Therapy Box,” a small confined space where they must talk through their issues before they can be let out. When Carly freaks out because of being claustrophobic, Sam and Pam make up so they can get out of the Therapy Box.

Subplot
Meanwhile, Freddie is stalked by a dangerous criminal named The Shadow Hammer after recording him robbing the Groovy Smoothie. Mrs. Benson moves herself and Freddie into apartment 8-C, as their real apartment number was given out on the local news. While there, Mrs Benson hires a bodyguard for Freddie named Gunsmoke and the Bensons wear bulletproof vests. Spencer cannot take living with the Bensons and Gunsmoke (who beat him up for teasing Freddie and broke his snow cone machine) and switches the room numbers of their apartment with another one down the hall, even though he thinks the Shadow Hammer won't appear at all. However, to Freddie's shock, the Shadow Hammer does come by, but luckily doesn't question the fact that apartment 8-H is right across the hall from apartment 8-C.

Trivia

 * Jane Lynch promised taping tickets for her daughter Hayden to an iCarly episode, but since there are no live audience tapings, the producers offered Lynch a role as Sam's mom, Pam Puckett. She agreed, since she's a huge fan of the show.
 * Though this is the first time we've fully seen Sam's mother, the back of her head was shown in iMust Have Locker 239.
 * This is the first episode that features a remixed version of the background music played during scene changes.
 * It is implied that Pam likes Melanie better, though she admits she truly loves Sam deep down.
 * The building the therapist is in is called "Pschneider". This is an obvious reference to Dan Schneider, the creator of the series. Schneider often throws his name into the names of buildings.
 * It is revealed that Sam had a bunny named Fluffles when she was seven, but Pam sold him to foreigners.
 * The other door in the therapy box leads to a bathroom set that was built for a scene that was removed from the script. It was intended to be used by Pam.
 * The newscaster announcer is voiced by Dan Schneider, creator, executive producer, and writer of the show.
 * Sam's I ♥ Vegas underwear was previously mentioned in iGo To Japan.
 * The sitcom Full House was mentioned twice in the episode:
 * The first time is when Gunsmoke, Carly and Spencer are watching an intensely violent movie (that only Gunsmoke can tolerate) and Spencer asks if he can change channels. Gunsmoke allows this, and demands that he changes it to Full House.
 * The second time is when Gunsmoke is watching TV by himself, and a girl on TV says, "You got it dude!" which in Full House was Michelle Tanner's (portrayed by then-child actors Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen) catchphrase. It should be interesting to note that the girl who said the line sounded nothing like Michelle at any point in the series, but sounded extremely close to Miranda Cosgrove.
 * This is also the second time the sitcom Full House has been mentioned in the series, the first being in iCarly Saves TV.
 * This was the first episode to use the Season 4 opening credits. Only a few shots from the season 1, 2 and 3 openings remain: the one from iMeet Fred that had Spencer with his ostrich Marvin, the scene from iPilot that depicted the hat party with Carly throwing her cowboy hat into the air., Sam in iBeat the Heat, Spencer rubbing ointment on himself in iFight Shelby Marx, Carly and Sam in their dresses on iCarly Awards with Gibby throwing confetti, and Melanie and Freddie kissing in iTwins.
 * Sam mentions that she hates the word 'panties', as previously mentioned in iMake Sam Girlier.
 * Carly, Sam and Freddie were living together for a short while.
 * The girl who talks about Freddie on the news and where he resides in Bushwell Plaza is portrayed by the same girl who played Maria in the Drake and Josh episode Battle of Panthatar.
 * When Pam says, "Those pants fit you real nice," Dan Schneider asked Jane Lynch to look at the back of the therapists' pants, instead of the front.
 * The iCarly segment had most of it cut due to time constraints. In a deleted scene seen on iCarly.com, the webcast continues, with Gibby sneaking up behind Carly and Sam as "Dr. Lobster."
 * This is the third time that the fake television show Celebrities Underwater was mentioned, first used in Drake and Josh.
 * This is the second time Carly is shown having a claustrophobic panic attack, the first time being in iSpace Out.
 * Even though Sam makes up with Pam (her mom) at the end of this episode, in iSell Penny Tees, Sam mentions her in a negative way. The episode was filmed after iSell Penny-Tees, so this is probably a good reason why Sam is talking about her mother.
 * During the 'therapy box' scene, Pam stuffs the lipstick she was putting on in her bra.
 * This is the third time someone mentions a real-life TV show. The first time was in iCarly Saves TV, where Full House is also mentioned, and iReunite With Missy, where The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is mentioned.
 * A review of this episode on Entertainment Weekly says, "But since no one’s about to doubt the spectacularness of [Jane] Lynch, I’ll instead take this opportunity to note something even more striking about her guest stint: The fact that her onscreen daughter, Jennette McCurdy, held her own against the towering talent of the recent Emmy winner. (Lynch even seemed to be basing her performance on, essentially, doing a great impression of McCurdy’s hilariously rancorous character--she knows her iCarly well.)"
 * The episode garnered 5.911 million viewers, down from the 7.74 million for the season four opener, iGot A Hot Room.
 * This is the second episode when Sam is seen wearing high heels, the first being iWas A Pageant Girl.
 * In the end credits, Spencer and Guppy are sitting together in front of the camera, and Guppy is eating spaghetti.

Goofs

 * When Carly is yelling at Spencer for just bringing a Dusbuster for protecting her, her hair keeps changing from messy to brushed.

Gallery
View photo gallery for this episode here

Quotes
Blond Girl: Do you sell smoothies here? T-Bo: Do I-What?!

Carly: No more panties on the stairs!

Sam: Ahh, don´t like that word!

Spencer: Well, too bad! Stairs, stairs, stairs!

Carly:She meant panties.

Spencer:Now I'm embarrassed.

Sam: MOM!!?

Pam: I know who I am.

Sam: I don't want any part of her.

Pam: You don't deserve my parts.

Sam: Why would I want worn out parts?

Sam: My future will be just fine.

Pam: Who told you that? Your parole officer?

Sam: At least I call my parole officer!

Pam: Why don't you take a bath?

Sam: 'Cause you didn't pay the water bill.

Carly: See, now you're communicating.

Mrs. Benson: There´s a dangerous criminal out there who probably wants to hurt my Freddie with his hammer!

Pam: You married?

Psychologist: Excuse me?

Pam: I don't see a ring. You got a woman, or what?

Sam: Pardon my mommy's desperation!

Pam: Pardon my daughter's personality!

Psychologist: No, Pam. It's a new kind of therapy that's a bit unorthodox.

Sam: That's cool. We're not Jewish.

Carly: [frightened] What is this movie?

Gunsmoke: "The Killing War."

Carly: Don't you think it's a little violent?

Spencer: Could we please watch something else?

Gunsmoke: Fine. Put on "Full House."

Spencer: Awesome!

Sam: You never listen to me.

Pam: Really, well try saying something INTERESTING!!

Sam: All you care about yourself!

Pam: Why can't you be more like Melanie?

Sam: Quit comparing me to Melanie!

Pam: You threw up in my car!

Sam: I was 6 years old, get over it!

Carly: Why'd you close the door?

Psychologist: No one leaves the Therapy Box until those two learn to love!

Carly: What difference does it make if you bring lipstick in here?

Sam: Welcome to the insanity that is my mother.

Pam:Hey, Sam. Remember when you were seven, and I told you that Fluffles ran away?

Sam: Yeah.

Pam: I sold him.

Carly: Oh, my God!

Sam: You sold my bunny?

Pam: To foreigners!

Sam: ''(Gasp!) '' Sam: Yeah, you wanna know why that rich doctor stopped calling you?

Pam: Steven?

Sam: I told him you got hit by a bus!

Pam: ''(Gasp!) ''

Pam: [when Carly freaks out] You've got girl cramps?

Sam: I LOVE you. [break] Mother.

Pam: What, you think I don't love you?

Sam: You never say it...

Pam: Well, it's not easy to say 'I love you' to a daughter who thinks I'm... you, know, scummy!

Sam: I don't think you're scummy... all the time.

Pam: I guess I could have had a worse kid.

Sam: [happy voice] You mean that?

Pam: Anyway, I'm sorry I haven't always been as understanding as I could have been ... you know, like when you get arrested and stuff.

Sam: Well, I could probably try a little harder not to get arrested.

Pam: Why don´t we get you a new bunny?

Sam: Why don´t we call that doctor, you know, tell him you're not really dead?

[They smile]

Sam: Can I come home?

Pam: [playfully] Aw, hug me, you little turd!

[They hug;The psychologist smiles]

Carly: Nyeeh! Nyeeh! Nyeeh!

Shadow Hammer: 8-D, 8-D...no...8-D...no...8-D, 8-D, 8-D, 8-D, 8-D...

Freddie: [opens door; looks after the Shadow Hammer with a worried expression on his face; closes door]

Related iCarly.com blog posts
Sam's blog: My Mom Is Driving Me Crazy

Sam's blog: Sam's Mom FINALLY Watches iCarly