If Only

This MissaX drama expresses a genuine sense of longing in that oh-so familiar format of a forbidden love affair between mother and stepson. The simplicity of Maddy Burton's screenplay is the secret of its success, but fans immediately appreciate the casting of Mona Wales in the lead role.

Mona plays the stepmom, not an Earth Mother but a more vulnerable, believable representation of the (slightly) older woman. Her stepson is visiting after a span of six months, to the home he grew up in, where his dad and stepmom of one year live.

But the issue here is that these two had transgressed once, and have been pining for that intimacy ever since, but resisting for fear of what would happen if daddy found out. The short vignette's set-up explores their fears versus the rewards of liberating that pent-up passion, with Mona and tall Jason Pierce inevitably giving in.

Pierce has grown in his acting skills since first joining the Missa X troupe including her A POV Story format, and holds his own with Mona in the to & fro dramatics here. Once the intimacy begins, Mona takes over, delivering the role-play "Mommy" talk that Wales has mastered.