Mom's the Word

"Mom's the Word" is the twenty-eighth episode of the Disney Junior series Sofia the First, which aired on April 25, 2014.

Plot
It's Mother's Day in the kingdom of Enchancia and Sofia with a rose in her hand goes looking for her mom and is looking forward to spending the day with her. However when she finds her she discovers that James and Amber have already given Miranda roses in the shape of a unicorn. She tells Sofia they're bringing James and Amber along on their Mother's Day picnic to June Berry Island. This disappoints Sofia a little because she was hoping it to be just the two of them but Miranda reminds her she's not just her mother any more, she's also Amber and James' as well.

With all the picnic baskets loaded onto the coach the royal family get on their way with Baileywick accompanying them. Sofia is still feeling disappointed and can't bear looking at Amber next to her mother. Just then she spots a witch in the sky who turns the right rear wheel of the coach into a watermelon.

While everyone inspects the damage, Sofia spots the witch again and decides to go and investigate. She calls and calls until the witch comes up behind her and puts a Hex on her gown just before Lucinda the Good Little Witch appears. After undoing the hex on Sofia, She tells her that other witch is her mother Marla and every Mother's Day they go out hexing people and since she's now a good witch she finds it no fun. However her mother doesn't know she's a good witch now and doesn't want to ruin her special day. Sofia can understand her feelings, she recalls the times when it was just her and her mom and sometimes wishes it could be just the two of them again.

Seeing that she really wants to be alone with her mother on Mother's Day, Lucinda comes up with a magical idea that will get the two of them alone.

As soon as the coach is mended the family gets back on their way and arrive at the Royal River. Sofia in a rush gets her mother into the boat just as they start putting on their life jackets. Then unnoticed, the two witches fly over and Lucinda magically summons two seahorses that push the boat out into the river without James and Amber. Marla is impressed with her daughter's hex but she turns to shock when Lucinda admits it was actually a good spell. Marla tells her that being wicked is more fun than being good and its part of their legacy of being witches, to hex people. Lucinda reluctantly understands and just before the two witches fly away she makes the two seahorses pushing Sofia and Miranda's boat disappear. Sofia sees they are close to June Berry Island but Miranda insists that they turn around and head back for Amber and James, feeling worried about those witches on the loose.

Amber, James and Baileywick remain back at the dock and decide to go after them. But since they lost their boat they decide to borrow a fisherman's fishing boat, much to Amber's dismay.

As Miranda and Sofia continue to row back, Marla magically summons tall rocks and creates a rapid sending them off on a wild ride. Marla is really enjoying herself however Luncinda isn't. She tries to unhex the rapids but her mother's hex is too powerful for her to undo (Since she's not a fully grown witch.) Sofia and Miranda at first find this wild ride terrifying but they soon find it kind of fun and happily splash and slide through the rapids till they make it out to calm waters.

Meanwhile James, Amber and Baileywick are slowly rowing after Miranda and Sofia when suddenly the witches appear again and Marla turns their boat into a giant lily pad and Baileywick into a frog, again much to Amber's dismay (Baileywick also starts to gain the natural habit of eating flies.) They soon get back on their way again but come in for a bumpy ride as they go through the rapids themselves.

Sofia and Miranda make it to June Berry Island much to Sofia's joy and hopes they can have their picnic now. However Miranda doesn't think so, she can see that she has been trying to get alone time with her and can understand that she's finding it hard to accept change but she needs to learn that she is now Amber and James' mother too and things can't always be the same as they were before. Just then Amber, James and Baileywick show up and soon the family is reunited.

Meanwhile flying in the sky, Marla notices Lucinda is feeling bothered and admits she's not really having a good Mother's Day. So Marla decides to turn things up a notch by causing June Berry Island to rise out of the water even with the Royals still on. Sofia and her family try to bring the island to the ground by lassoing some rope to a tree on the mainland and pull hard bringing the island down. However their attempts fail when Baileywick again gets the urge to eat a fly.

Finally Lucinda has had enough and confesses to her mother that she is now a Good Witch and wants to do good spells from now on. Marla is shocked to hear this and thinking she doesn't understand, Lucinda leaves to go and help Sofia and her family.

Still floating above the water, Sofia admits that the little witch Lucinda is her friend and she asked her to cast a spell that would get her and her mother alone, she wanted it to be just the two of them like it used to be but now she realises that she was being selfish and not being a good stepsister.

Just then Lucinda appears; at first everyone is cautious but not Sofia. Lucinda promises to get them down but again her mother's hex is too powerful for her to undo. Then her mother shows up and brings them down safely. Marla finally understands Lucinda wasn't really enjoying their day together because she was doing bad spells and she has chosen to be a good witch. So she decided to do a good spell for her “Little Witchlet”. She promises Lucinda that if being a good witch is what she wants to be then she is willing to support her decision (but hopes it's only a phase.)

With everybody happy and Baileywick changed back the two families spend the rest of Mother's Day having a picnic together.

Cast

 * Ariel Winter as Sofia
 * Darcy Rose Byrnes as Princess Amber
 * Merit Leighton as Lucinda
 * Sara Ramirez as Queen Miranda
 * Zach Callison as Prince James
 * Tim Gunn as Baileywick
 * Tracey Ullman as Marla

Songs

 * Me and My Mom

Trivia

 * Lucinda from "The Little Witch" makes her second appearance in the series.
 * This episode marks the second time Sofia becomes envious and jealous.
 * This is the second episode Cedric isn't asked for a magical favor, the first is Sofia the First: The Floating Palace.
 * This episode is the first time Baileywick undergoes a magical transformation.
 * Lucinda's mother Marla appears for the first time in the series, starting with this episode.
 * Lucinda meets Princess Amber and Prince James for the first time.
 * This is the second time we see Amber's fear of frogs. The first time was in the episode "The Amulet and the Anthem".
 * This is the second time Princess Amber wears different tiaras. The first time was in the episode "Just One of the Princes".
 * Given how young Sofia is portrayed and how attached to her mother she is, it is safe to say Sofia's father has not been a figure in her life. Either by death or simply not in the picture.