I don't know what to say about an episode like this, because it really made me dislike the mother. Considering that she, for all intents and purposes, "won" the fight to keep Adrian right where she was, in Missouri, for pretty much all her life, despite the fact toward the end you get the sense that Adrian would have been much happier elsewhere. However, her mother pretty much breaks her will after the accident, having her come home, and then, when Adrian is 24, she's the one who has to raise the clone of her mother. Who then doesn't want to see the world, but wants to stay in her own little corner of it. So yeah, Adrian is pretty much trapped in an unexciting job that for all intents and purposes seems dead-end, in a house her mother (or at least her clone) picked out for her, and in the end she lets Jennifer have her way.
This story is practically crying out for a sequel told from Jennifer's point of view, especially with all the loose plot threads dangling. What was the stigma attached to being a clone? What would Jennifer's reaction be when she discovers she's a clone? I really wanted to know the answers to these questions, and I was a little disappointed when they weren't addressed.
As far as "It's a Wonderful Life" goes...I do like that movie, although I think the ending as it stands is unsettling. George is still facing charges of embezzlement, Old Man Potter gets away with stealing a substantial amount of money, and it's pretty unsatisfying on some level. I kind of like the old Saturday Night Live lost footage of It's a Wonderful Life.
Then again, it's not a bad lesson, is it? It can be deeply frustrating to see George keep putting off his dreams, but I think a lot of people do that. I've had to do it a couple times, usually to help someone else out, and it doesn't get any easier to do. It's a little comforting to think that although you had to sacrifice, it was ultimately worth something.