Interesting how people can watch the same character and come away with different impressions!
Althogh I loved the show right from the start, the early Mary Richards would sometimes make me grind my teeth because she was such a willing doormat. She allowed people to take advantage of her.
When she would do that singsongy, "Oh, Miiister Graaaaant" or allow someone else to push her around, I'd want to scream. She would mumble and act like a little girl being scolded by her teachers. In the first episode she "had spunk" but when Mr. Grant said, "I hate spunk!" , she apparently decided to hide that part of herself for a while.
It was part of her personality when she was young. When the show starts, Mary has left her hometown after spending a number of years with a young man who is becoming a doctor. She waited and waited on marriage because he wanted to wait. He finally became a doctor and backed out on the engagement.
It was obvious to me that Mary was a bit passive. She waited a long time and obviously didn't make any ultimatums or demands. When she took the newsroom job, she was still in the habit of being passive. But she finally learned how to assert herself! About time!
I never thought there was anything wrong in her putdowns of Ted. He could be such a pompous ass! Murray zinged Ted on a daily basis . But somehow when Mary did it, she's a bitter woman or a b#tch? Ted often had it coming. He took advantage of her sweet nature many times. He took terrible advantage of Georgette and she often put up with it until Mary tried to teach her not to be a doormat.
When Georgette was introduced, two female doormats was one too many. Mary had to evolve a little. People do sometimes grow and learn to assert themselves. I don't see how she was bitter in the last season when she finally got a serious boyfriend (played by Ted Bessell). Unlike all of Mary's other guys, she really seemed to love him.
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