Rhoda - Mary Tyler Moore (1970) Discussion

[–] pjpurple-1 8 years ago

Really? That's interesting. Why do you prefer them? Didn't you like Rhoda?

I always felt there was a big gap in Mary's life without her. Of course in real life friends come and go, people move on, they marry, leave town,etc.

But in the case of the MTM Show, Mary's life became so centered around office friends. Sue Ann Nivens was mean and catty to her but they socialized. I could never figure out why Mary would want to be her friends except that the writers forced them into a friendship. LOL

Really interested in why you prefer the post-Rhoda years. You must have some good reasons that I never thought of.

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[–] SnoozeAlarm 8 years ago

I think I just find the 3 office characters and situations a lot more interesting.

I think I'm also starting to dislike the Rhoda character. I think I find her overbearing.

Scariest words in English: We’re from the federal government and we’re here to help. R. Reagan

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[–] InherentlyYours 8 years ago

I think I'm also starting to dislike the Rhoda character. I think I find her overbearing.

I agree somewhat, and we are in the minority. The (tough-NYC) wise-cracks got old, with exceptions. I actually liked her semi-dramatic moments better. The pace and wit of the show picked up after season 4 also.

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[–] alanjobe 8 years ago

Rhoda was a funny character but I wasn't crazy nuts about her like a lot of viewers. She provided a lot of cute remarks and helped balance Mary's home and office life, but she was much more interesting on her own show than she was on MTM.

The show never missed a beat once she left IMO thanks to great writing and the addition of Betty White as Sue Ann Nivens. Sue Ann brought a rival for Mary, a nuisance for Lou, and another target for Murray.

Al - Alicia
An - Andrew
Jo - Joseph
Be - Benjamin

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[–] glennh69 8 years ago

. .and the addition of Betty White as Sue Ann Nivens. Sue Ann brought a rival for Mary, a nuisance for Lou, and another target for Murray.

We can also add that Sue Ann was a great foil for Phyllis. The episode where Phyllis confronts Sue Ann regarding her dalliance with Lars is a gem.

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[–] pjpurple-1 8 years ago

All true about Sue Ann. She was a very funny character and it opened up a lot of story possibilities.

And when Ted and Georgette got married, that opened a lot of story for them.

I just felt bad for Mary, it seemed like her whole life revolved around the office. In the first seasons, her friend Phyllis lived in THE building. Mary seemed to have a close, aunt-like, relationship with Bess. She had another friend, Rhoda, who lived upstairs.

Mary's parents moved to Minneapolis even though we only saw them in a few episodes.

Then all of a sudden her two friends are gone. Mary seemed so alone in the world except for her office friends who all had families of their own, except of course, the Happy Homemaker, who had a very active social life.

The show was always funny. I guess I just missed the element of friendship that Rhoda brought.

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[–] shango7200 8 years ago

To me - seeing Mary , Rhoda & Phyllis in any scenes in that living room- is total comfort TV. Especially in the world we live in now------

"In every dimension , there's another YOU!"

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[–] caligirlbr323 8 years ago

Exactly! I feel the same way! I Don't even like the later seasons after Rhoda and Phyllis are gone! And when she moved from that charming studio apartment. I never watched it after that!

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[–] ElRaisuli 8 years ago

There was what appeared to be a half-hearted effort to establish Penny Marshall as Mary's new neighbor/friend, "Paula," in season six. She only appeared in two episodes, "Murray in Love" and "Menage-a-Lou." It kind of seemed like they were testing the waters to see if the character would catch on - sort of like they did with Georgette in season 3.

Penny Marshall also appeared as another character ("Toni") in season 4's "I Was a Single for WJM."

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[–] hifijohn 8 years ago

I loved rhoda and valerie harper was stunning, I also loved the way she call mary-mmyyaar

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[–] shango7200 8 years ago

How crummy that her own show "Rhoda" did not come close to Mary's show in laughs OR charm.

"The ENEMY of my ENEMY is my FRIEND"

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[–] OldFriendOfTheChristys 8 years ago

I love Rhoda but appreciate the fact the character wanted to start again. It represents too the fact friends sometimes move on and one must learn to adjust. Mary grew closer to her "office family," and as a result the series' best comedy emerged.

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