So the MTM show was apparently not interested in ever fixing Mary up. Probably to demonstrate that a woman doesn't need a man to be lovable, lovely, and complete.
So the writers had to come up with reasons to have things not work out by episode's end. This one is great: Mary really likes a divorced man but his son is a Dick Van Dyke. (Remove the last two words from the previous sentence.) The episode was okay enough, predictable, but I'm going out on a limb here to suggest that this story was actually designed as a top secret test pilot.
Let me pitch some theory and evidence here.
1. At this time on television shows were doing daring premises. A divorced man looking for a bride with a bratty kid? Definitely different. The kid being a brilliant tool to keep new women coming and going. A very dark joke each episode is to watch how and why Stevie destroyed these women. The only point of this theory is that it isn't unlikely such a pitch would have been considered by CBS.
2. Furthering this pitch was the unnecessary introduction of the Dad's family. Think about it. NONE OF THEM NEEDED TO BE IN THIS EPISODE. The same scene could have been done with two of them, not seven named characters who all took a moment to be seen by the audience. And the proof that something was afoot --
3. -- is all those people introduced at that party were name supporting actors. Not nobodies. The Grandmother had just appeared in WHAT'S UP DOC? No, it's not an accident these faces were all gathered.
Not convinced, ey? Alright.
4. At this point in Broadcast TV pilots were used in the final episode of a given season. Star Trek did it once. MTM did it at the end of Season 2. I can only guess that by the end of a Season the production is exhausted and if they can pass of a lot of time to other actors it makes finishing the season even easier. Maybe making it the last episode is also smart if the pilot gets picked up -- since the characters will be fresh in peoples minds.
Still not convinced?
5. One of the best things about the MTM show is the writing. It's better than any writing class at NYU. Believe me, I tried a few. And so if a guy shows up in scene one with an arm in a cast -- that's always a PLANT. Meaning some 20 minutes later they're going to use that arm in a cast in just about the funniest scene. Ever.
At this point Doubting Thomas just realized they never used it for one joke. Did they? Wanna know why? It was never intended to be there in the first place. But the actor was, since this was HIS pilot. That actor in real life must have broken his arm and there was no time left to delay the episode... and so they wrote it into the beginning for spits and giggles and forgot they should have written a joke around it to make it all seem planned and clever.
Anyway, that's my theory. Some decades late but during Covid it's been fun to stroll again with Mary thru her incredible series.
So the writers had to come up with reasons to have things not work out by episode's end. This one is great: Mary really likes a divorced man but his son is a Dick Van Dyke. (Remove the last two words from the previous sentence.) The episode was okay enough, predictable, but I'm going out on a limb here to suggest that this story was actually designed as a top secret test pilot.
Let me pitch some theory and evidence here.
1. At this time on television shows were doing daring premises. A divorced man looking for a bride with a bratty kid? Definitely different. The kid being a brilliant tool to keep new women coming and going. A very dark joke each episode is to watch how and why Stevie destroyed these women. The only point of this theory is that it isn't unlikely such a pitch would have been considered by CBS.
2. Furthering this pitch was the unnecessary introduction of the Dad's family. Think about it. NONE OF THEM NEEDED TO BE IN THIS EPISODE. The same scene could have been done with two of them, not seven named characters who all took a moment to be seen by the audience. And the proof that something was afoot --
3. -- is all those people introduced at that party were name supporting actors. Not nobodies. The Grandmother had just appeared in WHAT'S UP DOC? No, it's not an accident these faces were all gathered.
Not convinced, ey? Alright.
4. At this point in Broadcast TV pilots were used in the final episode of a given season. Star Trek did it once. MTM did it at the end of Season 2. I can only guess that by the end of a Season the production is exhausted and if they can pass of a lot of time to other actors it makes finishing the season even easier. Maybe making it the last episode is also smart if the pilot gets picked up -- since the characters will be fresh in peoples minds.
Still not convinced?
5. One of the best things about the MTM show is the writing. It's better than any writing class at NYU. Believe me, I tried a few. And so if a guy shows up in scene one with an arm in a cast -- that's always a PLANT. Meaning some 20 minutes later they're going to use that arm in a cast in just about the funniest scene. Ever.
At this point Doubting Thomas just realized they never used it for one joke. Did they? Wanna know why? It was never intended to be there in the first place. But the actor was, since this was HIS pilot. That actor in real life must have broken his arm and there was no time left to delay the episode... and so they wrote it into the beginning for spits and giggles and forgot they should have written a joke around it to make it all seem planned and clever.
Anyway, that's my theory. Some decades late but during Covid it's been fun to stroll again with Mary thru her incredible series.