When Murphy wants to cut her hair to become a more appropriate to her lifestyle, she finds network objection and decides to fight it. "Never operate heavy machinery or get a haircut when you're angry", Murphy says, and of course, insults follow from the crew ("You look like John Candy", Frank says), nervous ire from Miles, passive aggressive wisecracks from her new secretary Deborah Taylor (very funny as she tells Murphy her own difficulty giving birth), and of course Eugene's fury over being defied. They fear a ratings disaster simply because of a survey from 16 to 35 year olds who watched FYI. But Miles does stand up for Murphy, and ultimately, all of their arguments against Murphy fail. The continuing gag of Murphy's weight gain has funny results, especially her reaction to someone on the crowded elevator that moos her. Jack Axelrod is very funny as Eugene's tailor. But ultimately, this episode is about freedom of personal choice versus public opinion, a very smart view at the shallowness of society family unintentional attempt to control public figures.
2 Reviews
Great episode
mjf-1229518 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I really liked this episode. It was fun, but also made some points that are still relevant today. Unfortunately, appearance continues to be a large factor in show business as it did in this episode.
Spoiler: I really enjoyed the ending. Murphy is in the bathroom stewing over the fact that most calls about the previous night's show and her interview were about how they hate her hair and not her interview. Suddenly she reaches up -- and pulls off a wig. She throws it in the waste basket and walks out.
Spoiler: I really enjoyed the ending. Murphy is in the bathroom stewing over the fact that most calls about the previous night's show and her interview were about how they hate her hair and not her interview. Suddenly she reaches up -- and pulls off a wig. She throws it in the waste basket and walks out.
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