In this episode, Rhoda re-decorates Lou's house with hilarious results.  An oft-overlooked classic. 

When Mary's date is several inches shorter than her, only hilarity can ensue.  Jay Sandrich deservedly won his first directing Emmy for this episode.  When her date has to sit on a phone book, I cannot remember laughing so long.  As a final note, this is the first MTM Show episode I ever saw and will always have a place in my heart; it made me love the show. 

 Although this is not the funniest episode in the series, I have always related to it and think it is very real.  Her sadness when she does not get published in Reader's Digest is remarkable. 

 I love Georgette.  Who doesn't? This episode personifies everything she is and ever will be -- her permanent smile, her enduring sweetness -- who does it better than Georgia Engel?  No one.  Absolutely hilarious. 

 At times a bit preachy, this episode had the biggest political statement of any other. Despite its nagging, it is still hilarious.  Who would think of Mary Richards in jail? With prostitutes?  The episode could be its description and still be funny. 

Reaching the end of its run, The MTM Show finally explored the possibility of Lou and Mary falling in love.  Inevitably it did not
work out, but it resolved the question viewers could have asked for years: will Lou and Mary ever fall in love with each other? When they discover it will not work out, they also discover themselves at their most vulnerable.  Mary and Lou had the strongest relationship throughout the series and this is their defining moment. 

Edward Asner's best episode.  We finally see Lou hurt, betrayed and angry -- and we feel it too.  Mary Richards is not perfect.  She is capable of hurting a person's feelings.  The dialogue between Mary and Lou in this episode is possibly the best written in the seven year run.  A gem. 

Nancy Walker came in and upstaged Valerie Harper -- not an easy feat.  This is maybe the greatest characterization in one episode ever written and acted in situation comedy history.  When Rhoda refuses to see her mother, even I feel guilty. 

Ted's pomposity has never been so funny.  When he convinces himself that his talent needs to be taught, I couldn't help but crack up.  And his pupils, or shall I say pupil, is hilarious. 

Sue-Ann's entrance is one of the show's crowning moments.  And a young John Ritter appears as the priest in tennis garb.  Flowers, cake, wedding rings and Ted -- a comic souffle. 

This episode peers into Mary's flaws.  Her addiction to sleeping pills makes her human and we relate.  The scene in the bathroom when Mary is in the tub is utterly ingenious.  However, not one of them thinks of Mary sexually even though there she lays a la buff? As if! 

One laugh after another drives this episode near the top of my list.  Ventriloquism, "Steam Heat" and everything in between. This one has it all.  Sit back and bust a gut. 

A pre-Fonz Henry Winkler finds himself in an embarrassing predicament when he sits at his own table at one of Mary's bad parties.  Of course everything is a fiasco, including Lou hogging the entree, making this the best of Mary's bad parties. 

Oft named the best episode in television history, this is a classic.  Mary's reaction to the eulogy is and unbelievable display of control.  The morbid scenario makes the humor seem almost absent, but with great direction (sadly, Joan Darling's one effort) and flawless acting, this ranks among the best of the best.  Sadly, it says nothing for the characters.

Only the second episode of The MTM Show, we already know who Mary and Rhoda are and, thus, can laugh with them rather than at them (a sit-com rarity).  Rhoda's date, "Mr. and Mrs. Armand Linton", is maybe the best situation Rhoda ever has gotten herself into.  The funny thing is, I can see it really happening. 

We all know what it is like living with friends -- this episode says what we all know -- it NEVER works.  Mary's face as she leaves the apartment with the fern, gives me an attack of the giggles like no other face.  Rhoda's "dish elf" line sends me to the floor laughing.  And Mary at the sink at 3am sends me to the kleenex box for tissues.  Andy Mary looks utterly radiant in this episode!

Cloris Leachman could possibly the world's best physical comedian (well, second to Mary Tyler Moore).  When she eats her own pie, her reaction is beyond remarkable.  She says nothing, but I still am in stitches.  Not only that, but the writing of the characters is more than ingenious -- it is real. 

The last time Mary, Rhoda, Phyllis, Lou, Ted, Murray, Sue Ann and Georgette are together is bound to be a tearful affair.  But who would have thought it could be funny?  The collaborative effort writing this episode combined hilarity and sadness on the same note.  The shuffle to the kleenex box is one of the most recognizable moments in TV history.  Capping off the series, we all knew this show was the greatest that ever was and ever will be. 

Mary Tyler Moore's greatest performance.  The hair, the dress, the slipper, the rain coat and even the red pant suit add up the the funniest episode of the series.  Everything about this episode is real, and Rhoda's lines are the best she was ever given to deliver.  The title is an understatement. 

From the first glimpse of Mary at the wheel of her car, we knew we were in for the ride of out lives.  After Mary tossed her hat up for the first time, television was not going to be the same again.  Almost nothing makes me happier than seeing an episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and this is the one that started it all.  This makes me truly believe there really is love all around.

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Awards