After watching S2 wind down the past week on ALN, I noticed something I have never noticed before in the series...

The last three eps (starting with "Let's Call It Love") has Joe alluding to the fact that the marriage is in trouble.

He tells Rhoda point blank (in ep 22 & 23) that they don't have any privacy, they don't spend eough time together, they are always bothered by her realtives. In the last ep (24) he's angry at Rhoda for not confiding in him about how bad her business is doing (though she's told others), and that she won't ask him (her husband) for financial help - even though she's asked others.

I wonder if by ep 22, the writers had planned an exit strategy for "Joe", knowing they couldn't keep them together... and that's why S3 starts with them splitting?

After watching S2 wind down the past week on ALN, I noticed something I have never noticed before in the series...

The last three eps (starting with "Let's Call It Love") has Joe alluding to the fact that the marriage is in trouble.

He tells Rhoda point blank (in ep 22 & 23) that they don't have any privacy, they don't spend eough time together, they are always bothered by her realtives. In the last ep (24) he's angry at Rhoda for not confiding in him about how bad her business is doing (though she's told others), and that she won't ask him (her husband) for financial help - even though she's asked others.

I wonder if by ep 22, the writers had planned an exit strategy for "Joe", knowing they couldn't keep them together... and that's why S3 starts with them splitting?

Interesting point. I noticed that in one of those episodes last week when they had a big fight over lack of privacy. I wasn't thinking, though, that they might have been paving the way for the separation the next season. It was interesting today to see Nancy Walking in the season 3 opener because that's the year she left to do her own (two) sitcoms. It also struck me as curious that their way of writing off Ida and Martin was to send them on a trip. Trips don't have permanency; people come back from trips. We're the writers predicting Nancy Walker's sitcom would fail and she'd be back?

I saw that episode today as well. I have to say, an Emmy should have been given to Harper and Walker that night after the epsiode aired. It really showcased the talent of these two fine actresses in a way we would never see again. Harper's performance moved me to tears after watching this last night (and I'm a 46 year old male!).

I think the writers must have worked out some kind of agreement with Walker and Gould - if her show failed, she would be welcome back to her role on "Rhoda" (I believe the same deal was worked out with Marla Gibbs in 1981, when she was spun-off to her failed comedy 'Checking In' - she was welcome back to 'The Jeffersons'). Sending them off cross-country was a genius idea...there was no time frame, nothing dismal (illness). They could have also sent them to Miami to 'retire' (which, in reality, became very popular among the NY Jewish community in the 1970s). In any event, it was very well done.