Rhoda Boned the Fish When... - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC · 10-06-2013, 01:49 AM

http://www.bonethefish.com/viewtopics.php?3101

Quote:

Played by Valerie Harper, Rhoda Morgenstern had started out life as Mary Richard's neighbor on the original "Mary Tyler Moore Show" back in 1970. Despite the fact that she was actually attractive, Rhoda started out considering herself fat and unattractive but after some initial rivalry proved to be the best friend Mary could have had. More importantly, Rhoda was someone quite interesting who had the best wisecracks and played her emotional baggage for laughs having moved to Minneapolis to New York to try to escape herself . The single biggest piece of luggage Rhoda had was her well-intended but very suffocating mother Ida (played by the inimitable late Nancy Walker) who was overbearing to Rhoda despite being roughly a foot shorter in height! Anyway, the viewers all loved Rhoda, Ida and their backstories so when it was decided to spin off her character into her own show in 1974 with Rhoda moving back to New York , there were high hopes and expectations. Unfortunately, they were not to totally pan out. For one thing, Rhoda seemed far more grounded and levelheaded in New York than she had in Minneapolis which didn't make the character funnier. Also, she was in competition with her own younger even more insecure kid sister Brenda (played by Julie Kavner- pre Marge Simpson) who became far more of a source for laughs than Rhoda did on her own show. Also, they made the mistake of marrying her off quickly to the divorced father of some kid Brenda babysat (who, strangely was barely seen or referred to again after the wedding). Oh, yeah, and they hypped that wedding almost as though she was an actual royal with some viewers going so far as throwing parties while it aired! Of course, this meant that Rhoda had nowhere to go but down from that point on. It also didn't help that Rhoda simply became more annoying and less sympathetic as time went on (and how the show survived at all with the year-long departure of Nancy Walker still is puzzling). Oddly enough, had the show simply had Ida and Brenda without Rhoda at all, it might have been better. Of course, all this is just one viewer's POV so feel free to cast your votes as to whether Rhoda Boned or not.

Mr. Television · 10-06-2013, 11:12 AM

Splitting Rhoda and Joe up was it for me. The show never recovered. Then Nancy Walker left for a year and they brought in new characters in an attempt to remake this show in the same way of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Total failure. They should have left well enough alone.

Retro4Life · 10-06-2013, 02:26 PM

The final season, at least. I hated that Benny Goodman character and I missed Gary Levy.

Marvo301 · 10-06-2013, 08:13 PM

When Rhoda got married. The courtship should have lasted for the whole series and saved the wedding for at the end like they did on "Who's The Boss" with Angela and Tony.

McGillicuddy · 10-07-2013, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marvo301

When Rhoda got married. The courtship should have lasted for the whole series and saved the wedding for at the end like they did on "Who's The Boss" with Angela and Tony.

I agree, except I love "The Wedding Episode".

LittleRickyII · 10-07-2013, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stuck In The '70's

Splitting Rhoda and Joe up was it for me. The show never recovered. Then Nancy Walker left for a year and they brought in new characters in an attempt to remake this show in the same way of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Total failure. They should have left well enough alone.

My sentiments exactly!

scotsguy · 10-08-2013, 07:18 PM

Yes splitting Rhoda and Joe for good was upsetting and depressing and then sticking Rhoda in that unfunny clothes hire shop just wasn't funny,the Rhoda of the MTMS years and thearly seasons Rhoda,would have lasted 20 seconds working for Jack Doyle.

TVFactFan · 10-08-2013, 08:24 PM

This is easy

When the mother left after season 2

Retro4Life · 10-08-2013, 10:41 PM

I think another development that spelled doom for "Rhoda" was the diminution of Rhoda in her own show. Brenda became the hapless single gal, which used to be Rhoda's role. She became the "Mary", more or less, of her own show. Maybe that was an inevitable development, but for me, the show lost some of its purpose and identity when this happened.

View Poll Results: Boned When...
Exit Stage Right: Joe...and for no good reason at all.	1	25.00%
Day 1	0	0%
Rhoda got married, and therefore boring.	3	75.00%
Never Boned	0	0%
Voters: 4. You may not vote on this poll

10-06-2013, 11:12 AM	#2
Mr. Television 23 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,132	Splitting Rhoda and Joe up was it for me. The show never recovered. Then Nancy Walker left for a year and they brought in new characters in an attempt to remake this show in the same way of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Total failure. They should have left well enough alone.
	__________________ Sonny

10-06-2013, 02:26 PM	#3
Retro4Life Accept No Substitutes Forum Veteran Join Date: Feb 04, 2009 Location: IL Posts: 6,708	The final season, at least. I hated that Benny Goodman character and I missed Gary Levy.
	__________________ Alex Reiger :[Trying to convince Louie not to antagonize Bobby] "It's not hard to make people feel bad about their lives. What's hard is making people feel good about their lives."

10-06-2013, 08:13 PM	#4
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,456	When Rhoda got married. The courtship should have lasted for the whole series and saved the wedding for at the end like they did on "Who's The Boss" with Angela and Tony.
	__________________ Only a life lived for others is worth living. Albert Einstein A life isn't worth living unless it has impact on other lives. Jackie Robinson Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. Benjamin Franklin

10-08-2013, 07:18 PM	#7
scotsguy Member Forum Regular Join Date: Nov 25, 2002 Location: Edinburgh,Scotland Posts: 696	Yes splitting Rhoda and Joe for good was upsetting and depressing and then sticking Rhoda in that unfunny clothes hire shop just wasn't funny,the Rhoda of the MTMS years and thearly seasons Rhoda,would have lasted 20 seconds working for Jack Doyle.

10-08-2013, 08:24 PM	#8
TVFactFan Member Forum Junkie Join Date: Aug 17, 2002 Posts: 99,065	This is easy When the mother left after season 2

10-08-2013, 10:41 PM	#9
Retro4Life Accept No Substitutes Forum Veteran Join Date: Feb 04, 2009 Location: IL Posts: 6,708	I think another development that spelled doom for "Rhoda" was the diminution of Rhoda in her own show. Brenda became the hapless single gal, which used to be Rhoda's role. She became the "Mary", more or less, of her own show. Maybe that was an inevitable development, but for me, the show lost some of its purpose and identity when this happened.