First of, since the show is older, the meaning of my rating - 7 - also relates to the older scale, so to say, when an over 7 (and 7) rated show really meant it stands out, it brings something new, it is valuable to watch due to a meaningful reason. In the past decade, seems to me like this indicator severely faded, since people throw around over sevens like there is no tomorrow, because they liked it and nothing else in terms of objective value. Ok. This aside, the MTM show is the story of a young woman working in a tv news department of a local studio, in times when women were seen as secretaries regardless of their actual job, or as partners to support their male counterparts in what they did. Mary lives in a rented room, congregates with her libertine upstairs neighbour Rhonda, has a few unsatisfactory relationships over the years with the available man types of her times. She literally grows old on the job, while still single and still working under her potential, makes a lot of personal sacritices, including taking care of various colleagues in moments of need. An existence that is but a step in the ladder other women hopefully used later on, to get more meaningful working roles. What we see with Mary is her hanging inbetween the world of a stay at home housewife (which she would not fit in) and the world of being an empowered woman having a say at her job. All her work actions are sanctioned beforehand by her male boss, and even when she does make decisions, the feel of him allowing her benevolently to do so, because she proved herself a "good girl" still lingers in the air. Luckily her boss is married and decent, so no inappropriate tension there, just a slight daddy issue thing from her part at some moment. Also, being times when people managed to survive with less money, the fact that they are all underpaid, or paid late sometimes, and working more out of willingness than material motivation, gets out with being funny, and the work frictions do the same. Episodes are funny, Mary is truly special, but the overall image is somehow tiresome, from the reasons I exposed above.
Review of The Mary Tyler Moore Show
