Rhoda S01E02 -
You Can Go Home Again : Rhoda decides it is time to move out of
Brenda's apartment, but it is difficult to find a reasonably price apartment in
New York.
Rhoda has made the decision to move back to
New York City, but yet with no job and no apartment. However, the trunk
that Mary has sent with all Rhoda's possessions is the first indication that she and Brenda can't go on living together in Brenda's small apartment anymore. The small apartment size is highlighted when Brenda has a date with the possibility of an over night stay, and when Joe, Rhoda and Brenda each try to provide the other two with privacy when they need to talk alone. But without a job or money, and with every available suitable apartment costing an arm and a leg, Rhoda does something she thought she would never do: she takes Ida up on the offer to move back home. As Rhoda's stay at her parents' gets longer, it has a surprising effect on both mother and daughter.
Cast:
Valerie Harper—
Rhoda Morgenstern Gerard
Julie Kavner—
Brenda Morgenstern
David Groh—
Joe Gerard (
1974–77)
Nancy Walker—
Ida Morgenstern (1974–76,
1977–78)
Harold Gould—
Martin Morgenstern (1974–76, 1977–78)
Ron Silver—
Gary Levy (
1976–78)
Ray Buktenica—
Benny Goodwin (1977–78)
Kenneth McMillan—
Jack Doyle (1977–78)
Lorenzo Music—
Carlton, the doorman (voice only)
Synopsis:
Rhoda which began in the fall of 1974, began each episode (at least the 1st season) with Valerie Harper stating: "My name is
Rhoda Morgenstern. I was born in the
Bronx, New York in
December, 1941.
I've always felt responsible for
World War II. The first thing
I remember liking that liked me back was food. I had a bad puberty, it lasted 17 years. I'm a high school graduate, I went to art school. My entrance exam was on a book of matches. I decided to move out of the house when I was 24, my mother still refers to this as the time I ran away from home.
Eventually I ran to
Minneapolis where it's cold, and I figured I'd keep better. Now I'm back in
Manhattan. New York, this is your last chance!"
Rhoda is the successful spin-off to the classic
The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Rhoda returns to New York where she eventually marries Joe Gerard, and later divorces him. She finds comfort from her sister, Brenda (Julie Kavner). Her biggest problem is her mother, Ida (Nancy Walker). In 1978, after
110 episodes, Rhoda went off the air. It being the second most successful spin-off from The Mary Tyler Moore Show - the first being
Lou Grant.
During its short run Rhoda earned two
Emmys (one for Valerie Harper in
1975, and one for Julie Kavner in 1978) and two
Golden Globes (one for
Harper and one for the series itself, both in 1975). All together it earned 11
Emmy nominations and 7
Golden Globe nominations. The series has since earned itself a reputation as a classic in its own right.
The series opens with the pilot episode featuring Rhoda Morgenstern traveling from her home in Minneapolis to New York, where she was born and raised, for a two-week vacation, staying with her younger sister, Brenda (Julie Kavner). While there, she meets Joe Gerard (David Groh), a handsome divorcé who owns a wrecking company and has a ten-year-old son,
Donny, whom Brenda babysits.
Following Brenda's prompting, Rhoda and Joe meet and develop an instant attraction to each other which leads to their dating nightly for the duration of her vacation. After an argument about their feelings for each other, Joe asks Rhoda to stay in New York City, which she does, initially moving in with Brenda at 332 E.
64th Street (actual exterior shots are of 332
East 84th Street, between 1st and 2nd avenues on the southeast end of the block.) Brenda, a bank teller, is an insecure person with low self-esteem with dating problems, similar to how Rhoda herself had experienced difficulty in dating in Minneapolis in the early years of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
The first episode of
Season 1, entitled "Joe", aired on
CBS on Monday,
September 9, 1974 at 9:30 PM. and immediately set a record by being the first and only television series ever to achieve a number-one
Nielsen rating for its premiere pilot episode, defeating the
ABC ratings juggernaut,
Monday Night Football in the process. This record continues to stand after nearly 40 years.
Joe asks Rhoda to move in with him.
Rhoda and Brenda soon realize that the small studio apartment can't hold them both, so Rhoda moves in with their parents Ida (Nancy Walker) and
Martin (Harold Gould) at their apartment in the
Bronx. Ida and
Martin are the stereotypical
Jewish parents. Ida is overbearing, overprotective, benevolently manipulative, and desperate to ensure her daughters find a good husband. Martin is her dutiful, mild-mannered dad. Ida initially goes to great lengths to baby her daughter. When it becomes apparent Rhoda is sliding into a rut by occupying her childhood bedroom, Ida forces her to move out for her own good.
- published: 20 Oct 2014
- views: 2160