In a long running sitcom you have to accept that some episodes will feel like a retcon with upheavals that are quickly reversed then never referred to again in any later episode.
This one retcons in a long-lost never-before-referred-to old flame who we learn was Mary's one true love and soul mate who drives her crazy with his sweet talk and failure to commit. No, this isn't Bill, the guy from Love Is All Around she was engaged to for two years. Nor is it Sandy, the concert pianist from Baby Sit-com who years before had asked Mary to marry him. And it isn't Dan the teacher from Room 223 and The Courtship of Mary's Father's Daughter, a real catch whose offer of marriage Mary rejected as she wasn't ready yet (and who, in the next episode, is said to still be dating Mary). This is a new beau, Tom Vernon (Joseph Campanella), who makes Mary forget all about those other guys when he rocks in and disrupts her life again.
It is a big switcheroo to try and pull off. With all the boyfriends Mary has had, this guy who is supposedly so important to her, has NEVER been mentioned before. While Mary Tyler Moore and Valerie Harper act the scenes setting all this up pretty well, I get the feeling even their hearts were not in it. Despite Mary's good acting, I found it hard to care much about the romance itself as it all seemed forced. Tom was pretty annoying which makes you wonder what the attraction was (Mary has had much more appealing beaus). While it is well written and acted, the story didn't really ring true for me and it just doesn't fit well into series continuity.
The subplot of Ted going to Washington is funny and well done.
This one retcons in a long-lost never-before-referred-to old flame who we learn was Mary's one true love and soul mate who drives her crazy with his sweet talk and failure to commit. No, this isn't Bill, the guy from Love Is All Around she was engaged to for two years. Nor is it Sandy, the concert pianist from Baby Sit-com who years before had asked Mary to marry him. And it isn't Dan the teacher from Room 223 and The Courtship of Mary's Father's Daughter, a real catch whose offer of marriage Mary rejected as she wasn't ready yet (and who, in the next episode, is said to still be dating Mary). This is a new beau, Tom Vernon (Joseph Campanella), who makes Mary forget all about those other guys when he rocks in and disrupts her life again.
It is a big switcheroo to try and pull off. With all the boyfriends Mary has had, this guy who is supposedly so important to her, has NEVER been mentioned before. While Mary Tyler Moore and Valerie Harper act the scenes setting all this up pretty well, I get the feeling even their hearts were not in it. Despite Mary's good acting, I found it hard to care much about the romance itself as it all seemed forced. Tom was pretty annoying which makes you wonder what the attraction was (Mary has had much more appealing beaus). While it is well written and acted, the story didn't really ring true for me and it just doesn't fit well into series continuity.
The subplot of Ted going to Washington is funny and well done.