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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 407763" data-attributes="member: 23">RhodaSeason OneJoe / You Can Go Home Again / I’ll Be Loving You, Sometimes / Parents’ Day / The Lady In Red / Pop Goes The Question / The ShowerI began watching this quite reluctantly. Now I’ve reached the point where I need to cut off and watch the first batch of MTM S5 that lead up to the wedding crossover, I feel reluctant to stop watching Rhoda.The series won me over fairly quickly. There wasn’t a specific episode or scene that clinched it, but somewhere early on it just worked for me. This has been the biggest surprise because expectations were low and expected to be quite underwhelmed by it.The opening titles are great. Very creative, and with a narration that’s surprisingly easy to remember verbatim very quickly. I love the little musical segue to the MTM theme when she mentions Minneapolis. And the nod to the beret-throwing scene in the closing titles is a lovely touch as well. Mary’s cameo after Rhoda’s proposal actually felt a little jarring, but was a nice bit of continuity. I understand she also originally appeared in a pre-title scene in the first Rhoda episode which was lost as the series was syndicated and released on home media. Shame.The supporting cast doesn’t feel as well-defined as MTM, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. MTM is a series where most characters have a defining characteristic that sets them apart: Lou the grouchy boss; Ted the buffoon; Murray the reliable-but-snarky writer; Georgette the ingénue, and so on. In Minneapolis, Rhoda’s thing was as the direct and sometimes brash friend. But in New York this doesn’t set Rhoda apart from the rest of the ensemble. Most of the Rhoda ensemble isn’t as instantly-identifiable as that of MTM, but this works in the series’ favour by making it feel a little more real and nuanced.There are still certain sitcom archetypes such as the critical, guilt-inducing mother and the henpecked father, but it all blends well and feels balanced. Rhoda even has its own ingénue, but Julie Kavner’s endearing Brenda is far preferable, since she’s played for truth and seems more age-appropriate than Georgette the child-woman (even though, surprisingly, Julie is only two years younger than Georgia Engel).Julie’s face is familiar to me from The Tracy Ullman Show which I watched (and frequently re-watched from recordings) back in the Eighties. And it goes without saying her voice is always recognisable.It’s good to see both Rhoda’s parents back to add further familiarity. I know there are inconsistencies (and arguably retcons) when it comes to Rhoda’s siblings, but it’s pleasing to see that no recasts have been necessary as sometimes happens when a one-off or occasional part becomes more regular. I actually really like the dispersed family unit we see, and I’ve especially enjoyed the scenes between Valerie Harper and Julie Kavner, where there’s a happy and supportive energy (I have no idea what was going on behind the cameras with this series, but this does feel like a genuinely happy set).Given earlier thread comments about marrying off Rhoda too soon I suppose I’m now at a pivotal point. Already I can see the immediate change Rhoda and Joe’s marriage is going to have on the series. The Rhoda/Brenda scenes have been the heart of the series for me to date, and that living situation is going to change. And once it’s changed, no matter what happens in the storyline, it’s difficult to go back.I like Joe as a character, and would have been fine with Rhoda having a steady partner for the series, but it does feel ridiculously quick to get married. There’s also something about it that feels it undermines the character of Rhoda. There was an attempt to mitigate this with her “I want to get married and I hate that I want to get married” speech to Joe, but for me it backfired and ended up coming across as a manipulation rather than an explanation.My curiosity is definitely piqued to see where the series goes from here. The plan was to watch at least up to the wedding to give the series the best chance but, unless the wedding changes the series beyond recognition, I  plan to continue watching.</blockquote>

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