Ted ought to go into business with Dawn. She'll go out with anyone.
As several have already pointed out, we should never forget that this strip is being written by someone who thought it was perfectly legitimate for an undergrad coed to go over to her male professor's house to practice yoga with him. I'd like to believe that that storyline was the tipping point for the #metoo movement. This is the second attempt since then to take an opposite viewpoint. But I demand at least 27 more stories about women being harassed before we forgive Karen Moy for Harlan Jones.
ReplyDeleteFor an allegedly great saleman, Ted Miller's romantic pitch is terrible. His physical manner is aggressive to the point of harassment, and his patter lacks any sort of affection toward Mary.
And not to blame the victim, but Mary has tolerated this behavior by continuing to deal with this creep. If today's strip doesn't signal the end of this relationship once and for all, then that's her fault.
-- Scottie McW.
"Tonight, on a very special episode of Mary Worth..." doesn't that sort of say it all?
ReplyDeleteTed is just as stupid as Dawn. He's known Mary for about a grand total of four hours and he wants to get busy with her. Either that or he's a complete sociopath. (I go with this.)
ReplyDeleteI guess Mary Muffin is out of business before it began. Wilbur better get over there and claim those extra muffins.
The story has been making mad for several reasons. (Besides the clumsy attempt to depict sexual harassment.) 1) Dr. Jeff brings over a guy he says he's been friends with. 2) Friend gets creepy with his girlfriend. 3) Dr. Jeff says he's known said friend 'casually' and he's a 'character'. How is he a "character" in Dr. Jeff's world? And why would you bring someone you don't know that well to someone's home?
"Ted Miller, what a character!"
I know it's way too much to expect from Moy, but wouldn't it be great if Wanders was right when he speculated that this might be a set up by Dr. Jeff? Dr. Jeff wants to find out if Mary finds all men disgusting and repulsive or if it's just him.
ReplyDeleteThe secret ingredient in Mary’s Muffins is Spanish Fly. Need to dial it back a bit.
ReplyDelete"Mary Worth, what a character!"
ReplyDeleteAll the characters are denser than bricks. Except, perhaps, Mr. Allora. He just needs the job.
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm just glad Mary knows enough to say "Stop!" Can't wait to see what Moy cooks up for the Sunday (summary) strip...
ReplyDeleteMary throws Ted out. The muffin business is finished. Ted starts dating Aileen of Aileen's Grocery. New storyline on Monday.
ReplyDelete--Liz
Huh. I expected Ted hitting on Mary would happen, but I thought it would take about a month and at least Mary's Muffins would become a success first. Wonder if even the writers realized that the plot wasn't going anywhere and decided to just move it on and conclude it by Sunday?
ReplyDeleteIt won't conclude by Sunday, because that won't allow time for Dr. Jeff to intercede on Mary's behalf. We have another week of Mary's Muffins, following which I hope Mary starts baking a different comfort food. I never want to see another one of those muffins.
ReplyDeleteConsidering that Mary had to push Ted out the door for a lot less than this attempt, she may need to bean him with a heavy object. One of those stale muffins should suffice.
ReplyDeleteOR...maybe Wilbur will knock at the door in his quest for muffins. I doubt he could punch Ted, but he might be able to pull Trd’s turtleneck over his face and sit on him until Mary calls Mr. Alora for assistance (with hand truck in tow).
the new mary muffins will have saltpeter in them...
ReplyDeleteHow will Ted leave? Mary just polished her doorknob!
ReplyDeleteCrossover alert! Mark Trail will amble by looking for the lost circus animals, hear the disruption and then it's Mark's "Flying Fist of Fury" smack dab in Jeff's kisser! Mary will be so grateful, she'll give Mark all the muffins he needs. Since the tiger just ate an entire ham over there, it'll be jonesin' for dessert...voila! Two plot lines neatly wrapped up! And Mark can use Jeff's bruised hulk for a timely "human nature" #MeToo panel on Sunday, thus keeping that strip timely as well. I got it all figured out.
ReplyDeleteBesides Dawn’s really questionable decisions about going out with her professor, (solved by her spending more time with her friends) and then with her boss, the married doctor, there was the equally questionable storyline where the one-armed guy with anger-management issues fixated on Dawn because she looked like his dead sister, and Mary’s advice was to cut him some slack and be friendly. Which solved everything, in that after a couple of panels of them looking cheerful, he vanished from the strip.
ReplyDeleteOh, and the non-Dawn storyline where the woman’s ex moved into Charterstone to get next to her and started basically stalking her, and Mary’s advice to him was to ‘go slowly’. I think both the woman and her ex were law-enforcement agents of some kind, so obviously he couldn’t really have been doing anything unethical in tracking her down....
I wonder what advice Mary would give herself in this situation?
ReplyDelete"STOP!"
Ted Miller reluctantly pulls back, and Mary composes herself. She draws a long breath and exhales slowly. She turns to face him and fixes him with a stare.
"Now, Ted, what's our marketing plan after Aileen's? How many muffins do you think we'll need?"
/Jeff'd
-- S. McW.
I'd love to see Mary shove Ted out into the hallway, followed by the whole bushel of muffins flung in one big scattering toss.
ReplyDelete