Mary is overwhelmed at work. Lou has a little money to hire an assistant. She lets Phyllis Lindstrom talk her into hiring her. She is not just bad; she is terrible. She doesn't follow instructions, she shows up late, she fawns on Ted Baxter. She even pushes Ted to ask for a raise. Of course, Mary has the backbone of an eel and has a terrible time facing off with her. She ends up doing more work than she did before she hired her. There is a neat scene, once again in Lou's office, where Ted comes in and demands more money with Phyllis backing him. Mary pulls off a way of stopping him, and it is quite hilarious. Phyllis is one unique character. She is the perfect foil for Rhoda and a pain in the side of Mary.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show (TV Series)
Assistant Wanted, Female (1970)
User Reviews
Review this title4 Reviews
Uh Phyllis
Rrrobert25 June 2019
A funny Phyllis episode.
Egocentric, overbearing Phyllis of the backhanded compliment was helping out where Lars works but was fired. When overworked Mary is allowed to hire an assistant, pushy Phyllis weasels her way into the job.
As expected, Phyllis disrupts Mary's routine, creates discontent in the office, refuses to do any 'menial' work, and forms an unholy alliance with Ted - who she thinks is the bee's knees.
Phyllis could be annoying but also funny. I actually felt sympathy for her: queen of the household and holding court at Mary's with her Masters Degree, endless self-help manuals and her sly putdowns, but a nest of hidden insecurities and unable to hold down even the simplest job outside her home.
Egocentric, overbearing Phyllis of the backhanded compliment was helping out where Lars works but was fired. When overworked Mary is allowed to hire an assistant, pushy Phyllis weasels her way into the job.
As expected, Phyllis disrupts Mary's routine, creates discontent in the office, refuses to do any 'menial' work, and forms an unholy alliance with Ted - who she thinks is the bee's knees.
Phyllis could be annoying but also funny. I actually felt sympathy for her: queen of the household and holding court at Mary's with her Masters Degree, endless self-help manuals and her sly putdowns, but a nest of hidden insecurities and unable to hold down even the simplest job outside her home.
Great early episode !
ronnybee211228 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This episode showcases the talent of all involved that made this show special. The writing,the direction,the acting,the comedic-timing make for a great episode. Plus,there is a valuable lesson or 2 here as well.
Quite simply,Mary does something that a large percentage of people end up regretting. What might that be ? She gives a goofy,flaky acquaintance (Phyliss,portrayed artfully by the cute Cloris Leachman) a job at her TV station.
The problem?
In real-life,even under the best of circumstances,with the best of people,getting an acquaintance a job where you work is usually a bad idea that you will likely regret. All sorts of unimagined and unanticipated situations can happen,and now you are seemingly responsible for the behavior of 2 people (at work no less),yourself and your pal that you got hired. Even if you barely know this person,suppose all you did was give a neighbor a tip about the job-opening,and nothing more? It doesn't matter. That person will forevermore be associated with you,at work and among everyone that works there!
Think about that for a minute...
What if this person starts gossip,or maybe slacks at work,perhaps steals something,or maybe they get bombed at the Christmas party,you get the idea,the list is endless.
Anyhow,Mary hires Phyliss and she does no actual work. This disrupts the work environment and makes Mary look bad at work. Mary has to fire Phyliss,and it is not very easy for the sweet-hearted Mary to do this.
This is a funny and well-made episode.
Quite simply,Mary does something that a large percentage of people end up regretting. What might that be ? She gives a goofy,flaky acquaintance (Phyliss,portrayed artfully by the cute Cloris Leachman) a job at her TV station.
The problem?
In real-life,even under the best of circumstances,with the best of people,getting an acquaintance a job where you work is usually a bad idea that you will likely regret. All sorts of unimagined and unanticipated situations can happen,and now you are seemingly responsible for the behavior of 2 people (at work no less),yourself and your pal that you got hired. Even if you barely know this person,suppose all you did was give a neighbor a tip about the job-opening,and nothing more? It doesn't matter. That person will forevermore be associated with you,at work and among everyone that works there!
Think about that for a minute...
What if this person starts gossip,or maybe slacks at work,perhaps steals something,or maybe they get bombed at the Christmas party,you get the idea,the list is endless.
Anyhow,Mary hires Phyliss and she does no actual work. This disrupts the work environment and makes Mary look bad at work. Mary has to fire Phyliss,and it is not very easy for the sweet-hearted Mary to do this.
This is a funny and well-made episode.
Hard to watch if you really can't stand Phyllis...and I sure can't.
planktonrules2 February 2024
On "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", it had a wonderful ensemble cast. However, among the least favorite for me was Phyllis. A little bit of her was just fine in the shows, but any episode that featured her was difficult for one major reason...she was nearly impossible to like. And, in "Assistant Wanted, Female" is Phyllis at her worst.
Now that the evening news is changing format from a half hour to an hour, the overworked staff have even more work. As a result, Mary asks Lou if she can hire an assistant to help her with the various tedious tasks. When Phyllis learns about this, she begs for the job. However, when Mary actually hires her, Phyllis is a lazy, backbiting and thoroughly annoying person. But, since Mary is such a nice person, she has a devil of a time firing her.
I think they should have toned Phyllis down a bit. Her character was much more self-absorbed and nasty than usual. This is Phyllis at her very worst. As a result, I couldn't wait for the episode to end. Yes, it was REALLY tough to watch.
Now that the evening news is changing format from a half hour to an hour, the overworked staff have even more work. As a result, Mary asks Lou if she can hire an assistant to help her with the various tedious tasks. When Phyllis learns about this, she begs for the job. However, when Mary actually hires her, Phyllis is a lazy, backbiting and thoroughly annoying person. But, since Mary is such a nice person, she has a devil of a time firing her.
I think they should have toned Phyllis down a bit. Her character was much more self-absorbed and nasty than usual. This is Phyllis at her very worst. As a result, I couldn't wait for the episode to end. Yes, it was REALLY tough to watch.
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