The Mary Tyler Moore Show (TV Series) My Son, the Genius (1976) User Reviews

I Wondered Where David Was

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 3 March 2017]

There are two fun plot lines here. The first has to do with Lou taking care of his daughter's father in law. He is an old guy who is about as tiresome as one can be. He is always asking if whatever is offered is any trouble. He takes this bit to the nth degree. There is a hilarious scene in the commissary where he and Mary try to figure out what kind of sandwich he should get. He is driving Lou crazy. Lou calls Mary in the middle of the night and asks her to drive him to Mount Rushmore. A sidelight is a book that Murray has lent Mary about the virtues of selfishness. He tells her she is often a pushover and she needs to get more self-esteem. The second story is about David, Ted's adopted son. He is failing all his classes and they take him to a child psychologist. It turns out he has an IQ of 160 and has been bored with his classes. They immediately enroll him in a school for the gifted. The problem is that it turns him, at least temporarily, into a monster. His IQ is much higher than Ted's and he's afraid to discipline him.

A few funny moments

[Rrrobert · 7/10 · 16 March 2020]

OK episode.

Lou tries to palm off his daughter's father-in-law, Morris (Ned Glass), on to Mary. The pernicious Morris is needy and a bit of a complainer. Murray encourages Mary to read a self-help book about learning to say 'no'. Mary does take the muddled Morris to lunch in a funny scene.

Meanwhile Ted and Georgette worry as son David is failing at school. Ted has trouble disciplining the precocious brat.

MTM goes Ayn Rand

[robert3750 · 7/10 · 19 January 2022]

Murray recommends a a book to Mary called The Importance of Being Selfish. Interestingly, Ayn Rand wrote a book called The Virtue of Selfishness. There really is an important principle discussed here. One can't exist solely to serve others at the expense of one's own happiness. Ted has to learn to deal with the high IQ of his son. He shows that he really is a loving, caring father.