'Rhoda' Season Two

Last night I finished watching series two of 'Rhoda'. If you remember 'Rhoda' then you are probably of a certain age and remember the mid-70s...

'Rhoda' was a spin-off from the 'Mary Tyler Moore Show' featuring the adventures of Rhoda Morganstern (who became Mrs Gerard) in her native New York. All terribly exotic to my 15 year old self living in a small former-pit village in County Durham. The first series saw Rhoda leave Minneapolis where she lived in the same building as Mary Tyler Moore to move to Manhattan and marry Joe Gerard and set up her own business as a window dresser. The second series develops these themes, of 'modern' marriage, of Rhoda as a business-woman and, of course, wise-cracking New Yorkers.

It's all great fun, and great to see Julie Kavner (yes, the same actress who voices Marge Simpson) as Rhoda's younger sister and Nancy Walker as the stereotypical Brooklyn Jewish mother. Some of the early episodes almost make Rhoda as a hostess for the minor characters in the series rather than the star but she makes up for it as the series progresses. And her flares get wider, bandannas more extravagant, fringes longer and the fashions just get, well, more '70s.

I'm looking forward to series three.