Dan Phillips is Mindy's ex-fiancé (played by Barry Van Dyke) who appears in Season One's A Mommy for Morky
Character summary[]
Dan Phillips, tall, blond, and good looking, was Mindy's ex-fiancé, having proposed to her before she moved out of her father's house. It would appear, he may be part of the reason she dropped out of college the first time around. However, Dan broke off their engagement due to cold feet, and generally not being ready to settle down.
When he returns (A Mommy for Morky), a few months after Mork has moved in, he appears a changed man, whose thoughts have turned from 'oats' to 'rice'. Dan is back to woo Mindy, intent on rekindling their relationship, and their engagement, wanting to start a family having discovered that what he wants most is to be a father. After multiple dates, he proposes again, and to Mork's dismay she is strongly considering it. Mork displaying latent jealousy and unhappiness at Mindy's attention being directed elsewhere.
What is holding her back however, is Dan's immediate desire to start a family and her qualms about being a mother. Something that is settled, in part, by Mork's wondering what it would be like to have a mother, and regressing himself with his Orkan age machine to a 3 year old, leaving her struggling to deal with him. Mostly however it is settled by Mindy's realization that Dan is less interested in having a wife, then having someone to bear his children (all ten of them!)
Personality[]
Dan is calm, cool and supremely confident in himself, and his ability to win Mindy back. Something he almost succeeds in doing. However while he may have matured in his attitude towards settling down and having a family, he remains somewhat self-centered in his actions. He was the one who broke things off with Mindy the first time around for his own ends, and this time around he seems mostly concerned with having her back not due to his feelings towards her, but rather because he is ready to have kids, and doesn't seem to be sensitive to her thoughts on the matter.
Relationships[]
Mindy - He and Mindy have, on the surface, a classical romantic relationship. Enjoying each others company and going on a lot of dates to a lot of restaurants...being named as Mork as 'that guy you eat around with'.
Acquaintance[]
Fred McConnell - Dan drops by the Music Store to pick up Mindy, and naturally he and Fred are acquainted. Their interactions however are little more than cordial, and there doesn't seem to be a great deal of warmth/friendship towards Dan displayed by Fred, which, given he previously broke off his engagement to his daughter would be natural.
Mork ?- It's not clear that Mork & Dan ever met face to face, given Mork is generally upstairs or behind a door when Dan is at the apartment. However, given Dan's visits to the music store, his multiple returns to the apartment with Mindy (where Mork's jacket is hanging up), and Mork's reaction to his kissing Mindy at the door, it seems likely that they have encountered one another...making Dan one of the few men willing to believe that Mindy's relationship with Mork is platonic at that point.
Behind the scenes[]