| "Mama Mork, Papa Mindy" | |
|---|---|
| Season 4, Episode #5 (#78) in series (95 episodes) | |
 | |
| "Mork & Mindy" episode | |
| Guest Star(s): | Robert Donner |
| Network: | ABC-TV |
| Production code: | 405 (4x5) |
| Writer(s) | Wendy Kout & George Zateslo |
| Director | Bob Claver |
| Original airdate | November 5, 1981 |
IMDB 
|
Mama Mork, Papa Mindy |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "Three the Hard Way" | "My Dad Can't Beat Up Anybody" |
| List of Mork & Mindy seasons/episodes | |
Mama Mork, Papa Mindy was the fifth episode from Season 4 of Mork and Mindy, also the 78th overall episode in the series. Co-written by Wendy Kout & George Zateslo, the episode, which was directed by Bob Claver, shot on October 9, 1981 and premiered on ABC-TV on November 5, 1981.
Synopsis[]
Struggling with the birth of their literal man-child, after only a month of marriage, Mindy retreats further when the strange child in question bonds with Mork as his mother, rather than her.
Plot[]
Picking up almost directly after the events of Three the Hard Way, Mindy emerges in shock from her bedroom after the birth of her 'child', a 6ft, 225lb, late middle aged man. She thinks to call her father who will know what to do, only to hang right up again, as no one could possibly know what to do. "Dr." Exidor who has since arrived, emerges after her apparently in similar shock, but only over the perfect huge footprint he's managed to get off him for the birth certificate.
Mindy frets about how alien he is, and wonders if there's any Earthling about him. Exidor wonders why new parents always asks that question and reminds her that the baby is half Orkan, aging backwards and has three hearts. Unfortunately the only human characteristic, that he likes a good story, does nothing to alleviate Mindy's tension. When Mork emerges however, he is virtually floating on air at being a new parent, offering cigars to everyone and the plants. Mindy tries to be happy with him, but tells him they really need to talk...and effectively throws Exidor out.
As soon as he's gone Mork gushes over their newborn, and Mindy finds it difficult to express what she's feeling, but eventually blurts right out that Rhinos have smaller babies. Mork picks up on a 'little note of trepidation'. He tries to convince her that he's a little helpless child and tries to coax her into coming back into the bedroom to see him, only for the bedroom door to come flying off its hinges as the little helpless child in his overalls, carrying Mindy's comforter, comes barging through it. Mindy reacts to the destruction, while Mork can only enthuse over the fact that an hour old their child can already walk. Mork starts taking snaps, referring to himself as Mama, as their son follows him around while Mindy tries to be enthused and involved, and even tells the baby she's his 'father'. Mork tells her he's been thinking about a name, combining Mork, Mindy & Earth, to make Mearth. Mindy considers it unusual, but then so is their child. Mearth starts to fret and Mork gives him a cigar, and tells him he has to bite off the tip, Mindy diving to stop him. After she wrestles the cigar away from him, Mearth starts to fret again and Mindy figures he hasn't eaten since he was born. Wondering what he eats, Mearth starts to chew on the comforter, and when Mindy tries to stop him eating that, Mork figures out that maybe he's after the flowers on it. Mork tries it out with a couple of flowers from a display and Mearth chows down.
A little while later a miffed Mindy is mopping up a large water spill on the floor from the kitchen sink, having told Mork the baby wouldn't fit in the sink. Fred arrives all dressed up for a Dixieland jazz session and wanting to know how the new bride is doing. Mindy fudges and says she's fine, but Fred spots a large piece of shell from the Egg Mearth was birthed out of and wonders if it's a sculpture. Mindy confesses its a piece of shell, and when Fred asks what was inside, Mindy decides there's no point putting telling him off any longer. After telling him that what he told her about where babies come from when she was 11 wasn't true, she tells him in a rush that Mork got pregnant, laid an egg and now they're parents.
After clarifying that he's not the grandfather of a chicken, Mindy assures him its a baby, a 6ft, 225lb middle aged baby named Mearth. Fred demands to know if she's serious, and Mindy starts to crack begging him not to fall apart as he's the only one she can talk to about it. Fred wants to know where he is, and Mindy, barely holding it together, tells him Mork has taken him out to the Park for lunch. Where they're grazing in the flower beds. Fred thinks about it, then tells her good, before grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the door. When she asks if they're going to the park he tells her know he's taking her to the airport, with any luck by the following morning she'll be in Brazil. Mindy pulls away saying she's not going to run away, that Mearth is still her son. She' knows it's kind of weird now but she's sure, in time, she'll grow to love him. She hopes. After a moment Fred encourages her, saying of course she will, that she's never been afraid of new experiences, marrying an alien, going to a different planet, and she was the first girl in Boulder to play Little League Baseball. Thankful, she hopes he's right, and at that Mork returns with Mearth, and Fred, despite being forewarned is stunned to see what Mearth looks like. Mork encourages Mearth to hug his grandpa and Fred stands frozen warily to the spot as his huge grandson shambles towards him and tells Mindy to call Air Brazil, quickly.
Later, in the middle of night, the sound of crying wakes Mork & Mindy in her, now their, bedroom, and Mork turns on the light to reveal Mearth in a giant egg shaped cot with mobile above him, crying. As he has been every hour on the hour. Both of them exhausted, they get up to feed him, and Mindy finds he threw his bottle, a gallon of milk with a latex glove, out of his cot again. When she gives it to Mearth again, he flings it away and says it's powdered. She goes to argue with him that it's not powdered, when both she and Mork realize he spoke. And when Mork enthusiastically talks baby talk to Mearth he tells his 'mother' not to patronize him. Both of them are stunned and Mork asks him if he knows his name, which he does, he then asks if he knows who he is, and Mearth calls him 'Mommy', which delights both his parents.
However, when Mork asks him if he knows who Mindy is he calls her 'Shoe'. When Mindy takes it badly, back in bed with her Mork tries to encourage her, telling her Mearth still loves her and they'll try again in an hour. Turning off the lights, Mindy tells Mork in the dark they are going to have to be careful about not letting him find out he's an A.L.I.E.N. before she can continue she yelps and there's a thud and Mork turns on the light to find her on the floor, and Mearth in her spot. Mindy mutters that it looks like she's been squeezed out, and Mearth says he just wanted to cuddle. Mork tells her they'd watched the Shining that day and he's just a little scared, he offers to go sleep on the couch, but Mindy stops him, and heads for the couch herself, Mearth calling her Shoe again as she goes, leaving her dejected and isolated.
Some nights later Fred arrives to find Mork tied to a chair, mid game with Mearth. Fred's resolved that Mearth is his grandson and he's going to start spoiling him bringing him a bat, softball, catchers mitt and cap. He wonders where Mindy is and Mork tells him he'd be so proud of her, she's the 'perfect American father', coming home late, never plays with the kids and brings in the paycheck. Fred is immediately concerned, and tells Mork that's not what a good father is, a good father wants to spend as much time with their kids as they can and it's wrong that she's missing it. Mork feels he's right and gets annoyed at Mr. Sternhagen forcing her to work so much she'd be there with them. But Fred wonders what he's talking about, and Mork says he made her work the night shift, but Fred tells him no, that Mindy volunteered for it. This throws Mork. Fred says he thinks Mindy is confused and apprehensive about being a parent to Mearth, she needs time to be close to Mearth and love will take care of the rest. Mork's determined his house won't become a broken home, and resolves to help Mindy, snapping the ropes he's tied with, and calling Mearth, who comes out also tied to a chair.
At KTNS, Mindy is dressed up in a Spacesuit, hosting a late night SciFi Movie Festival in a spaceship set. When the movie goes back on air, Mork brings Mearth into the studio. Mindy immediately wanting to know why they are both there. He tells her he has to make an urgent report to Orson, and leaves Mearth with her, rushing away outside despite her trying to stop him, where he secrets himself to look through the window in the door. Turning to face her son, the awkwardness between them is palpable. Mindy tries some conversation, and asks Mearth what he thinks of where she works. He's not impressed having moved into Mork's old room, with actual alien set up, though he doesn't know it. When he tries to touch a lever on the set though, Mindy has to stop him and he bursts into tears, looking for his mommy, to the spying Mork's distress.
While he's looking for Mork, Mindy notices he has his pitcher's mitt on upside down. Mork doesn't know anything about the game and hasn't been able to teach him anything, so Mindy helps him put his mitt on the right way around. Mork popping back up to watch hopefully, especially when Mindy takes the softball and offers to show Mearth how to play catch. After a couple of abortive attempts with the ball hitting Mearth, Mindy keeps encouraging him, and he catches the ball, and a joyous 'father' and son embrace, with Mork celebrating wildly at the hug. As she pulls back she catches Mearth mumbling something and when she asks him, he calls her 'Daddy'. Moved, Mindy throws an arm around his shoulders (standing on tip toes), giving him a paternal 'Son' in return.
Mork returns and asks if there's room for one more, and Mindy has cottoned on to there being no emergency. But he tells her there was, as she didn't feel part of the family. She admits that she has been running away, but is intent on quitting the night shift to spend all her time with the two of them. Mork thinks this is a wonderful moment and they're so much happier than the Jeffersons. Mindy says there is one thing that would make her really happy, and that would be if Mearth would call *her* Mommy. After a moment giggling, Mearth calls her Mommy, points to Mork and calls him Daddy, then points to himself and calls himself, Shoe.
The episode ends with Mork giving his report to Orson, who notes that he seems very happy. Mork informs him that he's now the father of a baby boy, which Orson says is an outmoded concept. Mork says he's going to love Mearth because judging by his size he could be Orsons. He has photos which he shows him, including his egg phase, giving his first piggy back ride with Mork on his shoulders, and what happened to him and Mindy when Mearth sat on the far end of the couch. Orson admits he is rather exceptional, and Mork his happy to hear that as Mindy and he want Orson to be Mearth's Godfather. Orson refuses unequivocally to get involved in Mork's barbaric Earthling matter...but a moment later softens thinking Mearth does alook a little bit like him, and a check appears in Mork's hand. Which Mork is delighted about, till he sees its for a buck thirty, and wanders off muttering.
Trivia[]
'Orkan Facts'[]
- The preternatural strength that Mork exhibited in Mork the Prankster (while kissing Mindy) appears again, when he easily snaps the ropes binding him, on discovering that his family may be in crisis. Indicating again this power may be emotion based.
General[]
- Mearth is (obviously) the exact duplicate of Fred's brother Dave who was only seen in Mork and the Family Reunion in Season 3, but this resemblance (which would have made perfect sense as a family one), is never mentioned by anyone.
- This is the first time we see Mork & Mindy sharing her bed/her old bedroom together.
- Mork's penchant for Ginger Ale and its effects on him is mentioned by Orson again.
Pop Culture[]
- Mork says Mearth looks like Lester Maddox on steroids in his overalls. Lester Maddox was the notorious segregationist Governor of Georgia who later had a short lived career in stand up to help deal with his debts.
- When Mindy expresses doubts over their full grown man-child, Mork references the fact that she's always liked Jerry Lewis, whose childish/like characters were so prevalent in his early comedy movies with Dean Martin.
- Mork again impersonates William F. Buckley, the intellectual broadcaster and author, (as he did in Mindy, Mindy, Mindy).
- When Mearth calls him Mommy, Mork says he feels just like Anne Bancroft in The Miracle Worker, who won an Oscar for playing Anne Sullivan who helped Helen Keller who suffered from deaf mutism, communicate with the outside world.
- Mork and Mearth play 'Morkie Dearest' a gag around 'Mommy Dearest' the 1981 Joan Crawford biopic detailing the alleged cruelty of the screen legend to her children, starring Faye Dunaway.
- The movie Mindy is hosting is "It Came From Diablo Canyon". In 1981 Diablo Canyon in California was the scene of thousands of civil disobedience arrests, when plans were set to build a Nuclear Plant there and construction got underway.
- Mork says they are so much happier than the The Jeffersons. the family in fellow spin off sitcom (from All In The Family).
Quotes[]
- Mindy: Don't you think that baby is unusually large?!?!
- Exidor: Baby? What baby?! Why wasn't I consulted?!
- Mindy: *fuming* I'm talking about *our* baby!! *points* The distinguished looking gentleman in the diaper!
________________________
- Exidor: I suppose I'm not invited to dinner either! Well I've got to finish my paper for the Medical Journal anyway! I'm going to be the best dance critic they ever had!
________________________
- Mindy: Having a child is difficult under normal circumstances. But....Mork, Rhinos have smaller babies!!
- Mork: Mindy he can walk!!
- Mindy: Mork he can destroy!
- Mork: Isn't it amazing!? Isn't he magnificent?! I mean who ever stood after being only an hour old?!
- Mindy: Black Beauty.
________________________
- Fred: So how's the new bride doing?
- Mindy: Ohhhh...great.
- Fred: That's an interesting piece of sculpture. Is it a wedding gift?
- Mindy: Oh no that's not a present......actually that's a piece of a great big egg shell!
- Fred: What was in it? A Buick?
- Mindy: Close! Well I guess there's no putting this off any longer. I got something to tell you. And I think you better take this *pulls bar stool down* sitting down.
- Fred: Well okay honey, fire away! *sits*
- Mindy: Hookay...let's see...how should I put this? Remember when I was 11 and you told me where babies came from?
- Fred: *smiling* Yes.
- Mindy: *half laughing* You lied!
- Fred: *chuckles* Well now Mindy I...I may have glossed over a few major details. But I never lied.
- Mindy: Right...that's true. We've always been truthful with each other, so I'm just going to lay this right out. Aheh....you see for some strange Orkan reason...Mork got pregnant laid an egg and now we're parents! Aheh! Boy I'm glad that's over with! *moves away rapidly*
________________________
- Fred: Are you Serious?
- Mindy: *panicking* Now Dad! Don't fall apart on me, you're the only one I can talk to about this!!
- Fred: Are you serious?!!
- Mindy: *still panicking* Yeah I know it's a shock! It was for me too! I mean where am I going to find Size 46 Pampers!?
________________________
- Mork: *weary* Well...there he goes again. Every hour, on the hour just like clockwork.
- Mindy: *groggy* Yup. Well I'll give him his bottle, but this time you burp him, I think I threw my shoulder out.
________________________
- Mindy: Mearth? Watch Daddy! *runs to bed, sits and bounces* Mearth! What's Daddy bouncing on? What is it?
- Mearth: Tush!
- Mindy *mouth drops open, runs back to Mork* I was shooting for bed, but he's right!!!
________________________
- Mork: And now the big question! No pressure! No pressure though. Who's this? *puts his arm around Mindy*
- Mearth: Ummm.........Shoe!
- Mindy: Shoe?!!?
- Mork: Isn't that wonderful, Mind? His first non-sequitur!
- Mindy: Mork?! *hits him on the arm* He called me Shoe!
- Mork: Funny, you don't look Shoeish.
Image Gallery[]
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Robin Williams as Mork
- Pam Dawber as Mindy McConnell
- Conrad Janis as Fred McConnell
- Jonathan Winters as Mearth McConnell
