Mork's Seduction

"Mork's Seduction"
Season 1, Episode #6 (#6) in series (95 episodes)
As part of her plan to make Mindy jealous, an old rival from high school, Susan Taylor (Morgan Fairchild), invites Mork over to her place in "Mork's Seduction" in Season 1 (episode #6).
"Mork & Mindy" episode
Guest Star(s):	Morgan Fairchild Bruce M. Fischer Jeffrey Jacquet
Network:	ABC-TV
Production code:	106 (1-6)
Writer(s)	Neil Lebowitz
Director	Harvey Medlinsky
Original airdate	October 12, 1978
IMDB	Mork's Seduction
Episode chronology
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"Mork In Love"	"Mork Goes Public"
List of Mork & Mindy seasons/episodes

Mork's Seduction was the sixth episode from Season 1 of Mork and Mindy, also the fifth series episode overall. Written by Neil Lebowitz, the episode, which was directed by Harvey Medlinsky, originally aired on ABC-TV on October 12, 1978.

Synopsis

Susan Taylor, an old rival of Mindy's from Boulder High School, who has a grudge against her for a perceived theft of an old boyfriend, sets her sights on Mork when she discovers he's living with Mindy. When Susan makes a date with Mork, Mindy gets so jealous that she joins them as well.

Plot

In Mindy's apartment, Mindy all dressed up to go out, calls up to let Mork know she's leaving. Calling down to her that he's on his way, he arrives down to her dressed only in a towel and a shower cap, ready to head out with her. Stopping him from leaving she wants to know where he's going dressed like that, and he tells her he's going to the shower with her. Mindy explains firstly that it's not that kind of shower, but a Bridal Shower, and secondly he can't come because they are for women only. Consternated, Mork tells her he wants to be with her, and she tells him she feels the same, but says in this case he should use the opportunity to get out meet other people. When he says he doesn't know how to do that she tells him just be friendly, be himself. Though when he slides back to his real Orkan persona, she tells him to put on an act.

The next day, Mindy arrives in to work in the Music Store, and Cora asks where Mork is. He, she says is out trying to make new friends. While they're working an attractive, if plainly dressed blonde girl comes in to browse, and asks Cora about their Neil Diamond records. As they're talking, Mindy notices and recognizes her, approaching her as Susan Taylor an old acquaintance from High School. Neither of them have seen each other in 3 years since their graduation, and Susan is wondering why Mindy is dressed normally, apparently under the misapprehension that Mindy became a nun. Susan wonders if it was the Peace Corps or an Air Stewardess, 'one of those unselfish professions', as their conversation continues it becomes apparent to Mindy that Susan is being passive aggressive and has an issue with her, and thinks she knows what it is.

Asking Susan if she's still mad about Jack? Susan casually queries if she means Jack Peterson, the 'devastatingly handsome Captain of the Football Team', that she maintains Mindy stole behind her back, and who is now President of the National Bank of Boulder, who wanted to marry her, and by now would've given her a mansion home, 2.4 beautiful children, and high social standing. That's the one, Mindy agrees, telling her straight up she never went after Jack, he chased after her. Before she can convince her further, they are interrupted by Cora who needs Mindy's help due to the on set of wiener fatigue with Fred in the back. Mindy asks Susan to wait, as she wants to talk more about this with her, and goes back to her father. While she's waiting, Mork enters the shop and as part of his friends endeavor, immediately tries to make friends with another customer in the store, coming on far too strong and getting blown off.

Spotting Susan he tries again, but gets the same curt response. Susan's attitude changes entirely however when she hears Mork ask Cora if she knows where Mindy is. Approaching him with a smile, she tells him she didn't realize he was a friend of Mindy's. Her eyes lighting up when he tells her he lives with Mindy, promptly introducing herself. Mork asks if she's a friend of Mindy's too and Susan a manipulative smile on her face says she is, her smile growing when Mork suggests they should be friends together. Agreeing, she says she feels they should be close friends, and, checking back where Mindy is working, suggests to Mork they should celebrate by going out that night. He agrees, and she asks if he wants to pick her up? Which he does, literally. Putting her down, they make arrangements for her to pick him up at his place, and he gives her Mindy's address of 1619 Pine Street. .Mindy emerges just after Susan leaves, and Mork happily tells her he's made a new friend. He corrects her when she thinks its a he and tells her it's a girl called Susan who when she found out he and Mindy were living together wanted to be his friend real bad. Something Mindy can well believe, telling Cora that Susan had a habit of picking up other people's 'friends', and its a game she plays.

Back at the apartment that evening, Mindy has prepped herself a TV dinner while Mork has spent the last hour in the bathroom. prepping for his evening with Susan. Settling down to eat, Mindy lights herself a candle. Seeing the flame when he emerges sends Mork into a tailspin, diving to hide behind her couch in terror at 'the sacred flame' Putting it out to calm him, she asks him to explain. And he tells her that on Ork the sacred flame heralds the arrival of Volgar the Enforcer, a terrifying figure on the planet Ork who comes to torture you. The torture in question being to be stretched out and tickled by candle light, something Mindy notes a few guys have tried on her . Mork nervously asks Mindy if she would come along with him on his evening with Susan, but she has no intention of being a third wheel. He tells her that he needs her, but she replies that she has no *need* to sit through an entire evening with him and Susan.

When Mork suspects that she is jealous, Mindy denies it. Saying she is not the jealous type, and anyway she has little to be jealous of with 'Plain ol' Susan. Opening the door however provides a shock for her, as Susan, hair down and dressed up is a full on blonde bombshell, and makes a flirtatious beeline for Mork. Leading him to the door, she offers Mindy pity for her having to stay in 'all alone' while they go out. Mork tells Susan that he asked Mindy to come along, but Mindy said she didn't want to go. Mindy suddenly bathes him in a warm smile, steps forward to touch his face with one hand while, taking down her coat with the other, and saying, well if he insists...before telling Susan they have so much to catch up on, grabbing Mork's hand and pulling him out with her, leaving Susan standing in the doorway by herself.

The next morning, in the Music Store. Fred is in a stellar mood, happily playing his trombone as Cora grimaces, until finally she stops him and demands to know why he's so happy, not having seen him in such a good mood since The Beatles broke up. He tells her its because he feels Mindy is out of the clutches of Mork. When Cora asks how he knows Mork and Mindy are going to split up, he informs her that knows Mork went on a date with Susan the previous night, and according to Mindy he wants to see a lot more of Susan.

His optimism is immediately undermined however, when Mindy walks in to the Music Store firmly arm in arm with Mork and doesn't let go. Cora asks Mork if he enjoyed his date last night. From Mork's description it's clear they went to a Drive-In, Fred asking him if he enjoyed the movie, Mork tells him he didn't watch the movie. Pleased, Fred assumes he and Susan were doing 'other things'. Mindy however tells him that Mork was too busy looking at all the other cars. Fred wonders how she could know that? And she happily informs him its because she sat between them. Why would you do that, he stares at her, 'Because I couldn't get Susan to sit in the back seat,' she shrugs casually. As Fred deflates, Mork tells them he couldn't see anything anyway as all the windows were steamed up. The phone rings and Mindy goes to answer it, her smile fading when its Susan on the line wanting to speak to Mork. She invites Mork over for dinner, but tells him to tell Mindy she only has enough food for two. Fred is indignant on his daughters behalf, then wonders what he's doing, and offers Mork money to buy flowers for Susan.

At Susan's Apartment, Susan is in full seduction mode, turning down the lights, opening an extra button on her blouse before Mork arrives with a bouquet of daisies for her, which Susan is allergic to. Not surprised at all to find that Mindy picked them out for him to give to her. Susan is keen to know what Mork and Mindy talk about and when he tells her that they tell each other everything, she tells him Mindy's going to 'love' hearing what's going to happen tonight. She proceeds with her seduction plans. Which definitely don't go to plan. When she asks if he'd like a little wine, he happily whines for her. When she asks him to open the wine, he smashes the bottle. Deciding to change the mood, she slides close to him on the couch and turns off the lights...and then makes the mistake of lighting a candle. Tensing up when he sees it, he asks her if the word Volgar means anything to her? It gets worse for him when she tells him to stretch out...and starts to lean over him on the couch. Her cuckoo clock going off is the last straw and convinced Volgar is coming he races around her apartment away from her, half destroying it in the process, screaming for her not to tickle him.

Back in her apartment, Mindy is pacing, talking to herself, clearly bugged by Mork's date with Susan. On hearing his footsteps on the stairs though, she bolts for the couch and dives onto it, pretending to be reading when he enters. Acting supremely unconcerned by whatever he chooses to do, she then doesn't answer him when he asks if she wants to hear about his date. He is immediately aware that she is giving him the silent treatment saying it is banned on Ork as they thought it was an Earthy thing to do. Called out, she sits up and asks him about his dinner with Susan, noticing the lipstick on his collar, she reacts to his smile at her reaction by asking, incredulously, if he thinks she's jealous. His silent, direct gaze speaks volumes, and she gets defensive again, asking him why should she be jealous, what he gets up to with Susan is none of her business and that's that. When he asks her doesn't she want to hear what happened, she immediately sits right beside him and asks for every last sordid detail.

To save time he gives her a chaotic fast forwarded version of what went on, at the end of it Mindy is glowingly happy, and her commiseration to him about how badly his date went is completely undermined by the large smile on her face. She tells him at least it wasn't a total loss in that he learned something from it, and then she admits that she learned something about herself too, and confesses that she didn't want to admit it, but she was jealous. When he asks her why she, not entirely convincingly, says it's because they're best friends, buddies, pals. Mork nods to himself and gives her another shrewd look, saying he thinks he understands.

A look that translates a moment later, when he tells her he would like to kiss his 'Pal'. With a smile she agrees readily, and they share a soft romantic kiss, after which he takes her pulse and finds her heart beating rapidly, which flusters her, and even more so as he takes her temperature and finds it's rising. He has an epiphany realizing what it was made the windows in the cars steam up in the drive in. Using his finger he turns the lights down in the apartment, and lights the candle setting a romantic mood getting close to Mindy on the couch...before asking if she wants to watch TV, deflating her.

The episode ends with Mork's report to Orson, but it's Orson that has to get through to Mork as he's lost in thought with a happy smile on his face. Orson asks him about his new discoveries on Earth, and Mork tells him he met a new female specimen...and Orson is treated to an image of Susan seductively walking across Mork's mind and glancing back at him, blows him a kiss. He tells Orson that Susan wanted to kiss him. Orson wants to know why. He admits he doesn't know, but that its an old Earth custom practiced by lovers, relatives and talk show guests. Orson asks him if he kissed her, and Mork gives an emphatic no, he wanted to kiss his Pal. Something Orson approves of, until Mork looks across and an image of Mindy walks across his mind, looking back at him with a smile as he gazes after her, smitten.

Orson's suspicions are immediate demanding to know wasn't that the girl, Mindy? And Mork confirms that's his Pal. Orson states his life is starting to sound like a real Soap Opera and reminds him forcefully that his mission is to report objectively on life on Earth, ordering him not to get involved. Mork leaps to attention and assures him he would be the last one on Earth to get involved, but his attention immediately drifts back to where Mindy was with that same soppy smile and a happy sigh, before he snaps out of it to sign off, mixing Orson's name up with Mindy's.

Trivia

Orkan 'Facts'

• Morks vehicle on Ork is a Grimbel Pazetti‏. This is the Egg Car that Mork drives in the Mork & Mindy Cartoon (On Your Mork, Get Set Go )
• Telling a joke is a crime on Ork...but only if it gets a laugh (something that stays standard through the show).

General

• This episode could also be considered to contain Mork & Mindy's first real kiss, the romantic action genuinely motivated by the relationship between them, and having a physiological effect on Mindy.
• Mork tells the Big Man in the Music Shop that he doesn't eat Meat however Mork's favorite food is Bologna and eats meat of all sorts throughout the Series.
• When Mindy suggests he pulls out Susan's chair on his evening out, Mork laughs, thinking she means a practical joke, something he also has knowledge of in this seasons To Tell the Truth, however in season 4's Mork the Prankster he seems to have no real idea about them.

Pop Culture

• Mork comes out of Mindy's bedroom singing an Orkan version of Feelings the 1975 hit by Morris Albert
• Mork tells Mindy he's 'taking the worry out of being close' while he's scrubbing up in the bathroom. This was the slogan used by MUM anti-perspirant in the 1960s, but was also the title of a Family Planning book published in California in 1971. How to take the worry out of being close. (it will also be used again in S2's Mork gets Mindyitis)
• Mindy references NBC's absurdist amateur talent show The Gong Show as, to her, the only known example of non-violent torture. Mork responds that Volgar is even more terrifying than Chuck Barris who was the Gong Show's creator and its host from 1976 to 1980.
• Fred, in his good mood, is playing Bizet's L'amour est un oiseau rebelle or 'Habenara' from the opera Carmen, on his trombone.
• When Mindy catches the lipstick on his collar, Mork says 'Uh oh! Ring around the Collar' a reference to Wisk laundry detergent's ad campaign of the 1970s.
• Mork gives Mindy the Reader's Digest version of what went on with Susan, indicating the magazine's abridged version of established publications.

Quotes

• Mork: Oh you're rejecting me because I'm short
• Mindy: I'm not rejecting you! But it's just not fair that I go out tonight and you have to stay here all alone. Remember you can learn something from everyone you meet here on Earth.
• Mork: That's very true, the Garbage Man today, told me never to lie on the kerb on pick up day.

________________

• Mork: *to Big male music store customer* Hi! Would you like to be my friend for life?! What's your name?
• Big Man: Bug Off Creep!
• Mork: Oh! I'm Mork! May I just call you Bug Off? *holds out his hand* Nanu Nanu!
• Big Man: How would you like a knuckle sandwich?
• Mork: Sorry I don't eat meat!

________________

• Mork: *approaching Susan* Woah, you're a very interesting specimen. What's your name?
• Susan: Bug Off!
• Mork: Wow! Deja Vu, i just met your brother!

________________

• Mindy: I thought you Orkans had done away with violence.
• Mork: Violence yes. Torture no.
• Mindy: Mork there's no such thing as non-Violent Torture. Except for the Gong Show.

________________

• Mindy: Mork, why would they want to torture you?
• Mork: You see before I got this assignment I got a speeding ticket from the stellar patrol. They said I was going the speed of light in a speed of sound zone. I would have stopped but I didn't hear the siren until after they arrested me.

________________

• Mork: Aha! I see! Jealousy rears it's ugly head.
• Mindy: Ah Hah! Me?! Jealous?! Of plain ol' Susan? Boy that's a laugh. *door bell rings, and Mindy goes to answer it,** First of all I'm not the jealous type. And secondly, what's to be jealous of? *she opens door to reveal a very glamorous Susan in a sheer outfit*. Susan!!

________________

• Mork: Mindy?
• Mindy: Yes?
• Mork: Susan asked me over for dinner but she told me to tell you that she only has enough food for two.
• Fred: That's the most insulting thing I ever heard.
• Mindy: Oh Dad.
• Mork: Mindy can I borrow some money to buy her some flowers?
• Fred: No *thats* the most insulting thing I've ever heard! How can you as a self respecting human being ehh..eh...whatever...how can you dare to borrow money from my daughter to take out her friend, who is *only* trying to steal you away from her! And obviously wants to get her hooks into you! *pauses, and puts his hand in his pocket* Is 20 dollars enough?

________________

• Mork: Here' some vegetation *hands Susan a bouquet of flowers*
• Susan: Ohhh thank you! *smells them and sneezes*
• Mork: Oh! *sneezes as well* You're welcome! Mindy picked them out.
• Susan: Yes, well I'm allergic to daisies.
• Mork: Oh she must've forgot
• Susan: I'll bet.

Image gallery

Cast & Crew

Starring

• Robin Williams as Mork
• Pam Dawber as Mindy
• Conrad Janis as Fred McConnell
• Elizabeth Kerr as Cora Hudson
• Ralph James as Orson

Guest starring

• Morgan Fairchild as Susan Taylor
• Bruce M. Fischer as The Big Man (as Bruce M. Fisher)
• Jeffrey Jacquet as Eugene (credited only)