Ep 7. Whose Garbage is it Anyway?
- November 6, 1989
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7.2 (66)
Murphy Brown is a comedic television series that ran from 1988 to 1998. The show centers around the professional and personal lives of its titular character, Murphy Brown, an anchorman for a major news network.
Season 2, episode 7, Whose Garbage is it Anyway?, opens with Murphy and her colleagues waking up to find that the streets are filled with trash. Upon further investigation, they discover that the garbage truck drivers are on strike, leaving the city to deal with a major sanitation crisis.
The news team decides to cover the story and starts interviewing people affected by the strike, including residents with backed up trash, sanitation workers who are picketing, and officials tasked with handling the issue. The team also interviews a businessman named Norman who believes that the strike is an opportunity for him to make a profit by offering to pick up people's trash for a fee.
As the strike carries on, Murphy and her friend Frank start to notice a stench coming from their building's garbage chute. They track down the source of the smell to a neighbor who has been dumping his garbage in the chute despite the strike. Murphy and Frank confront the man and try to reason with him, but he refuses to stop his illegal dumping.
Meanwhile, the news team continues to report on the strike and its effects. They interview the head of the sanitation workers union, who explains that their demands are not just for better pay and benefits, but also for more respect and recognition for the vital work they do. Murphy begins to see the situation from the point of view of the workers and decides to use her platform to bring attention to their cause.
Finally, after several days of the strike, a resolution is reached. The city agrees to meet the workers' demands, and the sanitation workers return to their jobs. Murphy and the news team report on the end of the strike, highlighting the workers' victory and the importance of their contribution to society.
Overall, Whose Garbage is it Anyway? explores issues related to labor rights, corporate greed, and the role of the media in covering social issues. The episode brings a poignant and humorous touch to a serious matter, and highlights the power of journalism to shed light on important topics and effect change.