Ep 4. Room 223

In The Mary Tyler Moore Show season 2 episode 4 titled "Room 223", Mary Richards is given a challenging task by her new boss.

Mary's new boss, Bess Lindstrom, has just started working at WJM-TV. Mary is thrilled with her new job as Associate Producer, and wants to make a good impression on Bess. However, Bess has a challenging task for Mary to accomplish. Bess wants Mary to clear out the cluttered, dingy and neglected storage room 223, and transform it into a livable and appealing guest room for herself.

At first, Mary is excited and doesn't worry too much. However, when she enters the storage room, she is met with messy piles of junk, trash, old office equipment and even an old coffee machine. Mary is daunted by the task and is unsure how she can possibly make the room suitable for Bess.

As Mary works to clear out the room, she enlists the help of everyone she can find, including Lou Grant, who is initially horrified by the state of the room and reluctant to help. However, as Lou gets involved in the project, he becomes more and more enthusiastic about the idea of turning the room into a functional and different space. Ted Baxter also volunteers to help Mary, but mostly gets in the way and annoys everyone with his unhelpful clumsiness.

While the team is working to clean up the room, Mary starts to get ideas for how to decorate the space. She develops a vision for what would make the room inviting, comfortable, and lovely. At the same time, she's worried that her ideas may not appeal to Bess, who she knows has a particular style and taste.

As Mary moves things around in the room, she finds old photographs, office supplies, and even a forgotten album of WJM records. These items naturally provide her inspiration and enthusiasm, and she gets excited about her project to the point that she begins to work well into the night.

Finally, the room is done, and it looks beautiful. Mary even comes up with a clever and creative way to disguise the old still-beverage machine, one of the few leftover items from the storage room. When Bess comes to visit the new room, she is blown away by how beautiful it is and she is grateful for Mary's effort. Mary's work has paid off, and she can finally relax and enjoy her new job.

In the end, Bess encourages Mary to continue coming up with creative ideas for the station, and Mary realizes that her hard work and dedication have truly paid off. She feels proud of what she's accomplished, and looks forward to continuing to make positive changes at WJM-TV.