Ep 17. The Seminar

The Mary Tyler Moore Show season 6 episode 17, titled "The Seminar," follows Mary Richards, a single, career-focused woman who works as an associate producer at a local Minneapolis television station. In this episode, Mary is sent to a two-day, out of town seminar on "Total Person Management" by her boss and mentor, Lou Grant.

As she prepares to leave, Mary is met with a mix of excitement and anxiety. She sees the seminar as an opportunity to gain new skills and knowledge that would help her advance in her career. However, she is also wary of the forced corporate bonding and team-building activities that will take place during the seminar.

At the seminar, Mary is introduced to a variety of characters who are attending the event. There's Allen, the overly enthusiastic seminar leader who is constantly peppering his speech with buzzwords and acronyms; Greg, a handsome but insincere salesman who is attending to improve his sales pitch; and Barbara, a soft-spoken woman who is looking to gain more confidence and assertiveness. Mary is skeptical of the seminar's effectiveness, but she decides to play along and participate in the activities.

As the seminar progresses, Mary finds herself struggling to keep up with the high energy and self-help jargon. She rolls her eyes at the various exercises and role-playing activities, including one that involves the participants crawling around on the floor and barking like dogs. However, she begins to take the seminar more seriously when Allen reveals that the attendees will be judged on their participation and that the winner will receive a highly coveted prize.

With the prize in mind, Mary becomes more invested in the seminar and starts to take the activities seriously. She starts to open up to the other attendees and shares personal stories about her childhood and career aspirations. She also takes on a leadership role during a group challenge, impressing Allen with her ability to motivate and guide her teammates.

However, Mary's competitive streak starts to get the best of her. She becomes obsessed with winning the prize and starts to lose sight of the real reason she attended the seminar in the first place. When Barbara confides in her about her insecurities and lack of confidence, Mary brushes her off and tells her to "fake it till she makes it."

As the seminar comes to a close, Allen announces that the winner of the prize is none other than Mary. Overjoyed, she rushes to the stage to accept her award. However, her moment of triumph is short-lived when she realizes the prize is nothing more than a cheap plastic trophy.

Feeling disillusioned and embarrassed, Mary leaves the seminar early and returns to Minneapolis. When she arrives at work, she realizes that her experience at the seminar has taught her a valuable lesson: that true success and personal growth come from within, not from external rewards or the approval of others. She shares this newfound knowledge with her coworkers, who support her and reaffirm the value of her work and personality.

Overall, "The Seminar" is a lighthearted yet insightful episode that explores the pitfalls of corporate culture and the importance of self-awareness and authenticity. It showcases Mary's resilience, intelligence, and compassion as she navigates the absurdities of the seminar and ultimately learns a valuable lesson about herself and her worth.