I never bought that whole blind boyfriend storyline. Somehow it was just too convenient. I wish the writers had taken Mary's blindness more seriously and made it more realistic. Plus I think Linwood Boomer's portrayal of Adam was bland.
If I'd been writing, I might've tried bringing Patrick back, either in the form of Mike Lookinland or the actor in "Meet Me At The Fair". Patrick seemed like the type who would stick by Mary, plus she'd know he wasn't just feeling sorry for her, because obviously he liked her before she went blind.
What do others think?
bethandmanly Dean's Dedicated Diva
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Subject: Re: Mike Lookinland Wed Oct 24, 2012 1:14 pm
I loved Adam. I felt he was perfect for Mary. Not because he was also blind, but because he encouraged her to do what she thought was no longer possible. I think of the episode, "The Wedding," where not only does Adam propose, but then they endure some tense moments when Mary refuses to go through with it when she thinks of having a sighted child to look after. There are two great scenes in that episode which give us insight into Adam's character. The first is when Mary tells him she won't go through with the wedding. He says they can deal with the problem of having children when they come to it. He further goes on to say that every day of his life since he went blind he thought he couldn't do things, but he realized what he was afraid of was inside of him, not out in the world, so things get done because he tries. Toward the end of the episode, when Susan Goodspeed goes missing, Mary and Adam are searching for her in the sand storm. Mary tells him they are never going to find her. Adam says that's the difference between them. When he knows he has to do something hard he doesn't just give up.
I was never keen on the storyline of Adam getting his sight back and becoming a lawyer, but they needed to get them out of WG and into NY because MSA wanted to leave the show. I felt MSA and Linwood had great chemistry together, much better than Dean and MG. I can't see Patrick coming back as a solution. Look how Seth reacted when he found out about her going blind--and they were courting at the time. Also, look at John Jr., who changed while they were apart and broke her heart.
Davetucson Ingalls Friend for Life
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Subject: Re: Mike Lookinland Wed Oct 24, 2012 1:23 pm
bethandmanly wrote:
I loved Adam. I felt he was perfect for Mary. Not because he was also blind, but because he encouraged her to do what she thought was no longer possible. I think of the episode, "The Wedding," where not only does Adam propose, but then they endure some tense moments when Mary refuses to go through with it when she thinks of having a sighted child to look after. There are two great scenes in that episode which give us insight into Adam's character. The first is when Mary tells him she won't go through with the wedding. He says they can deal with the problem of having children when they come to it. He further goes on to say that every day of his life since he went blind he thought he couldn't do things, but he realized what he was afraid of was inside of him, not out in the world, so things get done because he tries. Toward the end of the episode, when Susan Goodspeed goes missing, Mary and Adam are searching for her in the sand storm. Mary tells him they are never going to find her. Adam says that's the difference between them. When he knows he has to do something hard he doesn't just give up.
I was never keen on the storyline of Adam getting his sight back and becoming a lawyer, but they needed to get them out of WG and into NY because MSA wanted to leave the show. I felt MSA and Linwood had great chemistry together, much better than Dean and MG. I can't see Patrick coming back as a solution. Look how Seth reacted when he found out about her going blind--and they were courting at the time. Also, look at John Jr., who changed while they were apart and broke her heart.
Ditto!
"Albert, do you REALLY think you are old enough to know what love is?" "I must be Pa. I love you, I have for a long time."
Shell Farm Land Owner
Number of posts : 1353 Location : Indiana Mood :
Subject: Re: Mike Lookinland Wed Oct 24, 2012 5:57 pm
I, too like Adam and Mary together. He made her realize just because she was blind, her life wasn't over and not to give up on getting things done that needed to be done. LB&MSA did have great chemistry. I had no idea that MSA wanted to leave the show and that why they had Adam and Mary move to New York.
jes9 Walnut Grove Resident
Number of posts : 1066 Location : Cincinnati, OH
Subject: Re: Mike Lookinland Wed Oct 24, 2012 7:13 pm
I had been thinking that Patrick was a "one and done" character, in "Meet Me at the Fair" only, but wasn't he the boy who sat across from Mary on the train coming back from Chicago in "Times of Change" (the episode where John breaks up with Mary)? He offers Mary a sandwich, and it turns out he is moving to somewhere near Walnut Grove and will be going to school there. Of course, I don't think we ever actually see him in school in Walnut Grove.
Davetucson Ingalls Friend for Life
Number of posts : 9374 Location : Helena, Alabama Mood :
Subject: Re: Mike Lookinland Wed Oct 24, 2012 7:22 pm
Mike Lookinland was on one episode only, on the train, after after John Jr. dumped Mary. He also appeared with her on The Brady Bunch Times of Change - Patrick
Michael Morgan Played Patrick, Mary's Boyfriend in Meet Me At The Fair - Also ONE Appearance
"Albert, do you REALLY think you are old enough to know what love is?" "I must be Pa. I love you, I have for a long time."
Last edited by Davetucson on Wed Oct 24, 2012 8:01 pm; edited 1 time in total
littlehouselover Walnut Grove Resident
Number of posts : 1056
Subject: Re: Mike Lookinland Wed Oct 24, 2012 7:24 pm
I liked Adam too, blind more than when he got his sight. I think it made some of their encounters different. I felt he could have left without getting his sight back, they could have went to teach in NYC in a nicer school, a lot of things.
I never felt the chemistry as much between Laura and Almonzo, just during Sweet Sixteen, they always seemed to be fighting or just kind of blah.
Adam and Mary had a nice rapport and when they wrote to each other and she decided to teach with him, you couldn't help but smile. I know Melissa Sue wished she could have had better scripts later and not just the intense drama. but it was harder to think of things. They lost the school numerous times, babies, if she didn't get ill or Adam, and they couldn't have children, it left a void.
whitelighter New Pioneer
Number of posts : 77
Subject: Re: Mike Lookinland Thu Oct 25, 2012 1:44 am
I guess what I was mainly asking was, did others sense any chemistry between Mary & Patrick (either actor)? Seth was just a jerk, and John Jr. - well, long-distance relationships rarely last - but Patrick seemed devoted to Mary and still lived nearby the last we knew. I think a Mary/Patrick storyline would've fit nicely into episodes like "Dance With Me".
Incidentally, I'm surprised people didn't pick up on the chemistry betwee MG & DB:
Almonzo: It's just... Laura: Just??
One of the most intense moments in television.
Savannah "Psalm 34"
Number of posts : 54425 Mood :
Subject: Re: Mike Lookinland Thu Oct 25, 2012 10:52 am
Chemistry is pretty subjective in this sense of the word. It isn't that the posters above didn't pick up on it, it just wasn't there for them.
As for Patrick...I haven't seen the episodes in a long time, but to me it seemed like there was a lot more devotion on Patrick's side than there was Mary's. She obviously thought that he was nice, but it didn't come across as a relationship-in-the-making to me. I'm sure that the writers could have made a go of it, but I thought that Mary and Adam had a real connection, even apart from their mutual blindness. They just "felt" like a couple. They were a great team, best friends, a great couple...Yeah. I really liked them together.
bethandmanly Dean's Dedicated Diva
Number of posts : 7600 Location : In a book Mood :
Subject: Re: Mike Lookinland Thu Oct 25, 2012 11:31 am
whitelighter wrote:
I guess what I was mainly asking was, did others sense any chemistry between Mary & Patrick (either actor)? Seth was just a jerk, and John Jr. - well, long-distance relationships rarely last - but Patrick seemed devoted to Mary and still lived nearby the last we knew. I think a Mary/Patrick storyline would've fit nicely into episodes like "Dance With Me".
Incidentally, I'm surprised people didn't pick up on the chemistry betwee MG & DB:
Almonzo: It's just... Laura: Just??
One of the most intense moments in television.
I have to agree with Lisa. Patrick seemed way more interested in Mary than she was in him.
As for MG and Dean, I think they played up Almanzo's awkwardness a bit much. Not the actors, but the writers. Because Melissa was so young and Dean was several years older than her, I think they tried to be cautious with their relationship. I feel that impacted the chemistry between the actors. In addition, Melissa was totally freaked out by Dean. She admits it in her memoir. She was scared playing a romantic role with this older guy and she did everything she could to make him feel uncomfortable. It wasn't until Melissa got older in seasons 8 and 9 that I felt they truly acted like a young married couple and connected well. "Days of Sunshine, Days of Shadow" remains my favorite episode because you really feel the connection between them, despite what is going on in their lives and that Almanzo is distancing himself from Laura.
Gin Ingalls Friend for Life
Number of posts : 5920 Location : Curled up with a great book. Mood :
Subject: Re: Mike Lookinland Thu Oct 25, 2012 11:44 am
It all falls back to the talent of all of these actors. Dean and Melissa as well as Melissa Sue and Linwood could not have pulled any of this off without their individual talents. THEY along side good storylines made it work. I have always wished Adam and Mary had more of a happier ending. They went through almost too much.
As for Mike Lookinland.....He was a Brady through and through.
It is the lack of Christianity that has brought us where we are. Not a lack of churches or religious forms but of the real thing in our hearts. LIW.....Words From a Fearless Heart
Amy Somewhere in Time
Number of posts : 13417 Location : Michigan Mood :
Subject: Re: Mike Lookinland Thu Oct 25, 2012 1:10 pm
Oh, Patrick was SUCH a hunk! Such a sweet guy too...I really liked him. He reminded me of Jimmy Hill a little bit...boyishly handsome and just plain adorable nice guy. And I don't even like blondes!
Anyway, I always hated the fact that Mary was so easily taken with the likes of Patrick's jerkface brother. I mean really---this is Mary we're talking about ---she would have totally been into Patrick! And she would have seen right though all his brother's posturing; she was a smart girl with a good head on her shoulders. But in actuality she really was not that into Patrick. Ridiculous, I know. And, I think I see what you're saying Whitelighter, because I think the chemistry WAS there between MSA and the actor who played Patrick. I could totally feel it. But to her Patrick was just a cute, nice guy....
Adam challenged her. I loved Adam from the very first episode. Oh, I wanted to hate him when I felt he was being too hard on Mary, but he had me from "What do you look like Mary?" And from that moment on he had her too. Throughout the entire series he challenged her, made her a better and stronger person, and she him! It was an amazing relationship in my opinion, and as Lisa said, you could feel they were 'best friends'. The only time he did not challenge her and they 'regressed' was when he regained his sight and he started coddling her, but she settled that issue in time. I love that they had their ups and downs, and their triumphs and challenges, yet still came out on top always.
bethandmanly wrote:
I have to agree with Lisa. Patrick seemed way more interested in Mary than she was in him.
As for MG and Dean, I think they played up Almanzo's awkwardness a bit much. Not the actors, but the writers. Because Melissa was so young and Dean was several years older than her, I think they tried to be cautious with their relationship. I feel that impacted the chemistry between the actors. In addition, Melissa was totally freaked out by Dean. She admits it in her memoir. She was scared playing a romantic role with this older guy and she did everything she could to make him feel uncomfortable. It wasn't until Melissa got older in seasons 8 and 9 that I felt they truly acted like a young married couple and connected well. "Days of Sunshine, Days of Shadow" remains my favorite episode because you really feel the connection between them, despite what is going on in their lives and that Almanzo is distancing himself from Laura.
I honestly think Melissa did a good job covering up the fact that she was freaked out by Dean. I never would have guessed that, judging by her performance, which is a testimony to her acting. But, sadly I agree...I could not feel the chemistry between these two actors. And it really is something that is either there between actors or isn't. When it's on, it is ON and there is no debating it. It was rather forced between them, but I'm not really sure any actor would have had chemistry with her considering her age versus someone in their mid 20's. I so agree with you though, Cheryl....it was weird, with Days of Sunshine, Days of Shadow, there was more of an intensity between them and you could actually feel this connection there and they just seemed....'believable'.
As for Mike Lookinland....I'm with Gin. He was Bobby Brady. It was a nice little appearance that he did, but that would never have flown to try to hook him and Mary up. I probably would have stopped watching the show! Actually, I HATE it when shows bring in a 'famous' person like that, rather than a nobody....you want to believe your show is 'real'. You get so wrapped up in it and it's so believable, and then all of a sudden Bobby Brady shows up. And you realize, oh yeah, this is a 70's show, and these are just actors.
bethandmanly Dean's Dedicated Diva
Number of posts : 7600 Location : In a book Mood :
Subject: Re: Mike Lookinland Thu Oct 25, 2012 2:23 pm
Amy wrote:
bethandmanly wrote:
As for MG and Dean, I think they played up Almanzo's awkwardness a bit much. Not the actors, but the writers. Because Melissa was so young and Dean was several years older than her, I think they tried to be cautious with their relationship. I feel that impacted the chemistry between the actors. In addition, Melissa was totally freaked out by Dean. She admits it in her memoir. She was scared playing a romantic role with this older guy and she did everything she could to make him feel uncomfortable. It wasn't until Melissa got older in seasons 8 and 9 that I felt they truly acted like a young married couple and connected well. "Days of Sunshine, Days of Shadow" remains my favorite episode because you really feel the connection between them, despite what is going on in their lives and that Almanzo is distancing himself from Laura.
I honestly think Melissa did a good job covering up the fact that she was freaked out by Dean. I never would have guessed that, judging by her performance, which is a testimony to her acting. But, sadly I agree...I could not feel the chemistry between these two actors.
It actually surprised me too when I read it. I didn't expect her to be falling over in love with him, but he was a hunk, so I figured she would at least be somewhat attracted to him. In one of her interviews, Melissa says it creeped her out when Dean looked at her "that" way in "Sweet Sixteen." You know the scene I'm talking about where he picks her up in Curry a week later and he notices she's older. The one that whitelighter was mentioning was intense. She had to keep saying to herself she was Laura now.
Amy Somewhere in Time
Number of posts : 13417 Location : Michigan Mood :
Subject: Re: Mike Lookinland Thu Oct 25, 2012 11:31 pm
bethandmanly wrote:
In one of her interviews, Melissa says it creeped her out when Dean looked at her "that" way in "Sweet Sixteen." You know the scene I'm talking about where he picks her up in Curry a week later and he notices she's older. The one that whitelighter was mentioning was intense. She had to keep saying to herself she was Laura now.
Huh, that seems so odd to me that she would feel that way. Maybe she just wasn't mature enough at that point to handle it. She did a good job as 'Laura' then. Gosh, I just love that scene.
Vanesa Ingalls Friend for Life
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Subject: Re: Mike Lookinland Fri Oct 26, 2012 12:28 am
I didn't know she felt that way in this special moment...And she was just acting! Wow! But I think that was the secret of her great acting moments. She COULD feel she was laura in this very moment, and actors must feel they really are the persons they are incarnating...
whitelighter New Pioneer
Number of posts : 77
Subject: Re: Mike Lookinland Fri Oct 26, 2012 1:28 am
Ok, I seem to be in the minority, but I felt bringing Adam in when they did sort of staled the whole blind storyline, regardless of whether there was chemistry between the two actors. That a blind boyfriend would conveniently show up at just the right time made it into almost a farce in my opinion.
Amy wrote:
I think I see what you're saying Whitelighter, because I think the chemistry WAS there between MSA and the actor who played Patrick. I could totally feel it. But to her Patrick was just a cute, nice guy
Glad somebody agrees with me here. I think part of the reason Mary didn't seem into the relationship with Patrick was that she was afraid of being hurt again after her experience with John Jr.
Amy wrote:
As for Mike Lookinland....I'm with Gin. He was Bobby Brady. It was a nice little appearance that he did, but that would never have flown to try to hook him and Mary up. I probably would have stopped watching the show! Actually, I HATE it when shows bring in a 'famous' person like that, rather than a nobody....you want to believe your show is 'real'. You get so wrapped up in it and it's so believable, and then all of a sudden Bobby Brady shows up. And you realize, oh yeah, this is a 70's show, and these are just actors.
I see your point about wanting the characters to be "real", but I must admit I'd have been interested to see if Mike Lookinland could've pulled off a dramatic role after having done just comedy up to that point. I might've at least tested him out a little more, to see if any more "fireworks" could be conjured up between the two. It may or may not have worked.
Amy Somewhere in Time
Number of posts : 13417 Location : Michigan Mood :
Subject: Re: Mike Lookinland Fri Oct 26, 2012 8:15 am
whitelighter wrote:
I see your point about wanting the characters to be "real", but I must admit I'd have been interested to see if Mike Lookinland could've pulled off a dramatic role after having done just comedy up to that point.
Oh I don't know, I seem to recall a lot of dramatic Bobby Brady storylines. I think he pulled off the Brady drama pretty well, so I'm sure he could have done it here. But it's just really hard to 'become' another character and get people to see you in another light, especially if you're already on a hit tv show at the time as a very famous child actor.
Vanesa Ingalls Friend for Life
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Subject: Re: Mike Lookinland Sat Oct 27, 2012 2:02 am
Yes....But it's the same that happened to Melissa Gilbert, Alison Arngrim and other children actors of the show... I think that those children actors needs an opportunity to show if they really can play other dramatic roles.
Vanesa.
whitelighter New Pioneer
Number of posts : 77
Subject: Re: Mike Lookinland Sun Oct 28, 2012 7:09 pm
Amy wrote:
I seem to recall a lot of dramatic Bobby Brady storylines.
Can you refresh my memory? When he reprised his role in "The Brady's" I guess his car accident was drama, but he was an adult then so it was different.
Misti Red Hummingbird
Number of posts : 4112 Location : Texas Mood :
Subject: Re: Mike Lookinland Sun Oct 28, 2012 8:09 pm
I also liked the Adam/Mary pairing but one thing did always bother me: when Mary thought she was regaining her sight Adam took it bad and was scared of how it would affect their relationship.
Then you look at when Adam did regain his sight, you would think he would have been sensitive to Mary (I know he was joyful and totally immersed in the whole thing) and have some heart to heart talks with her but that never happened. That ended up being what Caroline did. Adam seemed oblivious, totally disregarding her feelings and that was not Adam's character. That whole thing bothered me.
"I would fight for you - I'd lie for you - walk the wire for you - ya I'd die for you..."
Amy Somewhere in Time
Number of posts : 13417 Location : Michigan Mood :
Subject: Re: Mike Lookinland Sun Oct 28, 2012 8:53 pm
whitelighter wrote:
Amy wrote:
I seem to recall a lot of dramatic Bobby Brady storylines.
Can you refresh my memory? When he reprised his role in "The Brady's" I guess his car accident was drama, but he was an adult then so it was different.
You had mentioned that he'd mostly done comedy and I just remember quite a bit of drama revolved around Bobby. Getting lost in the Grand Canyon, feeling left out in the family and wanting to run away, becoming a "safety" and everyone turning against him. That kind of thing. There were comedic storylines, but I think Bobby had his share of drama too. Here's some Bobby drama for you!
Misti wrote:
Then you look at when Adam did regain his sight, you would think he would have been sensitive to Mary (I know he was joyful and totally immersed in the whole thing) and have some heart to heart talks with her but that never happened. That ended up being what Caroline did. Adam seemed oblivious, totally disregarding her feelings and that was not Adam's character. That whole thing bothered me.
Yeah, I never understood that either, Misti. You'd think he would have put himself in her shoes more, having been blind himself. But like you said he was so deeply immersed within himself I guess he just couldn't see anything else. I felt so sad for Mary during that storyline.