In season eleven, episode three of CBS’s rebooted Murphy Brown, the gang and Murphy tackle the topic of sexual harassment and the #metoo movement by addressing an experience shared by many Americans in the next couple of months – sexual harassment training in the workplace. As the show ends, Miles announces the seminar and bars the door so that Murphy, Frank, and Corky can’t escape the training.
Photo Source: Murphy Brown on CBS screenshot by Crystal Spears from The Game of Nerds
In this respect the office feels so normal. Someone wants to act woke. Someone else wants to make sure we all know how silly this all is. Yet another person thinks they are above the rules. The seminar leader is appropriately boring and a little creepy in the end.
Pat, the new techie heart of the network, has created an app to “help men of a certain age navigate the changing landscape of gender politics” called App-propriate Behavior that vibrates when offensive speech takes place.
Photo Source: Murphy Brown on CBS screenshot by Crystal Spears from The Game of Nerds
On the more serious side of the episode it is revealed that Murphy had a #metoo experience when she was nineteen that she hasn’t gotten over yet despite her best attempts to pack it away. Phylis advises her to confront her attacker and take back whatever power she can from him in the present . . .and she does.
Photo Source: Murphy Brown on CBS screenshot by Crystal Spears from The Game of Nerds
I won’t spoil the whole confrontation between the two, but suffice to say Murphy reminds him of his attack on her and calls him out on his appropriation of her success for decades. The episode ends on an empowered note and shows that Murphy Brown is still dealing with of-the-moment topics that Americans can definitely relate to.
Stop back next week for a review of season 11, episode 4 – “Three Shirts to the Wind” where longtime FYI anchor Jim Dial finally makes his appearance and brings balance back to the force.
