Uncle Martin is trying to fix a problem with his space ship when the brainy niece of Mrs Brown shows up.
She is able to help Uncle Martin with his Martian stuff and so he is threatened by her intelligence.
For all of the TV reasons, (can't add Marlo Thomas as a regular on the show and upset the comedic formula of the show) Uncle martin can't explain he's a Martian to Paula. (Or her Aunt Brown.)
So, with out consent, Martin gives Paula a makeover, and tells her that's she's a coward for leaning so heavily on her brains and not leaning into accepted beauty norms. He tells her to focus more on her womanly beauty and less on her brains.
It hurts me when TV gets it this WRONG.
When Marlo Thomas shows up in the episode, wearing the glasses and being smarter than Uncle Martin, I was floored and amazed. She was easily one of the most interesting women on the show in the first 31 episodes.
But then Martin had to make her feel bad about being smart, and that just hurt.
Near the end of the episode, a young Tom Skerritt (Alien, Top Gun, Contact) shows up, and seeing him play a gangly young man is interesting.
She is able to help Uncle Martin with his Martian stuff and so he is threatened by her intelligence.
For all of the TV reasons, (can't add Marlo Thomas as a regular on the show and upset the comedic formula of the show) Uncle martin can't explain he's a Martian to Paula. (Or her Aunt Brown.)
So, with out consent, Martin gives Paula a makeover, and tells her that's she's a coward for leaning so heavily on her brains and not leaning into accepted beauty norms. He tells her to focus more on her womanly beauty and less on her brains.
It hurts me when TV gets it this WRONG.
When Marlo Thomas shows up in the episode, wearing the glasses and being smarter than Uncle Martin, I was floored and amazed. She was easily one of the most interesting women on the show in the first 31 episodes.
But then Martin had to make her feel bad about being smart, and that just hurt.
Near the end of the episode, a young Tom Skerritt (Alien, Top Gun, Contact) shows up, and seeing him play a gangly young man is interesting.
