Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman’s “Episode 31” sees lots of family problems. First and foremost, Heather is feeling rejected after her parents separate. Next, Loretta is clueless about being paralyzed. Last but not least, it’s getting real chilly in the Shumway house when George could be dying and the family doesn’t care. The Hartman and Shumway households have some real issues in their families.

Right at the start of this broadcast, Mary decides to work on her relationship with Heather.

“So we can have a better relationship. So I can get to know what you’re thinking about. What my little girl wants out of life,” Mary tells Heather.

But Heather just wants platform shoes. Heather whines to her mom, Mary, saying, “I want platform shoes.”

Apparently, getting shoes stops feelings of rejection, according to Heather. “Do you want me to feel rejected? It’s not good for a child whose parents are divorced to feel rejected,” responds Heather.

On top of that, Heather’s friend sees a psychologist. Heather states: “Penny Carson felt so rejected that they had to take her to a psychologist.” Heather reveals this personal information to her mother.

Mary clues Tom in on Heather’s unhappiness. Mary looks sadly at Tom, saying, “She’s not a happy child Tom. She needs you.”

All of sudden, in the middle of her talk, Mary loses it for a second.

“Liver. Maybe it’s the sound of the word that makes people hate it,” Mary explains to herself.

When it comes to massage parlors, Martha sees no problem if George gets angry.

“I don’t blame him for being mad. His own little girl being attacked by some pervert in a massage parlor,” Martha says to herself looking off in the distance.

Of course, Cathy denies any sort of wrong doing when it comes to massage shops aka sex shops. Cathy pleads with her mom, saying, “Oh mom. I didn’t know it was that kind of a place.”

However, Martha told Cathy about the massage parlor before she started working. Martha says: “I knew what kind of place it was, but nobody would listen to me. I am the last person in this family that anybody ever listens to.”

Not only that, Martha is mixed up.

“How can you think about food when your father is in such terrible trouble. Cathy make a salad,” Martha tells us.

It’s at this point in the episode, the Shumway family sits around while George could be dying.

“Oh, how can we stand here talking about poetry when you father may be lying in the gutter or dying or maimed or bleeding. I got to call the homicide squad, or maybe we ought to go looking for him,” Martha suggests to her family.

At the hospital, Loretta believes she can walk. She tells a nurse, saying, “What? But you can’t walk. You’ll never walk again.”

It seems nobody told Loretta that she’s paralyzed.

“What are you talking about? Charlie, what kind of crazy talk is that?” Loretta questions Charlie.

Despite this fact, Charlie has faith in the Lord.

“No matter what those fancy doctors say, I know you’re going to be alright. Lord, Lord, what kind of Christian would I be if I didn’t have more faith than that. The good Lord isn’t going to let you down anymore than I would,” Charlie reveals to Loretta.

Loretta, too, still believes in the Lord.

“Ahem, Charlie, I believe.”

Meantime, at the Fernwood police station, a reporter has a question about the massage parlor. “You think the chief is really going to close down those sex shops?” a Fernwood reporter wonders.

However, the police at the desk don’t know anything. “You know as much as I do,” a police officer tells the reporter.

Nevertheless, the massage parlor owner screams civil rights violations. The owner of the massage parlor states: “I am a legitimate business man being harassed by the police. What they did to my place tonight was clearly an unconstitutional act, which violates my civil liberties. And it’s also bad for business.”

Back at the Shumway household, it’s beginning to get real chilly when everyone sits down to eat dinner. Martha tell her family: “You go ahead. It doesn’t seem to bother you that your father is lying helpless and hurt somewhere,” Martha tells Cathy as they sit at the dinner table.

Eventually, George calls home from jail. “I am in jail. I have been arrested for lewd conduct,” George tells Martha over the phone from jail.

Toward the end, Mary confesses to Sgt. Foley that she has VD. “Yes me. And that.”

To conclude, this airing made you wonder about 70s families again. That being said, Mary and Tom made time for Heather. As well, the local pimp screamed civil liberties when he got hauled into the police station. However, George got out of jail for lewd conduct. This episode really makes one wonder about the 70s families and what led up to so many problems of that generation.