Maya Gallo

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Maya Gallo was a fictional character and one of the lead characters of the former NBC sitcom, Just Shoot Me!. She was played by Laura San Giacomo.

[edit] Storylines

Perhaps her most significant storyline on the show was her on-again, off-again romantic relationship with photographer Elliot DiMauro (Enrico Colantoni). In spite of his womanizing tendencies, Elliot always treated Maya with respect and his relationship with her never seemed to be sexually motivated - he genuinely loved her. After being drawn out through several episodes, the relationship came to a conclusion in Season 5. In a two-part episode, Elliot took Maya out to a lavish restaurant. Unbeknownst to Maya, Elliot asked her to marry him after he gave her Maya's mother's wedding ring - which was passed down from her father Jack Gallo. An emotional Maya said yes and she offered him her hand in marriage. Within mere moments of her approval, Elliot immediately had second thoughts about what he was getting himself into and he suddenly fainted. Elliott was quickly transported to a local hospital. Maya - who was still in her evening gown - came to the hospital as well. Maya became angry when the doctor told her that he had a mere panic attack. Maya gave him the ring back and she called off the marriage to his dismay. Elliott didn't want his relationship with Maya to end and he proposed to her the next day at work. Maya said "yes", but Elliot had yet another panic attack. Soon after, Maya came to the realization that they weren't meant to be together as a couple and she ended her romantic relationship with him. She also kicked him out of their apartment. Maya also engaged in romantic relationships with a number of other males including Michael Tenzer (David Rasche), Chris (Dean Cain), Ray Liotta (Ray Liotta), and another male named Chris (Joe Rogan). Although she was involved in several relationships, Maya never got married on the program.

Her most drawn out storyline on the program was her shaky relationship with her father Jack Gallo. It was strung out throughout the entire duration of the show. Maya wasn't particularly thrilled with her father's relationships with women - mostly because his females companions were usually her age. Also, they didn't have much of a relationship when she was a child because he was too busy working - it continued to bother her into adulthood and she'd frequently let him know about it.

[edit] Characteristics

Maya Gallo was a smart (yet sometimes naïve), hot-tempered, sassy journalist who took a job at the fictional glamour fashion magazine Blush - which happened to be owned by her father Jack Gallo (George Segal). Keeping in tune with her neo-feminist stance, Maya Gallo often frowned upon men looking at women as objects of sexual desire. Instead, she frequently encouraged individuals to admire females for their intelligence instead of their bodies.

San Giacomo's character on the show was a dichotomy on several levels. Maya Gallo had headstrong smarts coupled with a naïveté about life and sometimes even love. Despite her neo-feminist stance on Just Shoot Me!, Maya was by no means prude as there were several instances in which she was portrayed to be in the buff or alluding to sexual intercourse. One particular occasion in which her dichotomic nature was highlighted was in the Season 3 episode Maya's Nude Photos. Though she frequently encouraged individuals to admire females for their intelligence rather than the physical attractiveness of their physiques, Maya went along with her photography teacher's assignment to do a nude self-portrait of herself. Although, Maya was led to believe that her teacher would see her nude photographs as a form of art rather than a form of pleasure for himself. Maya also ended up in a scenerio in which she wore a see-through dress to an awards show. Due to the transparent nature of the dress, her panties were visible, not to mention that her breasts were visible because she wasn't wearing a brassiere underneath the dress (her nude breasts were pixelized during the national broadcast of the episode). It should be noted that Maya wasn't previously aware that her dress was going to be see-through, it was simply a measure of revenge on the part of fashion designer Oskar Milos (Dana Carvey). In another uncharacteristic moment, Maya purposely stuck her chest out and partially unbuttoned her blouse to show a hint of cleavage in an effort to stimulate (and thus distract) Dennis Finch - an admitted admirer of her bosoms. Although in another episode on the program, Finch made an off-the-cuff remark in which he alluded to the tremendous size of her breasts to her dismay. An agitated Maya threatened to physically strike him because of the remark, but she managed to maintain her composure.

In spite of her attempts to deemphasize and draw attention away from her large breasts, Maya was occasionally on the receiving end of "boob jokes" on the show. Maya's fellow peers - usually Finch or Nina Van Horn (Wendie Malick) - would often poke fun at her whopping chest. The overwhelming size of her breasts was a long running gag on the program - it was especially evident during the latter seasons as they started to occur somewhat frequently. One memorable instance in which a joke was made towards her substantial bustline on Just Shoot Me was on an episode in which Nina considered getting breast implants. Nina started wearing a silicone prosthetic around the office to try out her post-operative figure. When Maya tells Nina that she doesn't think the augmentation is a good idea, Nina dismisses her idea because she believes that Maya wants to be the only woman in the office with large breasts. "Drat!" Maya says in a mock-British accent. "You've discovered my diabolical plan to rule the world with my bosoms!" In another instance on the program, Nina remarked that a "heart of stone" lied behind "that giant chest of yours" because Maya was being cold towards mail clerk Kevin (Brian Posehn), who was being unwantingly affectionate towards her. The most straightforward remark regarding her breasts made on the program occured after Maya teased the first name of Dennis Finch's (David Spade) mother - which happened to be Fanny (Joyce Bulifant). Finch scowled back to Maya, "Yeah, and you've got a big rack, we're all God's children." Finch's remark hit an obvious nerve with Maya as she looked visibly upset. Coincidently, San Giacomo happened to be sporting a tight-fitting beige sweater in which the magnitude of her large bustline was highly evident. In another episode, Finch dubbed her as being a "busty ninja." Whenever a joke in regards to her bustline was made on the program, Maya usually wouldn't dignify the remark with a verbal response. Although, she'd often look visibly flustered and unnerved due to the said comment.