Mork Goes Erk

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“Mork Goes Erk”
Mork & Mindy episode

VHS cover of Mork & Mindy Volume 2:
Mork's First Christmas/Mork Goes Erk
Episode no. Season 1
Episode 17
Written by Lloyd Turner
Gordon Mitchell
Directed by Howard Storm
Guest stars Morgan Fairchild as Susan
Conrad Janis as Fred 'Fredzo' McConnell
David Letterman as Ellsworth
Photographed by Stephen H. Burum
F. Bud Mautino,
Meredith M. Nicholson
Production no. Episode 018
Original airdate February 08, 1979 (1979-02-08)
Episode chronology
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List of Mork & Mindy episodes

"Mork Goes Erk" is the seventeenth episode of the first season of Mork & Mindy. The episode first premiered on ABC on February 8, 1979.[1] "Mork Goes Erk" was later released on VHS on January 1, 1998 as part of a two-episode special which also included "Mork's First Christmas,"[2][3] and on DVD on September 7, 2004 as part of the "Mork & Mindy - The Complete First Season" DVD boxed set.[4]

In the episode, David Letterman portrayed a Werner Erhard-like character by the name of "Ellsworth" offering ERC or Ellsworth Revitalization Conditioning. Mork (Robin Williams) and Mindy (Pam Dawber) attend one of Ellsworth's trainings at the suggestion of their friend Susan (Morgan Fairchild), where they endure Ellsworth's authoritarian brand of group therapy. Mork points out hypocrisy in Ellsworth's teachings, and exposes him as a fraud. The episode has been placed in a sociological context, and compared to the Erhard Seminars Training or "est" course. The episode itself received mostly positive reviews, and was highlighted as one of the season's best episodes, including "Mork's First Christmas" and "Mork's Mixed Emotions". David Letterman's performance as "Ellsworth" also received good reviews.

Contents

[edit] Plot

At the beginning of the episode, Mork, Mindy and Bickley (Tom Poston) are all sitting around feeling depressed. Mindy has just learned that Mork's supervisor Orson has arranged for Mork to be transferred to another planet, and Bickley is suffering from writer's block. Their friend Susan comes by to visit, and suggests that they all go and attend a seminar on Ellsworth's Revitalization Konditioning. As the guests arrive at the seminar, Ellsworth nervously asks Susan if all of the attendants' checks are in order. He then lays out the rules for the duration of the training, which includes no leaving and no consumption of alcohol. When Bickley hears this, he promptly gets up to leave the seminar.

The attendants of the seminar are then given Ellsworth's harsh version of reality, which has been compared to the tenets of Erhard Seminars Training. Ellsworth preaches a belief in self-adoration, which he says will get rid of emotional highs and lows. Ellsworth centers this goal around the notion of "finding our own space." He utilizes an authoritarian style of control within the group, as a therapeutic method to solve problems. The other attendees at the seminar are shown to be passive consumers looking for any way to fix their personal issues. Mork begins to question the foundation of the rules of the course, as well as the nature of the philosophical material that Ellsworth has put forth, by pointing out hypocrisy among Ellsworth's own contradictory statements. In the end, Mork wins out over the Ellsworth philosophy by instead calling to mind universal humanistic moral values. Ellsworth dismisses Mork's victory over his methodology, exclaiming: "I've got my Rolls-Royce!" [5][6][1][7]

[edit] Cultural references

David Letterman as Ellsworth, a parody of Werner Erhard in the episode "Mork Goes Erk".
David Letterman as Ellsworth, a parody of Werner Erhard in the episode "Mork Goes Erk".[5]

In a 1982 article in the journal Theory & Society, Lewis & Clark College sociology professor Robert Goldman compared and contrasted Letterman's "Ellsworth" character and his training program to that of Werner Erhard's course Erhard Seminars Training. Goldman noted that the episode spent time: "lampooning Werner Erhard and est-like commercial pop psychologies." However, Goldman went on to note that the inherent problem with "Ellsworth Revitalization Conditioning" was not the training - but Ellsworth himself.[5]

Ellsworth is seen not just as a parody of Werner Erhard, but also of consumerism: "As the self-help entrepreneur, Ellsworth is portrayed as a walking collection of lifestyle-status points and sign-values...Conspicuous consumption and commodity fetishism define his personality." Goldman explained that the Mork and Mindy episode succeeded in distinguishing between criticism of the Ellsworth training, and criticism of Ellsworth, citing Ellsworth's character traits of: "tyranny, selfishness, open greed, and flaunting of the accoutrements of his vulgar money-making."[5]

[edit] Reception

David Letterman received praise for his portrayal of the character Ellsworth in "Mork Goes Erk".
David Letterman received praise for his portrayal of the character Ellsworth in "Mork Goes Erk".

TV Guide's 2005 book TV Guide: The Ultimate Resource to Television Programs on DVD highlighted "Mork Goes Erk" as one of three "Classic Episodes" of the first season, including "Mork's First Christmas", and "Mork's Missed Emotions".[7] Matthew Tobey of All Movie Guide wrote that the episode was most notable because of David Letterman's appearance before he became more well known.[1] Donald Liebenson of Amazon.com also cited David Letterman's performance as: "an abusive EST-like guru" as one of the more memorable parts of the Season One DVD boxed set, but thought that the highlight of the season was the episode "Mork's Mixed Emotions."[8] The Dallas Morning News also praised Letterman's performance as a "shady motivational speaker," commenting that the episode was a way for Letterman to hone his "smarminess" before his later work on Late Show with David Letterman.[9] Jonathan Boudreaux of tvdvdreviews.com described Letterman as "a flakey EST-like guru," and called the episode itself "disjointed."[10]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Tobey, Matthew. "Mork & Mindy: Mork Goes Erk", All Movie Guide, All Media Guide, LLC.. Retrieved on 2007-10-29. 
  2. ^ Staff. "Laugh Again With TV's Top Comedies", The Washington Post, The Washington Post Company, September 10, 1995. 
  3. ^ "Mork & Mindy Volume 2: Mork's First Christmas/Mork Goes Erk (1978)", Paramount Studios, January 1, 1998, 50 minutes.
  4. ^ "Mork & Mindy - The Complete First Season", Paramount Studios, September 4, 2004, UPC: 097360537949
  5. ^ a b c d Goldman, Robert (May 1982). "Hegemony and Managed Critique in Prime-Time Television: A A Critical Reading of "Mork and Mindy".". Theory & Society 11: 363–388, Part 4.. Hosted, Lewis & Clark College. 
  6. ^ Staff. ""Mork & Mindy" Mork Goes Erk (1979)", Internet Movie Database, Amazon.com, Original Air Date: 8 February 1979. Retrieved on 2007-10-29. 
  7. ^ a b TV Guide (2005). TV Guide: The Ultimate Resource to Television Programs on DVD. St. Martin's Griffin, Page 166. ISBN 031235150X. 
  8. ^ Liebenson, Donald. "Mork & Mindy - The Complete First Season (1978): Amazon.com essential video", Amazon.com, Amazon.com, Inc., 2004, pp. Editorial Reviews. Retrieved on 2007-10-29. 
  9. ^ Staff. "Mork & Mindy", Dallas Morning News, November 5, 2004. 
  10. ^ Boudreaux, Jonathan. "Mork & Mindy: The Complete First Season DVD Review", tvdvdreviews.com, 2003-2007 tvdvdreviews.com, in association with Amazon.com, September 2, 2004. Retrieved on 2007-10-29. 

[edit] External links

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