He's so unbelievably the non-stop, nastiest, meanest, most manipulative, abusive, badgering, selfish, insecure, hypocritical man ever on television. He doesn't do a single decent thing until episode 103 when he basically challenges Christian bigotry by saying essentially live and let live for gay people.
They mellow him some for the second season, but still. Season 1 he's the nastiest guy ever on television.
Tom sucks, but actor Greg Mullavey is great. I hated Tom when I watched this back in the 70s, but re-watching the whole series, I've got a new appreciation for Mullavey. Playing Tom must've been an enormous challenge, and it was made even more difficult by the fact that Louise Lasser's performances were the ones that received the lion's share of attention.
I've got an article from when the series was on and other cast members talked about unfair it was that Mullavey wasn't recognized for his contribution. Mary and Tom's interactions are often the most poignant, heart-wrenching, and brutal scenes of a troubled marriage you'll ever witness on television, and they help ground the series when it strays too far into silly territory.
The other interesting thing for me was how my opinion changed of Dennis. When I was a kid, I was a huge Mary/Dennis fan and wanted Mary to leave Tom for him. As an adult I can see that in his own way, Dennis was just as manipulative, selfish, badgering, and mean as Tom. It's a case of "careful what you ask for because you just might get it". Like Mullavey, Bruce Solomon was also terrific.
What an incredible cast. Can you just imagine how horrible it would be if somebody rebooted this today?
Greg Mullavey was indeed outstanding and overlooked in this series – as was the most of this very strong ensemble cast – and the fact that we are still stewing about Tom Hartman's suckiness almost 40 years later attests to Mr. Mullavey's strengths as a actor.
Beyond his selfishness and cruelty to his wife was a deeply addicted, insecure and wounded man with little hope of redemption, and Mr. Mullavey played him to the hilt. It's no coincidence that this man-child slept in "Star Trek" pajamas by night and dressed like a high-school jock by day. Mr. Mullavey was particularly strong in the final episodes when Tom was basically on his own – especially in the suicide attempt scene, which was performed solo, without a net.
I also saw Sgt. Dennis Foley as the ideal mate for Mary when I watched this show as a child, but it's clear from the final scene that Mary had traded one selfish mate for another. Whatever she was looking for, she didn't find it in Tom or Dennis. Do any of us really find it?
This is "Scenes From a Marriage" or "Nashville" set in Fernwood instead of Sweden or Tennessee, and there has never been a better television show before or since. No reboot, please. We as a culture no longer want this type of honest introspection, and we wouldn't know what to do with it if we had it. We are completely self-absorbed, but our perspective is limited to selfies and fake "reality" shows. This show is proof that television once had the potential to skewer not only our culture, but the medium itself. Credit is due to all involved, including Mr. Mullavey, who consistently drove Tom's suckiness home.
I just started re-watching the series, too, after discovering episodes are on YouTube. I have to comment here I had the same reaction: I remembered Tom treated Mary shabbily, and that's certainly true, watching it over. What surprised me, though, is what all of you in this thread are saying. Dennis Foley is a first-class heel. He's not sweet and selflessly devoted to Mary. He saw Mary the first time, found her attractive and sensed her vulnerability like a predator in the wild senses its prey's weakness. Instead of doing the decent thing, like leave her alone or offer a kind ear to listen without any other agenda, he moves in for the kill. He has her at his apartment and tells her, relax, don't be nervous, nothing is going to happen unless she makes the first move. One minute later, he moves in to kiss her. He tries to pressure her to stay when she says she has to go, and the next day, when she stops at the station, he starts working on her again. She tells him she can't see him because she's having marriage problems and doesn't want to be involved with someone else while she's confused and trying to work out her marital issues. Instead of recognizing this as a very reasonable and sensible choice, as a real friend would, he tells her it's a fine thing to continuing seeing him while she's working through her problems Tom. Yeah, fine for him! Could he be any more selfish and piggish?? That's just great, Dennis...go ahead and boink her in a sleazy affair while she's confused and can't think straight. All that matters is Dennis gets some. That's really sleazy.
I agree 100%, though...Greg Mullavey and Bruce Solomon were great in the roles. Except Solomon keeps a weird grin on his face all the time. Too creepy.
*Spoiler alert*
Oh gosh, I thought Dennis was incredibly hot then, and 40 years later still think so. He's not the pefect knight in shining armor by any means, and does do some disappointing things (blackmailing Mary by telling her he'd marry Cathy to be near her; the way he left Mary at the end of Season 1; renting people to be his parents; his indifference in the last scene of the show). But all-in-all, I think he believes Mary is unhappy and deserves to be happy. And as far as I can tell, they only had sex once in the whole series...he seemed satisfied with passionate kissing. ❤
And speaking of character flaws, I really disliked the way Mary alternately screamed at Heather, then fawned over her.
What a great show. I'm so happy I got to see it all again.
I hear what you're saying about Tom Hartman, but give the guy a break. He's as much a victim of his times and society as Mary is. It's true that in Season 1 he's insensitive to Mary, but in the 70s -- nobody, nobody, and I mean nobody - breathed a word about male impotence. And here it's the first thing we learn about the character -- he hasn't been able to perform with his wife for weeks now. And he hadn't cheated on her (yet). What was the guy to do?
Male and female roles were shifting rapidly in the 70s, and much of the show's humor and shock, and the cause of so much discomfort that it caused, was fueled by those shifts in gender roles in the culture.
Watch Mary's break-down again. What was it that finally tipped her over the edge? It's significant (I think) that she holds her own against the panelists, even starts calling them out for their rudeness, and defends herself by listing all the horrors she has survived in the previous few months (mass murder, VD, fibroid tumors, a major auto wreck, the working conditions at the factory, etc etc). "I am not a victim!" and "I am not incapable!" But God forbid that she mentions that her husband has a "performance problem" - and on live TV, no less - unforgivable! That's the final push that sends her over the cliff. "I did bad... I did real bad..." she starts sobbing.
Give Tom a break. He was living in that mind-set too. At least in the second season, he starts to clean up his act - as best he knows how - and he sincerely tries his best to be a better husband. He just doesn't know that he doesn't really know very much.
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