Beebe Brady Beebe

February 11th, 2018 by Proprietor

In the first season of the Brady Bunch, the focus was building the family. Mike being an architect and the bread winner of the family had to deal with various aspects of the job. Difficult clients being one of those aspects.

It was the 16th episode of the 1st season “Mike’s Horror-Scope” that tried to highlight how Mike was willing to make sacrifices to put food on the table. Beebe Gallini, played by the beautiful Abbe Lane, was a cosmetics mogul. Her brand of cosmetics was the highest selling and most popular in the world, making her wealthy. Her wealth also made her a bit of a bully when it came to indulging her own interests. This made her extremely difficult to deal with, but the good natured Mike Brady was not going to let things deter him.

While sitting with Carol eating breakfast, and reading the newspaper, Carol read Mike’s horoscope. It stated that a mysterious woman would come into Mike’s life and essentially dramatically alter it. Mike laughed it off as silliness, while Carol and Alice teased him. Mike left for work.

When Mike showed up at his office in the unspecified architectural firm, his office had been taken over by a woman dressed in pink. Beebe pink to be specific. Turns out, Mike’s boss had recommended Mike to the client, claiming he was the best the firm had. More like, passing off the difficult client to the new guy to see how he handles things. In the final season, when we meet Mike’s boss in a sense, the president of the firm, it is hinted he is ruthless. When Bobby was beating him at billiards, one of Mike’s co-workers recommended breaking the kid’s arm. Implying the boss was a sore loser, and Mike’s career, even life might be hanging in the balance. So if Mike screwed up with Beebe, simply being fired might be a blessing in disguise.

Beebe started out with what seemed like an unreasonable demand. Everything in the factory had to be pink. Beebe pink. Well, Mike acquiesced and designed a pink factory. Mike worked long hours in his den, and at work to make sure the factory conformed to all the necessary specs. Then Beebe went insane. Beebe even came to the Brady House to talk to Mike about it. Beebe insulted Carol, calling her a little woman.

Beebe wanted a factory designed like a powder puff. Mike drew up some sketches. Beebe then wanted the factory to look like a compact, with an opening roof. Mike tried to dissuade the woman, saying the engineering alone was insane. But, Beebe was unrelenting. Mike put in even longer hours, taking him away from his new family. Eventually Mike figured out a design that might work for Beebe.

Except, Beebe was not happy with Mike’s new design. She came to visit the Brady house for a second time. This time to tell Mike she wanted new designs and even more insane concepts. Mike tried in vain to logic and reason with her. Except, Beebe demanded, instructed Mike to start on new designs immediately. Carol was not happy, finding the woman beautiful, rich, and pretentious, but holding her tongue like a valiant wife. The pernicious Brady kids unintentionally worked their magic. First Peter was trying to fly his toy airplane, and it slammed into Ms. Gallini’s hair, making a mess of it. Then Bobby and Cindy came charging down the stairs having a squirt gun fight, hosing Ms. Gallini’s face, causing her masquerade to run.

Infuriated with the insult to her person Beebe asked if the little creatures were Mike’s. Carol and Mike held their tongues, and even apologized for the event. Instead, Beebe stated that she would have to go with a different architect and stormed off. Mike was more relieved than worried about losing his job. Maybe Mike’s boss was more upset about losing at games rather than business, and took losing to Bobby as a personal affront. The conspiracy theory is Mike was rubbed out after that episode. As wacky as it would seem to be, losing a game of pool to a boy is grounds for killing an employee as opposed to losing a major contract. Mike would redeem himself in later episodes, becoming a top architect, with many important clients. Even earning a trip to Hawaii for his family and King’s Island.

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