SPLAIN AWAY, RENEE

First off, you should head over to the "Thrilling Days Of Yesteryear" and check out my blog-brother Ivan's latest installment of "Mayberry Mondays." Every Monday (sometimes on Tuesday instead), he offers up a detailed account of a 'Mayberry RFD' episode with his own twisted perspective. (We have similar sensibilities in that regard, but he makes it funnier.)

So read the latest synopsis (for the episode "Millie's Girlfriend".)

I'll be here when you finish......

Okay, welcome back!

So Millie's girlfriend Renee was a fashion model in New York City; she and Millie used to work together in Raleigh. (This may have been while Millie was briefly married to a man named Swanson. Remember, her maiden name was Hutchins in 'The Andy Griffith Show'.)

So anyway, Renee...... The only reason she came back to the Mayberry area was because she was having boyfriend troubles back in Manhattan. And the name of the cad who done her wrong? Roger.

"She was leading such a happy life until Roger wrecked it."
Millie Swanson
'Mayberry RFD'

"Millie's Girlfriend" took place around the same time it was broadcast (which, according to Ivan, was on March 17, 1969. This could splain away why Howard Sprague wasn't in town for this episode. He may have been up in Raleigh marching in their St. Patrick's Day Parade.)

So we need to look around that general time period to find a suitable character named Roger.
And I imagine many of my fellow teleficionados have figured out where I'm going with this.....

Roger Sterling of 'Mad Men'

But here's the thing: we have to put this pozz'ble splainin on a layaway plan. As I said, the episode took place around St. Patrick's Day in 1969. With the recent conclusion of the fourth season, 'Mad Men' has worked its way through 1965. So we don't even know if Roger Sterling will survive long enough to have an affair with Renee in 1969.

The man has had two heart attacks; he falls into depressive moods; and Dr. Greg Harris may be over in Viet Nam at this point in the timeline, but eventually he might come home (if he survives.) Greg has a temper and he might seek revenge should he find out that Roger is the real father of Joan's baby.

So I'm going to hedge my bets on the identity of the Roger in 'Mayberry RFD' being the Roger of 'Mad Men'. We'll wait and view how the Toobworld timeline plays out.

And should the pozz'bility pay off, we don't have to see Roger actually having that affair with Renee on 'Mad Men'. It could play out off-screen, as do so many key moments during the course of that show.

Besides, it was probably just a fling for Roger, which would understandably be the reason why Renee was so upset in the first place..... [A big thanks to Ivan of "Thrilling Days Of Yesteryear" for not only writing about "Millie's Girlfriend" in the first place, but also for the screen captures he posted, which I then purloined.....]

BCnU!