User Reviews

This episode began with a characterization breach and ended with an incoherent message about the boundaries of friendship and journalistic ethics. I guess the writers wanted a happy make-up scene at the end, but it made no sense.

Dorothy's book MY TOWN was published by a major publisher. In the book, Dorothy revealed private stuff about her friends. She named names, including Mike's fear of sexual intimacy, Myra's prostitution contract with Hank, Jake's illiteracy and alcoholism, Grace's inability to conceive a child, the Reverend's gambling past, etc. etc.

Then what happens?

The town feels humiliated, hurt, and mad. Mike confronts Dorothy, saying she told her those personal things in confidence and now feels unable to trust her anymore. I cheered to hear it.

Dorothy's characterization has always been shaky, but her incapacity to understand why her friends were angry and hurt was totally unbelievable and inconsistent with a woman with even half a brain and half her years. But finally Dorothy decided to stop writing the newspaper and books, because it upset people.

Then in the end, Mike tells Dorothy her family grew stronger by facing some hidden issues revealed in the book, and so Dorothy should keep on writing. After all, she's a born writer and that's what writers do. Write. She says that just as doctors heal, writers write. See? So simple it is!

Big hug. Happy happy joy joy.

What's the moral of this story? Beats me. Maybe this: A journalist is free from the burden of ethics. No need to maintain confidentiality, trust, and discretion. Not even within a friendship.