Ep 12. We Want Baxter

We Want Baxter is the twelfth episode of the fourth season of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The episode originally aired on December 4, 1973, and was directed by Jay Sandrich.

In this episode, Mary's colleague Murray Slaughter goes on vacation and leaves Mary in charge of his weekly editorials. Mary decides to do a special editorial on the state of local radio, focusing on a popular radio personality named Baxter who has become increasingly controversial due to his offensive comments on air. Mary's editorial calls for his firing, and Baxter's fans respond with a campaign to get him reinstated.

Meanwhile, Mary is having dating troubles of her own. She's agreed to go out with a man named Ed, but she quickly realizes that they have nothing in common. Ed is a farmer who raises bulls, and Mary is a city girl who doesn't know anything about farming. Despite their differences, Mary decides to give it a shot and goes out to the farm with Ed for a weekend.

Back at the station, the campaign to reinstate Baxter is gaining momentum. Fans are calling in to voice their support, and even Mary's coworkers are divided on the issue. Lou, the station manager, is hesitant to make a decision either way, and Mary is caught in the middle.

As the campaign heats up, Mary starts to receive threatening phone calls and even has her car vandalized. She begins to fear for her safety and decides to back down from the controversy, which angers some of her coworkers.

Meanwhile, Mary's weekend at the farm is not going well. She's uncomfortable around the bulls and can't seem to adjust to the slow pace of farm life. Ed, on the other hand, is in his element and enjoys showing Mary around. Despite their differences, they have a good time together and Mary starts to see Ed in a new light.

In the end, Lou decides to fire Baxter due to the overwhelming number of complaints. Mary uses her editorial time to address the issue and calls for a return to civility and respect in the media. She also decides to give things another shot with Ed and spends a romantic evening with him back in the city.

We Want Baxter deals with issues that are still relevant today, such as free speech, media responsibility, and the urban-rural divide. It's a classic episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show that showcases the outstanding writing, acting, and direction that made it one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time.