My favorite Phyllis episode is almonst surely one of yours, too. This episode was MTM's twist on "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?"

It seems daughter, Bess, has informed her mother that her new boyfriend was coming for dinner that very evening. Phyllis has never met him, but Bess sends the message loud and clear that she is very serious about him. To cap things off, Bess reveals that she has invited the boys parents for dinner as well. Phyllis is of course somewhat flustered and asks, "Bess, Dear, didn't you tell me sooner?" Bess says, "You know how you get sometimes, Phyllis. I didn't want you to get all worked up about it."

So later that evening the doorbell rings. Phyllis answers the door to find that the boy's parents are little people. Short notice, indeed. Phyllis, of course, is falling all over herself in a vain attempt not to say the wrong thing, and in the process commits one faux pas after another.

The comedy of errors reaches it's climax when Phyllis, realizing that with every utterance she only makes things worse, decides to shut up and offer her guests something to eat. She holds the hors d'ouerves tray in front of the diminutive couple, and says, "Shrimp?". The instantaneous recognition of her mis-cue almost knocks her off her feet. Cloris Leachman's representation of Phyllis' humiliation is just brilliant. Truly a classic "Phyllis" moment.

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