Ella Byrd vs. Mr. Dent: A Fantastic Standoff

Charterstone Condominiums may be the most dramatic, emotionally intense place to live in all of California. For this new story arc, we were introduced to Ella Byrd, a mysterious old woman who loves to dish out advice - just like Mary Worth! Feeling threatened, Ms. Worth brought over some casserole to this new neighbor, only to find out that... They both like giving out advice! And... it's all okay now? Because, even though Mary was threatened by Ella earlier for these exact same reasons, she's at peace with it now, because... ?

Next, we were introduced to Mr. Dent, a shady character who has that annoying "blue hair" that some comic book characters get. Mr. Dent came to Ella looking for "business advice," which, combined with his evil suit and moustache, leaves us to imagine that he was trying to con Ella out of her retirement money. So he could buy a new suit? Or, a house? I... don't know. However, Ella, using her BRILLIANT ability to read people's thoughts deduces that Mr. Dent is cheating on his wife and ask him to cut it off, like, he came here to SCAM YOU, lady, he's not going to stop his affair because you said "please". Honestly.

Mr. Dent goes home, only to find out that his wife has left him. (But she left a note, which was nice.) Since Mr. Dent has the emotional capactity of a five-year-old, he goes crying to the Professor, who holds some sort of title like Chancellor of Charterstone's Chamber of Secret, Useless Rules. A claim is filed that Ella Byrd is running some sort of illegal business inside her apartment. However, Dent is thwarted by Mary Worth who's apparently memorized the entire rulebook, citing that Ella Byrd is not "blocking stairwells or creating a fire hazard" or whatever kind of nonsense she wants to rattle off. And, somebody else has a home business, so therefore, it's all okay. And what kind of person goes to a woman for "business advice," gets accused of having an affair, finds out later that his wife left him, so he complains that the LADY has shady business dealings?

Mr. Dent, humiliated in defeat, stormed off, accusing Ella Byrd of telling Mrs. Dent about the affair. But Byrd says that she never did such a thing. (Mary, was that you?)

Good heavens, this soap opera is fantastic! I can't wait to see what they're going to do next in this storyline. Will Mr. Dent try to make things right with his wife? Will we learn how Mrs. Dent learned of the affair? Will Ella Byrd stay at Charterstone? And will Mary Worth bake more casseroles? Find out next time on,,, Mary Worth!