Mary finds a strange woman with a suitcase sitting outside her apartment door. She quickly learns that that woman is Rhoda's mother, Ida Morgenstern, who is visiting from the Bronx. She's at Mary's place since Rhoda isn't home, or so she believes. In actuality, Mary learns directly from Rhoda that she doesn't want to see her mother, with whom she has a love-hate relationship. As such, Mary puts Ida up for as long as she is staying in Minneapolis. Mary, who becomes Ida's surrogate daughter, soon understands the frustration that Rhoda feels in being Ida's daughter. Regardless, Mary tries to get Rhoda to at least see her mother and hopefully come to an understanding mother-daughter relationship with Ida before she heads back to New York.
—Huggo