Butterflies (TV series) unconventional friendship with Leonard. In a 2002 interview, Carla Lane explained, "I wanted to write a comedy about a woman contemplating adultery." In the first episode, an expository discussion between Ria and Leonard alludes to the significance of the series' title: "We are all kids chasing butterflies. You see it, you want it, you grab it, and there it is, all squashed in your hand." She adds, "I am one of the few lucky ones, I have a pleasant house, a pleasant man and two pleasant sons. My butterfly didn't get squashed." Ria's husband Ben collects and studies butterflies. The
Leonard J. Russell Leonard J. Russell Leonard J. Russell (1932 – June 16, 1985) was a mayor (council chairman) of Cambridge, Massachusetts and husband of mayor Sheila Russell. Russell, a former waste disposal manager, represented traditional conservative blue collar workforce of Cambridge at the time when traditional neighborhoods were giving up to pressure from expanding universities and high technology companies. Russell joined Cambridge local politics during the 1973 municipal council election. Two years later he won the council seat, followed by re-elections in 1979, 1981 and 1983. Russell launched his career as an independent candidate on a platform for a professional city management,