Episode Description:
"Connie accidentally insults someone on her radio show, which leads to unexpected consequences. Meanwhile, Olivia contributes to the demise of Camilla’s science project." -AIO
Episode Review:
Why does it feel like every Adventures in Odyssey episode title these days features an idiom? If you browse through the list of recently aired episodes, you'll see titles such as "Met His Match", "Out of the Picture", "Crash Course", "The Grass is Greener", "No Friend Like an Old Friend", "When One Door Closes", and the upcoming "Divided we Fall" (are "Insult to Injury", "Blessing in Disguise", and "It takes Two To Tango" episode titles just waiting around the corner?). Although the aforementioned episodes did relate to their respective titles, I can't say the same about "The Last Straw". How exactly does this idiom -- meaning "the final action that makes a situation unbearable" -- match the content of this particular episode? The title must, at the bare minimum, help you to recall the contents of the episode after listening. Shouldn't this title have been saved for an upcoming episode where Whit runs out of straws, or something?
Based on the boring-sounding episode summary revealing that this episode would involve Olivia breaking Camilla's science project, "The Last Straw" promised to be an episode that was mediocre at best. But, surprisingly, the episode is actually better than average, providing some solid comedic moments, intertwining its two main storylines well, and doing what the very best Adventures in Odyssey episodes do -- have Whit resolve both storylines with perfectly timed speeches. Yet, despite these -- albeit pleasant -- formulaic elements, it yields surprises as well. When Chlorasyn decides to pull off her evil scheme live on KYDS Radio, it brought the episode to a whole new interesting and hilarious level -- I was certainly caught off guard, and also amused by how intricately she had planned this vengeful plan!
With the character of Morrie wreaking havoc in other episodes, I wonder why so many kids are becoming increasingly diabolical in on Adventures in Odyssey. Older episodes seemed to assign these sorts of schemes strictly to the show's established bullies. Chlorasyn's actions also reminded me of the recent episode, "Mean Streak", when it is revealed that Tiffani, someone who Connie was trying to be kind to, was in the midst of carrying out a dastardly plot. Though, one wonders whether the episode "Mean Streak", in its playful teasing of the spelling of Tiffani - "spelled with two i's"! -- received some negative feedback/letters from a listener actually named Tiffani and inspired the storyline of today's episode...
Out of all of the episodes that have aired this year, "The Last Straw" has, perhaps, the most applicable and most clearly communicated theme. Connie's mistake is certainly relatable. Who hasn't said something they shouldn't have said? It seems as though each time I turn on the news, there's a headline about somebody needing to apologize for saying something silly -- and apparently, the writers of Odyssey feel this way too, as highlighted by Whit and his all-too-familiar story about a politician who misspelled "potato". "The Last Straw", much like the recently reviewed "Beyond Repair", is timely; it raises the issue of forgiveness in a time where society desperately needs to know more about it. While "Beyond Repair" contains much graver instances where we need to forgive, "The Last Straw" wrestles with this theme within a setting much more relatable to our daily lives.
Among its strengths, "The Last Straw" is also probably the best use of Red Hollard, whose scenes are delightful. Up till this point, the show hasn't really figured out his character at all, trying simply to turn him into a Bernard replacement as Odyssey's resident handyman and storyteller. Thanks to Marshall Younger's writing, however, it seems as though they finally figured out his schtick, revealing a previously unseen bashful and flustered side, which resulted in several hilarious lines such as: "Everything but the kitchen sink - well, no that's not true, I repair those too when they're broken". It seems that Red Hollard' is at his most memorable when he's caught in the middle of other people's silly issues.
All in all, there's more than enough to like about "The Last Straw", which provided laughs, small twists, and a good reminder to forgive others -- and ourselves -- for making silly mistakes or having the occasional "slip of the tongue". Wait, why couldn't that idiom have worked as the episode's title? Sigh. Although most listeners will enjoy the contents of "The Last Straw", it's a shame that, thanks to irrelevant title, most fans will probably spend the rest of their days asking, "'The Last Straw'...now, which one is that one again?"
"Connie accidentally insults someone on her radio show, which leads to unexpected consequences. Meanwhile, Olivia contributes to the demise of Camilla’s science project." -AIO
Episode Review:
Why does it feel like every Adventures in Odyssey episode title these days features an idiom? If you browse through the list of recently aired episodes, you'll see titles such as "Met His Match", "Out of the Picture", "Crash Course", "The Grass is Greener", "No Friend Like an Old Friend", "When One Door Closes", and the upcoming "Divided we Fall" (are "Insult to Injury", "Blessing in Disguise", and "It takes Two To Tango" episode titles just waiting around the corner?). Although the aforementioned episodes did relate to their respective titles, I can't say the same about "The Last Straw". How exactly does this idiom -- meaning "the final action that makes a situation unbearable" -- match the content of this particular episode? The title must, at the bare minimum, help you to recall the contents of the episode after listening. Shouldn't this title have been saved for an upcoming episode where Whit runs out of straws, or something?
Based on the boring-sounding episode summary revealing that this episode would involve Olivia breaking Camilla's science project, "The Last Straw" promised to be an episode that was mediocre at best. But, surprisingly, the episode is actually better than average, providing some solid comedic moments, intertwining its two main storylines well, and doing what the very best Adventures in Odyssey episodes do -- have Whit resolve both storylines with perfectly timed speeches. Yet, despite these -- albeit pleasant -- formulaic elements, it yields surprises as well. When Chlorasyn decides to pull off her evil scheme live on KYDS Radio, it brought the episode to a whole new interesting and hilarious level -- I was certainly caught off guard, and also amused by how intricately she had planned this vengeful plan!
With the character of Morrie wreaking havoc in other episodes, I wonder why so many kids are becoming increasingly diabolical in on Adventures in Odyssey. Older episodes seemed to assign these sorts of schemes strictly to the show's established bullies. Chlorasyn's actions also reminded me of the recent episode, "Mean Streak", when it is revealed that Tiffani, someone who Connie was trying to be kind to, was in the midst of carrying out a dastardly plot. Though, one wonders whether the episode "Mean Streak", in its playful teasing of the spelling of Tiffani - "spelled with two i's"! -- received some negative feedback/letters from a listener actually named Tiffani and inspired the storyline of today's episode...
Out of all of the episodes that have aired this year, "The Last Straw" has, perhaps, the most applicable and most clearly communicated theme. Connie's mistake is certainly relatable. Who hasn't said something they shouldn't have said? It seems as though each time I turn on the news, there's a headline about somebody needing to apologize for saying something silly -- and apparently, the writers of Odyssey feel this way too, as highlighted by Whit and his all-too-familiar story about a politician who misspelled "potato". "The Last Straw", much like the recently reviewed "Beyond Repair", is timely; it raises the issue of forgiveness in a time where society desperately needs to know more about it. While "Beyond Repair" contains much graver instances where we need to forgive, "The Last Straw" wrestles with this theme within a setting much more relatable to our daily lives.
Among its strengths, "The Last Straw" is also probably the best use of Red Hollard, whose scenes are delightful. Up till this point, the show hasn't really figured out his character at all, trying simply to turn him into a Bernard replacement as Odyssey's resident handyman and storyteller. Thanks to Marshall Younger's writing, however, it seems as though they finally figured out his schtick, revealing a previously unseen bashful and flustered side, which resulted in several hilarious lines such as: "Everything but the kitchen sink - well, no that's not true, I repair those too when they're broken". It seems that Red Hollard' is at his most memorable when he's caught in the middle of other people's silly issues.
All in all, there's more than enough to like about "The Last Straw", which provided laughs, small twists, and a good reminder to forgive others -- and ourselves -- for making silly mistakes or having the occasional "slip of the tongue". Wait, why couldn't that idiom have worked as the episode's title? Sigh. Although most listeners will enjoy the contents of "The Last Straw", it's a shame that, thanks to irrelevant title, most fans will probably spend the rest of their days asking, "'The Last Straw'...now, which one is that one again?"
Writer: Marshall Younger
Director: Kathy Buchanan
Sound Design: Nathan Jones
Music: John Campbell
Executive Producer: Dave Arnold
Theme: Forgiveness
Original Airdate: 09.01.18
Date Reviewed: 11.19.18
Director: Kathy Buchanan
Sound Design: Nathan Jones
Music: John Campbell
Executive Producer: Dave Arnold
Theme: Forgiveness
Original Airdate: 09.01.18
Date Reviewed: 11.19.18