586: "A Cheater Cheated"

**SPOILERS**

Archived reviews of Adventures in Odyssey episodes!

How good was it?

5 Stars
8
27%
4 Stars
13
43%
3 Stars
7
23%
2 Stars
1
3%
1 Star
1
3%
 
Total votes: 30

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Jonathan
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586: "A Cheater Cheated"

Post by Jonathan »

Post your reviews \:D/

...on Saturday
Last edited by Jonathan on Sun Feb 26, 2006 8:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Evil Chick
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Post by Evil Chick »

Ok, I'll be honest. I was a little dissapointed by this episode. Especially after the last few which have been awesome!

It was nice to hear from Bart, Rodney, and Brian Dern again. They're great characters, and I always enjoy them. However, I felt that all three weren't really their normal selves in this episode. Bart grounded Rodney? First off, Rodney must be (in logical years) at least 25 now. Obviously he's like Connie, though, and he's forever stuck in high school. And, I really can't imagine Bart ever grounding Rodney, and Rodney letting him get away with that! I can't imagine him staying home just because his dad told him to. While the whole lost remote thing was cute, it was also, imo, a little corny. I can't imagine Rodney going out and talking to Brian Dern about his dad just because he was grounded, either. That's just not usually his style.

Bart's "internship" at Whit's End was also rather unrealistic. I can't imagine Whit letting Bart work at Whit's End, even if it's just to watch and learn. Bart is way too predictable. It's obvious that he won't learn anything, and he won't change. He's tried in the past, but as long as he isn't a Christian, it just won't happen.

Bart and Tom's conversation about Tom's overalls was the best part of this episode. I even laughed out loud at that.

So, I give this episode 2.5/5 stars, and I hope that the next few episodes will take after the other shows this season.
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Post by J-man »

I gave this show a high rating partly because it had Cryin' Brian Dern in it, and partly because I enjoyed Bart's dialogue in the whole episode. I have to agree with EC about the internship at Whit's end, and although I didn't think about it, the grounding may have been unrealistic. The thing about Rodney is, I don't think of him as being 25. I think of him as being about 15 or 16, because that's how they've always portrayed him. In fact, I'd rather they keep him that way, even if it is unrealistic. I will always think of Rodney as the bigger kid who picks on all the younger ones.. Lol, I've been rambling on Rodney haven't I. ;) Anyway, I was glad to see Brian Dern back and in top form, although I wish they would use him more, because I've always liked him. I liked the coupon thing at the Electric Palace too.. :hilarious:

Anyway, I gave it a 4/5
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Broadcast
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Post by Broadcast »

Some will agree. Some will not agree.

But you can find my review here: Here
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Dr. Watson
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Post by Dr. Watson »

Broadcast wrote:The first 5 minutes were amazing. I took notes on the show, and during this period marked down my high expectations for this show. I felt the idea of Bryan Dern trying to bring down the Electric Palace had potential for a classic and brilliant show. However, the focus completely shifted towards Bart trying to act polite, and, though that may have been slightly original, the way it took away from the other adventure was disappointing. Until the very end, we barely returned to Bryan Dern, and when we did it was only to hear a disappointing anti-climatic ending.
That's exactly how I felt about it. It never fully delivered its potential. 4/5 stars.
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Post by Argyle Ninja »

I enjoyed it, but I thought that the show should have gone on. Although I thought that the Cans for Cancer and how Bart was advertising against the Cryin' Bryan Dern Show while it was on was pretty funny.
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Post by Flyah »

From Broadcast's Review:"Odyssey of old was classic, original and wonderful. Now, how about they stop looking back so much and make up there own classic shows?"

Exactly. I've said this before about Nathan's writing style for AIO.
Flyah wrote:
Shadowpaw wrote: I definitely like the occasional nods to Odyssey's history, but we don't need to hear about it every other episode... especially when many of the connections in recent months are impossible to have happened or at the very least, a large stretch of the imagination.
Excellent quote SP and exactly what I was trying to say in an earlier post. It seems they're trying to ignite the fan base by returning to past stories too much. (Nathan Hoobler's influence??)
I think perhaps he thinks this excites us to hear about AIO from the past and linking it all together nice and snug...but I'm with you Broadcast, let's blaze new trails.
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Post by Oba-rai »

I did enjoy the classic hilariousity of Bart, as well as Bryan Dern's lines. It just didn't seem completely real. The show reminded me of 'Ernest T. Bass' from Andy Griffith...someone who can never be changed, and they're trying to change him.

Was it just me, or was Eugene a bit testy with Bart? :-s

(3/5)
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Post by Jeremy »

1 star. I honestly can't think of many episodes worse than this one. :(

At first, I thought that maybe it could be a decent episode. But then it just took a turn for the worse. Bart working at Whit's End pretty much ruined any chance the ep had of being any good at all. And it just went downhill from there...

Also, the "point" of the story seemed very flawed to me. What is the point of trying to get a non-Christian to "change" into a better person and follow the "Golden Rule"???

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Post by Flyah »

Jeremy wrote:Also, the "point" of the story seemed very flawed to me. What is the point of trying to get a non-Christian to "change" into a better person and follow the "Golden Rule"???Jeremy
Pretty harsh, but great insight with the above statement Jeremy.
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Post by Chandler »

Let's have some positive looks at this show!! \:D/

I liked it! :D I was not expecting to come here and find so much dislike for it. Oh sure, there's points that I can complain about but I was surprised to find that my complaints don't really match up with anything I've read here.

I LOVE the way Nathan preserves continuity on this show! The mention of "Stallings" was perfect. O:) Bart trying to change himself quickly reminded us of "Family Values" but only in the best way! It was the character being himself again. No strange transformations like Katrina has had. Rodney and Bart arguing over Pop, Eugene being less diplomatic than Whit, and the mention of Edwin owning the Electric Palace. All properly placed. =D>

It would've been fun to hear Brian Dern actually get to air his interview with Bart, or at least let us hear more of it. I was also hoping to hear from Edwin at some point.

Tom made his inevitable appearance with Bart. Has anyone noticed that if Bart appears on a show now that Tom has to also? It's a little more than coincidental. :anxious: I guess it's an easy way to get one less actor so I won't complain. :)

I liked the voice of Dern's new boss! \:D/

Of course, we alawys have to suspend our reality when it comes to people buying stuff in Bart's store. We have to pretend that there's no competition in town (which we know there is) and that people have no other options of buying electronics (also untrue, established in several shows). But then we wouldn't have the running gag if we were so... realistic. ;)

The music is sometimes a little over-the-top for me. I realize the show is comedy but they don't have to make it quite so... bouncy. :-$

This show revisited the Golden Rule theme that was heard in "Isaac the Benevolent" but I didn't sit here feeling like it was recycled. When they've already done just about every theme possible, that's commendable.

A good show to add to the annals of AIO history!
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Post by snowflake »

I liked it...I didn't like it as much as the last 2 new episodes we've heard but I did like it. Maybe I didn't like it as much because I missed the beginning :-s
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Post by Laura Ingalls »

I rate it 4/5...while a couple things weren't the best, it was still a good episode. Very funny too! :lol:
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Post by Kanimoto »

I gave the ep 3/5. It was rather humorous, but not as funny as it could have been. :noway:
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Post by Trinarius »

I must say that I am thoroughly enjoying the shows which the AIO team is producing this season. A Cheater Cheated continues in the trend of quality shows with well thought-out storylines. Needless to say, this episode really impressed me!

One of the things that I noticed was how natural all the characters sounded. Take Brian Dern and Bart Rathbone, for instance. They are finally starting to sound like their old selves again! They seemed to lack their unique witty arrogance and pride that they used to possess in the older shows. This episode did a great job in bringing those mannerisms back to the characters!

I always love hearing what AIO sound designers come up with, and I was not surprised to hear such good sound design. The music’s energy was totally awesome!

While the moral of the story was good, I would have liked to have seen more of an emphasis placed on scripture. Nevertheless, the story still gave a good lesson about treating others like we would want to be treated.

If any of you AIO writers are reading this, I would just like to say that you have one listener, and others I’m sure, who is overjoyed with the way AIO is heading. You are doing such a great job! I have confidence that we will continue to see outstanding shows like this in the future. Two thumbs way up!

5/5 well-deserved stars.
-Josh

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Post by emmalee08 »

I loved hearing Tom Riley and Bart talking. They are the same actor right?
Chandler

Post by Chandler »

emmalee08 wrote:I loved hearing Tom Riley and Bart talking. They are the same actor right?
Yes they are. :)
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Post by Thursday Next »

A Cheater Cheated was an interesting episode. For me this was the flip side of Stubborn Streaks and Family Values take 2. It also tied in what we know about Brian Dern from Tongue of Fire. Bart is always looking for a quick fix and it generally works to his disadvantage. I got a kick out of this because I am in the fast food industry and I felt for Eugene trying to train Bart in the niceties of customer service. I would have wanted to kill Bart at the end of the day had it been me. However I do think there was a missed opportunity. Regis owned the store before Edwin inherited it…Regis hired Bart and let him get away with running a business like this. This would have been great right after the Darkness Before Dawn episodes. Presumably the ownership of the Electric Palace would have been under investigation because Bart was implicated in that whole mess. This is how I see it from the clues we have from the series.

• Blackgaard owned a chain of Electric appliance stores (presumably the Electric Palace).
• The Electric Palace in Odyssey was built on the former site of Blackgaard’s Castle
• Glossman tells Bart that he’s only there by Blackgaard’s good graces meaning that working for the Electric Palace has some strings attached. Clearly indicating that Bart is expendable.

Considering all parties involved I’m sure they might have investigated all aspects when the fake Edgebiter scandal came up. Dern would have done it if no one else would have. It was funny having Bart do the quick fix, but I think it would have added another dimension to the show if they had explored why Bart was hired in the first place.

I find it conceivable Bart grounding Rodney because he’s done that in only one or two episodes and that was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in the beginning of AIO.

Overall this was a great show, but like I said the placement of it just feels wrong and that is what brings this down
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Post by EugeneFan »

My review is now up at Eugene Forever \:D/.
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Post by MDB17 »

i liked the part when they kind of added the old intro an changed it up.
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