I have to say that I expected a significantly different episode from what we got here, and that the way this turned out was a pleasant surprise, all things considered.
To put it succinctly, Em got
burned in this story, and I can't help but sympathize with her. Basically, the plot goes like this:
She did lie, in that she didn't go to any special effort to admit the truth, but the point of the episode isn't that she lied, and that lying is evil (as everyone who's listening to the episode already knows), the point is that she fell into a tragic circumstance that her parents (initially) did nothing to help, all based on a misunderstanding of her situation.
I have a feeling that most listeners wouldn't want to readily admit it if they were in that kind of circumstance. Denial is a natural part of the grieving process, and I know that if someone told me that I didn't really have some talent or ability I believed I possessed, my first instinct would be to try to prove them wrong. I think that probably played some role in Emily's decision, and I can't honestly say that I would certainly handle it entirely differently from her if I was in the same situation.
Finally, it's important to remember that forgiveness and mercy are critical parts of this equation. The episode should acknowledge and convict her wrongdoing, but not condemn her as a person for making a bad decision. It reminds me of "A Prodigal Jimmy" -- that episode doesn't spend much time talking about why Jimmy was wrong, either. Why not? Because there was no need to. Everyone knows he's wrong. The story isn't just about his fall, it's about him getting back up again from the fall. With all this in mind, I don't think that taking five minutes to beat Em over the head for her wrongdoing would have improved the episode.
I admit the verse at the end seems kind of tacked on, and that the AIO team probably could have done a better job of connecting the moral with the episode, but that doesn't change the quality of the story itself. I rated it 4/5; I don't think 83/99 would be a bad rating either.
But I'll do it anyway. It appears that the file location and the FOTF player isn't working. One Place only has yesterday's show. So for those of you who've heard the episode, post your thoughts!
Emily loved her parents enough to do it. . .but like JP said, I don't think it was the best moral possible. In fact, I didn't realize it until Chris talked about it. Emily was much better than she's been in other episodes, and the episode was better than some, but it still missed something. I'm rating it 7/10.
Whew, I have been trying to listen in between all that I've had going, but it's just been too busy. 
