After reading Trent’s blog and thinking about this throughout the day, I feel I need to explain myself better. Here’s an even longer commentary for you all to enjoy
First off, by “unrealistic” I was talking about the choice to end these three arcs (Grady, Mandy, and Leonard) at virtually the same time. I do
not think that the ending to the Mandy storyline was unrealistic. I’ve loved the arcs (and the endings) in themselves, and found them to be real and relatable, but the writer in me doesn't like all these semi-similar endings coming at the same time…I also think that Leonard’s salvation arc moved a little too fast, but that’s another story. This issue is sort of a nitpicky thing, and I can understand why some inferred that I was talking about the endings themselves, as opposed to their timing and pacing.
Now that I’ve clarified that (or so I hope), here are my not-so-technical thoughts on the endings:
As Trent pointed out, “kids…need to be taught is that marriages can be saved... through prayer and through the power of Christ.” Very true. However, Carson and Christie McKay are not Christians, at least at this point. If the ending to “The Highest Stakes” is as final as the endings to the Leonard and Mandy arcs, I expect the salvation issue to come up in the second part.
One reason I don’t want a “perfect” ending is because I don’t think one 25-minute episode could do justice to the issues of salvation
and reconciliation in such a complex situation. There’s a middle ground between Carson abandoning his family again and a complete resolution. Mandy’s storyline lasted for several seasons; Grady’s dad has just returned, and the McKay family arguably has more to work through than the Straussbergs. I’ve been looking at this two-parter as the conclusion to Grady’s journey towards faith, and even though I think that reconciliation is the most likely scenario, I believe that the writers could still be true to their purpose of “sharing the love and hope of Jesus Christ” if the story went the other way.
If a child becomes a Christian, it doesn’t necessarily follow that his estranged parents will get back together and accept Christ as well. It doesn’t always work that way. Even those operating under a Biblical worldview can only control their own decisions and actions, not those of others. Learning to depend more heavily on God, to trust Him even when circumstances are less than ideal, and an understanding that not all prayers are answered right away are all lessons that could coincide with such a scenario.