603: The Family Next Door

[Me]

Discuss! Shame on whoever didn't start this thread yet!

[Bennett]

Style-wise, this has probably been one the strongest episodes in the past couple seasons. Honestly, the way the played things out, and the way things felt, was the style I wish Odyssey always was. The Washingtons were really likeable...and there humor wasn't over-the-top. They were just normal. I liked it:)

I could go on mentioning things I liked. But that sums it up. A really enjoyable strong episode.

One complaint however; I didn't like how Tamika was talking to Mandy--bossing her around and insulting her. I mean, supposedly, she's four years younger then her.

[Fei]

I liked it but I'm entirly sick of the Washingtons. But at least it wasn't a Marvin based show. I agree that Tamika acted like a little idiot. It was funny but I would've liked to hear about David.

[Laurie]

I really enjoyed this show!! Having lost both of my parents I can sympathize with Mandy's need for a family. It is very easy to get involved in someone else's family when your own is changing, or has changed. And while Tamika was wrong in how she was treating Mandy, I think she learned a very important lesson. 5/5.

[Trent DeWhite]

Since when did Whit's End serve pizza?



No, seriously, all in all it was a great episode. Not the comedy fest like the last show, but still very well written.

[Me]

Since when did Whit's End serve pizza?

Since Whit's Flop.

[Kenric]

I liked it. Everything did seem to fit together. We can't really judge Tamika. If I was Tamika, I would be upset at Mandy too. I memorized 100 verses, but Mandy memorized 150. I was supposed to be celebrated. Now, Mandy is intruding.

However, it was still brat-like, but it's sort of Mandy's fault.

I really felt bad for her mother after she had bought the ice cream cake and Mandy was off celebrating with the Washington's. I actually reacted emotionally in this episode, which was good.

Not bad. 4/5 stars.

[Conniepaw]

i liked it, except i am a little tired of the mandy episodes. i wished they would do some diferent storylines.

[snowflake]

it was good. I really don't want to go into all the details right now, but it was good. Tamika DID seem too much like a little brat, I mean, I understand how she felt, but it just was a little, I dunno, odd. And, I really felt sorry for Mandy's mom! how sad...anyway, 3.5-4.0 stars....so I'll give it a 4/5

[Jasper Dale]

I am also tiring of the Mandy episodes. Odyssey needs to bring in a few new citizens and we need to hear more from Tom Riley!

[Catspaw]

Maybe Tom and Mandy could hang out together! (Sorry, Jasper - I just couldn't resist).

I really enjoyed this episode. It was easy to tell that Tamika would quickly develop some attitude issues with the amount of time that Mandy was spending with the family, but it felt real. I know that if I was in that situation, especially if I didn't know about the circumstances behind why this perfect person was suddenly always hanging out with my family, I would have felt similarly to Tamika, even though I doubt that I would have been so vocal about it. I'm more of a silent grumbler. But it fit with the Tamika that we know - somewhat immature. She doesn't seem to realize how much she hurts people with what she says sometimes, and that was evident in this ep.

I liked the part near the end where they were playing Monopoly - it was a nice scene!

[Sonuna]

Voted 3, because I have moral objections to voting the 4/5 options.
A good more slice-of-lifeish episode. I would agree with widening the scope of the season slightly, but over all Tamika's reactions seemed fairly realistic to me (although, obviously, I've never been in this situation)

[Jonathan]

I second Bennet's post. This was classic, simply classic.

I loved having the Washington's in an ep that wasn't crazy, that was driven by plot and dialogue, and it had a real problem, that was complimented by music and not driven by it, and had 3-dimensional characters.

Bennet was right, style wise, this was the best in a long long time. It's getting five stars from me.

And to those who say that we've had too many Washington and or Mandy eps, the AIO team isn't really interested in putting in new characters; there's too many as it is. Plus, you guys picked a rather odd ep to vioce this compliant. This was the most realistic episode we've had with the Washingtons (by very very far), and one of the best Mandy eps.

edit-I object! Why isn't duck juice the five star choice?!?

[Catspaw]

I thought that you would like those options, Jonathan - I definitely laughed when I saw them! Good choices, Me!

I think that the Washingtons and Mandy were used really well in this episode. It almost made me want to move onto that super-crowded Odyssey street!

[Applesauce]

Unfortunately, even in Odyssey, not all characters are flawless little angels.

In other words, yes, Tamika was somewhat of a brat in this episode, but that helped make this episode more "real." If there hadn't been any conflict in this episode, if Tamika had said "Oh, well, I'm happy for Mandy, even though she's getting all the attention", then it would have made the Washington's seem like a perfect, selfless family in this episode. And tell me, how many typical families can you think of that are perfect? Everyone's a brat at one time or another. And I think the way that Tamika acted in this episode was a very natural response. Partway through the episode, I started thinking that it was odd how Mandy seemed to be invading the Washington's family, yet they still seemed so open to her. Then Tamika voiced the same complaints, and I was thrilled that they addressed this issue. It adds so much more depth to the story. Plus, Tamika didn't know what Mandy was going through until the end, so she had every right to wonder why Mandy couldn't just spend time with her own family.

Anyway, for the first time ever I can honestly say that I'm excited for the next appearance of the Washingtons. In my opinion, this is their best episode to date. I also liked the mini-conflict between Mandy and her Mom. And I was surprised how much more I got out of the episode the second time I listened to it. It's been a while since that's happened.

Also, I second everything Jonathan said (well, except maybe for duck juice comment).

5 stars from me.

[snowflake]

And tell me, how many typical families can you think of that are perfect? Everyone's a brat at one time or another.

i agree with you there

[Dr. Watson]

I thought this had a great moral and conveyed it well. The sound design, by GapDigital (who did a marvelous job on Prisoners of Fear), could have been better, in my opinion. In the bowling alley, the sound of the pins being struck sounded muted and watery. The crisper sound that's in the DBD episode where Rodney confronts Lucy at the bowling alley was much better.


4 stars.

[Aelwyn]

I really liked this episode.
I thought it was kind of sad at first how Mandy and her mom's relationship didn't seem the best. But I can understand why Mandy didn't tell her mom about the play at first. It seemed to me like she didn't want to tell her because her mom seemed really busy and in a hurry. I know I would want my mom to stop and actually talk to me if I had news like that.
I thought the part with Tamika was realistic. Sometimes it's just not fun to have people barging in on your family if they're doing something that's special for you. But I like how the families got together at the end. That was great.
I gave it 5 stars.

[suzanne291]

Yeah, Tamika was SUCH a brat, especially considering how much younger she is than Mandy. But they really resolved it nicely at the end. I felt horrible about Mandy's relationship with her mom.

BEST line: "Yeah, we also got Mr. Rathbone's toupee catalog."

HA

[TigerintheShadows]

LOVED the line about the toupee catalog. The Washingtons are hilarious! Of course, Tamika was a real brat, but after the way she acted in "Bringing Up Dads," I'm not surprised.