882: A Wise Surprise

Archived reviews of Adventures in Odyssey episodes!
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How do you rate this episode?

1 Penny's mom
0
No votes
2 Charlotte
0
No votes
3 Penny's dad
1
100%
4 Penny
0
No votes
5 Wooton!
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 1

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KODY 105
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882: A Wise Surprise

Post by KODY 105 »

This episode broadcast on 2022-01-25.
Episode summary
With Penny's parents coming for a visit, the Bassetts plan an elaborate scheme to announce a special surprise for them. But when Frank and Eleanor get the wrong impression of what's coming, Wooton and Penny must figure out the right way to give them the real news.
My thoughts
This story with the parents who think you're pregnant sounds "oddly specific." But it does seem to remind me of a realistic family. But there are no kids! And no Connie or Eugene. I like Wooton, but he's the only character here I care about. And have we ever heard this Charlotte characte at all?

Also, who would ever make the decision to buy some tickets for a big, expensive, time-consuming trip, and not tell the intended attendees?! This seems like a bad plan all around.

2/5, saved by Wooton and the realistic portrayal of family relations and politics.
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Bob
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Post by Bob »

KODY 105 wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 1:19 pm
But there are no kids!
Technically, the child in the womb counts as one. ;)

Charlotte does appear in one previous episode, "Words from the Wise". You reviewed it a while ago, but Charlotte is a more subdued character than Penny or her parents, so it's understandable you might have forgotten her.

I don't know if I'd thought about it before, but when you describe the trip plan that way, it does sound less wise than it might. In defense of Wooton and Penny, they know their family better than AIO fans do, and perhaps they know it is the sort of thing that her parents wouldn't have any problem with. I don't think there is anything tying them down that would keep them from going on a trip, or wanting to go on a trip (in fact, her parents confirm as much in this episode, by saying that they're buying an RV and planning to travel).

Given that, I'll admit it still doesn't sound quite ideal. It isn't as risky as it would be for a regular middle-class family, though. Wooton (like Whit) is financially well-off, so the expense isn't hurting him, and I'm sure he can find someone else to give the trip to if it had to come to that.

As Wooton/Penny/Wise episodes go, I thought this was an enjoyable one, although not my favorite. Like most of their episodes, it would fit well into an 'easy listening' album. I don't know that it's an "above average" AIO episode, but there are a lot of likable episodes that are average or below average. If I was pressed to give it a 5-star rating, I'd probably give it a 3.
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