592: "Now More Than Ever"

Taq · Post by **Taq** » Mon May 01, 2006 7:42 pm

I voted 4 stars. It was good--good treatment of divorce by the AIO team so far.

By the way, I noticed no votes for 1, 2, or 3 stars. Has this happened before, or is this some kind of record?

(I probably jinxed it...watch for a low vote soon.)

Jonathan · Post by **Jonathan** » Mon May 01, 2006 7:46 pm

I think this may well be a first.

Post by **Catspaw** » Mon May 01, 2006 10:08 pm

AIOaddict1988 wrote:At first I found it hard to believe that the Straussburgs were having marital problems. I guess the writers were just trying to show that it can happen to anyone...
Anyway, I just thought it was odd, because I recently listened to "Sleepover" recently, and the Straussburgs seemed perfectly functional (except for the fact they had melted pizza on their lamp...)
I gave it 4, because I was kind of hoping for a more exciting problem, like pregnancy or something, but I guess Mandy would never do anything THAT stupid...

As somebody who has listened to "Slumber Party" many times and enjoyed it, it just doesn't have the same appeal any more.

Now all I can think of is how sad it is that things changed. However, there are plenty of families that seem fine but end up having serious problems, so it isn't entirely unrealistic.

J-man · Post by **J-man** » Tue May 02, 2006 6:31 am

Although It was a good episode, I didn't particularly enjoy this episode..

JesusFreak777 · Post by **JesusFreak777** » Tue May 02, 2006 8:48 am

THis is probably one of my least favorite episodes. Don't get me wrong, it was alos probalby one ofthe best episodes done. It just hit far to close tohome for me. I've had too many peopel close to me et divorced and I've seen what it's done to their families, (not my parents, but other family) and ow it tears everyone apart whever they are dirctly involved or not.

As for the complaints about David, I disagree comepletely. I found him to be entirely beleiveable. C'mn, the older brother who knows his parents are having problems, and prolyl isnt getting the attention he needs, and has now turned calloussed and away from everything his parents supposedly held dear but obviously failed them (eg their faith, good behavior, Christian friends). He also seems to have lost respect for his parents, and probably most authority figures...or anyone else for that matter considering his behavior here. While I could be wrong on that, the fact that he has abandoned his old friends, idoesn't even pretend to be nice to Mandy anymore, has given up going to church, and has obiously lost respect for his parents AND himself (eating habits for one). So no, Davidis entirely beleiveable in my opinion. I have seen too many kids end up like him thanks to parents seperating and divorcing.

Odyssey team and actors wonderful job. I was crying the entire episode. THough I have to say, unless I want ot have a pity party or something, i Iwll probably never listen to this episode again if I can help it. IT brought back FAR too many memories for me.

5 stars.

Oh and Shadowpaw...that whole thing up there was hilarious

Forgive us for underappreciating you

snowflake · Post by **snowflake** » Tue May 02, 2006 3:33 pm

does seperating necessarily mean they are getting a divorce?

Shadowpaw · Post by **Shadowpaw** » Tue May 02, 2006 7:50 pm

pinkjeans92 wrote:does seperating necessarily mean they are getting a divorce?

No. Separating generally means that the parents are going to spend some time apart, to get a different perspective on their relationship and hopefully learn to love their spouse the way they once did by being away from them. It doesn't mean the marriage is over, though that's not to say it doesn't often end that way... but separation is a common step to take for couples who want to save their marriages.

Sometimes a little time away can do a world of good

.

snowflake · Post by **snowflake** » Wed May 03, 2006 10:04 am

Shadowpaw wrote:
pinkjeans92 wrote:does seperating necessarily mean they are getting a divorce?
No. Separating generally means that the parents are going to spend some time apart, to get a different perspective on their relationship and hopefully learn to love their spouse the way they once did by being away from them. It doesn't mean the marriage is over, though that's not to say it doesn't often end that way... but separation is a common step to take for couples who want to save their marriages.

Sometimes a little time away can do a world of good .

That's what I thought.

Kris Doyle · Post by **Kris Doyle** » Wed May 03, 2006 12:39 pm

I gave it 5 stars. I just hope the writers continue handling this situation wisely.

I have a second cousin (with three small kids!) whose husband wants a divorce.

This reminds me that I should pray hard for them. It also reminds me to keep praying for the family of certain friends of mine because one of their parents recently left.

I feel sorry for the family, and I don't know whether to hope they heard this or didn't hear it...it seems like it could either help them let out their feelings or just make their pain worse. I hope my second cousin's family and this other family find healing and reunion through Jesus.

Getting back to my feelings about the show itself, I hope the Strausbergs don't divorce--at least not if they're both Christians. One thing I can't stand is when a couple divorces, and they both act like it's all right for a Christian. It's one thing when the husband or wife turns away from God and leaves their spouse; it's another when they both decide, "We're Christians, and we've made this vow to God 'til death do us part, but we're gonna sorta forget about that now because things aren't working out for us."

I was surprised to hear from David after such a long time. Too bad he's so mean now. I can't believe he doesn't care anymore (or pretends not to)! But (as others have mentioned) that happens to some kids when they experience something this drastic. I wonder what kind of friends David hangs around with now. The Bones of Rath, perhaps?

I thought Liz was great in this episode. She's come a long way from the snobby, temperamental person she used to be. I wonder if she's a Christian.

Jonathan · Post by **Jonathan** » Wed May 03, 2006 2:11 pm

Kris Doyle wrote:I gave it 5 stars. I just hope the writers continue handling this situation wisely.

I have a second cousin (with three small kids!) whose husband wants a divorce. This reminds me that I should pray hard for them. It also reminds me to keep praying for the family of certain friends of mine because one of their parents recently left. I feel sorry for the family, and I don't know whether to hope they heard this or didn't hear it...it seems like it could either help them let out their feelings or just make their pain worse. I hope my second cousin's family and this other family find healing and reunion through Jesus.

Well since everyone else seems to be mentioning their real life parallels I might as well too. Like many people here I've also seen too many divorces and the effects they have (always negative

), so I too am hoping the writers continue to handle this wisely (and I'm sure they will).

Kris Doyle wrote:I thought Liz was great in this episode. She's come a long way from the snobby, temperamental person she used to be. I wonder if she's a Christian.

The fact that she's changed no longer bothers me (which I won't get into her).

Based on the ep All Things to All People I think it's safe to say she's a Christian.

Kris Doyle · Post by **Kris Doyle** » Wed May 03, 2006 9:46 pm

Jonathan wrote:
Kris Doyle wrote:I thought Liz was great in this episode. She's come a long way from the snobby, temperamental person she used to be. I wonder if she's a Christian.
The fact that she's changed no longer bothers me (which I won't get into her).

Based on the ep All Things to All People I think it's safe to say she's a Christian.

Why did Liz's change bother you before? (Just out of curiosity, since it was a change for the better.)

Shadowpaw · Post by **Shadowpaw** » Wed May 03, 2006 11:22 pm

Her change still bothers me.

Because they didn't give her a story arc where you could see the change. She was AWFUL to everyone for years and was the "mean" girl of the series. Then one episode she's best friends with Mandy and no longer mean to people. It's like after Sarah Prachett was on the show less because of Reba, the new writers just kind of threw Liz in with Mandy, completely ignoring her terrible personality of the past.

Had a few episodes been spent giving us time to see her transitition from an evil little girl to a pleasant best friend of Mandy, she could very well be a fan favorite (much like Richard). But because the change was instant and poorly executed, the change really bothers me from a continuity standpoint. Generally episodes with Liz are my least favorite because of this... this one was alright, but there was too much Liz and a radically different voice for David that bugged me (the personality change for David is actually nice, because they at least refer to it within the context of the series and it would make sense for a guy his age, but the new voice just didn't fit at all with the way he was on the show before). Maybe I look for the wrong things when I listen to episodes, I don't know

.

It's kind of like the change for Nicholas Adamsworth in "The Power"... though that was not only a shift in morals, but of circumstances as well (an orphaned genius in college suddenly in high school with parents... hello??). Hehe, but I am completely getting off topic. Sorry for hijacking the thread

. I gave this episode 3 stars, btw.

Jonathan · Post by **Jonathan** » Wed May 03, 2006 11:34 pm

Shadowpaw wrote:(an orphaned genius in college suddenly in high school with parents... hello??).

Actually, middle school

And Shadowpaw described perfectly why the change was a problem for me.

Samitude · Post by **Samitude** » Thu May 04, 2006 8:32 am

Jonathan wrote:When I got to the end of the episode and heard that Kathy was the writer, my mouth hit the floor. This skyrocketed my opinion of her writing.

That just goes to show that she probably should stick to writing serious stories instead of comedy.

This episode has got to be the best of the season so far.

shasta · Post by **shasta** » Thu May 04, 2006 12:26 pm

Samitude wrote:
Jonathan wrote:When I got to the end of the episode and heard that Kathy was the writer, my mouth hit the floor. This skyrocketed my opinion of her writing.
That just goes to show that she probably should stick to writing serious stories instead of comedy.

Kathy not write comedy? Surely you jest: we need her humor now more than ever! : )

4 stars, I say.

-king shasta

snowflake · Post by **snowflake** » Thu May 04, 2006 4:58 pm

Shadowpaw wrote:Her change still bothers me.

Because they didn't give her a story arc where you could see the change. She was AWFUL to everyone for years and was the "mean" girl of the series. Then one episode she's best friends with Mandy and no longer mean to people. It's like after Sarah Prachett was on the show less because of Reba, the new writers just kind of threw Liz in with Mandy, completely ignoring her terrible personality of the past.

Had a few episodes been spent giving us time to see her transitition from an evil little girl to a pleasant best friend of Mandy, she could very well be a fan favorite (much like Richard). But because the change was instant and poorly executed, the change really bothers me from a continuity standpoint. Generally episodes with Liz are my least favorite because of this... this one was alright, but there was too much Liz and a radically different voice for David that bugged me (the personality change for David is actually nice, because they at least refer to it within the context of the series and it would make sense for a guy his age, but the new voice just didn't fit at all with the way he was on the show before). Maybe I look for the wrong things when I listen to episodes, I don't know .

It's kind of like the change for Nicholas Adamsworth in "The Power"... though that was not only a shift in morals, but of circumstances as well (an orphaned genius in college suddenly in high school with parents... hello??). Hehe, but I am completely getting off topic. Sorry for hijacking the thread . I gave this episode 3 stars, btw.

I don't remember there being a big change in Liz...which is weird because I've listened to AIO for as long as I can remember. What were some of the episodes that she was an "evil little girl? The different voice didn't bug me for long. (unlike the new Katrina...) And the new attitude made sense, seeing as different people handle hard times differently.

Jonathan · Post by **Jonathan** » Thu May 04, 2006 5:16 pm

She never had a different voice. And if you want to hear the 'mean' Liz, go listen to You Win Some, You Lose Some

querida · Post by **querida** » Thu May 04, 2006 5:22 pm

sad. My friend is going throught that but her parents are divorcing. she lives far away. poor mandy! liz is a really good friend.

Ariastar87 · Post by **Ariastar87** » Thu May 04, 2006 8:28 pm

Jonathan wrote:
Shadowpaw wrote:It's times like this you wish there was an Adventures in Odyssey website that contained information about actors .
heh, very funny.

http://www.aiosf.com/characters_index.p ... =1264#1264

My friend Miles Marsico played David in this episode I thought, but only one or two eps in all, and for some reason they don't mention him at all... hmmm.... Anyways, just wanted to throw that into the mix. Thanks to everyone for the lovely feedback!!! I'm very proud and happy mostly all of you seemed to like it!

God bless,
Aria

Dr. Watson · Post by **Dr. Watson** » Thu May 04, 2006 9:05 pm

Great job acting, Aria!

Even though the episode was rather sad.

The Town of Odyssey

592: "Now More Than Ever"

What did you think of Now More Than Ever?

One person they left out