592: "Now More Than Ever"

Evil Chick · Post by **Evil Chick** » Thu Apr 27, 2006 8:36 am

Locked till Saturday

Jimmy Barclay Fan · Post by **Jimmy Barclay Fan** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 8:59 am

Well someones got to be the 1st.

It was sad, of course. David was a jerk at times. I hope the Strausbergs will be ok. I am glad Liz is nice and a good friend now. Aria gave a good performance as Mandy. The end was heartbreaking. Whit was good on advice and help, really caring like Liz.
4 stars.

Aslan · Post by **Aslan** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 9:27 am

5 stars. I think it's the best episode so far of the new season. But i still fell very sad for Mandy

Mandy Straussberg · Post by **Mandy Straussberg** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 10:26 am

I gave it 4 stars... I think it was good as an episode... I'm just still not entirely sure how I feel about it.

Mandy

snowflake · Post by **snowflake** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 10:27 am

It was sad of course...but realistic. Sometimes if the parents just make up and all is well then it's not realistic and kids who are going through stuff like that expect there situation to turn out the same way when it really doesn't. I liked it a lot!

Aelwyn · Post by **Aelwyn** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 11:36 am

It was good, but very sad. Especially for Mandy. I'm glad she turned to Liz at the end instead of keeping Liz away!
I gave it 5 stars.

Laurie · Post by **Laurie** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 12:22 pm

I thought this episode was excellent. It handled a very sensitive and very sad subject extremely well. Liz was a wonderful friend to Mandy. She did not get angry or turn away from Mandy, she was very patient with her. I give this episode 5 stars.

Rachael Blackgaard · Post by **Rachael Blackgaard** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 1:49 pm

No fair! Everyone else was right about what the problem was, and my theory that she was carrying Dr. Blackgaard child was wrong.

And I even had the timeline worked out and everything.

lindawn · Post by **lindawn** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 4:37 pm

I thought "Now More Than Ever" was very well written, and the cast played their parts well. Even though it was a very sad story, I know cases like that happen all the time. I give it 5 stars.

Evil Chick · Post by **Evil Chick** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 4:41 pm

I got tears in my eyes when I listened to this episode. It was well written, well acted, and a good story. When I hear these kinds of episodes, I always want to pray for the characters! I feel like they're my friends.

Rachael Blackgaard · Post by **Rachael Blackgaard** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 4:43 pm

I didn't cry when my parents got separated... but then, I was 7 and the circumstances were way different.

I really thought the part where Richard and Mandy's mom were fighting about the peas was well-written-- I've known unhappily married couples who have talked to each other like that over equally ridiculous issues.

Jonathan · Post by **Jonathan** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 4:44 pm

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.

I really have no crititque, just that it was good. It captivated me emotionally, something that hasn't happened to me while listening to AIO for far too long.

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 5:19 pm

5 stars. Great episode. Great acting.

Jeremy

NatetheGreat · Post by **NatetheGreat** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 5:30 pm

Nice ep. 5 stars. Nothing special, no unexpected twists and turns, but that's not bad. Very well written and dilevered to the max.

Liz_Horton · Post by **Liz_Horton** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 8:10 pm

It was ok i didn't like how David acted though.. and the end was sooooooo sad!

I feel really bad for Mandy.

Argyle Ninja · Post by **Argyle Ninja** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 8:30 pm

David's actions made me sad. I was also sad, seeing that I've been relistenining to older episodes with Mandy in them, and seeing how she'd changed. Great acting, Aria!

Post by **Catspaw** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 10:14 pm

I really can't personally relate to the stuff in the episode, but I found it sad. As soon as Mandy was getting all happy about her parents going out together, I knew for sure that they would come back with divorce papers or something else negative like that.

I look forward to seeing how they deal with this storyline in the future.

Joni_Slade · Post by **Joni_Slade** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 1:48 am

Rachael wrote:I really thought the part where Richard and Mandy's mom were fighting about the peas was well-written

Okay, that comment cracked me up, Rachael :) A very depressed and unfriendly Richard, maybe. But it sort of did sound like him. Which was not a bad thing at all.

So, about the episode . . . wow. Just wow.

First: Props to the AIO team for taking this on. And to the actors for selling it.

In all the speculation about what Mandy's problem was, I didn't give a lot of credence to the divorce rumors, largely because the one time we saw her parents, they seemed perfectly agreeable. So maybe I could question the choice to address this issue via the Straussbergs, but I really don't feel like it. The fact that this can happen to a family like the Straussbergs is what makes this episode work. I love older Odyssey--love it. But if old Odyssey had taken this issue on, they'd have used a one-shot kid character in Mandy's role and diminished the impact enormously. This is happening to Mandy? Our Mandy? This kind of thing can happen to people who matter? Yes.

What this episode might have done too well was put us into Liz's shoes--I felt her frustration more than I wanted to; her lack of progress in reaching Mandy became tedious midway through, but proved effective when Mandy finally turned to her.

I'm not sure if Aria reads these reviews, but if she does: that performance was incredible! Mandy's vulnerability tinged every line. I was blown away.

David bothered me. This isn't a criticism, I suppose--this is the kind of episode that's designed to bother. But while Mandy's distancing herself from others began awhile ago, David is suddenly a different person altogether. And what's the message here? Yes, marital problems cause problems for entire families. David's words about how he'd known for months were chilling. But this is a little bleaker than I like my entertainment. Hard times can bring out good in people. Couldn't David have stepped up and comforted Mandy, maybe? Explained things with a little more concern or at least tact? But his character is going in a different direction, and as hard as it is to accept, I'm impressed with AIO's daring. They're taking a "good" family and putting them through tough times. I only hope that the story goes on from here and that all of the Straussbergs find healing.

The dinner conversation made me laugh, in a sort of desperate, this-can't-be-good kind of way.

As great an episode as it was all around, Nathan Carlson's return to the show was the highlight for me because it means there's hope for Richard.

Laura Ingalls · Post by **Laura Ingalls** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 12:36 pm

Very, very sad episode.

I rated it 5 stars - it was very well done. The acting was superb, especially Mandy.

Does anyone know if Mr. and Mrs. Straussberg are Christians?

Arwen · Post by **Arwen** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 12:55 pm

I'm pretty sure they are...

Wow...I just got done listening...I guess it just surprises me that the Straussbergs of all people are the ones who are having marital problems. It was a really well done episode, but it still kinda has me shocked and sad.

The Town of Odyssey

592: "Now More Than Ever"

What did you think of Now More Than Ever?

592: "Now More Than Ever"