662: Grandma's Visit

Archived reviews of Adventures in Odyssey episodes!

What did you think of the episode?

5 stars: Gotta have it!
10
33%
4 stars: Love it!
12
40%
3 stars: Like it
6
20%
2 stars: Didn't like it
2
7%
1 star: Really didn't like it
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 30

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Bren
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662: Grandma's Visit

Post by Bren »

So episode 662, Grandma's Visit is up!

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Galaxy X
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Post by Galaxy X »

Thanks Regis!
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Post by King Butter Turtle »

AWESOME!

This is definitely the best episode of the season. The story was great, it was full of hilarious lines, the music was phenomenal. I love the idea of the kids telling Whit the story. All the Spanish was fun. The actress who played Abuelita had an incredible performance. The Parker kids were just bouncing off one another; it felt so natural.

The first part of this season wasn't terrible but, it just felt... significantly different; like something was missing. But, I can totally see looking back on this episode in 10 years and not being able to distinguish it as pre or post hiatus II. It was classic.

5/5 stars!
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Post by JesusFreak777 »

Oh my goodness! I loved this episode! The Parkers are officially my favorite family since the Barclays. The wedding theme was so fitting to my life also. On top of that, the whole episode reminded me of the time I have spent both in Mexico and the Dominican Republic over holidays. So authentic! 5/5
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Post by American Eagle »

Personal comments without pre-reading any other opinions:
  • I'm used to the new theme and Whit now.
  • Camilla is my third favorite new character of Album 51 - after Vance and Kent.
  • This is my niece's (Amity, four months old) first time listening to an episode. We're listening together. ;)
  • I laughed at "I eat all I can stomach!", and I startled her. :lol:
  • Fun Mexican music... I can get used to a Spanish family.
  • Honestly, this feels like an episode of Maya & Miguel. :-k
Overall, a pretty good episode. I'd probably give it 3/5 or 4/5; leaning 3/5 stars.
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Post by Gandalf »

Haha!

Easily the best episode of the season so far.

It feels like the character actors really feel comfortable with each other now. The kids bounce off of each other really, really well. I'm loving the three-kid dynamic as opposed to the traditional 2-kid pattern followed in... well, just about every other AIO family.

The Spanish was only a touch over-done, but nothing to get too annoyed about. I hope AIO keeps teaching Spanish without being to obvious about it. I've always wanted to learn some expressions, and this is the perfect format. The only thing I would suggest is not having extended dialogue without translations (as with Abualita on the phone).

I loved the lesson in cross-cultural families. Two of my brothers are married to girls from other cultures (neither Hispanic), and let me tell you this is exactly how their families work!

And even for us non-cross-cultural families from big families, I totally related to the stress and anxiety of having everyone living in close quarters.

I loved the way the application didn't feel forced or immature. AIO took a fairly real-life situation, even one that non-hispanics can relate to, made it interesting/funny, but gave it a serious and applicable lesson. I felt like we were in the "good old days" again.
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Post by Sapphire »

I really liked this episode. It was great! I love the Spanish music they added. Rosalita's love story could be a soap opera. I am starting to get more use to Whit's new voice. I am also glad that Eva stood up to her mother. I give this episode five out of fives stars.
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Post by Laurie »

A pretty good episode, nothing special. 3.5/5
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Post by Bennett »

Inspiration Station 1+2: B+
Target of the Week: B+
Clutter: B
When you're Right, You're Right: B-
For the Birds: C+
Game for a Mystery: D-

Grandma's Visit: I think I'm going to give it a "B" or "B+" with this one.

I few points:

-Not too sure why we have to emphasize the mother's Spanish heritage every episode--but I guess we could interpret those as a set up for this one.
-Matthew Parker is a good kid, nice voice, not annoying...but he's fairly average isn't he? Nothing really distinguishes him much as a character yet. Maybe I'm just not used to him yet...
-The humor was good in this episode. And it was actually funny. For once there was a family humor which didn't involve riding lawnmowers--which I appreciated. It is the only reason why the episode would be considered being pushed up to a B+.
-The family is creating good chemistry with one another--whereas the Washington's existence was very, well, difficult to get up-and-running, this family is becoming more quickly accepted and lovable . It has to do with the circumstances that they are being put in, in my opinion.
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Post by EMBEE »

I loved this one! It was really good, probably my favorite of this season (so far).
  • The grandmother reminded me of the grandmother from Maya and Miguel. In fact, the whole thing reminded me of that show.
    The Mexican music was nice.
    The humor was great!
    Now I can impress people with the fact that I can say Adventures in Odyssey in Spanish!
Five stars from me!

For anyone who wants to know, "Vaya con Dios" means "Go with God," if I remember correctly.

Random side note about the new Whit:
Maybe it's just because I've listened to these new eps a ton (out of the seven episodes I have on my mp3 player, five are from album 51, so that's why I've heard them so much), but Andre has become Whit to me. Its getting to where when I hear him in an episode, he usually doesn't at first register in my mind as the "new Whit" but just as "Whit." In fact, I went this entire episode without remembering that it was the new Whit. That right there oughta tell you that I've probably been listening to most of these new ones perhaps too much.
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Post by Marvin D. »

Yes, EMBEE, "Vaya con Dios" means Go with God. I didn't like this episode so much because it seemed a little confusing. I did like all the Spanish, and since my Mom speaks Spanish, I understand this a lot. The music was fun, and Whit is dawing on me more. I pretty much liked the lesson learned, though God Himself wasn't in this one.
So...3/5
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Post by DanP740 »

3 stars from me. While funny and stuff, for some reason I just don't care for things with large amounts of spanish stuff and such...
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Post by The Top Crusader »

EMBEE wrote: For anyone who wants to know, "Vaya con Dios" means "Go with God," if I remember correctly.
LOL, I only know this because they always watched the Spanish show about a priest killing people on King of the Hill and he always said that. \:D/

Anyway, it was entertaining definitely, I liked it pretty well.

Like other people I'm a little offput but them constantly pushing hispanic culture on is, it seems. >_> Is Focus in league with Obama in his plans for legalizing all immigrants so he and his party will never be voted out of office!? :shock:

But if nothing else, it made me appreciate my own culture more! \:D/ I felt bad for the family the whole time. Evil grandma. :(

Andre did a great job of Whit once again.
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Post by Laura Ingalls »

I enjoyed it! \:D/ It was a fun episode and had some great lines. :lol:

4/5
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Post by Termite »

The Spanish on the phone was this:

Donde esta? - Where are you?
Que? - What?
No lo puedo cre! - I don't believe it!

And I didn't catch the last line. *shrugs* But this episode was hysterical. :lol: The one thing that bothered me was Eva's voice, though... Half the time it sounded as if it was supposed to be a Spanish accent and half the time an American one.

Oh, and I think Chris should have said adventuras DE Odyssey because the adventures 'belong' to the town, so to speak. :-k (if I remember correctly. :- )
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Post by jennifertwt »

The last two episodes have been my favorites of the new album. I'm from San Antonio, Texas, and the Parkers are very much like many families there. We celebrate Fiesta every year in April for 10 days around the 20th of the month. Previously, I always listened to The Cross of Cortes during this week, but this was a GREAT end of Fiesta episode, even if I must make my own celebration in Sweden.

Viva! Fiesta!
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Post by Gandalf »

Termite wrote:The one thing that bothered me was Eva's voice, though... Half the time it sounded as if it was supposed to be a Spanish accent and half the time an American one.
I actually think that's quite accurate. People, especially those with gentle/neutral accents like Eva, tend to alter their accents slightly depending on the people they are around. It makes sense for Eva, when talking to her kids or husband, to speak more with an American accent but to sound more Spanish when around her family.

When I talk to my English friends, I definitely start picking up an English accent. Ditto for the Notherners and Southerners back in the States. And when I speak French with Germans, I almost ALWAYS end up using a Germany accent (even though it drives me nuts!). Same for Spaniards and Italians.
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Post by jennifertwt »

My cousin lived in England for many years and to American ears sounds British. BUT, we were together for 3 weeks this summer and by the end she had regained her Texas/Oklahoma accent.
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Post by Gandalf »

BTW jennifertwt, where are you in Sweden? I'm currently living in Amiens, France. It's cool to see other Euro-Dwelling AIO lovers!
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Post by 31899 »

I thought this episode was very soap opera-ish but it was generally a very interesting episode. It did not remind me of any other episode, except I thought it was weird how they would switch from Spanish to English. I also think the Parkers need to grow a back bone.

Not a bad episode but not a great episode.

3/5
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