Episode Reviewed:
Do Or Diet (513)

Writer: Kathy Wierenga

Director: Kathy Wierenga

Production Engineer: Bob Luttrell

Original Airdate: 3/22/03

Rating (Out of 5 cones):

 

Do Or Diet

[Episode Info]

Episode Summary: Wooton, Whit, and Bernard decide to go on a diet to help Connie win a scholarship. Will they survive?

 

Theme: Living with an eternal perspective (James 1:4)

“…I get plenty of exercise the way it is. Up and down with a ladder, right and left with a squeegee.” [Bernard Walton]

 

The Review

The first time I heard this episode I didn’t react to it well. Surprisingly, however, as time went by I noticed that it began to grow on me. I wasn’t listening for blunders and errors to pick at as much as I was enjoying the episode. Do Or Diet was one of the funnier episodes of the 2003 Winter season.

Over the months I had been hearing rumors that Whit was eating too many twinkies and Kathy Wierenga was dying to write an episode in which Whit and Bernard go on a diet. Well, I’m sure she’s jumping for joy now because the episode actually made it to the radio! We’ve never heard this kind of show before (dieting) and I found it to be an interesting look at the lives of Whit, Bernard, and Wooton. Wooton’s obsession with losing weight in all the wrong ways was so… well… Wooton. Bernard’s constant negative thoughts and Whit’s more positive attitude portrayed what each character has been throughout the years.

One thing I could not stand about this episode was, who else, Ricky. Ricky was very obnoxious and unrealistic. Can you (yes, YOU) honestly say you know anyone that enthusiastic, obnoxious, distasteful, embarrassing, and any other word that fits his description? Sometimes I wonder about the Adventures in Odyssey writers when they create characters that can cause such controversy. I can’t say I know a single person who lives his or her life spelling words in every sentence. It’s unrealistic, hard to listen to, and not something I want to hear on AIO again. Ricky was obnoxious and I don’t care how many times I have to repeat it to get my point across. Not only was he obnoxious, but he gives me the strange feeling that he enjoys talking the way he does. Does he purposely talk feminine or is it just my imagination?

I must complement John Campbell for his music style in this episode. I’m not really a fan of overdoing the music on Odyssey (I’ve said that several times in previous reviews), but this is an example of a time that does need it. An episode featuring unmotivated characters exercising to shed a few pounds is a perfect opportunity for more music than usual. But the amount of music in this episode is the usual amount anyway. Too bad.

Before I wrap up this review, I can’t forget to talk about the acting. I don’t have a single complaint against any of the characters in Do Or Diet (with the exception of Ricky… yuck) because they all did so well. If only the acting could be outstanding in every recent episode of AIO.

 

The Rating

If there’s one episode you’d expect Kathy Wierenga to write, it’s this one. I give Do Or Diet 3 and ½ out of 5 cones.


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