|
|
 Episode
Reviewed: Mistaken
for Good
(707)
Writer: Bob Hoose
Director: Bob Hoose
Sound Designer:
Christopher Diehl
Music: John Campbell
Theme: Doing what's right
Original
Airdate: 3/31/12
Review Written by:
Ben Warren, Staff Writer
Rating (out of 5):
Episode
Summary
Jay's visit to a
nursing home takes an unexpected turn when an
old woman mistakes him for her grandson -- and
offers him money as a birthday present.
The Review
Mistaken for Good is a
sweet little episode I quite enjoyed. If
Unbecoming Jay
showcased Jay Smouse's funny bone, then
Mistaken for Good
showcases the other reason we love him: he has a heart.
Without a heart, Jay, and this episode, couldn't have worked.
Rodney Rathbone ends
No, Honestly!,
The Other Woman,
The Blackgaard Saga or, strangely, even
Changing Rodney
hardly learning a thing. On the other hand, Jay Smouse, having an equally
unrealistic voice, seems a more humane and realistic, learning at the end of
Mistaken for Good
his lesson--if not totally repentant.
This episode follows a similar story structure as
Easy Money.
Butch, also technically a good person with a bad side gets pulled down by
sleezeball and gambler Mac McCorby, while largely ignoring his friend, Sam
Johnson. While
Easy Money
is one of my favorite episodes, this episode,
Mistaken for Good
is somehow much more complex and interesting. How so? Jay was in denial that
he was doing good as Butch was in denial that he was doing wrong.
What makes Jay such a good character is that, despite the fact that he's a
troublemaker, he's really not a bad person. Jay simply represents the
troublemaker in each of us. We wouldn't typically call ourselves villains,
bullies, or antagonists...but we each sure enjoy causing trouble from time
to time. Thankfully, the Odyssey team makes sure that we root for him
without necessarily rooting for what he does. When Jay calls Mr. Whittaker
"my good man", he's quickly put in his proper place. By the way, wasn't that
awesome to hear?
Writer
Bob Hoose allows
Olivia and Vance to essentially act as Jay's "good Angel" and "bad Angel",
respectively. If Jay has some goodness in him, then it's a side of someone
like Olivia he connects with. And if Jay has some bad in him, then he feels
at home with Vance. His relationship with both Olivia and Vance in today's
show is so representative of Jay's overall personality in the series; while
he can be an outright bully sometimes, at the core, he's so much more than
that.
I've noticed there seems to be some debate about why Jay would do something
so stupid as to ask Mrs. Wilson for money in front of John Whittaker. Isn't
the reason obvious? He did it on purpose. On the one hand, he knew how Mrs.
Wilson was being treated was wrong; on the other, he didn't want to be
mistaken for doing good. Jay, then, did the only logical thing he could
think of: get caught. In a way, there was so much selflessness in his final
action that I felt sort've bad he got the punishment he got in the end.
Listeners may feel emotionally involved in this episode
because of how cruel it felt for two boys to cheat a sweet old lady out
of her money. There was something very disturbing about what Jay and
Vance were doing, and we can't help but feel somewhat disgusted rather
than amused. Typically, we tend to only recognize the performances of
series' regulars, but Linda Porter was well cast as Mrs. Wilson, evoking
a typical sweet old woman; additionally, Mrs. Kramer, after last week,
is becoming a quite entertaining, secondary character, embodying
that other old-woman stereotype.
All in all, there's very little to dislike about this episode. Only one
question remains on my mind. Did anyone else wonder whether the ending
was going to turn out to be similar to
The Pact
where we find out that Donald, or even Humphrey, is actually someone we
know? Red Hollard?, perhaps (the flat tires?...anyone? anyone? ) Is this
a mystery yet to be solved? Or am I just thinking too much into it?
In any case,
Mistaken for Good
surely won't be mistaken for good by anyone. It is good. Jay
carries one of the season's finest. He's come far since we first met him
in
Target of the Week;
and while we certainly must acknowledge that he should continue to
change and develop, considering all the fun we've been having with him,
I kinda hope it's a slow process.
Rating
More Information
Back to Reviews
|
|
|
|
