Family Vacation, Part 2

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032: Family Vacation, Part 2
Season	1988
Album	02: Stormy Weather
Aired	June 25, 1988
Written by	Paul McCusker
Directed by	Paul McCusker
Produced by	Unknown
Sound Design by	Bob Luttrell
Music by	Unknown
Prev: Family Vacation, Part 1 Next: The Day Independence Came

[edit] General information

Theme: Family togetherness

[edit] Summary

The Barclay family run into some problems when their car breaks down on their way to Florida. However, their problems soon turn into yet another adventure.

[edit] Plot

It's vacation time, and the Barclay family is off like a herd of turtles. Well, almost-they haven't even left yet. Young Jimmy is going to journal about the trip. One of the first things he records is that his older sister, Donna, doesn't want to go. She prefers to remain in Odyssey, but her parents have overruled that notion, so Donna is not a happy camper. Jimmy also documents a brief, pretrip visit with Whit, who has given him a new invention, "Whit's Boredom Buster"-to be used only when Jimmy is "absolutely, without question, no doubt about it, as bored as you've ever been in your life."

At last, the Barclays are on the road . . . and aren't 20 minutes into their trip when trouble starts. Donna and Jimmy argue about backseat space; George runs over something that everyone thinks is a small animal but turns out to be a piece of tire rubber; they have a chewy lunch in an old diner; they sing every praise chorus they know; and the batteries go dead in Donna's tape player, further souring her mood.

To top it all off, the car suddenly dies. When George gets out to investigate, Jimmy sees a man they passed on the road rapidly approaching them. Donna speculates that he's an ax murderer. She screams for her father to get back in the car. Just as the man walks up, George pops the cap off the hot radiator, sending up an explosion of water and steam.

George falls back before the hot water and steam can scald him. The strange man runs up and turns out to be anything but an ax murderer. He and George walk back to the station and tow in the Barclay car, which will take at least a weekend to be repaired. Chester, the strange man, invites the Barclays to come home with him. The Barclays are wary at first, but it turns out that Chester and his family are Christians, so they accept.

Chester lives in a big house with his wife, Grace, and their youngest boy, Ted, who is Jimmy's age. Ted and Jimmy hit it off immediately and, after doing a few chores, run off into the forest to play. Mary and Grace enjoy each other's company, as do George and Chester.

The next day is Sunday, and the Barclays attend a church picnic with great food, a three-legged race, horseshoes, softball, egg-tosses, and other games. Donna is the only one not having a good time. She sits and sulks under a tree, and no one can move her. Jimmy says that if all Donna is going to do is think about Odyssey, she might as well hold a piece of it. So he gives her Whit's Boredom Buster puzzle.

Donna slowly starts working on it and soon is completely engaged. After a few hours she finally figures it out, and the puzzle comes to life in a beautiful array of swirling colors, lively music, and a nice message from Whit saying that boredom is under your control. Donna finally gets the message, just in time to participate in the last event of the day-the tug-of-war. After a few good pulls, Donna ends up in the mud, followed by everyone else in her family, much to their great amusement. The next morning, Chester finishes fixing the car, and the Barclays continue on their way, knowing that their vacation has gotten off to a great start thanks to a little Christian fellowship.

[edit] Discussion Questions

• What was the meaning of Whit's message, "Boredom is under your control"?
• Why is it important for families to have fun together?
• Describe some fun times you have had with your family.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Notes

[edit] Trivia

• In this two-part episode, Mary Barclay is played by Maggie Malloy (the actress who plays Connie Kendall's mom). Also, these two episodes mark the only time so far when George Barclay was not voiced by Chuck Bolte.

• Jimmy Barclay suggests using lightsabers and talks about rebel space pilots and the "evil overlords" - clearly referring to Star Wars.

[edit] Reviews

Written By: Chandler

We are introduced to the Barclays in this episode as the family leaves Odyssey on vacation. Jimmy narrates some adventures as he writes in his journal. Hearing the show from the kid's perspective is enjoyable. Jimmy's "kid" comments throughout are classic.

Jimmy starts by describing some events that lead up to departure. The best part, of course, is George's attempt to "fix" the car. The crossed wiring that occurs (the radio, horn, etc.) is rather unrealistic but makes for a funny scene. In the background, you can hear the radio announcer say that Dr. James Dobson's Focus on the Family broadcast will be coming up. If you listen real carefully, you can hear the radio station's call letters--KFOF (which must come from Focus on the Family). ...Not even a half-hour down the road, the kids start bickering. Ah yes, brings back memories of past vacations my family took. And the singing--been there, done that. I enjoy the scene where the Barclay's hit something with the car and George goes to investigate. Hearing Jimmy's "boy" reaction as compared to Donna's "girl" reaction is classic....Jimmy spots a man walking along the side of the road and suggests that they give him a ride. George says that it's too dangerous to pick up hitchhikers and says he wouldn't expect anyone to pick him up if his car breaks down. Just then, the car dies. Personally, I think that was just a little too fast to have that happen. I don't care for Donna's whole spiel about the "ax-murderer." The line about him putting people in plastic sandwich bags is unnecessary. I also think the emphasis on George's inability to fix cars is overdone. The earlier scene with his attempts to do-it-yourself was funny, but this is a little too much like the typical "men are stupid so the women have to help them out" message found in many TV shows...

[edit] Quotes