Feud for Thought

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#200: “Feud for Thought”
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Scripture

Ephesians 4:31-32

31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

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Feud for Thought

“Feud for Thought” is episode #200 of the Adventures in Odyssey audio series. It was written and directed by Phil Lollar, and originally aired on July 25, 1992.

Summary

Eugene joins Bernard Walton for a family reunion – and uncovers a dark secret about his grandfather Meltsner's past.

Plot

Eugene and Bernard are taking a trip together to an annual family reunion. Bernard goes every year, so he couldn’t be more bored by the prospect. But this is Eugene’s first time since he discovered he and Bernard are related, so naturally he is nearly jumping out of his skin with excitement.

Eugene has a wonderful time meeting all of his new-found kin, until he meets Bernard’s grandfather, Borealis P. Walton. When Borealis learns that Eugene is a Meltsner, he explodes with rage and demands that Eugene leave immediately! Borealis contends that the Meltsners are nothing but a pack of thieves and liars, and Eugene’s grandfather, Hiram Meltsner, was the biggest liar and thief of all!

Bernard finally calms Borealis enough to find out what’s happening. Borealis tells Bernard that years ago, Hiram cheated him in a livestock deal, which involved two thousand pigs. Hiram’s crookedness set the pattern for the Waltons’ future. The Waltons could have been prosperous like the Rockerfellers, but instead they all went into the sanitation business.

Eugene begs Bernard to help him right this terrible wrong. Bernard reluctantly agrees. After digging for more information, they find that Hiram did, indeed, cheat Borealis out of his porcine property. Eugene says the only way to remedy the situation is for Eugene to pay Borealis back, even though the sum is astronomical!

But then, an acquaintance of both Hiram and Borealis, Mr. Ralph Reems, enters and sets the record straight. He proves that Hiram Meltsner was innocent! Unfortunately, Borealis sees this as just another Meltsner trick and refuses to forgive Eugene. Eugene is crushed. But Bernard says that next year, they’ll work together to change Borealis’s mind. After all, Bernard chokes out, Eugene is family.

Discussion Questions

  1. Was Borealis justified in holding his grudge against Hiram for so long?
    • Why or why not?
  2. Did Eugene do the right thing when he found out why Borealis was so angry?
    • Could he have remedied the situation in any other way?
  3. Have you ever held a grudge against anyone?
    • What does Paul say in Ephesians 4:31-32 about forgiveness?

Cast

Heard in episode

Role Voice Actor
Bernard Walton Dave Madden
Borealis Walton Bill Erwin
Eugene Meltsner Will Ryan
Ralph Reems Tom Williams
Train station attendant Tom Williams

Mentioned in episode

Character Mentioned By
Garvey Hiram Meltsner Borealis Walton


Notes

Trivia
  • This is the 200th Adventures in Odyssey episode.
  • This episode may be based on the Bonanza episode "Gunmen" where two families got in a feud over only one pig.
  • This episode takes place away from Odyssey: Episodes That Take Place Away from Odyssey
  • Bernard references Eugene's disastrous attempt at taking his driver's license test in #194: “A License to Drive” in this episode..
  • This episode shares several similarities with the later Eugene and Bernard's Road Trip saga and may have partially inspired it. These similarities include:
    • Eugene testing Bernard's patience during a long trip in Bernard's truck
    • Bernard reluctantly coming to Eugene's aid and serving as the moral teacher at the end
    • A rural setting with appropriately countrified music
  • References are made in this episode to outlaw Jessie James and the popular, long-running American television show America's Funniest Home Videos.
  • Ralph Reems's line in this episode "What in the wide world of sports is goin' on here" is a quote from the popular 1974 Mel Brooks comedy film Blazing Saddles.
  • In a conversation on the Adventures in Odyssey Fan Club Facebook Group, Phil Lollar commented on the phrase, "two sows and twenty-five pigs," which factors into the solution of the mystery regarding the business deal gone awry: "'Two sows and 25 pigs' is the climax of a story my Dad used to tell us when we were kids. He grew up in a very small town in rural Oklahoma, and claimed that one of the town's characters talked that way - very difficult to understand him in a conversation, and often with hilarious results."
Goofs
  • In #157: “Last in a Long Line”, Eugene says that Mushnick is his maternal grandmother's maiden name. In this episode, he says it was his grandmother's maiden name until she married Hiram, his paternal grandfather.

Quotes

Borealis Walton: He cheated me just as sure as you're standing there!
Bernard Walton: I'm sitting.
Borealis Walton: Don't get saucy.


Bernard Walton: Hello, Grandpa Borealis.


Borealis Walton: I'll sic the dogs on him!
Bernard Walton: We don't have any dogs.
Borealis Walton: Then I'll sic the cat on him!


Ralph Reems: Your grandfather was a great man, but he didn't talk much. You know why?
Eugene Meltsner: Uhh, 'cause he was thinking?


Eugene Meltsner: What are you looking for?
Train station attendant: The cameras. This is one of those "Funniest Home Videos," isn't it?