The Other Woman
From Adventures in Odyssey Wiki
| 368: The Other Woman | |
|---|---|
| [[Image:{{{album_image}}}|center|150px]] | |
| Season | 1996 |
| Album | [[Album {{{album_num}}}: {{{album_name}}}|{{{album_num}}}: {{{album_name}}}]] |
| Aired | November 30, 1996 |
| Written by | Paul McCusker |
| Directed by | Phil Lollar |
| Produced by | Unknown |
| Sound Design by | Todd Busteed |
| Music by | Unknown |
| Prev: The Decision Next: It's a Wrap! | |
[edit] General information
Albums: Album 28: Welcome Home!
Theme: The danger of spreading rumors; dealing with the mentally ill.
Scripture: Proverbs 16:28 & 1 Peter 3:12
[edit] Summary
Tom is seen with a woman who no one seems to know and gets himself wrapped up in a scandal.
[edit] Plot
News flash! Tom Riley stuns Odyssey by insinuating that he may not seek re-election! He tells Dale Jacobs that he really would like to get back to the peace and quiet of his farm, which creates a media firestorm. Unfortunately, Bart Rathbone is listening to the television report on Tom, and it gives Bart the idea that he should run for mayor again. Bart’s wife, Doris, and Rodney think Bart’s nuts. They say no one would ever vote for Bart. But Bart still thinks he has a real chance, as long as Tom doesn’t run again. So Bart tells Doris and Rodney it’s their job to make sure Tom doesn’t run again.
That opportunity presents itself a few days later when Doris and Rodney see Tom driving and decide to follow him. They all end up at a place called Hillingdale Haven, where Doris and Rodney take pictures of Tom sitting and holding hands with a blonde woman! Rodney is certain that Tom’s wife isn’t blonde and deduces that they have a major scandal on their hands.
Doris and Rodney take the pictures back to Bart, who gives them to a new rag sheet tabloid newspaper called the Odyssey Tattler. The editor of the Tattler surmises that the pictures were taken at Hillingdale Haven Hospital, a mental health facility! He readily prints the pictures, setting off a media frenzy.
But it ends up that the story is much less scandalous than it appears. The woman is Tom’s wife, Agnes. She has manic depression and must frequently stay at Hillingdale Haven. Tom calls a press conference to tell everyone this, and to add that he officially won’t seek re-election as mayor.
Later, at Whit’s End, Whit and Eugene discuss Tom’s decision. Eugene wonders why Tom never mentioned Agnes’s problem to the church so they could pray for her. Whit says Tom did at first, but when Agnes didn’t get better, he stopped. He says many Christians have trouble with unanswered prayer. And the only thing to do is to keep praying for people like Tom and Agnes.
[edit] Discussion Questions
- Why did Tom keep his wife’s illness quiet?
- Should he have?
- Why or why not?
- Should he have?
- Why do you think God heals some people and doesn’t heal others?
- Whit told Eugene that “Christians who can’t cope are poor advertising.” What did he mean by that?
[edit] Cast
[edit] Notes
- This show was written to answer the long-standing question, whatever happened to Tom’s wife? She appeared in ‘Thank You, God!’ (AIO #49) and then seemed to disappear without a trace.
- This ep marks Rodney's return from jail after the Blackgaard saga situation.
- It is stated in this episode that Agnes suffers from deep depression. Interestingly, this episode was written before depression really came into the public spotlight.
[edit] Reviews
[edit] Quotes
[edit] Resources
The Other Woman on whitsend.org
The Other Woman on AIO Soda Fountain
