Immediately I was excited about this episode. Getting to hear Jack and Whit hanging out in the car and doing nothing but talking is something we don't get to hear very often. When there's only twenty-five minutes to cram in a storyline, these character driven moments are usually cut in favor of the plot-building scenes. Which is understandable of course, but it's funny that considering how close Jack and Whit are, we rarely hear them interact. I love well developed plots, but Odyssey has always been about the characters... so hearing scenes like this (despite the rather short length) are always enjoyable!

Not to mention Jack's actions reminded me a lot of myself: If someone calls me by the wrong name, I won't correct them. If I'm falsely accused of something, I'll take the blame. And if I don't get exactly what I ordered, I'll keep that information to myself. Though I like to think that, similar to how Jack responded to his new employee, I'll assert myself when the situation calls for it. As such, it's always easier to listen to an episode when you can relate to the events the characters find themselves in. Jack's storyline even ended on an appropriate note. Despite initially trying to be more forceful with the fast food restaurant, he eventually gives up and goes back to the way he was. I know this is how I would have handled the situation and just made the ending feel right.

But while the bookends of the show were nice, the whole Tamika plot was bothersome. It seemed a little unbelievable that a girl her age could be so daft to not realize that there is a difference between being honest and being painfully honest. If she was four or five years old, it would be kinda of cute. But instead, it was annoying and made me feel sorry that the Washington family has to deal with such a brat. At least she came around in the end, but she certainly did a lot of damage along the way.

Which brings me to PJ, who was too over the top, but thankfully had a great voice. I actually recognized the actor who played him right away. Scott Menville voiced Lloyd, the main character in a video game I recently finished called Tales of Symphonia: a fantastic game. So I was thrilled he recorded an episode for Adventures in Odyssey and wouldn't mind hearing from PJ in the future, provided he wasn't as annoying with his acronym creations. He's got an interesting personality and could have an interesting arc if grouped with Connie, Nick, or even Xavier. Unfortunately I doubt there's room in Odyssey for a guy like him, but I'm all in favor of finding out.

In the end, Tamika's plot was what brought the episode down to just an average level. A/B shows are tough because there's almost always one plot that isn't as interesting or entertaining as the other. In this case, the B plot was substantially of less interest. Fortunately there was still lots of good things to be found in the show and that's what matters.