Worst Day Ever
Job 1:20-22
21and said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."
22In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.“Worst Day Ever” is episode #456 of the Adventures in Odyssey audio series. It was written and directed by Kathy Buchanan, and originally aired on November 18, 2000.
Summary
Mandy Straussberg has one of those days when one thing after another goes wrong.
Plot
Mandy Straussberg is not having a good day:
She starts her day by dropping all of her books and being late to class. When she gets there she finds that she is going to get detention for being late and she doesn't have her homework assignment. Her teacher then reveals that there is a pop quiz today. In the cafeteria, things keep going downhill as she runs into Alex Jefferson and gets a fat lip. When she goes to the ice machine to try to stop the swelling, the machine malfunctions and she gets covered with ice. Not only that, but the cafeteria is out of pizza and only has broccoli casserole left. Mandy doesn't make it on the band and has to retry on Monday because she can't play the French horn with a swollen lip. She gets her head soaked by the drinking fountain, and then even gets her foot wet by slipping on a toilet while trying to escape a stall in the bathroom. Things don't improve in detention when she accidentally seems to start a student rebellion.
She has a bike accident on the way to Whit's End, also getting a flat tire in the process, and once there, Alex ruins her sweater with ice cream and Sarah tells her the bad news that the ice skating show that they were going to was canceled. Things can't get any worse! Or can they? Alex and Sarah Prachett are trying to figure out what bad things that Mandy has done recently to deserve this. On her way home, a dog attacks her, she accidentally steps on some rosebushes, and she is soaked by some sprinklers. Finally she makes it home, where she is met with even more bad news: though she is hungry, her family ordered Thai food, which Mandy hates. She runs to her room and goes to bed, to try to end the day as quickly as possible. Her mom brings up some soup and tries to explain to her that bad days happen. Then Mandy asks where her cat Fluffyface is. "Let's talk about that tomorrow," her mom replies.
- This plot section is too short and should be expanded. »
Discussion Questions
- Why did Alex think all these bad things were happening to Mandy?
- Do you think he was right?
- What did Mandy's mom tell her about bad days?
- Have you ever had a really, really bad day like Mandy's?
- What happened to you?
- What did you do about it?
Cast
Heard in episode
Mentioned in episode
Character | Mentioned By |
---|---|
Mr. Jefferson | Alex Jefferson |
John Whittaker | Sarah Prachett |
David Straussberg | Rachel Straussberg |
Notes
VERSION DIFFERENCE: [view]
- This show aired with a promo for the following episode, #457: “Opportunity Knocks”, featuring "a man named Preston Dent." The man's name is actually Arthur Dent. It was changed to make his name sound more British.
- Trivia
- On the day of recording, confusion arose over whether Mandy's cat Fluffyface was a boy or a girl. Both versions of Mandy's line in the final scene were recorded and the correct take was used.
- This episode marks the debut of Cal Jordan, who would go on to play a prominent role in the Novacom Saga. Cal is voiced by Adam Pavlakovich, whose mother is Katie Leigh, the voice of Connie Kendall.
- Goofs
- Mandy plays the French horn. However, the artwork for the album (which is from this episode) clearly shows Mandy carrying a cornet.
- Reviews
Quotes
Mandy Straussberg: Hey, are you going to band auditions this afternoon?
Alex Jefferson: Yep. My drums are ready to go.
Mandy Straussberg: You play the oboe.
Alex Jefferson: I did play the oboe. My dad said it gave him a headache and thought I should take up another instrument.
Mandy Straussberg: Does he know that you decided on drums?
Alex Jefferson: Not yet. I wanted to surprise him.
Alex Jefferson: Are you sure you haven't done anything wrong? <gasps> Did you remove one of those "Do Not Remove" tags on your mattress?
Mandy Straussberg: Stop! Stop! I just wanted one piece of ice!
Mandy Straussberg: That was awful!
Alex Jefferson: It wasn't so bad. I could still make out The First Noel.
Mandy Straussberg: Great. But it was the National Anthem.
Alex Jefferson: Uhh, yeah, I know. It was just the Christmas version of it.
Alex Jefferson: Did you wear mismatching socks?
Mandy Straussberg: That's not a sin, Alex.
Alex Jefferson: Did you wear stolen mismatching socks?
Mandy Straussberg: Please don't tell me that everything is going to be fine, or the day wasn't all that bad, or I should look at the bright side of things.
Rachel Straussberg: No, I was only going to say that bad days happen, to everyone. It doesn't mean that God doesn't love you, or that life will be bad forever. It means that sometimes, things just go wrong. But the sun will rise tomorrow, and you'll have a new day. Hopefully it will be a better day than today.
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