To Tear and Destroy

So, I think I've come up with a solution for catching up with the three episodes I now have to review. Since Sergeant York will be airing for the next four weeks, I'm going to catch up on my reviews during the next month, and then I'll review Sergeant York as a whole after all four parts have aired--like I did with The Jubilee Singers, if any of you can remember that far back. ;)

Anyway, here goes my review for "To Mend or Repair": Wow. I just finished listening to the episode, and that last scene is really touching. I dare to say that it's the first time we've gotten a real, real look at Eugene and Katrina's relationship with each other since "For Better or for Worse," or even "The Turning Point." It makes their marriage feel so much more genuine when you see them crying together. This was a really good episode. I didn't find any of the characters annoying (except maybe Mrs. Kramer xD), and even with the Barrett/Priscilla storyline, there wasn't any dialogue that made me cringe.

I thought that the two storylines wove together very, very well, and the combined force of the two aspects of helping others suffer leaves a big impact. Both stories were very easy to relate to, even though the Eugene/Katrina part would apply more to adults. Even though both were fairly sad, they left me with a good feeling; I guess it's just pleasing to see people with hearts help each other through hard times.

I'm almost at a loss for words about this episode. I liked it so much, and there's so much I could say, but it's hard to articulate everything. So forgive me if none of this is making much sense. I loved the episode; that's the jist of it. This episode definitely had more of a heart than The Labyrinth, and even though those episodes were action-packed and interesting, I can almost say that this episode was just as, if not more captivating than that three-parter. The characters were so real, and the issues dealt with were real, everyday issues that so many deal with.

There wasn't really a takeaway moral, other than that we should all learn to be sensitive and try to compassionately help others through any hurt they're experiencing. But this episode seemed to be directed toward helping us grow with the characters and having the characters grow on us. This episode and "Unbecoming Jay" have both softened my heart toward the Barrett and Priscilla relationship in a way that "When You're Right, You're Right" never could have. The writers are definitely getting better at writing for these characters as they go, and they are totally succeeding in making, me at least, feel for them.

On a lighter note, I liked Mrs. Kramer and Jay in this episode. Their humor wasn't sidesplittingly funny, but it was just enough to lighten the mood, and keep things moving along. I also liked Whit for the first time in a while. We only heard from him for a couple of minutes, but what I heard I liked. Oh, and Connie was really good in this episode. But I'm glad that Eugene was ultimately the one to comfort Katrina, rather than Connie. I was afraid it was going to turn into a girlfriend-comforts-girlfriend pity party, sort of like in the Eugene Returns episode, which is okay, but I like husband-comforts-wife way better. :)

I think that's about all I have to say about this episode. I know the review is a little mish-mashed and unorderly, but hopefully you guys can deal with it. :P Look for my review of "Mistaken for Good" next week! Please leave any comments you have about your thoughts about the episode or my review. Thanks!

Christian