I watched "Sermon for Today" on DVD last night. I've always enjoyed this episode and the irony of it, but last night I got to thinking about all the levels on which the show is ironic:
1. The idea that a pastor from New York City would come to sleepy little Mayberry and preach that the people need to slow down and take it easy is pretty funny! Mayberrians were practicing that sermon long before Dr. Breen came to town. In fact, some of them were so relaxed that they had a hard time staying awake during his sermon! 2. During the front porch scene, Aunt Bee took literally the expressions that Andy and Gomer were using. When Andy spoke of running down to the drugstore to get some ice cream, he and Barney were about as relaxed as you can get! Their "run" couldn't have amounted to anything more than an amble or stroll. And when Gomer said he was going to run over to Goober's to watch him wash his car, I'm sure that was just as relaxing to him as listening to a band concert. 3. Of course, the most obvious irony is the fact that Andy and all the others find themselves in a frenzy of activity (on what would otherwise have been a lazy Sunday afternoon) to prepare for a band concert for the express purpose of slowing down and taking it easy! 4. Then there's Dr. Breen himself. He was supposed to be on vacation, but he interrupted that in order to preach at All Souls that morning. When the Taylors invited him over to their house, he couldn't take the time because he had to go to another town and preach another sermon that afternoon. When he finally made it to the Taylors' late in the day, he had to rush back to New York. Some vacation! It seems that Dr. Breen did his utmost NOT to practice what he preached! Thinking about this episode in more detail gave me a greater appreciation for the writer's work (I think it was John Whedon). Isn't TAGS a great show?? Thelma Lou (Janet) "Mildew!" _______________________________________________ WBMUTBB mailing list [email protected] http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
