I guess I feel the need to write a few comments here. As for the claim that this episode goes against the theme of honesty in the series, I think that is true...but...there's a catch: the real lesson here is that Andy, Barney and Opie have to pay for that dishonesty, because at the end, they learn Aunt Bee will go on making these pickles since she thinks they love them so much. This means the stunt they pulled has backfired and now they will be forced to keep eating these kerosene pickles unless they finally become more honest and tell her the truth.
Of course they may not tell her the truth (and learn to love the pickles) because it seems more important to Andy to spare Bee's feelings. Also, they are trying to keep Clara on an even keel, since they want Clara to win the contest and not lose to store-bought pickles they've substituted for Bee's. It really becomes an elaborate set of reversals, showing what happens when honesty is not maintained as the best policy, and there are extenuating circumstances.
Probably the one thing I would change is that when Barney was passing out pickles to motorists on the road, wouldn't they be the ones Bee made, put inside store-bought jars that have store brand labels on them? But the jars Barney handed out along the roadside had no labels on them and looked just like the homemade ones.
Although Bee does not taste her pickles on screen, it is still possible she had sampled some after the batches were made, when she was working by herself in the kitchen. She might have actually thought her pickles were fine, though of course everyone else disagreed.
Of course they may not tell her the truth (and learn to love the pickles) because it seems more important to Andy to spare Bee's feelings. Also, they are trying to keep Clara on an even keel, since they want Clara to win the contest and not lose to store-bought pickles they've substituted for Bee's. It really becomes an elaborate set of reversals, showing what happens when honesty is not maintained as the best policy, and there are extenuating circumstances.
Probably the one thing I would change is that when Barney was passing out pickles to motorists on the road, wouldn't they be the ones Bee made, put inside store-bought jars that have store brand labels on them? But the jars Barney handed out along the roadside had no labels on them and looked just like the homemade ones.
Although Bee does not taste her pickles on screen, it is still possible she had sampled some after the batches were made, when she was working by herself in the kitchen. She might have actually thought her pickles were fine, though of course everyone else disagreed.