A brief introductory note mentions that The Girl from Samos is the work of a more experienced and mature Menander. This turns out to be more than just blather.
For starters, most of the women in this play are named. Though only the title character has any lines among them. Plus, in a curious reversal, tthe only wife in the play is never seen.
Though this play is more fragmented than Old Cantankerous, the story holds together nicely. The comedy inherent in the play's central misunderstanding holds up pretty well, too. Not to mention the fourth wall-breaking jokes and effective use of addresses to the audience. Such addresses must have been the norm, or the mark of a particular character type, though, since they do happen rather frequently.
Menander's made quite a jump, but how did he manage between these plays? Perhaps we'll find out in The Arbitration.
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