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Tuesday, May 31, 2011

My Apologies, But...

the episode titles for Album 54 are out, as of today!!

The "My Apologies" part is about the fact that I still don't have my review of Part 12 of the Green Ring Conspiracy out yet. I've had a very busy Memorial Day weekend, as I suspect some of you have had, so please forgive me. I'll try to get the review out either tomorrow morning or Thursday morning.

But there's huge news! On a brand-new video podcast out today at the Official Podcast website, Brock secretly reveals the episode titles for the entirety of Album 54: Clanging Cymbals and the Meaning of God's Love! He only showed them for a split-second before Bob and Jesse cut him off, but I paused it, and here they are:

1. Wooton Knows Best
2. A Penny Saved
3. The Amazing Loser
4. Anger Mismanagement
5. Forgiving, More or Less
6. You're Two Kind
7. A Penny Earned
8. Never for Nothing
9. Emily the Genius
10. How to Sink a Sub
11. Unbecoming Jay
12. Childish Things

Honestly, to me, some of those seem a little fake, and it's hard to trust Brock sometimes, but I guess they look real enough that those are most likely the genuine titles. I have to admit, I'm not that excited about this album, because so far, since the relaunch, I don't think the issue of "love" has been dealt with all that well. Barrett and Priscilla in When You're Right, You're Right, Michael Butler and Wendy Jennings in The Mystery of the Clock Tower, and Buck and Emily and Wooton and Penny throughout Album 53. So I'm hoping that the AIO team redeems themselves with a more proper view of the sacred subject of love between a male and a female. Maybe they'll use the album to give a better portrayal of true love, whether it's agape love (unconditional love for others as neighbors), storge love (general affection for someone, usually as a family member), philia love (general love between friends--enjoying company), or eros love (romantic love between a male and a female--most specifically the emotional connection of the relationship). I hope they will handle the subject delicately, as it should be handled, and not flippantly, as I fear.

But episodes like #s 2, and 7, which are known to be episodes in the Wooton/Penny saga are giving me concerns. And I'm hoping Unbecoming Jay isn't something even remotely along the lines of the fake (or at least I think it was fake) description it was given for a short amount of time at AIO Wiki. It described Jay as wanting to improve himself for his girlfriend, so Emily and Matthew had to help him out--similar to Changing Rodney, except that episode didn't have a girlfriend in it. I wish AIO would stop putting those kinds of relationships in their shows. I actually liked the Trent and Mandy saga, because their love for each other was portrayed as something special and almost sacred, especially in A Class Reenactment. But in this new season, those kinds of relationships are tossed around with no honor or respect whatsoever, so I'm concerned and not sure what to expect from Album 54.

Please comment and tell me what you think. I'd love to hear your thoughts about this subject!

6 comments:

  1. I've always wished they'd keep the whole boy/girl-crush thing out of Odyssey.

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  2. Twelve all-new entertaining and character-building episodes based on 1 Corinthians 13. The album will teach kids what authentic agape love is and how to express that love to others...

    i think that should tell you what what kind of love album 54 is about

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  3. also episode 1 is NOT part of the wooton/connie/penny storyline that episode was planned for the album well before they decided to include the wooton/connie/penny storyline in album 54

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  4. @ Gooey98: Same here. Unless it's done right (kind of like it was with Connie and Mitch, and Eugene and Katrina to some extent), I usually find myself cringing and rolling my eyes and "faceslap"ping, especially if my younger siblings are listening with me. It's usually okay with me if the lovers involved are adults and Christians, but if not, that's teetering on the edge of a very unlikeable episode for me.

    @ reddo: Thanks for those tidbits! I do remember seeing that agape love would be the main love "type" in the album, but I'm concerned that a little "eros" love might creep in with the Wooton/Penny storyline.

    Oh, and thanks for the info about the first episode. I'll change that.

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  5. Christian, Odyssey is supposed to be a Christian take on the real world. They use child love flippantly, because kids use love flippantly. They're not dealing with intense stuff. Just puppy love like in the episode "The Trouble with Girls". It adds depth to the characters. Just my opinion.

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  6. Yes, I understand that. So maybe I wouldn't have such a big problem with the "puppy love" if the Christian's view of that type of love was expressed. Those kinds of relationships often lead to heartache, and are sometimes disrespectful toward the respective parents. Odyssey doesn't show those angles, but they even sometimes treat those relationships as admirable--especially since the relaunch.

    It does add depth to the characters, in the sense that it shows that they have the desire to love and be loved just like the rest of us. If a character stole or lied, it would certainly add depth, but those are still wrong things that need to be dealt with. Odyssey puts the "puppy love" relationships in a good light because that's how the culture views them these days. But Christians are to be separate from the culture--especially when it involves unwise relationships that can lead to sin or heartache.

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