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

So Here We Are a Week Later...

...and I still haven't written a review for To Mend or Repair; and it's another Saturday and a new episode has already been released. The good news is, I have listened to Mistaken for Good. I thought it was a really good episode. But I'll elaborate upon that at a seperate, undisclosed time. ;)

So I'm really sorry I again haven't been consistent in delivering reviews. Hopefully none of you are dying in your extreme anticipation. I really don't want this to turn into what happened with Album 54, but it doesn't look good right now. I start soccer next week, which will take up every Saturday morning for two months. So I'll either have to get the review done before 9:00 in the morning, or I'll not write a review, basically.

I don't really know what to do. If anyone has any suggestions about how I could manage my time better and put out reviews more consistently, I'd love to hear them. Thank you all my consistent readers for bearing with me!

No Review Until Monday

As you probably noticed, I didn't get a review out on "To Mend or Repair." In reality, I haven't even listened to the episode yet as I'm writing this. Actually, this was probably the first time since the relaunch that all of my siblings heard an episode on the radio before I did. I had to work early this morning, and I woke up way too late to even consider listening to the episode before I left. And I didn't get off of work until five, and I still have to do my weekly housecleaning chores, so I don't think I'll be able to put out a review anytime soon.

I'm sort of considering making an exception to my unspoken "No posting on Sunday" rule, but I'm also sort of not. Sundays are supposed to be days of rest, and trying to make time tomorrow to listen to the new episode and write a review would be almost anything but restful for me.

So unfortunately I'll likely have to postpone my review until Monday. The only problem with that is that I never have time to sit and write during the school week. I don't want this to turn into what happened with Album 54 where one missed review day keeps me from writing any more reviews for the rest of the season.

Anyways, I'll do my best to get a review out as soon as I can, but I really can't make any promises. I'd appreciate prayer for good time management, if any of you would do that for me. Thanks for being faithful readers!

Christian

A Maze, Part 3

Here we go again!

This week, the episode again starts out with a "Previously on Adventures in Odyssey..." segment. This one, like last week's, took up over two minutes, but this time I'm more appreciative of it, because enough has gone on this week that my memory was clouded up, and I actually did need reminding of a few things. So I can't complain.

I still think Ann sounds way too young for Dale. It makes every scene she's in sound weird. Oh well. I liked how they had to pay in pounds for parking. That's yet another thing you forget about when listening to episodes in foreign countries. The writers did a really good job with that. But I missed why Dale and Ann were going to the British museum. Did they want to try out the Koflax, just to see if it could really kill anybody?? Anyway, now they're following the van of Jason and his torturers because they happened to be getting to the hotel at the exact time the van was leaving. :P

Now we're in the van with Jason and Reggie Fingers (or shall I call him Reg?) and Jason's informing him about the plan to suffocate everyone at the British museum. I can't tell if Reggie's serious about his ignorance of the true plan, or if he's just faking it to Jason. My guess would be that he doesn't know the depths of the evil of Mr. Grote's plan, so he doesn't have any idea. By the way, what is it with the different pronunciation of vase? I, and everyone else I know, always pronounce it VACE, but is it British people then who pronounce it VAHZ? I'm pretty sure Queen Herodias in the John the Baptist episode with Aubrey Shepard pronounced it VAHZ, so I don't know what to think. Wait...the vases are the powder? That's a twist I didn't expect. I'm perplexed along with Jason, and I'm interested to find out how that's going to work. Okay, so Mr. Thugg not only has a genius name, but he's a genius about pottery, so he explains it. But how is Jason going to stop the plot with them taking him to "the warehouse"? I guess that's probably where the Jacobs's come in.

I loved it that the cabby had seen the Fish n' Chips logo on the side of the van and Dale and Ann hadn't. But how could he minutes later be so stupid as to open the door to a stranger? Or, at least, how could Dale and Ann, who know the gravity of the situation, let him do it? Anyways, they've been sprayed with probably the same stuff the Mi5 agents were sprayed with in Part 1. Now who's it up to to save the people at the museum? I guess we do still have Mi5 left, but Agent Billings didn't seem to trust Jason....

I think Jason's continues exclamations to Mycroft are going to pay off. My guess is that he'll get them out and take them to the museum in order to save his daughter. Oh, and it looks like Sew's probably back in the picture. And...we go to a commercial break. >:|

Never mind. Mycroft doesn't have a heart. He just wants his daughter out, and doesn't care about the rest of them. Oh, but he does give the cellphone-less Jason some necessary information. Maybe now he'll bring him his cell phone so he can actually pass the information on to someone who can use it. But for now Jason and Sew are stuck in the warehouse. Maybe Wooton's generality from Album 53 will ring true: there's always another way out! Fast forward. Sew's gets a heart. Enter Dale, Ann, and the cab driver. Dale actually does something smart for the first time since the first episode, and Jason gets the necessary cell phone to call Mi5.

Okay, at the museum, Agent Billings has finally come to his senses and is doing everything Jason says. He knew Jason would come through. Wait, what? I thought he didn't like Jason. Whatever. The one big problem I see here is that he sent Agent Florin to retrieve the Koflax. And we can be fairly certain that she's untrustworthy--especially based on her remark when given the task. This doesn't look good.

I thought the conversation with Reggie and Jason was reminiscent of Whit's conversation with Eugene in The Top Floor, Part 3. Jason knows where he's going if anything happens to him. Reggie doesn't. Well, Jason knows where he's going, but he, of course, never says. But then why would Jason be so concerned about what they do to Dale? He knows that Dale knows where he's going too. But before that question can be resolved, a helicopter, 12 police cars, 6 unmarked cars, a S.W.A.T. van, and a tank pull up! That is so great!!!

Next, Jason has a heart-to-heart talk with Sew that leaves me thinking, maybe just speculating, that maybe an adoption is in order in the future? Maybe? But things quickly turn dark when Billings reports that a crate of Koflax vases is missing. My guess: Florin did it, pure and simple. And now she's off to escort Dale and Ann! I hope that doesn't turn ugly. But now Jason and Billings are going to find Grote...just in time for a commercial break! :P

Well, I guess I was wrong. Agent Florin doesn't have the Koflax. But I still think she will be in on some part of the plot. She seemed so suspicious at the beginning. I wouldn't want it to come to nothing. Apparently the tracking device worked, since Billings and Jason are ahead of Mr. Grote at Reggie Fingers' place to keep him from getting the Koflax. I still think his voice is so great. Even better than Archie Haggler's; and I liked his a lot. WHAT??!! Talk about a totally unexpected twist!! Agent Billings is the double-crosser?? Oh, wait. Okay, that makes more sense. Goodness, talk about having me totally confused. Billings just wants revenge on Grote for killing his previous partner. Not that revenge is any better than double-crossing, but it just makes a lot more sense. But I don't see why Jason is going along with him. I would think he'd be man enough to let himself be killed before doing such an injustice to Grote. Maybe he has another plan. Well that's good. He's doing the right thing. But he may be sacrificing his life. Somehow I doubt the writers will kill Jason off though. There'd be too much of a backlash from fans. I guess we'll see.

Wow. That was a really good conclusion scene. Perfect even. One hundred times better than the Green Ring Conspiracy ever gave us. That was one of the most deeply spiritual scenes the writers have given us since the relaunch. It totally made the episodes for me, as if the action and mystery hadn't done that already.

Now I just wonder how Jason's going to manage living in Odyssey again. Most of the public believes he's dead. But I think it'd be nice to have him back. It would feel nice to have a...real-sounding Whittaker back in Odyssey. Andre Stojka, to me, just sounds fake. I think having him interact with Jason would make him sound a little more genuine and real.

Based on how much I liked these episodes, I have high expectations for the rest of the season. I already think I'm going to end up going with others who have heard the whole album in saying that this is the best album since the relaunch. I put up a poll for you guys to make a choice on that subject. Tell me which album has been your favorite since spring of 2010.

That's all for this week. This sounds more cliche every time I say it, but I really do appreciate hearing from you guys in the comments. It's always very encouraging and motivating to hear from my readers. So make sure to tell me what you thought of the episode and of my review. Thanks for reading!

A Maze, Part 2

Here we go. Part 2. I got a lot of feedback from you guys, saying you liked the way I did the review last week, so I'm going to do it again.

I thought it was interesting that there was a "previously on Adventures in Odyssey" segment before the show. We haven't had one of those since probably...The Top Floor? Or maybe it's just that all of the album versions take them out, so I wouldn't know. Anyway, I thought it was kind of weird. It seemed to be mostly a time-filler, because it lasted a looong time: almost two whole minutes! ;)

Now to the first real scene. I was hoping for a chase scene, but the episode starts with Dale and Sew back with Jason and Ann, and they brought Jason's secret suitcase with them. Does anyone else think that Ann sounds really young? I think she sounds just like Alicia Jennings in The Myster of the Clock Tower. She doesn't fit very well with Dale. I liked her old voice much better. I wonder what happened to the actress? I loved how Dale had to explain the Alamo to Sew. That's another thing you don't think about very often--Americans are typically some of the only people who know and care about American history. Hmmm. Jason wants Ann to hide the secret stuff from him so that he won't know where it is, if asked. I wonder who he suspects he might run into....

Is anyone else wondering what I'm wondering? Are you going to eat those french fries? Are you going to eat that cake? Why is Sew so crazy about food and yet at the same time so easily able to fit in Jason's suitcase? :P Already I'm starting to not like Ann so much. Turn himself in? What kind of an idea is that? And then she almost sounded like Wooton when she said, "I'm still stuck on the part about Reggie Fingers being a real name." Ugh. But then she gets helpful when she knows what the Julius House is. Asian artifacts, Mr. Grote comes from Hong Kong. I'm thinking Jason's going to find Mr. Grote there....And apparently Jason's thinking the same thing. Off to the next scene!

Oh, wait, no, not off the the next scene. Off to a commercial. Even more time-filling! Okay, now back to the episode. Sew's gone? That can't be good. Maybe they'll meet up with her later. I don't think they'd just take her totally out of the show like that without a goodbye-and-thank-you scene.

Now we're at the auction. And they find some climate-controlled vases connected to *insert epic music* The Prominent Company. Really? The Prominent Company? That is a very generic name for such a high-profile organization. I guess that could be the point, but whatever.

Okay, the auction's about to start. Seriously? We're already in the hundreds of thousands?! What kind of money do these people have? Is this in pounds or dollars? So, Lord Brownlough is winning everything from The Prominent Company. And Jason goes off to talk with him? That's sort of unusual. I would have thought he'd stay more undercover than that.

I can't tell if Lord Brownlough knows anything or not. His comments before and after he knew anyone was listening weren't suspicious, and he seemed to have a good enough explanation for his actions. Maybe he's being totally controlled by someone else.

Next scene, our favorite Odysseyans are leaving the auction, but an alarm goes off. Somebody collapsed at the loading dock, maybe from something toxic. I would have hesitated to believe it, thinking it was a show staged by Mr. Grote to cover something up, but apparently Jason's going with it.

Now Jason turns to the "Alamo" backup plan. I don't know why he's having Dale enter the codes on the computer when he could do it himself. I guess we'll find out. Uh-oh. Jason's getting unsure of himself. That's never good. He agrees with Dale that everything may end in tragedy.

Okay, so now Sew's back, and she knows about the accident with the toxic chemicals. Apparently the whole thing was real, and it was one of Reggie Fingers' men who passed out. And now the crate is in the hands of the Hazardous Materials Squad. I wonder where that will go.

Then Sue, again, gets ready to show off her skills and she and Jason head to "the back way in" to Intensive Care.

Wow! That was a surprise. Agent Billings shoved Jason back into the hallway. It would seem that he still trusts Jason enough to get him out of trouble. But I wonder what he was doing there... *more epic music*

If I could say "what the heck" I would. Well, I guess I just did. That next scene was really weird. Apparently Billings is really, really mad at Jason for not contacting him. Really mad. But he has some really good information about Koflax and its connection to Mr. Grote. Oh no! That's the connection the event at the British museum! It wasn't the Hazardous Materials Squad that took the crate; it was more of Reggie Fingers' men! Grote's going to suffocate all those world leaders!

This story is getting better all the time. The plot elements are way more exciting than those of the Green Ring Conspiracy. Suffocating the President of the U.S.A. and the Prime Minister of England, along with several leaders from Asia is on such a much larger scale than the GRC that it's hard to believe Grote was in charge of both. Wait, now Sew is the traitor?! I wonder what Reggie had to do to her to get her to go along with him. Or has she been working for him the whole time?

YES! We finally meet Mr. Grote! I really like his voice. It's the perfect mix of deep and Asian to sound sinister and villainy. What? Jason just lunged at Grote? I agree with him, "Such violence is uncharacteristic of you, Jason....Please." What was that? Well, at least he still has some sense left in him: the codes Dale entered into the laptop were destructive to Grote's whole computer system. Oh wait. No, it's not just destructive. It sends all of his files to the authorities...and then it destroys the system. And I love it that all Mr. Grote says is, "This is unfortunate." He is the greatest villain ever! Wait. The "worm" doesn't activate until midnight? What's up with that? Why not just have it activate as soon as it was uploaded?

Now Reggie Fingers is off to find out more information from Jason, "by whatever means necessary." But now the episode is done, and we have to wait until next week to see what kind of torture will be inflicted upon him. Thankfully this isn't as much of a cliffhanger as we got last week. But we still don't know what will happen to those gathering at the British Museum that night. This is so great!

Thanks for reading my review! As always, your comments are greatly appreciated, so feel free to share your thoughts about the episode or my review.