Parent's Work

I guess I'm finally going to get around to reviewing this episode. I probably shouldn't have read so many others' reviews before I decided to review the episode, because now I'm afraid my thoughts aren't going to be very original. But I'll do my best to at least put things basically in my own words.

However... I will start out with this quote from Ben Warren from his review at The Changing Times. I thought he summed up my core feelings about this episode very well in this paragraph:

Ultimately, "Child's Play" is significant because it delves a little more into Eugene and Katrina's married life, and these sorts of stories are always more worth telling than stories about children or characters we may never hear from in 5 years. It also included scenes that highlighted the beauty of marriage; there's something very nice about listening in as they sit in their bedroom, getting ready for bed, discussing their concerns and fears with one another. That's the point where Eugene and Katrina feel, not only interesting, but real.

And that's what I thought made this episode another great story to add to the other excellent stories in Album 55. We haven't had an episode totally focused on Eugene and Katrina since their wedding episode "For Better or for Worse" in Album 44. And I thought it was very nice. The episode was slow-paced, and it gave us a look at what Eugene and Katrina's relationship is like behind closed doors. We got tastes of this in "How to Sink a Sub" and "You're Two Kind," and we got a closer look in "To Mend or Repair," but since this was a whole episode dedicated to their experience with babysitting children, it felt different, like we got to learn more about them than we have in a long time.

I really liked the kids in the episode. They were both very realistic, and they had great actors. Unless I'm a terrible judge of this, I was pretty certain that adult actors were not used for the kids. ;) That was a great choice. I don't think I would have liked the episode as much if the kids weren't played by real kids. I also liked the distinct, different personalities each kid had. It was a humorous situation for Eugene to have to keep up with such an active Kyle, and it was an interesting challenge for Katrina to stay sane while Joy asked her so many questions.

I thought Wooton was great in this episode. For once, I didn't think Wooton was annoying. He did his part, and he didn't intrude into anyone else's part. He felt like the old Wooton to me. You know, the one that was around at the same time as...Cal Jordan! Oh, it was so great to hear an old character mentioned! No longer do we have to think that all of the people at Whit's End suffered some sort of amnesia that caused them to forget everything and everyone that came before Album 51! But, yeah, it was nice to see that nod to the last generation of Odyssey kids...even though Cal's record was beaten about five minutes after we know it existed.... :P

Connie was also interesting. I thought it was, again, realistic, that she got tired of Joy's questions really fast. I would have been the same way. Which is why it was all the more admirable that Katrina was able to cope with them for so long. It almost leaves you wondering why the writers teased us with this episode, when you know the Meltsners won't be getting any kids of their own, apart from a miracle. Eugene and Katrina seem like they'd be so good with kids, but they can't have their own kids, so what's the point of knowing that?

But aside from that, I really liked this episode. It was entertaining, and yet not silly or too fast-paced. Just seeing a husband and wife, whom we've grown to love over the years, grow together and love each other was material enough for a superb episode. I hope there are more stories like these in the future. But...then again, I don't, because I think it was the uniqueness of this episode that made it so good. :)

What did you think of the episode? What did you think of what I thought of the episode? I'd love to hear about it! You can write me at Adventures in Odyssey Colorado Springs, Colora.... No wait, you can write me right under this post! ;)  Please comment!

Two New Episode Titles

I was browsing the Town of Odyssey recently and saw a thread discussing the release of a new episode title and summary on the Album 56 page on AIO Wiki. The episode is called Home Again, Parts I and II, and the description is simply "Jason returns to Odyssey." As a warning however, I would highly advise you not to find out too much about this episode, because I already had a surprise spoiled for me by viewing that thread. I'm not sure how big a surprise it was supposed to be, but someone clicked past the spoiler alert and declared to everyone what he found there. So if you don't want to know, don't go looking, and be careful. ;)

In addition to that episode title, I also found out some information about Album 57 on the "Future" page at AIO Wiki. Do you guys remember the "Odyssey College Writer's Scholarship Contest"? I don't know if I ever said anything about it, since I didn't think many of my readers were eligible for the contest, but it was a contest for college-age kids who wanted to write a script for an Odyssey episode, to be used in a future album. Well, there's a winner named Angela Phillips from Minnesota, who won first place with the episode script called "A Jay in the Life."

Both of these episodes sound interesting to me. I can't say I'm as excited for these upcoming albums as I was for Album 55, but with all of the information that has been released so far, I'm looking forward to Album 56. I'm especially looking forward to this episode: "An episode takes place in the future with Jay, Matthew and Katrina, Jeremy Pessoa (Andy Pessoa's brother) player older Barrett and an actor from the past plays old Matthew." I had forgotten about that story until the other day when I was looking at the future page.

Anyways, what are you looking forward to in the future of Odyssey? And what do you think about these three new episodes? Please comment and let me know!

Predictions

I was planning on writing and posting this earlier in the week--preferably not the night before Something Old, Something New, Part II comes out--but if you know anything about me, you know that some of my worst traits are laziness and procrastination. So, like a true procrastinator, I've waited until just about the last minute to get this out. Since I'm not writing a formal review of Something Old, Something New, Part I, I did want to talk about what I think might happen in the next part before it is officially released.

As you could probably tell from my previous post, I was really excited that Mitch came back in last week's episode. I even expressed to friends of mine who don't know much about Odyssey at all my excitement. Hopefully all of my excitement won't give me an expectation that is too high for tomorrow's episode to meet.

My first prediction, which I think makes the most sense of anything I'm conjecturing, is that Mitch is back in town because of the allegedly illegal activity going on involving "Cute Guy" and "Mystery Woman" Some have said that maybe Mitch and his fiancee are those two's true identities, which could be possible, since thus far only Matthew, Emily, and Penny have seen them. However, I think that's unlikely. It really seems like the mystery couple are doing something illegal with their paintings, so unless that impression is totally wrong, I don't think Mitch is involved in that.

A second thing I wanted to express was that although on the one hand, it would be nice and somewhat emotionally satisfying for Connie and Mitch to get back together, I don't want that to happen. For one thing, I don't think he's going to ditch his fiancee so quickly, even though we might hope that he would. And secondly, as I believe someone else has said, Mitch and Connie already determined that it was not God's will for them to get married. If, all of a sudden, God reveals to them that they are supposed to be together, it would not make a lot of sense to listeners who already have a hard time figuring out God's will and how all of the specifics of that should play out. If the relationship wasn't meant to be before, I don't think that should ever change, no matter how much we fans might want the two to be together.

My dad, on the other hand is a different story. He thinks that these two episodes are a setup for several episodes to come in Album 56 which will rebuild Mitch and Connie's relationship. I informed him that Paul McCusker (wasn't it?) had said that they wouldn't get back together until Eugene and Katrina had kids, and that since it's obvious now that they can't have kids, Connie and Mitch won't ever get married. Therefore, he now thinks that not only will Connie and Mitch renew their relationship, but Eugene and Katrina, in tomorrow's episode, will receive the news that, despite all odds, by a miracle of God, they're expecting a baby. And so, he thinks, with that obstacle removed, the next logical step will be for Mitch to somehow dump his fiancee and marry Connie. I don't think he's right at all, but I thought I'd amuse you by sharing that.

So my expectations are high for tomorrow's episode, despite my fears that it may not be that great of a resolution. I hope there is a very satisfactory ending if this plot will not be carried on into Album 56. I don't really see how much can be fit into one small 25-minute time slot, but I'll hold out hope just the same.

If you haven't listened to Part II yet, what are your expectations? Your fears? Your predictions? I'd love to hear them! Please comment!

NO WAY!

I'm not going to review any episodes today, because I woke up late and now, after soccer, I don't have enough time before I go to work, but I still wanted to post something about how awe-stricken I was after hearing the episode today.

Almost three hours after hearing the end of today's episode on the radio, I'm still in shock about the surprise at the end. This was the best surprise ever! Or, at least since the relaunch. I'm so glad I didn't catch wind of this before hearing the episode, because it was so great to experience the surprise with my siblings and parents.

I can't believe Mitch is back! I didn't see it coming at all! When I heard his voice on the phone, I said to my brother, "Wow, that almost sounded like Mitch." And then it was! I am sooo excited. I liked just about everything about this episode. But I won't review it now. I can't wait for next week! Could Album 55 get any better?

I'm Not Sure How Official This Is, But...

We may have a summary for Album 56! A girl over at the Town of Odyssey got an early hard copy of Album 55, and inside on the insert was a summary of Album 56. According to her, this is the summary:

"It seems like everyone in Odyssey is looking for something. As Emily pursues her hopes and dreams, she journeys in the Imagination Station to see Whit as a young boy. Penny goes hunting for happiness but her search makers her miserable. And Jay must figure out a strange program in the Room of Consequence that could lead to an unwanted ending. Through his invention and wise counsel, Whit guides the folks in Odyssey along the right path."

I don't know about you, but this is starting to get me very excited for the future. The story about Penny doesn't sound all that intriguing, but Emily's and Jay's adventures sound great! It'll be very nice to hear about the Imagination Station and the Room of Consequence again. And it seems like there could even be some new inventions in store for us as well. :D'

I'm starting to become pretty optimistic about the future of Odyssey. I think I would say that the shows have consistently gotten better with every season since the relaunch, with Album 55 being my favorite so far. I can't wait to see what the writers will have for us as the years progress!

EDIT: Okay, I just saw that AIO Wiki posted this same summary five minutes before I did, so I guess it must be official! Yay!

Album 56 Cover

I had already forgotten that this was soon to be released, but this morning I saw that American Eagle had posted it on The Town of Odyssey, so here, in a very short post, is the new cover!

I really like all of the colorful variety in the picture, and I love it that we get to see into Whit's workroom/the basement! Some people said Whit looks too childish. I disagree. He looks like he's doing what he loves: inventing. And he looks happy to see us. Sure, it's probably directed more toward younger kids, as usual, but I definitely think it's an improvement over Album 55's cover.

What are your thoughts?

P.S. Thanks very much to all of you who commented letting me know you were reading yesterday. As I said, I was feeling pretty down-in-the-dumps, so it was some much-needed encouragement.

Josh Is Gone...

And I'm sad....

But here's a picture we took this morning while he was here. :)

As you can see, we conveniently hid the bottom halves of our faces because my dad still doesn't want me to post a full picture of myself. Oh, and Josh's younger brother held up that blanket in the background because... I wouldn't want you to see what the inside of my house looks like. :}

Anyways, we had a lot of fun, and we were both very sad that he had to leave. And we've both been depressed since he left...

Well enough about me. You are probably wondering why I didn't get a review of Child's Play out on Saturday. Well, as I mentioned before, Josh from the Odyssey blog The AIO Fan's Life was at my house all weekend, so, no offense, but he was more important. :P  So I plan to get a review out probably next week while Something Old, Something New, Part I is airing, and then I'll do a review of both parts after the second episode airs.

Okay, that's about it for now. Oh, by the way, I'm interested to know how many people actually read my posts anymore, so if you could post a comment just saying that you read the post, that'd be great. It doesn't have to be anything elaborate, just something to let me know. Thanks. :)