Nothing New, Nothing Old

Yes, I'm finally going to get around to my last review of the season. Although I was expecting to write it tomorrow, I found out that I won't have the opportunity to sit down and write for a half hour tomorrow morning, so I figured my only time, if I'm going to keep my promise, is this morning. So, here's my review of Something Old, Something New!

Contrary to most people it seems, I actually liked this two-parter. Now, let me qualify that by saying that it did have problems. But I don't think those problems were too big to make it a terrible episode, like others were portraying it. I think I already mentioned here that Mitch's return was a total surprise to me. For once, I had no idea that a surprise was coming. I was expecting a so-so episode about Connie, Penny, and Wooton and "Dreams by Constance."

I hadn't had time to listen to the episode early in the morning like I usually do, so I was tuning in to the radio broadcast with my whole family on the way to soccer. And I was liking what I was hearing. It was an original  episode idea, and it was intertwined with a fairly engaging Jones and Parker mystery. It wasn't the best premise in the world, but I was interested enough that I'd look forward to the next week to see how the stories would connect. And Wooton wasn't even all that annoying! Then, as I'm getting out of the van when we get to soccer, I'm about ready to walk away, because the episode's almost over, and I'm already a little late. But as I retrieved my water bottle (which I always forget) from the van, I heard Connie taking calls on Kids' Radio with Wooton. I was intrigued, so I listened. When the second caller started talking, I literally said to my brother, "Heh, that almost sounded like Mitch for a second." Imagine my shock when five seconds later I learned that it was Mitch! I was ecstatic. So much so that I immediately went and told one of my friends with whom I play soccer, but who knows next-to-nothing about Odyssey, all about what had just happened. :P

So maybe now you can see at least a little bit of why, despite how anticlimactic the second part of this episode was, I still really enjoyed it because of my experience with the first part. But then the second part really wasn't all that bad. There were a lot of plot twists. But I didn't think that was necessarily a bad thing. The writers actually had my dad and me totally believing one of the plot twists. I was sure that Maureen was a counterfeit painter, that she was secretly going out with another man ("Cute Guy"), and that Mitch was posing as her fiancee, but was really on an undercover operation to expose her. And my hypotheses seemed to be bolstered by the fact that I thought Mitch's acting sounded quite fake.

But then, as you know, the story took an unexpected turn, and not only were Mitch and Maureen truly going to get married, but they were both agents, working together to expose Jacques Henri, and Maureen wasn't doing anything illegal. So, in that sense, it was pretty anticlimactic for me, since I had all those ideas about Maureen being a fake. And I think, as a 7/8-year Odyssey fan, I still subconsciously wanted Connie and Mitch to be together, despite the fact that I knew it wouldn't work and that their previous failed attempt at marrying should have solidified in my mind that it wouldn't happen.

I think most fans, whether they like to admit it or not, were satisfied with the way things turned out with Connie and Mitch. Not only did it make for a more interesting story when they didn't get married, but it also kept Connie on the show. I mean, do we really think that the writers would have given us stories from Budapest about Mitch's adventures and Connie's trials at home? I, for one, am glad the decision was made to let Connie stick around and to let Mitch go. Yes, I, like everyone else who was very involved in the Novacom Saga and Connie and Mitch's dating relationship, really wanted them to get married. But I think I, like most fans, didn't consider all the implications of what would happen if they did. And now that I have thought about it more deeply, I don't want it to happen. Hopefully sometime in the future, we'll get to hear that Connie got an e-mail or something from Mitch saying that he and Maureen got married, so that we won't have any room left for "hoping" that Connie and Mitch have any chance together.

So that was another reason I liked the episode as a whole. Part I got me really excited that Mitch was back in town. And then Part II gave me time to think logically through the situation, resolved the situation by ensuring me that Maureen and Mitch were together for good, and satisfied me by finally concluding the Connie and Mitch saga.

Now, all that said, I don't think this was the absolute best way to resolve everything. There could have been a better story. Maureen could have been a bit more likeable, Steve Burns could have done a better job acting, so as to make me sympathize more with Mitch and make him feel like less of a dry character, but overall, I think it was a decent, if not good, conclusion. Fans should be moderately pleased with it.

As for other things I have to say about the episode, it was a little overly silly in some parts. I think less time could have been spent with Wooton and his unneeded preparations for the "wedding." And in that sense, I thought Wooton was distracting in this episode, but he wasn't as bad as he has been recently. He was more silly than intrusive and annoying, so I was okay with him. Plus, there wasn't much between him and Penny in the episode, so that was a relief.

This episode made me realize how very detached Andre Stojka's Whit feels from Paul Herlinger and Hal Smith's Whit. When Whit told Mitch, "Nice to see you again," I felt like he had no right to be saying that. I didn't like it. Andre as Whit still seems like a new character who was introduced with Album 51, who really doesn't have much of a connection with the Odyssey before that album. For the most part, I like his interactions with the newer characters--even Monty and Jason, to an extent. But something about his interactions with Mitch in this episode made me really miss Paul Herlinger.

I know the computer virus thing was something else that bothered people. But I didn't really care about that dropped plot line. It seemed like it was only needed in order to send the Wooton-and-Connie e-mail out to the whole town, and it served its purpose. Some people apparently thought it should have come into play as part of the FBI investigation in the second part of the episode, but I really didn't feel like it was a part of the plot that needed a resolution. Maybe it was just me, though.

Well, I think that's about all I have to say. I was very pleased with Album 55--with pretty much every episode--and this was a good way to end it. Maybe not the best way, but a good way. I was satisfied; I think most fans were satisfied in some way or another, so everything is okay. And now I really look forward to Album 56! Who knows, maybe this one will be better than 55? It's certainly looking like it has that potential.

Thank you for reading my review! Sorry it took me such a long time to get it out. I hope you enjoyed it!

--Christian

Something Old, Something New

Great news! We finally have all 12 episode titles for Album 55, just in time for the season to start airing next month! Something Old, Something New, Parts I and II are the final two episode titles to be released from AIO for The Deep End. Episodes from this new album begin airing on March 10th. Now all we have to wait for is episode summaries!

As you've probably noticed, I am really bad at keeping this thing regularly updated. Well, that's what you get when you have a 15-year-old in 11th grade trying to run a blog and do schoolwork, as well as many other things. The thought has entered my mind that I might stop this blog, because I can't imagine that I'll have time to review the new episodes when they begin airing next month, and I haven't even finished reviewing Album 54's episodes (I suspect I never will). So I'm posting a new poll, asking my readers whether I should totally end the blog or just continue posting on a monthly basis, as I have basically been doing.

I greatly value your input, so please vote in the poll if you get the chance. Thank you for reading!

Happy New Year!

*sighs* Leave it to me to say I'm going to post on New Years' and forget to do it until more than halfway through the month. And the only reason I remembered is because there was some new news to let you guys know about. And now I can't even find the Wooton New Years' picture I was going to post. *curls up in shame*

But anyways, the AIO Wiki posted some new Gary Locke artwork today! We now have a picture of Penny Wise:

What do you think of it? I think it's pretty accurate. It matches the voice pretty well. I imagined her a little more heavyset, shorter, and without glasses, but hey, Gary Locke and I obviously don't share a mind, so I think it's pretty good. It works.

In other news, the Avery Awards are open, so make sure to go vote in those A.S.A.P. if you haven't yet. I'm not going to take the time to post all of my picks and predictions like I did last year--mainly because I don't have time, but also because Ben Warren at The Changing Times already did that, and I agree with most of what he said.

The AIO Wiki also posted some new info on Album 56 today, including some episode titles, and a little about what will be in the episodes. We'll get to hear a Room of Consequence episode for the first time since Album 41, I believe. It will feature at least an older Barrett and an older Matthew, it seems, so that's definitely something to look forward to.

There's a new episode summary for the episode Mistaken for Good in Album 55. It's about as simple as a summary could get: "Jay Smouse is mistaken for being a good guy." That's all I got for the upcoming season, but I'm sure there'll be more to come soon. We still need the name of the final two-part episode of the much anticipated The Deep End album, so be on the lookout!

Thank you to all of my faithful readers who bear with me...even when I only post once a month. :P Hopefully I can post again soon. And maybe I'll find that picture of Wooton that I said I'd post. Anyway, your comments are greatly appreciated, so say something if you can! Thanks again!

New Album 55 Episode Titles

I'm sorry I still haven't gotten around to posting the reviews I promised. I am done with the Bible Bee now but, having been away from school for so long, much of my attention is currently focused on that. Plus, the holidays are coming up, and I really doubt I'll have any time soon to sit down and dedicate my time to listening to an episode and writing a review. But if I ever do have that time, I will certainly do my best to get a review of Forgiving More...Or Less up here.

On the bright side of things, I just saw this afternoon that AIO Wiki posted some information given on the Odyssey Scoopcast regarding more titles of Album 55 episodes. These three new titles are Child's Play, Mistaken for Good, and To Mend or Repair. Added to the seven titles we already knew, these new ones leave us with only two titles to go in Album 55. Here is a list of all the titles so far, if you haven't been keeping up:

Sgt. York, Parts I, II, III, and IV
The Labyrinth, Parts I, II, and III
Child's Play
Mistaken for Good
To Mend or Repair

This album is really building up to possibly be the best release since the relaunch. Now I can't wait for some descriptions of these upcoming episodes!

Now You Can See It

If any of you were lucky enough to see the cover of Album 55 during the few hours that Marvin (The AIO Fan's Life) and I had it posted before we were asked to remove it, congratulations! It's great to know that you follow our blogs so closely. But if you didn't see it, here it is, officially. We were asked to take it down last week because The Official Podcast wasn't going to release it until today. Now it's released, and I'm fairly certain I can give you the picture. So here it is:



I posted my thoughts about the cover last week, but since I had to delete that post, I'll review it again. I think Whit looks great; but why is he wearing his full outfit--including a thick, leather jacket--in the pool? Connie looks a little to Asian, in my opinion; her eyes get more and more stretched out and slanted with every new picture we see. Eugene looks weird in sunglasses, but it reminds me of the days when we couldn't ever see his eyes; but one thing I noticed is that he has a lot of wrinkles for a guy in his thirties. And Wooton...typical Wooton. He is what makes this cover art so great. Although I actually think AIO Wiki's mockup cover (bottom) makes it look better. It seems to add some needed depth perception, and I hope the official cover will follow suit.

But I don't really get it. Is this a scene from an episode? Or is it merely representative of the album's theme, as in the case of Days to Remember? And who's the kid cannonball-ing into the pool? Is it maybe one of the "old friends" mentioned in the album description?

I'm really looking forward to this album. I'd love to hear your opinions of the cover and the album. Tell me your thoughts in the comments!

Repack Covers and Album 55!

The new covers for both Album 23 and Album 29 have been released! (These ones are actually official [if AIO Wiki can be trusted ;)].) They are a small improvement from the fake ones released before, but I still think those were wonderful! Here they are:




And then here we have the official back cover art for Album 54:



All of these look fabulous! I am continually amazed at Gary Locke's ability to create such quality and yet fun art.

Now for the more exciting part of the post: Information about Album 55! AIO Wiki has put a summary of all that we know about Album 55 (and Album 56) on their "Future" page. The most notable piece of information that I'll include here concerns one of the three-part episodes that we've heard about before:

While The Labyrinth, the episode featuring Jason and Mr. Grote, will remain the same--a three-parter--Sgt. York will not. "This was originally a 3 part episode. However, after editing the voice tracks, the AIO team discovered that the episode is 18 minutes too long. Rather than cut out 18 minutes out of the story, they decided to make it into AIO's first 4-part episode. Because of this, an episode from album 55 will be pushed back to be released in a future album."

Wow!! I have some friends who don't really listen to Odyssey, mainly because of the modern turn it's taken over the last ten years (sometimes featuring snarky and worldly characters); however, I know that they really enjoy the story of Alvin York, so I'm very excited to know that this will be an extended episode about which I will potentially be able to give them a good report. And from what I've heard them tell me about Sgt. York, it should be a very interesting and riveting episode. I can't wait to see how the writers handled it; it has the potential of becoming as much of, if not more of, a favorite than the Jubilee Singers.

Well, I don't know about you, but, minus Album 54, I'm excited about where Odyssey is going in the future, particularly with Album 55. We'd better all stay tuned for what's coming in the days ahead!

Wow! Album 55 Summary!

I am very excited! FreddyJay over at The Campbell County Connection just posted this information he came across on AIO Wiki:

There's now a page on AIO Wiki for Album 55, and there's a summary for the album already! And it sounds very exciting:

"When Jason Whittaker tracks the villainous Mr. Grote to London, England, he discovers another ominous plot. With the help of some old friends, will he unravel it in time? Back in Odyssey, Eugene and Red reveal the story of a World War I hero—Sergeant Alvin York."

And, nearly just as exciting, the updated album art for Album 29, "Signed, Sealed, and Committed" has been released as well:



Sorry I don't have a bigger picture. Blogger wouldn't let me post one that was any more detailed than that. You'll have to go to the Odyssey Scoop to see the one Jacob posted there.

This new cover is just as unrevealing as the previous one was, as I was hoping it would be. I love the colors and how it's all centered on the cake. The word is, according to Jacob, that this album will feature the new Odyssey logo, contrary to previous reports. And every repack from now on will also feature the new logo--even the albums that have already been repacked. I'm not sure what I think of that idea, but I can't wait to see what future repacks will look like!

This was the best news we've had in a long time, and I'm glad I was able to see it tonight before going to bed. :D

Brock Eastman Interview

The Odyssey Scoop has posted the second part to their interview with Brock on the ScoopCast! I don't remember seeing that they had posted a first part, but it's exciting anyway. There was a little bit of new information shared, so I'll record it here as usual.

• Brock has already heard six of Album 54's episodes, and he finds them quite exciting.


• This upcoming album's episodes are definitely more along the lines of slice-of-life episodes, rather than the big conspiracy we just had.


• The writers are already working on Album 55 shows, and Brock thinks that they are very exciting as well.


• There is an episode in the upcoming season where we hear from Grandma Parker again, and there is a hilarious part combining Mr. Parker and tortillas.


• Album 54 should really help us start connecting with the personalities of the members in the Parker family.


• The Hispanic aspect of this new family was introduced to try to reach out to that Hispanic part of our culture which has always loved Odyssey, but seldom felt included in the stories.


• Kevin McCreary plays a very minor character by the name of Kevin in the new Grandma Parker episode. His first Odyssey appearance was in The Green Ring Conspiracy Part I at 10:30. He calls out as part of the press as Detective Polehaus is leaving the crash site, "Detective, Detective! Wait, wait!" (I believe he was also the first person cast to play Robert Mitchell in Green Eyes and Yellow Tulips, according to the Novacom Saga's bonus CD.)


• Brock has "cameoed" in a few episodes as well. In The Inspiration Station, he was one of the kids whom Connie had to clean up after in her dream, but his voice was replaced. And in The Mystery of the Clock Tower, he was a voice in the crowd at the end of Part 2. :P Diane, however, has been in many, many roles.


• The Imagination Station series' Book 5, Showdown with the Shepherd was written by Brock, and Book 6, Problems in Plymouth was written by Marshal Younger. Plus, work has already been started on Books 7-12. Either Book 7 or 8 will feature Patrick fighting a dragon!


• Brock's non-Odyssey series The Quest for Truth's first book, Taken, is out, and can be found at all major book retailers. He started writing the series in 2005, and he just last year finally found a publisher for them. (His blog about this series can be found here. [Be warned, the main picture may scare you away!])


• The original premise for the series was going to feature four missionary kids in Africa, but Brock ended up having his character flying through space on a ship called the Phoenix! His purpose for writing the series was to give kids something to read that was a fun action/adventure story, but avoided the unnecessary elements that much teen fiction has today.

After the interview (which will be concluded in a third part in a couple of weeks), Kevin played a commercial/preview of the book series. You can hear that at 11:49 on the ScoopCast, if you're interested.

Well, I have to admit, I am getting a little bit more excited for the release of Album 54. I'm trying to get more optimistic about things so that I can come to the season with a neutral mind, but I'm not sure how well that's going to go if we have to hear from Penny and Emily. :P

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for any new Odyssey news. Please comment!

Paul McCusker Interview

For one of the first times ever, I'm listening to The Whit's End Podcast. AIO Wiki posted a link to a podcast interview with Paul McCusker. The sound quality isn't as great as The Official Podcast, but it was still very interesting to listen to. There was some new information revealed, so I'll record that here for those who aren't interested in listening to the podcast.

• The new and updated Official Guide is set to come out sometime in the next year, year-and-a-half, around the time of Odyssey's 25th Anniversary. It will include some repeated information (mainly episode descriptions), but Nathan Hoobler is planning to include a lot of new behind-the-scenes stuff that wasn't in the first guide, because he doesn't like repeats.


• Mr. McCusker wasn't sure how early they will be releasing Album 54--whether they'd release it in download form as early as Album 53 was released or just in album form before or after the album airs. You should e-mail them if you really want to know the answer or give your thoughts.


• There are no immediate plans to do anymore Passages books or audio episodes as of now, mainly because of Mr. McCusker's time management.


• Phillip Glossman and Dr. Regis Blackgaard will never return!


• Bernard is always a possibility for the show, but there are no plans yet to put him in a new episode.


• Two dozen episodes of Adventures in Odyssey translated over into a video production in India have been completed and are being aired on television over there.


• China was interested to have Odyssey translated into their language to share with their youth. Hispanic countries are receiving many episodes in the Spanish language as well.


• Oliver Twist will be the next FOTF Radio Theatre project, hopefully coming out next year. For those of you very attentive listeners, there was a reference made to this project in Album 53. Tell me in the comments if you know what it was.


• In England the word "skint" means that you're poor; that's where the name for Mr. Skint came from.


• The reason Odyssey characters don't open up the new episodes is that the writers were trying to simplify things a little bit and get back to the original Chris-only openings.


• It's very exciting for the writers to see Andre Stojka as he continues to do better and better in the role of Whit. Just as Hal Smith and Paul Herlinger developed their own styles of Whit and came to him with different approaches, the writers definitely notice that Andre has his own unique style that he brings to Whit, and they mold his lines to fit that approach. It was in this most recent Album 53 that Mr. McCusker felt that Andre really clicked as the right choice for a new Whit.


• There are not any more current storylines for Montyn, but Mr. McCusker says that since his return was so well-loved and -received, they plan to bring him back at some point. Maybe in another twenty years? :P


• Although three shows from Album 54 were removed to create room for the three Wooton/Penny shows, we will likely be hearing them in either Album 55 or 56.


• Continuing in the never-ceasing joke about the paradox of Odyssey time, Paul McCusker explains how whereas there isn't really any jump of time between the end of Album 50 and Album 51, in Part IX of the GRC, Jason mentions that ten years ago, he took on the role of the Stiletto. They are very vague about the passing of time during these last few albums, so Mr. McCusker suggests we just lay back and roll with it, without trying to get wrapped up in the time scheme of things.


• With Album 54, the writers decided to go with the idea that each episode is inspired by 1 Corinthians 13, but very often, Chris's wrap-up at the end will point to a specific verse. For example, one of the Penny episodes called Childish Things points to the actual verse where Paul says, "Put away childish things." But some are a little broader than that, because they aren't trying to accomplish "expository preaching," but rather a broad overview of the meaning of love, as expressed in the chapter.

Well, we got a bunch of information in that podcast, so I'm glad the AIO Wiki posted about it. It was especially nice to learn some new things about Album 54, including what the third Wooton/Penny episode will be. Now I know what three weeks to be on vacation. :P Just kidding. Anyway, thanks for reading! Please comment!

Album 55 Cover?

Brock just released this picture on the AIO Facebook Page, and I saw it on AIO Wiki. But I can't really tell what anything in it is because it's so small!



I was able to zoom in with a program on my computer, but I couldn't post the picture that way, so you'll have to try to do that yourself. I think the piece of paper by Mr. Hoobler's arm is the cover for Album 55, but I can't figure out what's on his computer!

Please tell me what you think!

P.S. I'm having surgery today at 11:00 AM (EST), so if you think of me, please pray!

A Few More Tidbits

There's a new podcast that the Odyssey Scoop has drawn our attention to called The Audio Theatre Central that recently had an interview with Paul McCusker. It is a very informative podcast, and some very interesting things are learned. I'll give you the major highlights in case you don't have time to listen to it:

• Album 54 is going to take a break from the themes and characters discussed in Album 53 because it was originally placed before Album 53, so the few loose ends and questions left at the end of The Green Ring Conspiracy will not be resolved and answered until Album 55.


• Album 55 will continue storylines with characters brought back and/or introduced in Album 53.


• Album 56 will potentially be focused on inventions. Each of Whit's inventions by themselves are so interesting and have so many possibilities that they deserve albums of their own, but they're going to try to cram a bunch of them into one album. The Inspiration Station will likely be included among the inventions, as well as Whit's "Talking Portraits."


• Album 54 will not have any episodes with the Inspiration Station in it.


• According to Mr. McCusker, the episode titles that Brock blurted out in the Avery Awards podcast may not be actual episode titles, because the titles are never sure until Chris is recorded saying them at the end of the episodes. Some episodes from this album have been recorded already however, so it is likely that the titles are real episode names.

Well, that's about it for now. Thank you for reading! Please comment!