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!