To My Utter Dismay...

I am unable to blog for two weeks. Therefore there will be no new posts, no new poll, episode reviews, or new information. I won't even be able to listen to the episodes as they air. You won't see me commenting on yours or anyone else's blogs.

I will be back in two weeks and the good news is--you'll get three episode reviews on three consecutive days. Something came up at my house and I'd appreciate it if you didn't ask what. I won't be answering any comments. But I'll give you more time to vote in the poll. And no, this is not an April Fool's joke.

Come back on Monday the 26th for my review on "For the Birds". Sorry, everyone!

Sorry!

My family went on a sort of sudden vacation from Wednesday to Saturday, and I didn't have the chance to tell anyone. Unfortunately, we picked the wrong week to do so. A few big things were revealed, including: The Act Like Odyssey Finalists, The Big Surprise at The Odyssey Scoop, and the lesser known Secret Interview at the AIO Blog.

Check those out and then come back on Monday for my review on "For the Birds".

Awesome Picture!

Here is the picture drawn by Gary Locke from the April edition of Clubhouse Magazine:


A few weeks ago, I had tried to scan it into my computer and post it, but my computer doesn't let me post scanned images on the Internet. :0 This illustration is a play off of the cover of an old Beatles' album: Abbey Road.

Gary Locke did a great job. One thing you can't see with this version of the picture is that Harlow Doyle is looking for clues in the bushes on the left side of Wooton.


At the bottom of the poster, it reads: "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"--Romans 10:15. Each character has different things on their feet: Whit--dress shoes, Connie--slippers, Eugene--bare feet (as one of the Beatles in the original picture), and Wooton--roller skates.


Enjoy! Be sure to read my review on "Target of the Week" below!

This Episode is My Target of the Week

I came into this episode with average expectations, failing to remember that it was this week's episode that was promised by Original Joe to be the best of the season. I was looking forward to next week's being the highly anticipated episode. I'm glad that I didn't remember right, because, otherwise, I might have gone into the episode with expectations too high to like it as much as I did.

Here are several thoughts that I had concerning "Target of the Week":

• There was overall, I thought, excellent acting throughout the whole episode, partly due to great writing. Even Andre Stojka surprised me with his great job as Whit. Andre gives every inclination that, given the right script, he can be a great Mr. Whittaker. Also, I noticed that Georgina Cordova did a great job as Nelson once again. We hadn't seen him in a school setting before (excluding "The Science Club" episode in "The Truth Chronicles"), and the actress again did well playing a younger male of the opposite gender.
• It was said by Original Joe that Wooton would be in this episode, and therefore I did have high expectations for him. He did not, however, reach those expectations. He didn't seem to be his usual quirky self. (For those of you who vote in my polls, I accidentally misspelled "quirky" as "corky", and unfortunately cannot change it back. So if you like Wooton, but didn't choose "corky" because you didn't know what I meant, sorry!) I think the bad portrayal of Wooton was partly due to bad writing. I don't know if Marshal Younger is used to writing for Wooton or not, but Wooton just didn't sound like Wooton to me.
• I like the fact that the Odyssey writers are bringing Kidsboro characters into regular shows to interact with regular characters. I really liked the interactions between Nelson and Matthew. They genuinely sounded like two fellow students, as well as friends. Again, there was great acting. My favorite line in this episode was, "Warn me before you speak to me!"
• I also like the overall real-world feeling of this episode. It really seemed like a situation middle school kids would get into. I liked the realisticness in that there wasn't really a happy ending. Vance will still be a bully, Matthew didn't convert him unrealistically. Nelson and Matthew didn't get away with wrongdoing, got in trouble, and there was a great message about apologizing.
• I liked all of the new characters. Vance King (and cronies) seem like they'll turn out to be a good replacement for Rodney and his gang (assuming they're not coming back). I loved the new baseball coach. I think he was supposed to be Japanese, and if so, he did a magnificent job (mostly due to good writing). He genuinely sounded Japanese-American, not just his voice, but also because of his emphasis on nature and the way the world works. All of his dialogue sounded like something out of an ancient Japanese haiku poetry book.

Overall, this was a great episode! Great, original, realistic Odyssey writing. Out of 10 stars, this episode deserves a 9.5. Please comment!

More Updates

So, I got an e-mail from Brock this morning (I'm guessing all the other bloggers did too) concerning Album 52 episode titles and plot summaries. He only gave information on the episodes aforementioned on my last post:

• Now is the Time Parts 1 & 2--Eugene is making repairs on the town clocktower, when he discovers a mechanism set to shut down the clocktower at an upcoming deadline. Together with Whit, he follows clues carved into the inner clocktower to solve the mystery.
• Ghost in the Schoolyard--Strange things are happening at Odyssey Middle School: things disappearing or moving right in front of people's eyes, doors mysteriously being opened or closed, then Emily Jones discovers a plot to thwart the upcoming school talent show. Sounds like a job for The Jones & Parker Detective Agency!
• Think Fast!--The gang at Whit's End decides to begin practicing the Biblical discipline of fasting. Soon, the kids want to join in, and Whit nearly runs out of customers. Wooton is suffering, but for Eugene, it's a breeze. Everyone learns a valuable lesson about what it truly means to fast.
• All for One--Wooton starts his own radio show, yet to be named. He starts out by having callers decide the topics. But it turns to disaster when people start asking questions, about Wooton! Will Wooton share deep, dark secrets with the people of Odyssey?
• That Time of Year--It's Christmastime in Odyssey, and the Parker kids want to get something special for their parents. They work together with Whit on the surprise, but Whit doesn't know that Connie and Wooton are working to surprise him! But everything is up in the air when Eugene, who knows nothing of either plot, walks into Whit's End at the wrong time!

There is not yet any information concerning the Kidsboro episode(s), so we'll just have to guess on that one.

In other slightly sad news, Bob Hoose, one of the Odyssey team who writes on occasion, has retired. He wrote the latest episode "Game for a Mystery." And the popularity of that episode was to make the decision for him, as to whether or not he would stay on the team. Because this episode did not do well among fans, he has decided to step down.

Also, for those of you involved, or who wanted to get involved, in the Act Like Odyssey Contest, it's not over yet! The producers of AIO received so few entries, that they decided to lengthen the contest by one week. If your entry is postmarked or e-mailed by this Friday, April 2, 2010, you still have a chance to win!

Until next time, Christian A., signing off. (Please comment!)