Hello, and welcome to The Courtroom! This is the feature I am most excited about updating. It will be updated weekly or bi-weekly depending on how busy I am or what requests I get. Remember, you, the reader, choose the topics for this feature. So, enjoy!
Case 013: The Old Judge's Verdict on Odyssey Time
Though most of you probably know what the concept of "Odyssey Time" is, I will reiterate it for those that may not. Originally, Adventures in Odyssey was going to continue with the times and develop normally. A monkey wrench was thrown into the works when Katie Leigh was hired to play the part of Connie Kendall. Katie was in her mid/late 20s when she was hired, but she had the voice of a teenage girl. Her acting was so amazing that they hired her in spite of that. Little did the few people working on Odyssey at that time knowhow big of an issue it was going to cause.
As Adventures in Odyssey began to grow and develop, the producers realized that the show was going to continue on, and that Katie Leigh's voice was still going to sound like a sixteen year old. To deal with that, they made one tiny tweak: throw out any references to dates on the rest of the show. While it helped Connie by not making her look like a 31 year old woman in high school, it made things puzzling for the fans. Odyssey Time ran with normal time up until the 1988-1989 era. We learned that Jenny, the spouse of main character John Avery Whittaker, died on August 17, 1984. Whit served in World War II, and his son gave his life for our country in the Vietnam War. Even once the show started, certain references are made to current events. In "Kid's Radio", a news report states that "Gorbachev is making changes to the glasnost policy." But, the time anomaly slowly went into effect, right under the fan's noses.
To create a feeling of accuracy for the show, a 50+ page biography was written for John Avery Whittaker. This includes his birthdate, August 1st of a currently undisclosed year , and the birthdates of his three children. His children's birthdates were included in The Complete Guide to Adventures in Odyssey, but after the show continued, these dates began to contradict certain aspects of the show, so they were hidden later, and not released in any more editions of the Guide. The main reason is, like Connie, the actor that plays Jason still has a spry sounding voice. According to the original dates, Agent Jason Whittaker would have been in his mid-50s, an unlikely age to be fighting an international ring of terrorists.
The main thing Odyssey Time comes down to is this: Adventures in Odyssey is a radio drama. As such, certain characters can be replaced by similar-sounding actors, something impossible to do on television. This enhances their life span in a sense, almost making them immortal. For instance, Whit is the main character. Because he is so essential to the show, he has gone through three different voice actors. When he was young, he fought in World War II, as stated previously. Considering the draft age was 18, and he was drafted, and we know he fought for the Navy at least since 1944, he would be at least 87 years old. Yet anybody listening to Whit knows he doesn't sound that old. However, I have developed somewhat of a formula to decipher Odyssey Time. This is full of holes, but no one else has ever proposed anything better, so behold. Connie came to Odyssey in 1987 as a sixteen year old girl. She graduated in "The Graduate" in 1998, roughly ten years later. Being eighteen when she graduated, that is about two years for her, while it was ten years in our time. Thus, according to that, one Odyssey Year is five real years, and Connie is 21 years old. Whit would be about 66.
However, Odyssey currently has smart phones, and every few years they battle high-tech terrorists, even though by my scale it should only be 1992 in Odyssey Time. I know. Just like the people at Focus say, the best form of Odyssey is the one you dream up. I just hoped to shed some light on this undiscussed subject.
As Adventures in Odyssey began to grow and develop, the producers realized that the show was going to continue on, and that Katie Leigh's voice was still going to sound like a sixteen year old. To deal with that, they made one tiny tweak: throw out any references to dates on the rest of the show. While it helped Connie by not making her look like a 31 year old woman in high school, it made things puzzling for the fans. Odyssey Time ran with normal time up until the 1988-1989 era. We learned that Jenny, the spouse of main character John Avery Whittaker, died on August 17, 1984. Whit served in World War II, and his son gave his life for our country in the Vietnam War. Even once the show started, certain references are made to current events. In "Kid's Radio", a news report states that "Gorbachev is making changes to the glasnost policy." But, the time anomaly slowly went into effect, right under the fan's noses.
To create a feeling of accuracy for the show, a 50+ page biography was written for John Avery Whittaker. This includes his birthdate, August 1st of a currently undisclosed year , and the birthdates of his three children. His children's birthdates were included in The Complete Guide to Adventures in Odyssey, but after the show continued, these dates began to contradict certain aspects of the show, so they were hidden later, and not released in any more editions of the Guide. The main reason is, like Connie, the actor that plays Jason still has a spry sounding voice. According to the original dates, Agent Jason Whittaker would have been in his mid-50s, an unlikely age to be fighting an international ring of terrorists.
The main thing Odyssey Time comes down to is this: Adventures in Odyssey is a radio drama. As such, certain characters can be replaced by similar-sounding actors, something impossible to do on television. This enhances their life span in a sense, almost making them immortal. For instance, Whit is the main character. Because he is so essential to the show, he has gone through three different voice actors. When he was young, he fought in World War II, as stated previously. Considering the draft age was 18, and he was drafted, and we know he fought for the Navy at least since 1944, he would be at least 87 years old. Yet anybody listening to Whit knows he doesn't sound that old. However, I have developed somewhat of a formula to decipher Odyssey Time. This is full of holes, but no one else has ever proposed anything better, so behold. Connie came to Odyssey in 1987 as a sixteen year old girl. She graduated in "The Graduate" in 1998, roughly ten years later. Being eighteen when she graduated, that is about two years for her, while it was ten years in our time. Thus, according to that, one Odyssey Year is five real years, and Connie is 21 years old. Whit would be about 66.
However, Odyssey currently has smart phones, and every few years they battle high-tech terrorists, even though by my scale it should only be 1992 in Odyssey Time. I know. Just like the people at Focus say, the best form of Odyssey is the one you dream up. I just hoped to shed some light on this undiscussed subject.
Case 012: The Old Judge's Verdict on the New Adventures in Odyssey Fan Name
Okay, so for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, about a month ago, several prominent members of the AIO online community voted that all Odyssey fans should be termed "Odysseans", pronounced "ah-di-see-in" or "oh-de-see-in." However, a certain question remains. Why is a name for the individuals of the Odyssey fandom necessary? There are several reasons.
1). In a franchise of this size with as large of a following, it helps distinguish from a random spattering of fans to an organized mass of people in many different areas all devoted to this one product. Now the most famous of these fan groups are the Trekkies and the Whovians, fans of Star Trek and Doctor Who, respectively. Clingon is a language from Star Trek, but the Trekkies took it and made it into its own complete language with a lexicon. Conventions are held for it. People watch it for hours. The same thing is happening with Odyssey. It's not just the radio show anymore. The fans have taken it to the next level. A wiki has been created for it with over 5,000 pages. Approximately 10 fan podcasts have been created in the last six years, and over 30 fan websites. The name is completely justified. Now, I like the 1971 film "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," but unlike with Odyssey, there are maybe only a few hundred who share my love for it. That would be termed as a "cult following." Same thing with the old "Twilight Zone" series. Quite a few people love it intensely, (as do I), but you don't have thousands of people going to Twilight Zone conventions, like people did for Adventures in Odyssey last June. The main point is when there's only some people that love something, it doesn't need a name or special identification, but when it reaches the next level of popularity, there needs to be a distinguishing factor.
2). It is a mark of your devotion. Now you don't have to have a website or a podcast or become a member of every AIO fan site out there, but you know if this is you or not:
"Um, I'm Mickey. I am an Odyssean. I admit it. I have all 56 albums, and I'm counting down the days until Album 57 comes out. I personally voted to take our family vacation to Los Angeles just so I could get to visit the Salami Studios. I keep a lock of Katie Leigh's hair right in the middle of my Connie shrine. And I cried for three days after 'Something Old, Something New' aired. I am a member of all the ToO, SS, and CC. My posts make up 6% of the total ToO. I have all of the album titles memorized. I have dreams about it, and I go to my church's Reformers Unanimous to help with my, uh, 'problem'.
Okay, maybe not that bad, but you know. I am a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, (Okay, we've won 11 World Series. We are the superior MLB team. If any of you think differently, beg for forgiveness. Right now. Do it.) but if I miss a game, I'm perfectly fine with it, for the most part. However, if I would miss a part of The Green Ring Conspiracy or Someone to Watch Over Me, I'd be upset. Thank the Lord for CDs. You can be a fan and not be worthy of the title of "Odyssean." It should be an honor.
3). It helps clear up confusion. As seen on Austin Peachey's production "An Odyssey Date Night," the rest of the world knows a totally different Odyssey than we do. A fan of Odyssey either means you like good, edifying, value-teaching audio dramas; or you prefer antiquated, 2000+ year old mythological tales of fictional monsters and heroic men. Though they call it an epic, eh, not so much. (In some parts, yes, but other parts, no.) As far as I know, there's only one definition of "Odyssean," and if Austin would've known that, he wouldn't have gotten into that scuffle with Audrey Kennedy.
4). Let's be honest. It sounds cool. I've even told some people that know about my fan status about the new name. I just think it's awesome. You should, too. And after 25 years, we finally deserve a name, don't you think?
1). In a franchise of this size with as large of a following, it helps distinguish from a random spattering of fans to an organized mass of people in many different areas all devoted to this one product. Now the most famous of these fan groups are the Trekkies and the Whovians, fans of Star Trek and Doctor Who, respectively. Clingon is a language from Star Trek, but the Trekkies took it and made it into its own complete language with a lexicon. Conventions are held for it. People watch it for hours. The same thing is happening with Odyssey. It's not just the radio show anymore. The fans have taken it to the next level. A wiki has been created for it with over 5,000 pages. Approximately 10 fan podcasts have been created in the last six years, and over 30 fan websites. The name is completely justified. Now, I like the 1971 film "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," but unlike with Odyssey, there are maybe only a few hundred who share my love for it. That would be termed as a "cult following." Same thing with the old "Twilight Zone" series. Quite a few people love it intensely, (as do I), but you don't have thousands of people going to Twilight Zone conventions, like people did for Adventures in Odyssey last June. The main point is when there's only some people that love something, it doesn't need a name or special identification, but when it reaches the next level of popularity, there needs to be a distinguishing factor.
2). It is a mark of your devotion. Now you don't have to have a website or a podcast or become a member of every AIO fan site out there, but you know if this is you or not:
"Um, I'm Mickey. I am an Odyssean. I admit it. I have all 56 albums, and I'm counting down the days until Album 57 comes out. I personally voted to take our family vacation to Los Angeles just so I could get to visit the Salami Studios. I keep a lock of Katie Leigh's hair right in the middle of my Connie shrine. And I cried for three days after 'Something Old, Something New' aired. I am a member of all the ToO, SS, and CC. My posts make up 6% of the total ToO. I have all of the album titles memorized. I have dreams about it, and I go to my church's Reformers Unanimous to help with my, uh, 'problem'.
Okay, maybe not that bad, but you know. I am a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, (Okay, we've won 11 World Series. We are the superior MLB team. If any of you think differently, beg for forgiveness. Right now. Do it.) but if I miss a game, I'm perfectly fine with it, for the most part. However, if I would miss a part of The Green Ring Conspiracy or Someone to Watch Over Me, I'd be upset. Thank the Lord for CDs. You can be a fan and not be worthy of the title of "Odyssean." It should be an honor.
3). It helps clear up confusion. As seen on Austin Peachey's production "An Odyssey Date Night," the rest of the world knows a totally different Odyssey than we do. A fan of Odyssey either means you like good, edifying, value-teaching audio dramas; or you prefer antiquated, 2000+ year old mythological tales of fictional monsters and heroic men. Though they call it an epic, eh, not so much. (In some parts, yes, but other parts, no.) As far as I know, there's only one definition of "Odyssean," and if Austin would've known that, he wouldn't have gotten into that scuffle with Audrey Kennedy.
4). Let's be honest. It sounds cool. I've even told some people that know about my fan status about the new name. I just think it's awesome. You should, too. And after 25 years, we finally deserve a name, don't you think?
Case 011: The Old Judge's Verdict on the Child-Bearing Conditions of the Meltsners.
I know, I know. This was discussed and discussed during and after the shock it made in Album 55. The entire Odyssey fandom's jaws dropped simultaneously when Whit said the words, "Connie, Eugene and Katrina found out that they can't have children." Ouch. From us fans' point of view, how could this happen? In 1994, Katrina first came into Odyssey as a college student. If you can't remember that episode, go back and listen to "Truth, Trivia, and 'Trina". Both of them were head over heels in love for the other. Now, I didn't listen that far back, but as I listened to the episodes, I joined in with the rest of the fans, waiting for Eugene to propose to Katrina. A wrench was thrown in the gears when he made a fool of himself in "The Right Choice, Parts 1 & 2", where he makes a blithering idiot out of himself in front of a chapel full of people. (I cringed when I listened to it, and I would probably cringe if I listened to it again.) Finally, in the "Plan B" mini-series, they get married......right before they disappear for three years. When they finally returned, all we wanted was for them to go back to living a normal life, but that was interrupted by the return of Leonard Meltsner. In short, after that was settled, we had the Best Small Town contest, along with everything that followed. Enter two year hiatus. "Odyssey 2.0", as people called it, was launched. After the return of Katrina several albums later, and still no young Meltsners, as the fans do, we got antsy, and the producers got the message. A solution was made, but it was a somewhat radical one than what we would've thought. After this long introduction, I'm going to try and show you some reasons of why the Odyssey team decided to leave a deep emotional impact upon some of our most beloved characters.
See, I think we forget several things. One of which is that Odyssey is such an intricate program, (which has take twenty-five years to master that intricacy, mind you), that it can master all types of different styles and genres without being too overbearing on one in particular. It's one of a very few "jack-of-all-trades" left in entertainment. The writers, directors, and producers try to show us different aspects of life. See, though they haven't been married on the show, we've seen so many families on Odyssey, you can name them yourself. However, we've never had a couple that was faced with the struggle of being unable to have children. This is a very real struggle, so in an aspect to give life lessons and produce vivid adaptations of the world around us, it was an issue that needed to be addressed, as it never pops up in children's/teenage entertainment. The only other example I can think of is Disney and Pixar's "Up".
Another thing the Odyssey fandom needs to think of is this: When Album 51 rolled around, I heard complaints (and still do) of Odyssey becoming more "kidsy" and not focusing on more serious lessons like they had done previously. Well, starting with the Green Ring Conspiracy, more mature lessons began to surface. In a sense, it's as if the producers were saying, "You asked for it." Because not only did we get a mature lesson, we got one that has not been discussed in Odyssey ever. Also, on a side note, everything was timed just right. Everything had settled down, and in a sense we became secure again. We thought, "This is the Odyssey we know and love. Jason's done with his adventures. Time to settle back and enjoy the rest of the season." And then, boom! Yes, stuff leaks out over the Internet, but even if you'd heard the spoilers, what can your reaction be after that? And then, to make it so much more real to us, they aim right at our hearts with a dagger and have it happen to the Meltsners, two of the core cast of characters.
So you see, the whole point is this: This situation will continue to unfold (hopefully) in future episodes, but for right now it has given us a deeper understanding of what a situation like this is really like. And in time, yes, this will most likely be regarded as one of the most touching episodes of all time.
See, I think we forget several things. One of which is that Odyssey is such an intricate program, (which has take twenty-five years to master that intricacy, mind you), that it can master all types of different styles and genres without being too overbearing on one in particular. It's one of a very few "jack-of-all-trades" left in entertainment. The writers, directors, and producers try to show us different aspects of life. See, though they haven't been married on the show, we've seen so many families on Odyssey, you can name them yourself. However, we've never had a couple that was faced with the struggle of being unable to have children. This is a very real struggle, so in an aspect to give life lessons and produce vivid adaptations of the world around us, it was an issue that needed to be addressed, as it never pops up in children's/teenage entertainment. The only other example I can think of is Disney and Pixar's "Up".
Another thing the Odyssey fandom needs to think of is this: When Album 51 rolled around, I heard complaints (and still do) of Odyssey becoming more "kidsy" and not focusing on more serious lessons like they had done previously. Well, starting with the Green Ring Conspiracy, more mature lessons began to surface. In a sense, it's as if the producers were saying, "You asked for it." Because not only did we get a mature lesson, we got one that has not been discussed in Odyssey ever. Also, on a side note, everything was timed just right. Everything had settled down, and in a sense we became secure again. We thought, "This is the Odyssey we know and love. Jason's done with his adventures. Time to settle back and enjoy the rest of the season." And then, boom! Yes, stuff leaks out over the Internet, but even if you'd heard the spoilers, what can your reaction be after that? And then, to make it so much more real to us, they aim right at our hearts with a dagger and have it happen to the Meltsners, two of the core cast of characters.
So you see, the whole point is this: This situation will continue to unfold (hopefully) in future episodes, but for right now it has given us a deeper understanding of what a situation like this is really like. And in time, yes, this will most likely be regarded as one of the most touching episodes of all time.
Case 010: The Old Judge's Verdict on the Tranistion of Mister Jason Whittaker from His Death to Becoming the Stiletto.
You Found Me!
Ah, yes. You know, this is the Courtroom's Tenth Verdict. It's funny to think that just about two months ago this was just starting. Now, thanks to Josh Ko from Out of Control in Odyssey for recommending this topic. Remember, the readers of my site to choose the topics, so please send more ideas for me to write about.
Well, interesting topic. The transition of Jason Whittaker from his "death" to becoming the Stiletto. We have to remember as fans that there were three albums in between those two occurrences, and really an indeterminable amount of time, due to the fact that it's Odyssey Time. I'm going to try and lay out the details, and fill in some of my own ideas, to make a sensible explanation for all that went on.
Okay, Jason faked his own death to end his career with the National Security Agency, and to slip into hiding before any criminals really did kill him. Now, Jason had done some work with the FBI before. Jason says he was working with the FBI as the Stiletto. One of the most common questions is, "How did Tasha not find him or know he was alive?" It's simple. Different governmental agencies do not know everything about the other agencies. Now, they most likely know SOME things, but not all. When we get involved in all of these epic sagas with the secret agents, with the exception of Novacom, they're from the NSA, and in the case of The Green Ring Conspiracy, the Secret Service. Why is that? Well, Whit and Jason worked for years with the NSA, and Monty is a part of the Secret Service. The only reason we heard about the FBI in Novacom was because we had Mitch in Odyssey. Once he left, what happened there didn't matter. Agent Bourland could've got held hostage in a drug bust, but we would never know because we have no reason to know. If Mitch was working with him, then it would become important in the show. So, here's how it could've happened.
Agent Bob: Well, we have the Stiletto captured. Our superiors have told us what to do: Use the Stiletto's identity with an agent disguised as him to infiltrate the Green Ring.
Agent Billy: Bob, the Green Ring has foiled two of our previous plans with our best agents out there. They know about everyone out there that we could send.
Agent Bob: Not necessarily.
Agent Billy: What do you mean?
Agent Bob: Well, I was browsing through some of the records several months ago. There was an agent for the NSA who did some work for us about a decade or so ago. Name's Jason Whittaker.
Agent Billy: Could you really get him? Wouldn't he be busy with something else?
Agent Bob: No, that's what's interesting. He hasn't worked for the NSA for the last three years. According to them he's dead. However, we have contact information from him.
Agent Billy: The Green Ring would have no idea who he is?
Agent Bob: He's never worked on anything close to them. He's worked on cases like Doctor Blackgaard and The Whisperer.
Agent Billy: Bob, I think we've found our man.
(Bob and Billy high five as they go out for coffee and donuts.)
See? Considering how important that mission was, everything would've been top secret. There would have been no way possible that Tasha would have known. When his own father, even with the security clearance and technology he's made for the government, didn't know, do you really think his old colleague would know? If you want my honest opinion, I don't think Tasha will ever be back, and I don't think it would be good to bring her back. We settled all that a long time ago, we don't need that recurring drama. When they cancelled the engagement hours before their wedding, and to our knowledge have only spoken a few times after that, and then him pretending to kill himself so she wouldn't come after him; if she came back to the show, many fans would complain about that show, as would Jason, considering he would garnish a pretty decent slap in the face himself.
Another question is, "How would they convince Jason to join one of the most dangrous missions he's ever been in when clearly he wanted to retire, as according to Album 50?" Well, yes, he wanted to retire, but if it was one last mission, and nobody knew who you were, it wouldn't be as bad. Now going up againstpeople like The Whisperer or Doctor Blackgaard, they knew who he was, having faced Jason repeatedly, and had marked a BIG target on Jason's back. But I don't think he ever wanted to give it up. However, when your choices are 1).Retire, or 2).Die, I would go with the former, wouldn't you? So, to summarize this paragraph, it maybe took anywhere from half an hour to an hour of coaxing to bring him back. And it wasn't a bad thing that he was back in the Green Ring Conspiracy and The Labyrinth. I was glad, wasn't you?
Well, that's just my thoughts. Sorry if it wasn't that good. I hope you enjoyed The Courtroom today.
Well, interesting topic. The transition of Jason Whittaker from his "death" to becoming the Stiletto. We have to remember as fans that there were three albums in between those two occurrences, and really an indeterminable amount of time, due to the fact that it's Odyssey Time. I'm going to try and lay out the details, and fill in some of my own ideas, to make a sensible explanation for all that went on.
Okay, Jason faked his own death to end his career with the National Security Agency, and to slip into hiding before any criminals really did kill him. Now, Jason had done some work with the FBI before. Jason says he was working with the FBI as the Stiletto. One of the most common questions is, "How did Tasha not find him or know he was alive?" It's simple. Different governmental agencies do not know everything about the other agencies. Now, they most likely know SOME things, but not all. When we get involved in all of these epic sagas with the secret agents, with the exception of Novacom, they're from the NSA, and in the case of The Green Ring Conspiracy, the Secret Service. Why is that? Well, Whit and Jason worked for years with the NSA, and Monty is a part of the Secret Service. The only reason we heard about the FBI in Novacom was because we had Mitch in Odyssey. Once he left, what happened there didn't matter. Agent Bourland could've got held hostage in a drug bust, but we would never know because we have no reason to know. If Mitch was working with him, then it would become important in the show. So, here's how it could've happened.
Agent Bob: Well, we have the Stiletto captured. Our superiors have told us what to do: Use the Stiletto's identity with an agent disguised as him to infiltrate the Green Ring.
Agent Billy: Bob, the Green Ring has foiled two of our previous plans with our best agents out there. They know about everyone out there that we could send.
Agent Bob: Not necessarily.
Agent Billy: What do you mean?
Agent Bob: Well, I was browsing through some of the records several months ago. There was an agent for the NSA who did some work for us about a decade or so ago. Name's Jason Whittaker.
Agent Billy: Could you really get him? Wouldn't he be busy with something else?
Agent Bob: No, that's what's interesting. He hasn't worked for the NSA for the last three years. According to them he's dead. However, we have contact information from him.
Agent Billy: The Green Ring would have no idea who he is?
Agent Bob: He's never worked on anything close to them. He's worked on cases like Doctor Blackgaard and The Whisperer.
Agent Billy: Bob, I think we've found our man.
(Bob and Billy high five as they go out for coffee and donuts.)
See? Considering how important that mission was, everything would've been top secret. There would have been no way possible that Tasha would have known. When his own father, even with the security clearance and technology he's made for the government, didn't know, do you really think his old colleague would know? If you want my honest opinion, I don't think Tasha will ever be back, and I don't think it would be good to bring her back. We settled all that a long time ago, we don't need that recurring drama. When they cancelled the engagement hours before their wedding, and to our knowledge have only spoken a few times after that, and then him pretending to kill himself so she wouldn't come after him; if she came back to the show, many fans would complain about that show, as would Jason, considering he would garnish a pretty decent slap in the face himself.
Another question is, "How would they convince Jason to join one of the most dangrous missions he's ever been in when clearly he wanted to retire, as according to Album 50?" Well, yes, he wanted to retire, but if it was one last mission, and nobody knew who you were, it wouldn't be as bad. Now going up againstpeople like The Whisperer or Doctor Blackgaard, they knew who he was, having faced Jason repeatedly, and had marked a BIG target on Jason's back. But I don't think he ever wanted to give it up. However, when your choices are 1).Retire, or 2).Die, I would go with the former, wouldn't you? So, to summarize this paragraph, it maybe took anywhere from half an hour to an hour of coaxing to bring him back. And it wasn't a bad thing that he was back in the Green Ring Conspiracy and The Labyrinth. I was glad, wasn't you?
Well, that's just my thoughts. Sorry if it wasn't that good. I hope you enjoyed The Courtroom today.
Case 009: The Old Judge's Verdict on The Terrible Fate of The Gallery
Before I disappear off the face of the earth for a week, I am going to discuss a very undiscussed topic: The Gallery. Now, the Gallery was released in Album 50 in "A Capsule Comes to Town" as part of Connie's video on how interesting Odyssey is, and was then showcased in the three-parter "The Jubilee Singers", one of the best Odyssey episodes since the hiatus and possibly of all time. However, the Gallery disappeared after that, and is apparently lost to time, such as The Inventor's Corner. The Gallery, however, definitely deserves to come back. Though the Imagination Station lets you experience history and be fully immersed in it, the Gallery lets you hear history from that character's perspective and understanding of a particular situation, such as Frederick Douglas talking about Fisk University and the troubles of slavery. In my opinion, this invention had the potential to become more popular and better than the Imagination Station or the Room of Consequence. Just because an invention wasn't used that much doesn't mean it was bad. The Transmuter was one of the best examples of that, and The Gallery attests to that. After the hiatus, they used the Gallery, and that episode became a highlight in what most fans considered a less-than-stellar album. Really, though, this is an awesome invention. Do you think it should be thrown in the back of the picture? If you could go in to a large hallway and see beautifully painted portraits of famous political and religious leaders, that would be enough. But to have them TALK to you. Really. Don't you think that if you could experience that that you would go back there often? I would. I'd be there for hours every day. To go up to Abraham Lincoln and listen to him talk about the feelings and emotions of the day he read the Gettysburg Address, or hear Jim Elliot or Nate Saint talk about their experiences with the Aucas, that would be spectacular. You could fill up an album or two with just episodes of the Gallery. We saw from "The Jubillee Singers",(It's the only episode that focuses on the Gallery, that's why I keep referring to it.), that when that is used as a storytelling device, those stories become either fan favorites or instant classics. Below is how the different storytelling devices on Odyssey compare to the Gallery:
The Imagination Station-Storybooks come to life. The character is thrown in the midst of a story, and has to fit into the character's life.
Kid's Radio-Basically a documentary. Used to tell history stories or Bible stories. Occassionally Bible stories are told in "Breaking News" format.
The Bernard Storyteller-A character or other person telling a story, such as a Bible story or story that happened to them. Typical story.
The Gallery-The Bernard Storyteller, except the storyteller is not a windowasher or grandmother. Hearing the story from a historical hero or Christian hero of the faith what happened.
As I stated earlier, there are so many good ideas that the Gallery could be used for. I mean, we all love a good story, but Bernard is gone, so who can we turn to? Also, the Gallery provides an infinite amount of storytellers. If you brought all these people into Odyssey just for the purpose of telling stories, Odyssey would lose its real life feel. With the Gallery, however, when the Odyssey writers need a new storyteller, Whit adds a new painting. That doesn't give an unrealistic feel. Of course, Whit would want the kids to learn as much as possible, so it would only make sense that he would be constantly adding paintings. And it wouldn't have to be used just for historical or religious characters. Maybe there could be an episode about Whit adding a collection of paintings of the former mayors of Odyssey. Now, I'm just going back to a thought I have already stated: An invention this good should not stay unheard of. In this period of bringing back the Imagination Station and the Room of Consequence, why not bring this device back? Personally, to me, the Jubillee Singers was amazing, and it was to Olivia, too. At that time, Olivia Parker was very attitudal about lots of things, and one of them was, "School is absolutely terrible. It serves no purpose," but after hearing a story from Frederick Douglas in the Gallery, she changed her mind. People sometimes complain that Whit doesn't seem like Whit anymore, but what would make him seem like his old self would be if he rereleased an absolutely amazing invention. They could do a series of episodes where each of the main kids could learn how to deal with each of their flaws by hearing a story from some character who had thatr same flaw but DIDN'T deal with it. Example being Jay learning discrimination against people like Barrett is wrong from hearing from Adolf Hitler about his problem.
Okay, that's all. I tried to deliver something interesting. If you could, give me your opinions on it on my latest blog post. Well, there's more to come, so stay tuned, because next time I will talk about how Jason went from dead to the Stiletto.
The Imagination Station-Storybooks come to life. The character is thrown in the midst of a story, and has to fit into the character's life.
Kid's Radio-Basically a documentary. Used to tell history stories or Bible stories. Occassionally Bible stories are told in "Breaking News" format.
The Bernard Storyteller-A character or other person telling a story, such as a Bible story or story that happened to them. Typical story.
The Gallery-The Bernard Storyteller, except the storyteller is not a windowasher or grandmother. Hearing the story from a historical hero or Christian hero of the faith what happened.
As I stated earlier, there are so many good ideas that the Gallery could be used for. I mean, we all love a good story, but Bernard is gone, so who can we turn to? Also, the Gallery provides an infinite amount of storytellers. If you brought all these people into Odyssey just for the purpose of telling stories, Odyssey would lose its real life feel. With the Gallery, however, when the Odyssey writers need a new storyteller, Whit adds a new painting. That doesn't give an unrealistic feel. Of course, Whit would want the kids to learn as much as possible, so it would only make sense that he would be constantly adding paintings. And it wouldn't have to be used just for historical or religious characters. Maybe there could be an episode about Whit adding a collection of paintings of the former mayors of Odyssey. Now, I'm just going back to a thought I have already stated: An invention this good should not stay unheard of. In this period of bringing back the Imagination Station and the Room of Consequence, why not bring this device back? Personally, to me, the Jubillee Singers was amazing, and it was to Olivia, too. At that time, Olivia Parker was very attitudal about lots of things, and one of them was, "School is absolutely terrible. It serves no purpose," but after hearing a story from Frederick Douglas in the Gallery, she changed her mind. People sometimes complain that Whit doesn't seem like Whit anymore, but what would make him seem like his old self would be if he rereleased an absolutely amazing invention. They could do a series of episodes where each of the main kids could learn how to deal with each of their flaws by hearing a story from some character who had thatr same flaw but DIDN'T deal with it. Example being Jay learning discrimination against people like Barrett is wrong from hearing from Adolf Hitler about his problem.
Okay, that's all. I tried to deliver something interesting. If you could, give me your opinions on it on my latest blog post. Well, there's more to come, so stay tuned, because next time I will talk about how Jason went from dead to the Stiletto.
Case 008: The Old Judge's Verdict on Blackgaard's Revenge
Some of you are probably thinking, "Why? We already don't even want to hear him talk about ANYTHING, much less something we've heard discussed time and time again." But the thought just popped into my head, and I thought I could make something of it. All of us know our Odyssey, and even people that don't know that much about Odyssey know about Doctor Regis Blackgaard, and all the turmoil, suspense, and horror that surrounds his name. This Courtroom, however, will discuss anything and everything about the episode "Blackgaard's Revenge".
Now, I got my copy of The Official Guide before I had listened to Blackgaard's Revenge, and I knew from there that through an Internet leak that information about the episode had been released months before the episode aired. The Official Guide made it sound derogatory, but I think it worked in their favor. I don't know if they relased a summary or synopsis of the episode, but when you hear something like, "Doctor Regis Blackgaard returns in the Imagination Station and wreaks his revenge on the Whit's end gang," it doesn't really add that much information when you already knew the title was "Blackgaard's Revenge". So I think that they're making a big deal out of nothing.
Now, to the episode itself. I can't remember where, I think it may have been an article or review on The Odyssey Scoop, saying that the one big letdown of the Blackgaard Saga was that Blackgaard would come back "from the dead", in a manner of speaking. Actually, this two-parter had to be one of my favorite episodes. I knew Blackgaard would come back, and from reading the Guide, I knew it would be in the Imagination Station, but I had no idea when. I thought the characters would round a corner and there he would be. You could imagine my suprise when Connie and Aubrey are at the Gettysburg Address reading, and Lincoln says, "Fourscore and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition (Voice changes, and weird sound happens, indicating face transformation,) that all men must serve me." It gives me chills thinking about it. Connie of course gasps, "Blackgaard!", but Aubrey says, "That's not how it goes." Which leads me to point number two. We get introduced to this girl just a couple of episodes ago. She's unsaved, so of course, she'll fall prey to Doctor Blackgaard's lies. I will say, I like Aubrey. If they need to bring any character back, it needs to be Aubrey. Even when she wasn't saved, Aubrey was still good and likable. Now you may not think that from the way she acts in "Opening Day", but pull out the Transmuter, and put yourself in her shoes. Her parents have changed everything they used to be, and suddenly they are uprooted from their home to go to the boonies to help a farmer take kids from a slum to camp. That's how it seemed to her. But by Blackgaard's Revenge she'd settled down. While in a trip in this wacky invention, she stumbles on this person, who Connie yells at and immediately ends the adventure. Connie and Whit proceed to tell her that the man is evil and that he once tried to take over Odyssey, but died in an explosion in the basement of Whit's End. Apparently, he lives on in cyberspace. To us, we think, "Aubrey's an idiot. How could she not know who Doctor Blackgaard is?" And then the critics go on to say this is a weak point of the episode. Remember now, it's been several years since Doctor Blackgaard last appeared, and Aubrey's been in Odyssey about two months. "Why wouldn't they talk about this?" you ask. Have you ever had a really bad dream or experience? Do you like to remember that or talk about it? Case closed. Then you say, "Why didn't she talk to any other locals about it?" Well, if somebody came up to you and said, "Saddam Hussein is alive," would you believe him? Of course not. So, the only people she can trust is either herself, or "those Christian loonies". And, of course, being her stubborn, self-willed self, she goes back in. Oh, she has a delightful time with the Doctor, who shows her all the wonders she can experience if she will just enter the Vortex of Time. However, when she wants to watch the Crucifixion, the Doctor says it's not going to happen. When she says she wants to watch it, he threatens her with death. Back at Whit's End, no computer program is capable of stopping Blackgaard, so Whit goes in. While Whit is entering the Station, Blackgaard tells Aubrey something exciting is going to happen to her. She is going to have memory chip implanted in her brain, so not only will she be herself, she will also be Doctor Blackgaard! Yay! Well ,Aubrey doesn't share the Doc's enthusiasm, but he has her cornered, just as Whit pops in. In a Christlike analogical form, he sacrifices himself for Aubrey, and takes in Doctor Blackgaard's memory chip. Screams and little electronic crackles begin to resound as Whit states, "It's over, Blackgaard." Blackgaard explodes, and the real Whit and Aubrey walk out of the Station. The episode ends, as does a major saga, with Whit saying a very amazing quote for the second time: "Doctor Blackgaard is finally, truly dead. And may God have mercy on his soul." Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
So, my final thoughts on this. It is a very wonderful episode, a classic, and the grand finale of a saga, not to mention the only time in Odyssey's history where a character had to die twice. Also, it gets extra points considering it was the only classic, (besides "I Slap Floor" and "Idol Minds"), made during the Al Janssen period, also known as the Janssen Dark Ages. Also, this episode was a major step in Aubrey's spiritual journey, and the pain we all felt when Mister Whittaker sacrificed himself should help us better understand Christ's sacrifice for us. Well, that's all for now. I hope you like it, and stay tuned!
Now, I got my copy of The Official Guide before I had listened to Blackgaard's Revenge, and I knew from there that through an Internet leak that information about the episode had been released months before the episode aired. The Official Guide made it sound derogatory, but I think it worked in their favor. I don't know if they relased a summary or synopsis of the episode, but when you hear something like, "Doctor Regis Blackgaard returns in the Imagination Station and wreaks his revenge on the Whit's end gang," it doesn't really add that much information when you already knew the title was "Blackgaard's Revenge". So I think that they're making a big deal out of nothing.
Now, to the episode itself. I can't remember where, I think it may have been an article or review on The Odyssey Scoop, saying that the one big letdown of the Blackgaard Saga was that Blackgaard would come back "from the dead", in a manner of speaking. Actually, this two-parter had to be one of my favorite episodes. I knew Blackgaard would come back, and from reading the Guide, I knew it would be in the Imagination Station, but I had no idea when. I thought the characters would round a corner and there he would be. You could imagine my suprise when Connie and Aubrey are at the Gettysburg Address reading, and Lincoln says, "Fourscore and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition (Voice changes, and weird sound happens, indicating face transformation,) that all men must serve me." It gives me chills thinking about it. Connie of course gasps, "Blackgaard!", but Aubrey says, "That's not how it goes." Which leads me to point number two. We get introduced to this girl just a couple of episodes ago. She's unsaved, so of course, she'll fall prey to Doctor Blackgaard's lies. I will say, I like Aubrey. If they need to bring any character back, it needs to be Aubrey. Even when she wasn't saved, Aubrey was still good and likable. Now you may not think that from the way she acts in "Opening Day", but pull out the Transmuter, and put yourself in her shoes. Her parents have changed everything they used to be, and suddenly they are uprooted from their home to go to the boonies to help a farmer take kids from a slum to camp. That's how it seemed to her. But by Blackgaard's Revenge she'd settled down. While in a trip in this wacky invention, she stumbles on this person, who Connie yells at and immediately ends the adventure. Connie and Whit proceed to tell her that the man is evil and that he once tried to take over Odyssey, but died in an explosion in the basement of Whit's End. Apparently, he lives on in cyberspace. To us, we think, "Aubrey's an idiot. How could she not know who Doctor Blackgaard is?" And then the critics go on to say this is a weak point of the episode. Remember now, it's been several years since Doctor Blackgaard last appeared, and Aubrey's been in Odyssey about two months. "Why wouldn't they talk about this?" you ask. Have you ever had a really bad dream or experience? Do you like to remember that or talk about it? Case closed. Then you say, "Why didn't she talk to any other locals about it?" Well, if somebody came up to you and said, "Saddam Hussein is alive," would you believe him? Of course not. So, the only people she can trust is either herself, or "those Christian loonies". And, of course, being her stubborn, self-willed self, she goes back in. Oh, she has a delightful time with the Doctor, who shows her all the wonders she can experience if she will just enter the Vortex of Time. However, when she wants to watch the Crucifixion, the Doctor says it's not going to happen. When she says she wants to watch it, he threatens her with death. Back at Whit's End, no computer program is capable of stopping Blackgaard, so Whit goes in. While Whit is entering the Station, Blackgaard tells Aubrey something exciting is going to happen to her. She is going to have memory chip implanted in her brain, so not only will she be herself, she will also be Doctor Blackgaard! Yay! Well ,Aubrey doesn't share the Doc's enthusiasm, but he has her cornered, just as Whit pops in. In a Christlike analogical form, he sacrifices himself for Aubrey, and takes in Doctor Blackgaard's memory chip. Screams and little electronic crackles begin to resound as Whit states, "It's over, Blackgaard." Blackgaard explodes, and the real Whit and Aubrey walk out of the Station. The episode ends, as does a major saga, with Whit saying a very amazing quote for the second time: "Doctor Blackgaard is finally, truly dead. And may God have mercy on his soul." Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
So, my final thoughts on this. It is a very wonderful episode, a classic, and the grand finale of a saga, not to mention the only time in Odyssey's history where a character had to die twice. Also, it gets extra points considering it was the only classic, (besides "I Slap Floor" and "Idol Minds"), made during the Al Janssen period, also known as the Janssen Dark Ages. Also, this episode was a major step in Aubrey's spiritual journey, and the pain we all felt when Mister Whittaker sacrificed himself should help us better understand Christ's sacrifice for us. Well, that's all for now. I hope you like it, and stay tuned!
Case 007: The Old Judge's Verdict on the Disappearance of James Curtis and the Existence of the Land of Marus
Well, I must say, we here at the Campbell County Courthouse have been quite busy. Most of you all know about the disappearance of James Curtis, a missionary for fifty years who lived in Hillingdale Haven for the last four years of his life and lived in Odyssey as a boy. Several years ago, James Curtis disapeared from Hillingdale Haven. Nobody knew what had happened. The security cameras had no footage, and all of Mister Curtis' personal belongings and information was still in his room. The case never entered court because, of course, there was no evidence to prove anything. Sadly, two years later, John Whittaker was taken into court for saying he "knew what happened to James Curtis". I personally am only an acquaintance with Mister Whittaker, but from his testimony and what the townsfolk say, he would never had done such a thing. Why he would kidnap a seventy year old man, I have no idea. Doctor Jennings, the head doctor who brought Mister Whittaker to court, said 'Whit' and Mister Curtis conspired this scheme to prove the existence of 'Marus', a fantasy land of Mister Curtis' supposed dementia, that Mister Whittaker also believes in. After weeks of research, (I know you guys have been upset that I haven't given you any verdicts), here is my conclusion:
Mister Whittaker gave me some old school composition notebooks that contained stories all about children visiting the supposed land of Marus. What first triggered interest in me was that the dates of the stories were as follows: October 3rd, 1958, September 18, 1945, September 18, 1927, March 21, 1934, the summer of 1979, and June 4, 1998. Normally I would have thought those dates were randomly chosen, until I did some research. Scott Graham disappeared in a railroad tunnel outside of town in the summer of 1979 and was never seen again. In the fall of 1958, two children, Kyle and Anna, the ones in that specific story, did in fact, visit Odyssey, and Kyle was in the hospital at that time being treated for a head injury. The story dated March 21, 1934, was apparently James Curtis' own encounter in the land of Marus. The one dated June 4, 1998 told the story of three children falling into Trickle Lake while attending a hippie demonstration in 1968. In a newspaper article in The Odyssey Times, it states that "three children were pulled up out of the lake at the demonstration, obviously delirious". The story in 1927 tells the story of Madina Nicholaivitch, a Russian girl who met a queen and saved the followers of "The Unseen One". Madina as an adult, changed her name to Maude, and later married a man by the name of McCutcheon. Maude McCutcheon was a very good friend of mine. She taught in the Odyssey schools for a little over fifty years. She had an encounter in Marus, too. Finally, the one in 1945 was an account of Wade Mullens, a local boy who grew up and served in the Korean War. He, in an article recounting the return of his soldier father from World War II Pacific, said, "I am glad to have my father home, and that it was only by the grace of The Unseen One that it is possible." When asked by the reporter who The Unseen One is, Wade replied, "It's God, of course." There were other stories that Mister Whittaker or Mister Curtis could not procure, but there were others. Though Doctor Jennings, and even local antiques owner Jack Allen, said they were written either for fun or for religious purposes, the last three stories out of the known six were written AFTER James Curtis was on the mission field. He was decades older than Kyle, Anna, Michelle, Danny, Wayne, and Scott, not to mention halfway around the world from them.
Oh, my, I haven't even given my conclusion. Here it is: Mister Curtis disappeared from Hillingdale Haven. The Haven has some of the best security in the entire state. Mister Whittaker, who was accused of helping Mister Curtis escape, was at his house that night, as was confirmed by several people. No cars were in the Hillingdale parking lot, except those owned by the staff. Whit was innocent. That was all the case needed. But I decided to carry it further. I went into Mister Curtis' files, and found another manuscript. It was called "The Chronicle of the Demoralized". It was dated June 12, 1914. Here is a sample:
"I didn't care. Not anymore. The influenza had killed all that mattered to me. I wasn't like most. I enjoyed the orphanage, if only because my grandparents were the ones who ran it. Grandfather was always in poor health, at least for the last five years, but he was a hard worker. Grandfather died shortly after the disease entered our area, but Grandmother was fine, at least for a little while. Shockingly, it wasn't the sickness that got her, it was the emotional toll that watching all of her "precious joys", as she called them, get sick and die. One day, Grandmother called me to her bedside and told me to leave. She said things had to be healthier out in the country, so she told me to go to the farmhouse of a friend she once knew. I didn't want to leave, but she insisted. Four days later, I came to the farmhouse. It was deserted, but it hadn't been for long. The cupboards were stocked with food, and the pump had a fresh coat of paint. As I went to go inspect the barn, a man came out. I was suprised, so I asked, "Excuse me, sir, do you own this property?" He answered me, "No, but we have to go now." Inquisitively, I questioned, "Why? Where are we going?" The man answered in a dry, exhausted tone, as if he hadn't slept in weeks, "In there," as he hooked his thumb to the door of the barn, "It's his will." By now, I was tired of these avoiding answers, "Whose will?" I demanded. A fire jumped into his eyes and he seemed less tired as he said, "The Unseen One. You have been chosen by him to carry on his work after I am gone. I had to ask, "Sir, what's your name?" He said, "Scott Graham. Now, come on, son. We have a lot of work to do."
So, I am now a believer in Marus. It is just impossible for all of these people from all these different times to be linked together without something miraculous such as this to have happened. Okay, I hope you enjoyed this Courtroom. It's good to be back.
Mister Whittaker gave me some old school composition notebooks that contained stories all about children visiting the supposed land of Marus. What first triggered interest in me was that the dates of the stories were as follows: October 3rd, 1958, September 18, 1945, September 18, 1927, March 21, 1934, the summer of 1979, and June 4, 1998. Normally I would have thought those dates were randomly chosen, until I did some research. Scott Graham disappeared in a railroad tunnel outside of town in the summer of 1979 and was never seen again. In the fall of 1958, two children, Kyle and Anna, the ones in that specific story, did in fact, visit Odyssey, and Kyle was in the hospital at that time being treated for a head injury. The story dated March 21, 1934, was apparently James Curtis' own encounter in the land of Marus. The one dated June 4, 1998 told the story of three children falling into Trickle Lake while attending a hippie demonstration in 1968. In a newspaper article in The Odyssey Times, it states that "three children were pulled up out of the lake at the demonstration, obviously delirious". The story in 1927 tells the story of Madina Nicholaivitch, a Russian girl who met a queen and saved the followers of "The Unseen One". Madina as an adult, changed her name to Maude, and later married a man by the name of McCutcheon. Maude McCutcheon was a very good friend of mine. She taught in the Odyssey schools for a little over fifty years. She had an encounter in Marus, too. Finally, the one in 1945 was an account of Wade Mullens, a local boy who grew up and served in the Korean War. He, in an article recounting the return of his soldier father from World War II Pacific, said, "I am glad to have my father home, and that it was only by the grace of The Unseen One that it is possible." When asked by the reporter who The Unseen One is, Wade replied, "It's God, of course." There were other stories that Mister Whittaker or Mister Curtis could not procure, but there were others. Though Doctor Jennings, and even local antiques owner Jack Allen, said they were written either for fun or for religious purposes, the last three stories out of the known six were written AFTER James Curtis was on the mission field. He was decades older than Kyle, Anna, Michelle, Danny, Wayne, and Scott, not to mention halfway around the world from them.
Oh, my, I haven't even given my conclusion. Here it is: Mister Curtis disappeared from Hillingdale Haven. The Haven has some of the best security in the entire state. Mister Whittaker, who was accused of helping Mister Curtis escape, was at his house that night, as was confirmed by several people. No cars were in the Hillingdale parking lot, except those owned by the staff. Whit was innocent. That was all the case needed. But I decided to carry it further. I went into Mister Curtis' files, and found another manuscript. It was called "The Chronicle of the Demoralized". It was dated June 12, 1914. Here is a sample:
"I didn't care. Not anymore. The influenza had killed all that mattered to me. I wasn't like most. I enjoyed the orphanage, if only because my grandparents were the ones who ran it. Grandfather was always in poor health, at least for the last five years, but he was a hard worker. Grandfather died shortly after the disease entered our area, but Grandmother was fine, at least for a little while. Shockingly, it wasn't the sickness that got her, it was the emotional toll that watching all of her "precious joys", as she called them, get sick and die. One day, Grandmother called me to her bedside and told me to leave. She said things had to be healthier out in the country, so she told me to go to the farmhouse of a friend she once knew. I didn't want to leave, but she insisted. Four days later, I came to the farmhouse. It was deserted, but it hadn't been for long. The cupboards were stocked with food, and the pump had a fresh coat of paint. As I went to go inspect the barn, a man came out. I was suprised, so I asked, "Excuse me, sir, do you own this property?" He answered me, "No, but we have to go now." Inquisitively, I questioned, "Why? Where are we going?" The man answered in a dry, exhausted tone, as if he hadn't slept in weeks, "In there," as he hooked his thumb to the door of the barn, "It's his will." By now, I was tired of these avoiding answers, "Whose will?" I demanded. A fire jumped into his eyes and he seemed less tired as he said, "The Unseen One. You have been chosen by him to carry on his work after I am gone. I had to ask, "Sir, what's your name?" He said, "Scott Graham. Now, come on, son. We have a lot of work to do."
So, I am now a believer in Marus. It is just impossible for all of these people from all these different times to be linked together without something miraculous such as this to have happened. Okay, I hope you enjoyed this Courtroom. It's good to be back.
Case 006: The Old Judge's Verdict On Odyssey's Changing Times
I just thought I'd do one more Courtroom before I have practically all my time consumed for the next two weeks. Today I'll be talking about Odyssey's Changing Times, and it will be me trying to give a calm, sensible, cover-all-points article to stop the nay-sayers in their tracks. Now, I'm not saying Odyssey is perfect, or that the writing team always does a top-notch job, but there are certain things that aren't necessary to be said.
First off, I have heard complaints around the Adventures in Odyssey online community about them (the writing team) bringing in too many businesses. The general reaction is: "Oh, dearie me! Why are they doing this? Why are they taking away Finneman's Market or Hal's Diner?" There really is a simple solution. Time has gone by. Monty told Whit in the Green Ring Conspiracy that "things had changed since you and I came fishing up here all those years ago". Now we know he was speaking of Trickle Lake, but it happened all over Odyssey. When a lake about a half of an hour's drive away from town goes from having one or two little docks to having at least three big docks with boathouses on them, when you think about it, the town has to have changed, too. Finneman's Market was where Uncle Joe worked, and that was the main place he was at when in an episode. I believe one of the reasons they put the market as an Odyssian business was to showcase Uncle Joe Finneman. If he stopped in for a visit he would have left, and if he was in Hillingdale Haven, like Agnes, he never would have showed up. But since he owned the local grocery store, Connie or Whit, and I even think the Barclay children were in an episode with him once, he could just be behind the counter and engage in some friendly conversation. Now about that excuse, it's false. They haven't taken away Hal's Diner or Finneman's Market. Now in Album 51 it didn't look like those businesses would make it, and in Album 52 we thought those were just cameo appearances. But with five post-hiatus albums behind us, we can see they were proven false. Finneman's Market appeared in "The Owlnapping" and "Something Old, Something New, Part 1", and Hal's Diner appeared in "The Owlnapping", "The Amazing Loser","Unbecoming Jay","Childish Things", "Something Old, Something New, Part 2", and was mentioned in "The Green Ring Conspiracy, Part 5", and "Something Old Something New, Part 1". There is nothing wrong with new businesses such as the music store in "The Amazing Loser" or Jacques Henri's art gallery. Maybe we've never known about them before. Even before the hiatus, Odyssey Airport had two concourses. Most small towns don't have an airport. So Odyssey has to be a good sized city, and we just don't here about it. Maybe it's not that these businesses are new, but that post-hiatus Odyssey is beginning to show us more of the town outside of Whit's End or the Electric Palace. Progress isn't a bad thing, in "The Andy Griffith Show", which Hal Smith acted in, much-loved barber and main character Floyd Lawson was written out of the show because of the actor's health. Handyman Emmett Clark came on the scene. The change wasn't bad, it just showed time went on. People complain that Odyssey is moving on in time, and they act like they don't want it. Now, granted, I don't want it to be like a ghetto and Mister Whittaker with his pants drooping and calling everyone "bro", or Tom Riley wearing a gold chain that says "Farmer Boy", but would we really like it if it stayed the way it was in 1987? With Donna bringing cassette players on vacation, Connie in high school, Eugene as his unChristian cocky, know-it-all self, and Katrina or Wooton not even entering the show? That's the trouble. The fans don't. With Album 51, the Odyssey team tried to put a little of that nostalgia and keep Eugene and Connie limited to Whit's End until the show got back on it's feet. You can still read articles on the Odyssey Scoop about it. The fans revolted. And yet they don't want the show to change. People need something in our modern, fast-paced world where they can feel relaxed. Where they can walk down the street with Whit or Jimmy and say, "Yup. There's Hal's Diner, good as ever. Oh, there's Finneman's and Uncle Joe talking the ear off a customer." I get it. But, change isn't bad. Turning on that radio for however many years and saying that to yourself will get boring. It's nice to say, "Finneman's, Hal's, yup. Oh, look! There's Wooton trying to get Mrs. Kramer's cat sweater out of a rose bush. Would you look at that? Old Jacques' trying to sell the sign for the restrooms!" That's nice. Don't you see? It's still Odyssey. Just...from a different perspective.
Well, I hope you liked it. Stay tuned! In about two weeks, there will be a VERY SPECIAL Courtroom.
First off, I have heard complaints around the Adventures in Odyssey online community about them (the writing team) bringing in too many businesses. The general reaction is: "Oh, dearie me! Why are they doing this? Why are they taking away Finneman's Market or Hal's Diner?" There really is a simple solution. Time has gone by. Monty told Whit in the Green Ring Conspiracy that "things had changed since you and I came fishing up here all those years ago". Now we know he was speaking of Trickle Lake, but it happened all over Odyssey. When a lake about a half of an hour's drive away from town goes from having one or two little docks to having at least three big docks with boathouses on them, when you think about it, the town has to have changed, too. Finneman's Market was where Uncle Joe worked, and that was the main place he was at when in an episode. I believe one of the reasons they put the market as an Odyssian business was to showcase Uncle Joe Finneman. If he stopped in for a visit he would have left, and if he was in Hillingdale Haven, like Agnes, he never would have showed up. But since he owned the local grocery store, Connie or Whit, and I even think the Barclay children were in an episode with him once, he could just be behind the counter and engage in some friendly conversation. Now about that excuse, it's false. They haven't taken away Hal's Diner or Finneman's Market. Now in Album 51 it didn't look like those businesses would make it, and in Album 52 we thought those were just cameo appearances. But with five post-hiatus albums behind us, we can see they were proven false. Finneman's Market appeared in "The Owlnapping" and "Something Old, Something New, Part 1", and Hal's Diner appeared in "The Owlnapping", "The Amazing Loser","Unbecoming Jay","Childish Things", "Something Old, Something New, Part 2", and was mentioned in "The Green Ring Conspiracy, Part 5", and "Something Old Something New, Part 1". There is nothing wrong with new businesses such as the music store in "The Amazing Loser" or Jacques Henri's art gallery. Maybe we've never known about them before. Even before the hiatus, Odyssey Airport had two concourses. Most small towns don't have an airport. So Odyssey has to be a good sized city, and we just don't here about it. Maybe it's not that these businesses are new, but that post-hiatus Odyssey is beginning to show us more of the town outside of Whit's End or the Electric Palace. Progress isn't a bad thing, in "The Andy Griffith Show", which Hal Smith acted in, much-loved barber and main character Floyd Lawson was written out of the show because of the actor's health. Handyman Emmett Clark came on the scene. The change wasn't bad, it just showed time went on. People complain that Odyssey is moving on in time, and they act like they don't want it. Now, granted, I don't want it to be like a ghetto and Mister Whittaker with his pants drooping and calling everyone "bro", or Tom Riley wearing a gold chain that says "Farmer Boy", but would we really like it if it stayed the way it was in 1987? With Donna bringing cassette players on vacation, Connie in high school, Eugene as his unChristian cocky, know-it-all self, and Katrina or Wooton not even entering the show? That's the trouble. The fans don't. With Album 51, the Odyssey team tried to put a little of that nostalgia and keep Eugene and Connie limited to Whit's End until the show got back on it's feet. You can still read articles on the Odyssey Scoop about it. The fans revolted. And yet they don't want the show to change. People need something in our modern, fast-paced world where they can feel relaxed. Where they can walk down the street with Whit or Jimmy and say, "Yup. There's Hal's Diner, good as ever. Oh, there's Finneman's and Uncle Joe talking the ear off a customer." I get it. But, change isn't bad. Turning on that radio for however many years and saying that to yourself will get boring. It's nice to say, "Finneman's, Hal's, yup. Oh, look! There's Wooton trying to get Mrs. Kramer's cat sweater out of a rose bush. Would you look at that? Old Jacques' trying to sell the sign for the restrooms!" That's nice. Don't you see? It's still Odyssey. Just...from a different perspective.
Well, I hope you liked it. Stay tuned! In about two weeks, there will be a VERY SPECIAL Courtroom.
Case 005: The Old Judge's Verdict On If The Barclays Should Return
Ah yes, the Barclays, everybody's favorite family. George, Mary, Donna, Jimmy, and Sterwart. This family was such a typical family, and so well-porrayed by the writing staff that, sixteen years after the family left, we still compare all the new families to them. People tend to think that it would be so awesome if the Barclays would come back to Odyssey. Now, I don't think it would be wrong for Jimmy to pop in every now and then, or even Donna to hit the airwaves again after over a decade of dormancy. I personally am very fond of the idea of going back to Pokenberry Falls for at least one episode to see how Stewart is doing. However, the Barclays should stay in Pokenberry Falls. Fans want the Barclays to come back to Odyssey. There's a problem with that. The fans tend to look at just an idea without seeing the long-range effects of that idea. The fans wanted "Classic Odyssey", so the writers threw in Monty and the Jacobs. In my opinion, the Jacobs, mostly Dale, still has potential,and I liked him. I can't wait to hear him again. Back to the fans, though. After those characters were brought back, the fans complained about TOO MANY old characters coming back to the show. The fans didn't learn their lesson, though, and they asked for Mitch to come back. This one is what takes the cake for my "they don't look at the long-term effects" theory. I don't know if the fans thought Mitch would come back from Budapest and say, "Connie, I love you. Please let us get married. I'll dump all my hopes and dreams of becoming an agent in the FBI and have those four years of training in a faraway country without any of my friends go to waste. I just want to be married, Connie." And then God's will. Did they think he was going to say, "Honey, I know we thought it wasn't God's will, but two weeks ago, a glowing being appeared to me in my sleep and said, 'Connie needs you, Robert. Go to her. Be fruitful and multiply.' So I hopped on the first flight I could get to here." So Mitch came back and they were happy, until the end of "Something Old, Something New, Part 1". Mitch said he was getting married. And even if he wasn't, they wouldn't have gotten married. It was against God's will for them to be. Now most of you are thinking, "This is an article about Mitch and Connie, not why the Barclays should stay in Pokenberry Falls." It is, but that was just an example of why what the fans want doesn't always work out.
To prove my point say hello to the summary of Episode #872: "The End of the Rope". Coming soon to radio stations in Spring 2019.
It's a beautiful day in Odyssey. Birds are chirping, the sun is shining, the flowers are blooming. Suddenly, a car flashes by, going thirty seven and a half miles faster than the speed limit. A man that looks so familiar, yet so different, is at the wheel. Is it? Could it be? Yes! It's George Barclay! What happened to him, though? His eyes are bloodshot, he hasn't shaved in days, and his eyelids are baggy. Twenty-seven minutes later, he pulls into Whit's End. The door bel chimes, and Mister Whittaker walks out from the kitchen. "Hello?" he calls. As he steps fully out into the soda shop, George says, "Hi, Whit. It's been a long time." Whit is astounded. He asks in shock, "George? Is that really you? You don't look like yourself at all. What happened?" George replies, with a somewhat delirious edge to his voice, "Where's Mary, Whit? The only place she would've come is here. I don't know what happened, Lord knows I don't. We were all so stressed, and things were going down the tubes, and the power was cut, and Ellis died, and...." Whit says in his grandfatherly tone of voice, "Calm down, George. You're getting too excited. With the shape you're in you could do some serious damage getting yourself all worked up like that." George proceeds to teel this story: In Pokenberry Falls, everything was going well. The church got its attendance up to 62, and they were able to take kids on a youth retreat. Then, Mister Lionel had a stroke. While recovering, he embraced the religion of Scientology. He believed that the negative auras of the First Church of Pokenberry Falls was what made him have his stroke. He then effectively shut the church down. Though he was the most powerful man in the town,Ellis Birch organized a town revolt to stop Lionel. Two months later, Ellis died of a leaky heart valve. After that, Lionel shut the church down. George and Mary tried to have house services, but Lionel cut the power to the parsonage. George tried to think of another solution, but there were none. One day Mary suggested that they leave the town for a while to think of what to do. George yelled at her very viciously, and Mary was so hurt that she got in her car and drove off. George felt bad and tried to find her, but she had left town. "The one place she could be, I decided, was Odyssey. The town where we had the happiest years of our lives," said George. Whit says, "Well, I have seen her. She came in last night and asked if she could sleep in the shop. Eugene was here and he said he and Katrina would love to have her over. I think that's where she is now." George goes to the Meltsner household, where he finds Mary. They both apologize to each other. After spending to more days with their old friends, they head back to Pokenberry Falls to make things right.
See, if they ever came back, it probably wouldn't be good. But you're probably wondering about the kids. Well, if they came back, for what ever reason, it would be a lot more difficult than just sticking the parents back in there. It's a whole new generation of kids now, and Jimmy or Donna tyring to relive memories and associate with them would be awkward. I know a lot of fans don't like this, but they're not kids any more. They've moved on. And if they did decide to come back, it would probably effect Connie. Remember, Connie's been serving sundaes for the last quarter of a century, whle Donna and Jimmy were both in college, Jimmy worked for a magazine, and Donna's occupation is unknown. If they came back, Connie would probably feel inferior and unleash her anger at everybody, in a somewhat similar scenario to "Fences".
Well, I hope you liked it. I'm sorry if it wasn't that good, but I decided to try it. There's more to come, so stay tuned!
To prove my point say hello to the summary of Episode #872: "The End of the Rope". Coming soon to radio stations in Spring 2019.
It's a beautiful day in Odyssey. Birds are chirping, the sun is shining, the flowers are blooming. Suddenly, a car flashes by, going thirty seven and a half miles faster than the speed limit. A man that looks so familiar, yet so different, is at the wheel. Is it? Could it be? Yes! It's George Barclay! What happened to him, though? His eyes are bloodshot, he hasn't shaved in days, and his eyelids are baggy. Twenty-seven minutes later, he pulls into Whit's End. The door bel chimes, and Mister Whittaker walks out from the kitchen. "Hello?" he calls. As he steps fully out into the soda shop, George says, "Hi, Whit. It's been a long time." Whit is astounded. He asks in shock, "George? Is that really you? You don't look like yourself at all. What happened?" George replies, with a somewhat delirious edge to his voice, "Where's Mary, Whit? The only place she would've come is here. I don't know what happened, Lord knows I don't. We were all so stressed, and things were going down the tubes, and the power was cut, and Ellis died, and...." Whit says in his grandfatherly tone of voice, "Calm down, George. You're getting too excited. With the shape you're in you could do some serious damage getting yourself all worked up like that." George proceeds to teel this story: In Pokenberry Falls, everything was going well. The church got its attendance up to 62, and they were able to take kids on a youth retreat. Then, Mister Lionel had a stroke. While recovering, he embraced the religion of Scientology. He believed that the negative auras of the First Church of Pokenberry Falls was what made him have his stroke. He then effectively shut the church down. Though he was the most powerful man in the town,Ellis Birch organized a town revolt to stop Lionel. Two months later, Ellis died of a leaky heart valve. After that, Lionel shut the church down. George and Mary tried to have house services, but Lionel cut the power to the parsonage. George tried to think of another solution, but there were none. One day Mary suggested that they leave the town for a while to think of what to do. George yelled at her very viciously, and Mary was so hurt that she got in her car and drove off. George felt bad and tried to find her, but she had left town. "The one place she could be, I decided, was Odyssey. The town where we had the happiest years of our lives," said George. Whit says, "Well, I have seen her. She came in last night and asked if she could sleep in the shop. Eugene was here and he said he and Katrina would love to have her over. I think that's where she is now." George goes to the Meltsner household, where he finds Mary. They both apologize to each other. After spending to more days with their old friends, they head back to Pokenberry Falls to make things right.
See, if they ever came back, it probably wouldn't be good. But you're probably wondering about the kids. Well, if they came back, for what ever reason, it would be a lot more difficult than just sticking the parents back in there. It's a whole new generation of kids now, and Jimmy or Donna tyring to relive memories and associate with them would be awkward. I know a lot of fans don't like this, but they're not kids any more. They've moved on. And if they did decide to come back, it would probably effect Connie. Remember, Connie's been serving sundaes for the last quarter of a century, whle Donna and Jimmy were both in college, Jimmy worked for a magazine, and Donna's occupation is unknown. If they came back, Connie would probably feel inferior and unleash her anger at everybody, in a somewhat similar scenario to "Fences".
Well, I hope you liked it. I'm sorry if it wasn't that good, but I decided to try it. There's more to come, so stay tuned!
Case 004: The Old Judge's Verdict On Whit's Curiosities
Yes, today I will be discussing Whit's Curiosities. What I mean by that can best be explained by the AIOWiki. It states, "The character of Whit is somewhat of an enigma". That is very true. First I'm going to recap the biography of Whit, which just happens to be filled with "curiosities". He was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, in an unknown time. Along that same path, his age is never mentioned in the radio series, but in the video "The Caves of Qumran" it is suggested that Whit's birthday is August 14, 1939. However, this theory is wrong considering he was in World War II. If that theory was correct, he would be five years old when the war ended. Thus he had to have been born between 1922 to 1927. After this, while horseback riding with his stepmother, she gets hit by a branch, resulting in blindness, while he escapes unharmed. Visiting his uncle as a child, he and Jack discover a chest of Spanish doubloons. While searching for them, they have a run-in with some criminals who force the boys to lead them to the coins. They get to keep them. Once again, kids don't normally go on vacation and discover thousands of dollars worth of money in a cave, besides being tied up by criminals in the process.. But this is Whit we're talking about. A few years later, duty called, and Whit went to serve in the U.S. Navy on the U.S.S. Irongate. After the war, Whit attended the University of Southern California, where he studied English. This part of his life isn't so unique, until he meets his future wife, Jenny. She just happens to be dating his best friend, Jack. Some time later, when Whit tries to propose to Jenny, he puts a romantic poem in a bottle on a bluff above the beach. Jenny injures herself in the climb, and she gets rushed to the hospital. Whit proposes to her in the emergency room, in front of all the doctors and nurses.
Several years later, Whit founds the Universal Press Foundation, an encyclopedia company. During this time, he worked with the Defense Department to develop "Applesauce", a very important computer program that, as everybody knows, had many a criminal mastermind trying to procure it for their own evil purposes. While Whit worked for the government, Jerry, his eldest son, was drafted into the Army for the Vietnam War. Jerry died in combat, and the Whittaker family moved to a small little town in Ohio called "Odyssey". Sadly, Whit began to spend all of his time with his youngest child, Jason, for fear that he would be drafted in several years, and ignored his daughter, Janna. About fifteen years later, in 1987, Jenny came down with a terrible case of strep while fighting to save an old dilapidated building known as the Fillmore Recreation Center. The strep settled into her kidneys, effectively killing her. Whit falls into depression, so Jack takes him to Nebraska where he runs an orphanage. Whit falls in love with a little girl named Clara, but she was already being adopted by another family, thus sending him into a deeper depression. Back in Odyssey, he meets a young girl named Jenny, who expresses her desire to have the Fillmore Recreational Center to still exist and not be torn down. Whit takes this as a sign from God, and buys the building with a fund from UPF.
Aside from his biography, he has a LOT of curiosities. The man can build machines that let you experience history, the future, or become another person. After he bought Whit's End, he installed a secret room with a computer containing Applesauce. The entrance to this room is a bookcase. If you pull C.S. Lewis' "The Last Battle" off the shelf, the shelf retracts, revealing the room. Also, he's made an attachment to the Imagination Station that allows you to scan a book and put yourself in the story. He's invented a computer that is solar powered or can be operated by a hand crank. It is currently being used in India. He bears a resemblance to Benjamin Franklin, and he still has an incredibly high level of security clearance from the government. He lets the kids run a radio station from inside his shop, and he has interactive Bible displays that showcase most of the major events of the Bible.
Then there's just other things we know about him. We've learned he takes skydiving lessons, he lost the top part of his right ear during World War II, and that his favorite dessert is lemon poppyseed cake with raspberry filling, he has an autographed picture of Andy Griffith in a hidden safe he keeps in his wall, and that he is extremely wealthy, though he lives very moderately.
Several years later, Whit founds the Universal Press Foundation, an encyclopedia company. During this time, he worked with the Defense Department to develop "Applesauce", a very important computer program that, as everybody knows, had many a criminal mastermind trying to procure it for their own evil purposes. While Whit worked for the government, Jerry, his eldest son, was drafted into the Army for the Vietnam War. Jerry died in combat, and the Whittaker family moved to a small little town in Ohio called "Odyssey". Sadly, Whit began to spend all of his time with his youngest child, Jason, for fear that he would be drafted in several years, and ignored his daughter, Janna. About fifteen years later, in 1987, Jenny came down with a terrible case of strep while fighting to save an old dilapidated building known as the Fillmore Recreation Center. The strep settled into her kidneys, effectively killing her. Whit falls into depression, so Jack takes him to Nebraska where he runs an orphanage. Whit falls in love with a little girl named Clara, but she was already being adopted by another family, thus sending him into a deeper depression. Back in Odyssey, he meets a young girl named Jenny, who expresses her desire to have the Fillmore Recreational Center to still exist and not be torn down. Whit takes this as a sign from God, and buys the building with a fund from UPF.
Aside from his biography, he has a LOT of curiosities. The man can build machines that let you experience history, the future, or become another person. After he bought Whit's End, he installed a secret room with a computer containing Applesauce. The entrance to this room is a bookcase. If you pull C.S. Lewis' "The Last Battle" off the shelf, the shelf retracts, revealing the room. Also, he's made an attachment to the Imagination Station that allows you to scan a book and put yourself in the story. He's invented a computer that is solar powered or can be operated by a hand crank. It is currently being used in India. He bears a resemblance to Benjamin Franklin, and he still has an incredibly high level of security clearance from the government. He lets the kids run a radio station from inside his shop, and he has interactive Bible displays that showcase most of the major events of the Bible.
Then there's just other things we know about him. We've learned he takes skydiving lessons, he lost the top part of his right ear during World War II, and that his favorite dessert is lemon poppyseed cake with raspberry filling, he has an autographed picture of Andy Griffith in a hidden safe he keeps in his wall, and that he is extremely wealthy, though he lives very moderately.
Then there's his appearance. Whit started out a lot different than he is now.
After several years, Whit fell in love with trench coats, Twinkies, big bushy mustaches, and red sweaters.
Then, with a new generation of Odyssey beginning, Whit deserved a whole new look. That consisted of an apron, green plaid shirt, and brown leather vest, topped off with dress shoes and light green dress pants.
Well, I hope you liked this. I tried my best to show how unique Mister Whittaker is, and how blessed we are to have him on Odyssey. There's more to come, so stay tuned!
Case 003: The Old Judge's Verdict On Post-Novacom Odyssey
What Ever Happened After Novacom?
Now, as part of The Courtroom feature, I will sometimes discuss things that most people don't really take into consideration. Today I will be discussing post-Novacom Odyssey. What most people probably thought was after "Exit", or at least what I thought, was there would be some massive change in the town, or at least some legacy left by the company. With Doctor Blackgaard, people did remember him, and he even made a resurgence on the town as a computer virus. With Novacom, though us fans will always remember it, it never got brought up on the show itself.
With Doctor Blackgaard, things go on for the most part as normal. A new group of kids come in, and all of a sudden Blackgaard is back. Nothing of the sort happens in Novacom. Granted, there were "Between You and Me", which focused VERY lightly on the town trying to get back to normal and mostly focused on Connie and Mitch's relationship taking away from their Christian life, and "It's All About Me", where Mitch gets a job as "Doctor Wise" for a Kid's Radio show. Those two were focused on Mitch struggling to find a job and a place as an upstanding citizen in post-Novacom Odyssey. There was only one episode that focused on other people in post-Novacom Odyssey. That was "The Benefit of the Doubt", where the Cabrera family was having troubles because of Mister Cabrera being under Novacom employment. We did learn in that episode that only the Novacom hierarchy knew the Chairman's plan, and most of the civilians in Novacom's employ were simply unknowing citizens.
It just seems interesting that, after a few episodes, nobody ever referenced Novacom. You never heard Whit, Connie, or Eugene say, "Back when Novacom was in town....." or "When Tom had that Novacom tower on his land...." or "Good news! Agnes has recovered from thhe Novabox's effects!" Nothing. As mentioned before, there were a few episodes, but all but one had to do with Mitch. Most people would qualify "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, Parts 1,2, & 3" as part of Novacom, but it's really Bennett Charles' escape plan. Granted, Novacom did shut down, so it might make sense to not hear from it, EXCEPT that there were the towers, the television boxes, all over the world, the Novaboxes. We know from the commercials that were played in Odyssey meant that most likely the Novaboxes were sold nationally. And although the television boxes were only tested in certain towns, they were all over the world, too. How in The Green Ring Conspiracy we hear the news clip of the trial of Doctor Trask, it would have been nice to hear some news, whether radio, word of mouth, or television, that said, "...And the news on the unfolding saga of Novacom Broadcasting and its 'mysterious' recalls continues today as approximately 1,000 more satellite receivers from locations in Alaska, Ohio, and Peru were taken back to Andromeda headquarters in Chicago to be tested for emitting radiation that harms users mentally."
Finally, there's the DeWhites. This is what got me started on this topic. I thought to myself, "I wonder how the DeWhites returned without any fanfare?" This family is probably the most glaring example of an amnesia involving Novacom. The DeWhites magically disappear, as revealed in "The Y.A.K. Problem", and Jared magically pops up in a forest in "A Strange Boy in A Strange Land" saying that his father had discovered something illegal in the company he worked for, and that they are now in the Witness Protection Program. After "Exit", suprise, suprise, the DeWhites come back. The one time Jared mentions Novacom was in "The Case of the Disappearing Hortons", which was just him being a conspiracy theorist again. Neither he nor Trent ever talk about it. If I was in the Witness Protection Program, and then I got to come back, I would probably talk about it. Nope. It's like they got payed to not talk about it. Hmmm....
That's all I've got. I'm sorry if that was bad, it was just an idea I had that I thought would be interesting. Next week come Case 004: "The Old Judge's Verdict on Whit's Curiosities". Stay tuned!
With Doctor Blackgaard, things go on for the most part as normal. A new group of kids come in, and all of a sudden Blackgaard is back. Nothing of the sort happens in Novacom. Granted, there were "Between You and Me", which focused VERY lightly on the town trying to get back to normal and mostly focused on Connie and Mitch's relationship taking away from their Christian life, and "It's All About Me", where Mitch gets a job as "Doctor Wise" for a Kid's Radio show. Those two were focused on Mitch struggling to find a job and a place as an upstanding citizen in post-Novacom Odyssey. There was only one episode that focused on other people in post-Novacom Odyssey. That was "The Benefit of the Doubt", where the Cabrera family was having troubles because of Mister Cabrera being under Novacom employment. We did learn in that episode that only the Novacom hierarchy knew the Chairman's plan, and most of the civilians in Novacom's employ were simply unknowing citizens.
It just seems interesting that, after a few episodes, nobody ever referenced Novacom. You never heard Whit, Connie, or Eugene say, "Back when Novacom was in town....." or "When Tom had that Novacom tower on his land...." or "Good news! Agnes has recovered from thhe Novabox's effects!" Nothing. As mentioned before, there were a few episodes, but all but one had to do with Mitch. Most people would qualify "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, Parts 1,2, & 3" as part of Novacom, but it's really Bennett Charles' escape plan. Granted, Novacom did shut down, so it might make sense to not hear from it, EXCEPT that there were the towers, the television boxes, all over the world, the Novaboxes. We know from the commercials that were played in Odyssey meant that most likely the Novaboxes were sold nationally. And although the television boxes were only tested in certain towns, they were all over the world, too. How in The Green Ring Conspiracy we hear the news clip of the trial of Doctor Trask, it would have been nice to hear some news, whether radio, word of mouth, or television, that said, "...And the news on the unfolding saga of Novacom Broadcasting and its 'mysterious' recalls continues today as approximately 1,000 more satellite receivers from locations in Alaska, Ohio, and Peru were taken back to Andromeda headquarters in Chicago to be tested for emitting radiation that harms users mentally."
Finally, there's the DeWhites. This is what got me started on this topic. I thought to myself, "I wonder how the DeWhites returned without any fanfare?" This family is probably the most glaring example of an amnesia involving Novacom. The DeWhites magically disappear, as revealed in "The Y.A.K. Problem", and Jared magically pops up in a forest in "A Strange Boy in A Strange Land" saying that his father had discovered something illegal in the company he worked for, and that they are now in the Witness Protection Program. After "Exit", suprise, suprise, the DeWhites come back. The one time Jared mentions Novacom was in "The Case of the Disappearing Hortons", which was just him being a conspiracy theorist again. Neither he nor Trent ever talk about it. If I was in the Witness Protection Program, and then I got to come back, I would probably talk about it. Nope. It's like they got payed to not talk about it. Hmmm....
That's all I've got. I'm sorry if that was bad, it was just an idea I had that I thought would be interesting. Next week come Case 004: "The Old Judge's Verdict on Whit's Curiosities". Stay tuned!
Case 002: The Old Judge's Verdict On If Penny and Wooton Should Get Married
This seems to be the most controversial topic in post-hiatus Odyssey. This was supposed to be the premiere of The Courtroom, but I did my Unofficial AIO Blog review on Wednesday. Now, I'm not bragging or anything, but I do my homework on Adventures in Odyssey. On The Soda Shop, this has been quite a popular topic. I'm going to make this article interesting by taking comments from the Soda Shop and addressing them.
To start off, Kathileen-S. wrote, "I think they are too much like each other. Wooton should get somebody more down to earth and the writers for AIO should make him more down to earth. If they don't, I think Wooton should not get married at all or at least not for a really long time." Oh yes, there are a lot of things I can say about that. I don't want Wooton to be any less, well, Wooton-ish. On a side note, there is an article on The Odyssey Scoop titled "The Three Stages of Wooton", where the author states that Wooton has become more and more immature as time has gone on. Don't forget, Wooton has always done stuff like laser-tagging or jumping in ball pits at fast food restaurants. I don't want that to change. Also, when you think about it, if Wooton is not on the scene, and it's just Connie and Penny, Penny is very down-to-earth, and actually, as Connie called her, profound. I don't think I'll ever forget that scene in the Green Ring Conspiracy. Also, when Katrina first came out, people said the exact same thing about her. She was just a clone of Eugene. She proved her critics wrong. She was more than capable of developing into her own character. She's actually one of my favorites, especially her recent appearances in Album 54. I have faith that Penny can be her own character, too.
Now, let's go hypothetical. Say, in Album 61, after four albums of steady dating, Wooton and Penny decide it's God's will for them to get married. So they get hitched, have a honeymoon in the Smoky Mountains, and come back to Odyssey to live. Now, if they do decide to date, I believe they should get married. The concept of steady dating and then finding out that marriage is not God's plan is not bad in my opinion, but it will make lots of fans roll their eyes and say, "Not THAT again!" But what I was saying in the previous paragraph about Penny being profound will make sense in this paragraph. This will be the Good Points paragraph. I already said I don't want Wooton to be any less Wooton-ish, but you fans will agree with me when I say that when Wooton displays his faith, especially with Grady, were some of the best moments in all of Odyssey. If Penny and Wooton began to date steadily and/or get married, here are the good points. 1). Penny could bring Wooton down to earth some more. Now you might think, "Whenever Penny gets around Wooton, she goes crazy." In "Childish Things", though, she had lunch with Wooton without going crazy. I like Penny, I really do, but what hurt me so much was that Doctor Trask was so deceptive and heartless to her. She is a Christian, but she was deceived by Trask. She has a very weak faith, which brings me to Point Number 2. 2).Wooton's exceptionally strong faith could be somewhat imparted to Penny as they spend more time together. 3). Now 'm just going to tack this on, but this is worthy of a point. I would love to see Wooton as a father. That is a big plus on Wooton getting married. He did so good with Grady, actually, Wooton was more of a dad to Grady than Carson was. Even if they don't get married, I would like to see them interact in each other's lives, instead of us watching them be trapped in a train or going to lunch together. I wonder how long it will be before Penny finds out that Wooton draws PowerBoy. That'll be interesting.
Now the Bad Points. 1). Although Penny and Wooton don't always go crazy, when they're around each other, they're both easily excitable. When they're both excited, like the carnival scene in The Green Ring Conspiracy, I wanted to die. I basically was just listening to screaming for thirty seconds. 2). Penny was originally designed to be a friend for Connie. I love the Connie and Penny scenes. Now the writing staff has done a good job of keeping Penny and Connie as friends, instead of Wooton taking over her whole life. However, if Penny and Wooton began to date and/or get married, Connie would go to the wayside, thus abandoning the original purpose of Penny's character. 3). If it did happen, we would lose episodes with Wooton on his mail route. Those are very fun episodes, and we see the caring side of Wooton, which is basically the only thing that keep a mob of Wooton haters from saying that he's totally worthless and just for comic relief. Wooton does care for everyone on his mail route, no matter what the person. From Mrs. Randolph to Mrs. Kramer, he cares for all of them and would do anything to help them. I would hate to lose those episodes.
And now, a recap. I would like to see them get married, as long as Penny still hangs around Connie. Not to mention, they would have a more probable chance of having kids than Eugene and Katrina. Eugene didn't get a chance to hang around with kids until AFTER they found out they can't have kids. For several years Wooton was a father without actually being a father. We see he can serve in that capacity. Even with no children, marriage would help both of them. Well, that's all for now. Tune in next week for, well, I haven't figured that out yet. You'll just have to find out then.
To start off, Kathileen-S. wrote, "I think they are too much like each other. Wooton should get somebody more down to earth and the writers for AIO should make him more down to earth. If they don't, I think Wooton should not get married at all or at least not for a really long time." Oh yes, there are a lot of things I can say about that. I don't want Wooton to be any less, well, Wooton-ish. On a side note, there is an article on The Odyssey Scoop titled "The Three Stages of Wooton", where the author states that Wooton has become more and more immature as time has gone on. Don't forget, Wooton has always done stuff like laser-tagging or jumping in ball pits at fast food restaurants. I don't want that to change. Also, when you think about it, if Wooton is not on the scene, and it's just Connie and Penny, Penny is very down-to-earth, and actually, as Connie called her, profound. I don't think I'll ever forget that scene in the Green Ring Conspiracy. Also, when Katrina first came out, people said the exact same thing about her. She was just a clone of Eugene. She proved her critics wrong. She was more than capable of developing into her own character. She's actually one of my favorites, especially her recent appearances in Album 54. I have faith that Penny can be her own character, too.
Now, let's go hypothetical. Say, in Album 61, after four albums of steady dating, Wooton and Penny decide it's God's will for them to get married. So they get hitched, have a honeymoon in the Smoky Mountains, and come back to Odyssey to live. Now, if they do decide to date, I believe they should get married. The concept of steady dating and then finding out that marriage is not God's plan is not bad in my opinion, but it will make lots of fans roll their eyes and say, "Not THAT again!" But what I was saying in the previous paragraph about Penny being profound will make sense in this paragraph. This will be the Good Points paragraph. I already said I don't want Wooton to be any less Wooton-ish, but you fans will agree with me when I say that when Wooton displays his faith, especially with Grady, were some of the best moments in all of Odyssey. If Penny and Wooton began to date steadily and/or get married, here are the good points. 1). Penny could bring Wooton down to earth some more. Now you might think, "Whenever Penny gets around Wooton, she goes crazy." In "Childish Things", though, she had lunch with Wooton without going crazy. I like Penny, I really do, but what hurt me so much was that Doctor Trask was so deceptive and heartless to her. She is a Christian, but she was deceived by Trask. She has a very weak faith, which brings me to Point Number 2. 2).Wooton's exceptionally strong faith could be somewhat imparted to Penny as they spend more time together. 3). Now 'm just going to tack this on, but this is worthy of a point. I would love to see Wooton as a father. That is a big plus on Wooton getting married. He did so good with Grady, actually, Wooton was more of a dad to Grady than Carson was. Even if they don't get married, I would like to see them interact in each other's lives, instead of us watching them be trapped in a train or going to lunch together. I wonder how long it will be before Penny finds out that Wooton draws PowerBoy. That'll be interesting.
Now the Bad Points. 1). Although Penny and Wooton don't always go crazy, when they're around each other, they're both easily excitable. When they're both excited, like the carnival scene in The Green Ring Conspiracy, I wanted to die. I basically was just listening to screaming for thirty seconds. 2). Penny was originally designed to be a friend for Connie. I love the Connie and Penny scenes. Now the writing staff has done a good job of keeping Penny and Connie as friends, instead of Wooton taking over her whole life. However, if Penny and Wooton began to date and/or get married, Connie would go to the wayside, thus abandoning the original purpose of Penny's character. 3). If it did happen, we would lose episodes with Wooton on his mail route. Those are very fun episodes, and we see the caring side of Wooton, which is basically the only thing that keep a mob of Wooton haters from saying that he's totally worthless and just for comic relief. Wooton does care for everyone on his mail route, no matter what the person. From Mrs. Randolph to Mrs. Kramer, he cares for all of them and would do anything to help them. I would hate to lose those episodes.
And now, a recap. I would like to see them get married, as long as Penny still hangs around Connie. Not to mention, they would have a more probable chance of having kids than Eugene and Katrina. Eugene didn't get a chance to hang around with kids until AFTER they found out they can't have kids. For several years Wooton was a father without actually being a father. We see he can serve in that capacity. Even with no children, marriage would help both of them. Well, that's all for now. Tune in next week for, well, I haven't figured that out yet. You'll just have to find out then.
Case 001: The Old Judge's Verdict On The Unofficial AIO Blog
The Unofficial Adventures in Odyssey Blog was started on February 1, 2012. It contains Odyssey news, interviews, website and podcast reviews, and is the only other site beisdes Twists and Turns to have The Imagination Station link page. The blog is run by an Odyssey fan who calls himself "Wooton Bassett".
Anyway, my opinions on this blog. Wooton has done a very good job at his blog, especially the last two months. His blog is new, anyway, so it does take a while to get into a rhythm, but from February 6 to May 9 nothing was posted on it. After the Soda Shop Message Boards came out, he said he would be posting new stuff on there, and he has. Since the day the Soda Shop boards came out, he's had seventeen new posts and a new page added on to his website. This is one of my favorite websites, but being a judge,(not really), I have to give the good points and the bad points.
The good points are: 1). Wooton is very positive about Adventures in Odyssey and what they are doing. He puts modern-day Adventures in Odyssey in a positive light that other fan sites do not. 2). He is doing website and podcast reviews, and even though I will do them occassionally, such as now, he gives them all the site's information in a little review, whereas I am going to take up about a whole page. 3). He have begun to do interviews, starting with Noah from the Boredom Buster Podcast and continuing with Paul McCusker either this week or next week. His interviews are very well put together, and I like how he puts his comments in between Noah's answers. In my opinion, he should keep that up. 4). He reviews the albums, and give a nice, short, concise summary on each episode. His posts are never long, and I don't think that's such a bad thing. People can go to his website and get the news without having to read through a bunch of useless talk for fifteen minutes like they have to do with mine. 5). Reading this website is like going up to the counter at Whit's End. I can hear the news, or what Wooton's opinion is, and he gives his honest opinion. John Avery Whittaker would be proud.
First of all, before I get to the bad points, it's nothing serious. Just a little bit of work could fix these problems. 1). Wooton should try to use more vivid adjectives and adverbs to describe whatever his subject is in that post. His most common adjectives are "awesome" and "cool". Those are good, but you could try some others like "spectacular" or "extraordinarily". 2). There's been several times where Wooton has written the same thing twice on the same post, only about two sentences from each other. I don't know if he meant to do that, but it would be better if it didn't happen again, and so far it hasn't. 3). A little more news on the blog would be nice, and that's all I can think that needs improving. Good job, Wooton!
So, on Saturday, Case 002: The Old Judge's Verdict On If Penny Wise and Wooton Bassett Should Get Married" comes out. Stay tuned!
Anyway, my opinions on this blog. Wooton has done a very good job at his blog, especially the last two months. His blog is new, anyway, so it does take a while to get into a rhythm, but from February 6 to May 9 nothing was posted on it. After the Soda Shop Message Boards came out, he said he would be posting new stuff on there, and he has. Since the day the Soda Shop boards came out, he's had seventeen new posts and a new page added on to his website. This is one of my favorite websites, but being a judge,(not really), I have to give the good points and the bad points.
The good points are: 1). Wooton is very positive about Adventures in Odyssey and what they are doing. He puts modern-day Adventures in Odyssey in a positive light that other fan sites do not. 2). He is doing website and podcast reviews, and even though I will do them occassionally, such as now, he gives them all the site's information in a little review, whereas I am going to take up about a whole page. 3). He have begun to do interviews, starting with Noah from the Boredom Buster Podcast and continuing with Paul McCusker either this week or next week. His interviews are very well put together, and I like how he puts his comments in between Noah's answers. In my opinion, he should keep that up. 4). He reviews the albums, and give a nice, short, concise summary on each episode. His posts are never long, and I don't think that's such a bad thing. People can go to his website and get the news without having to read through a bunch of useless talk for fifteen minutes like they have to do with mine. 5). Reading this website is like going up to the counter at Whit's End. I can hear the news, or what Wooton's opinion is, and he gives his honest opinion. John Avery Whittaker would be proud.
First of all, before I get to the bad points, it's nothing serious. Just a little bit of work could fix these problems. 1). Wooton should try to use more vivid adjectives and adverbs to describe whatever his subject is in that post. His most common adjectives are "awesome" and "cool". Those are good, but you could try some others like "spectacular" or "extraordinarily". 2). There's been several times where Wooton has written the same thing twice on the same post, only about two sentences from each other. I don't know if he meant to do that, but it would be better if it didn't happen again, and so far it hasn't. 3). A little more news on the blog would be nice, and that's all I can think that needs improving. Good job, Wooton!
So, on Saturday, Case 002: The Old Judge's Verdict On If Penny Wise and Wooton Bassett Should Get Married" comes out. Stay tuned!