Review: Forgiving More...or Less.

"Forgiving More...or Less" features one of the most painfully awkward moments in Adventures in Odyssey history. The moment is awkward because John Avery Whittaker, my childhood hero and role model, says one of the most embarrassing jokes I've ever heard: "Big Scoop? I've got one here for the Ice Cream! Har. Har". Surely Camilla could have laughed. Someone could have laughed. Do we really want Whit to be portrayed as a bumbling, out of touch, geezer? If I remember correctly, the Whit I grew up with was a relatively funny guy who knew how to say a clever joke. Sigh. I suppose even role models say bad jokes, too.

Red Hollard's next episode should be titled "Red Hollard goes to the Doctor" where he gets his throat checked out. Is there a frog in there? Is he a heavy smoker? Is he played by Nick Nolte? Whatever he is, I wonder whether he's being set-up as the show's newest storyteller. Bernard Walton was obviously better at it. After all, Bernard's stories also magically featured actors and sound effects. Red Hollard's story, likewise, could have benefited from having the dialogue acted out while Red narrated. I know I should be able to follow a simple story; however, I wonder whether it might have helped Steve Eastin--despite doing a nice job--tell a more captivating tale.

Thematically, "Forgiving More...or Less" took an interesting route. I like how the show began with three unrelated story threads (Red Hollard's story/Matthew and Camilla break the oscilloscope/Camilla is told to do dishes) and then tied everything neatly together in the Parker living room at the end. After the first few scenes, I was afraid the episode was going to feel as bloated as last week's "Anger Mismanagement"; and while it certainly felt like it at first, everything was wrapped up so smoothly I can't complain.

Today's show follows a 20 year old tradition in which kids misinterpret a biblical verse or theme and then continue for the rest of the episode practicing it out of context. Listeners knows all too well what they're doing wrong--and not just listeners above the target audience. So we wait, and wait, until the main character figures it out. It's not always the most exciting way to explain a theme, but it works. We've seen Donna misinterpret a verse about prayer in "And when you pray", Marvin and Tamika misinterpret Matthew 19:24 in "The Poor Rich Guy", and Tamika misinterpret the true meaning of honesty in ''And that's the Truth'''. You could probably think of a few more. Thankfully, Camilla only starts misunderstanding the meaning of forgiveness 12 minutes into the show, giving us other interesting things to think about.

I find myself appreciating Camilla more and more. I wonder how annoying this episode would have been had she not been the lead character. Out of all the young actors on Adventures in Odyssey, she is certainly one the cutest. I'm not talking about her voice but about her assertiveness and totally clever, unexpected lines: "He ran out of toes to truck?" and "Why didn't his insurance take care of it?'' I remember not being able to differentiate between the Parker kids when I first met them in ''The Inspiration Station'', but their personalities have certainly grown and evolved well.

We hadn't heard the whole Parker family together since the disagreeable "An Agreeable Nanny". It was nice to hear the kids all working on a project together. Although I'd like to hear them hang out without bickering, the actors do it in a way that isn't as annoying as the Washington kids sounded. Furthermore, I'd like to see the Parker parents have real conversations with their children, talking to them because they like to talk to them, and not simply because they need to teach them a lesson or ask them to do the dishes. Regardless, despite a few bumps along the way, the Parker family seem to be on the right track, and I'm already enjoying their presence on Adventures in Odyssey far more than I ever enjoyed the Washington family.

All in all, "Forgiving More...Or Less" is your average Adventures in Odyssey episode. That's not a bad thing. Calling an episode ''average'' means Adventures in Odyssey did everything you expected it to do. It may not add much to the series, but you've now spent 25 quality minutes and are now a little wiser. And for whatever I didn't like about this episode, I easily forgave it.

RATING: 

Review: Anger Mismanagement

If I wanted to hear three unrelated short stories, I would have gone back to albums 33 and 34 and played three split episodes one after the other. That might have given me the same satisfaction as listening to "Anger Management", an uneven episode that never fully justifies its existence. This episode essentially consists of three B-plots, and my mind wandered in and out of each of them.

The opening scene introduces us to Olivia Parker's story where she communicates how angry she is at Valerie Swanson for taking the spotlight away from Amber. When and where did this all happen, you wonder? I'm not too sure really. This important set-up has taken place before the episode began and thus summarized quite quickly for the listener in the opening scene. As a listener, I felt confused. What had happened to the first part of this story?  Why are we dropped the middle of a story, and Amber, the person responsible for the "hard work" nowhere to be found? I guess she wasn't worth including in the episode.

After a conversation with Whit summarizing her frustrations, what do you think Olivia's next step is? Meeting up with Wooton Bassett, of course! That's how most kids in Odyssey solve their problems these days. These Wooton scenes are sprinkled throughout the remainder of the episode and I'm not quite sure I understood their relevance. I guess "Anger Mismanagement" was trying to be like "For the Fun of It"; a girl can learn about Wooton's perfect and selfless lifestyle by spending the day with him, and then see the error of their ways and change themselves. I suppose I just didn't care. Would it not have better to merely add to Olivia's main conflict, develop it further, instead of brushing it aside and introducing another story in hopes of using it to resolve the conflict of first? In an earlier review, I called Wooton "egotistical". That insult still fits. I saw no reason why he needed to be here.

Luckily, the episode had better moments. While Olivia's ordeal failed to captivate me, the show's third story gave me something worth listening to. Mr. Parker gets pushed around by both his wife and Grandma Lucia and then misses his football game. Now, this is all quite simple, and a little silly, but also very amusing.  Mr. Parker, with his somewhat dry humor and awesome father-knows-best wisdom, is officially one of the best new characters on Adventures in Odyssey; there was good energy that came from his scenes with his wife and mother-in-law. And those scenes were the highlight of the episode.

My second favorite part of "Anger Mismanagement" is the brief interaction between Whit and Olivia at the beginning of the episode. If you don't remember that scene, go back and listen to it again, because there's some good, classic AIO stuff there. Whit tells Olivia, "It's not the anger itself that's a sin. It's how how you choose to behave in response to your anger". It's a topic I hadn't thought about much before, and Whit's words stayed with me after listening to the show...as they should.

Despite those nicer moments, the episode never quite comes together, and never feels like the full-fledged episode fans are entitled to after purchasing an Adventures in Odyssey album.

Sometimes large amounts of characters and plots can be weaved together well, and have even become classics as a result (Do Or Diet, A Lamb's Tale) but it doesn't always work. For instance, episode such as "Buddy Guard, Wooing wooton, Potential Possibilities could have been much better if they hadn't had competing storylines. Thankfully, most of these post-hiatus episdoes have concentrated on carefully developing only one story-line per episode, with the occasional sub-plot that compliments, instead of takes away from, the larger story.  

This quote is taken from my "Fast as I Can" review. "Anger Mismanagement", likewise, had multiple story-lines that don't quite fit together. They may work, thematically; however, the episode feels too cluttered and doesn't know what it should be focusing on.  Quality is more important than quantity; I'd rather hear one really good story than three mediocre ones.

I'd be skeptical about anyone who claims they know how to write an Adventures in Odyssey episode better than its amazing writers. To be clear, I do not know how to write an Adventures in Odyssey episode.  However, I'll just offer my opinion of how I think "Anger Mismanagement" could have worked. The show's main problem is that we never see Olivia Parker interact with her own family throughout the entire episode. Instead of interacting with Wooton, could she not have simply become involved with the situation at home and learnt a lesson about controlling anger from "watching" the parent's situation? This simple interaction would have cut away the need for Wooton to be in the show; and with one story line gone, the show would have had more time to include a clearer, lengthier set-up (i.e. Amber is shown working hard on the float with Olivia), and a clear conflict would have arisen (i.e. Olivia then discovers Valerie's treacherous lies, and must learn how to control her anger while working on the float), and a nice complementary B-plot could have entertained us between Olivia's scenes (i.e. meanwhile, Mr. Parker helps Grandma Lucia with her hairdressing business). The result would have been a tighter, sleeker and possibly even more interesting episode.

As is it, Olivia, Amber, and Valerie get pushed aside so that Wooton can have his time in the sun. We hear Olivia mumble and grumble about Valerie for the remainder of the episode, but she's not really doing anything. She has no story. She has no real conflict. Our protagonist is not even attempting to solve her own problems.  "Anger Mismanagement" simply forgets the problem for a while and then--hey look!--it's Wooton! I understand that the point of the episode was to show how wallowing in her anger ultimately took her away from the pleasures of the working on the float; however, I kept thinking there must have been a more interesting way of presenting this.

In the end "Anger Mismanagement" is an example of mismanaging Wooton. It fails to realize family-centric shows can be excellent while focusing strictly on family members themselves. Throwing in Wooton  for comic relief, and in order to entertain us, is forgetting all the great episodes that were created using solely Barclay and Jacob family members. They didn't need Wooton to make their episode successful; all they needed to do was to show families with good, natural chemistry. "Anger Mismanagement", despite a solid B-plot, starts off promising but ultimately feels bloated. Whit summarizes my thoughts nicely at the end: "I have a feeling this is all connected somehow, but I have no idea how." I share his confusion.

RATING: 

Review: The Amazing Loser

As I was listening to "The Amazing Loser", I realized this certainly wasn't a lazy episode. I doubt Dave Arnold and Kirby Atkins rushed to finish it, quickly handed it in to the team, and then went to watch the football game. There was care involved. I bet history books were opened and several hours were spent brainstorming ideas for the scavenger hunt. Looking at Dave Arnold's past works especially, it's clear the man likes to go the extra mile ("The Jubilee Singers", "A Thankstaking Story"). And while both Atkins and Arnold have contributed to less than perfect shows, it usually isn't because of a lack of effort.

"The Amazing Loser" is a praiseworthy episode because it invests itself completely in the topic of music. I am not a musical connoisseur, but years from now children will have listened to this episode countless times (because that is the very best thing to do!) and will be able to repeat its random musical trivia. Adventures in Odyssey should always be educational. By listening to this show, I got to know the names of Francis Scott Key ("By Dawn's Early Light"), Horatio Spafford ("It is Well", "The Other Woman"), Paul Revere ("The Midnight Ride"), and countless others. Whether it is teaching about the Bible or simply teaching how to spot of a fake dollar bill, Adventures in Odyssey should always be teaching, and children, in turn, will always be quoting. If they aren't, chances are the writer isn't writing anything interesting.

And while "The Amazing Loser" is interesting, it is certainly difficult writing about a scavenger hunt on a radio show. The characters must summarize quickly where they are in relation to the other team while also sounding completely natural. This is much easier to accomplish on-screen where you can visually see how close one team is to another, who is winning, or whether they are neck in neck. "The Amazing Loser" works hard to make up for the audience's inability to see. In today's show, we always had a clear sense who was where and what was happening; we'd hear one team think aloud in the background while the another team gives their lines in the foreground. Along with John Campbell's music ,which gave each environment their own signature tune/melody, and a quick musical montage quickening the pace of the show, I thought "The Amazing Loser" pulled off its scavenger hunt impressively.

This episode will be compared to "Treasure Hunt",another episode about a scavenger hunt. That's fair. Oddly, I'm reminded of "The Malted Milkball Falcon".  These kids sure do have fun together. With every kid-centric episode that passes, there is noticeably greater chemistry between these new actors, as well as a greater sense of camaraderie. Although great kids have come and gone on Adventures in Odyssey, there has rarely been such a consistent group of them participating in activities together.

Think about it. The show has had many famous pair of friends (Jimmy and Lawrence, Alex and Cal, Liz and Mandy), but it wasn't uncommon for some kids to never run into each other. For instance, despite being on the same show for years, Jimmy didn't often share episodes with Lucy. Kids, on this show, have always appeared inconsistently, showing up in episodes randomly, and rarely giving us a clear idea of who was friends with who, and which kids were still around. Due to the show's recent emphasis on large child "ensembles" ("Stage Fright", "When You're Right, You're Right", "The Malted Milkball Falcon"), I believe Adventures in Odyssey is fixing this problem by presenting the same consistent group kids in nearly every episode that passes. In other words, they simply feel like a tighter group of friends.

While Jay and Matthew were the more entertaining pair, Priscilla and Barrett had some decent moments as well. This leads me into discussing the elephant in the room. Yes, Priscilla has a crush on Barrett. I say, so what? Fans grumbled back in "When You're right, You're right" and are still grumbling about it today. Having Priscilla say "Did you know that your nose crinkles up when you get excited?" is not nauseating, nor is it encouraging child relationships...it's funny. How boring would it be if this chemistry between Barrett and Priscilla wasn't there? Kids have crushes. That's life. If Priscilla and Barrett were going on dates, writing their wedding vows, or planning their retirement, it'd be a different story...

Something else that makes "The Amazing Loser" different is how we aren't given an obvious hint of its theme/moral until later on. Halfway through the episode, you might even wonder "what's going to be the theme of this show?" My initial guess was "competition". Close, but no cigar. Some may say that its third act involving the girl and the shoes feels too randomly tacked on. I argue that the show, as it is, is constructed pretty effectively; we are so involved in the competition that we are struck by a sudden distraction right when Barrett is. A random event occurs: a child needs shoes. Barrett then forgets the competition and chooses to provide. Then and there, we learn as Barrett learns: competition means nothing if we forget how to be decent human beings. Yes, this "random event" seems to be disconnected from the earlier half of the story but its late timing is effective in delivering the show's theme.

Let's sum things up. While "The Amazing Loser" is fun and energetic because of the good performances, it is Dave Arnold and Kirby Atkins who ultimately make this episode stand-out. The story is told at a nice, brisk pace, and there's plenty of cool facts to enjoy and new Odyssey locations to visit. You may be surprised that I'm giving it four stars, but somehow I think both kids and their parents will enjoy this one together. That's always worth an extra star.

RATING:

Review: A Penny Saved

So many great things happened in "The Green Ring Conspiracy" that you were likely to forgive its weaker moments. It had action, adventure, twists and turns, and it created a world in which characters could grow and develop. It gave new characters a real purpose and old characters a reason to return. And because old characters were re-introduced alongside new, I was too excited by the presence of alumni Jason Whittaker and Monty Whittaker-Dowd to be bothered by newcomer Penny Wise.

"A Penny Saved" is a lot like "The Benefit of the Doubt" which is a lot like "Welcome Home Mr. Blackguard". All directly reference their preceding sagas, and serve as wrap-ups, of sorts, answering lingering questions in order to return the series to focusing on simpler situations/scenarios. After all, it would be weird if nobody mentioned the events of "The Green Ring Conspiracy", just as it would be weird if no one mentioned the time that everyone was brainwashed, or that time when the mayoral candidate blew himself up underneath Whit's End. For the sake of consistency and continuity, these things must be acknowledged before moving on.

All three episodes I mentioned share a common theme. They each deal with the guilt of their main characters; Penny Wise, like the Cabreras and Mr. Blackgaard, feels responsible for what happened to the citizens of Odyssey. Although, at least in Penny's case, I'm not exactly sure why. The issue I have with "A Penny Saved" is that it assumes that one of the great lingering issues of "The Green Ring Conspiracy" is that Penny would be disturbed by what her professor and mentor Dr. Trask did. Honestly, this wasn't the question on the top of my list. How about you? This isn't to say I'm not impressed that the Odyssey team wrapped up this lingering question, I actually really am; however, at the end of last season, Penny didn't exactly sound devastated by what happened. She sounded annoyed and a little upset, but certainly not devastated. And certainly not devastated enough to warrant her emotional reaction in today's episode.

Luckily, Paul McCusker wrote this, and if he neglected to create sympathy for Penny last season, he creates it here. I'll admit, it's quite easy to feel sorry for Penny. She reminds me of some breed of dog, like a Basset Hound, that you feel sorry for because they act and look so miserable. In the same way, Penny's character simply consists of her feeling insecure about life, and I don't think the best way to make listeners care about Penny is to have us feel sorry her. I would prefer finding new characters cool, funny, or charming. And I find Penny none of those.

It doesn't help that Whit's End is already crowded with so-called misfits. A large number of main characters introduced throughout the years could be labelled as either quirky or abnormal. "A Penny Saved", one of the season's few adult-focused episode, includes few of the normal sounding adults we've grown up with. With the recent introduction of the slightly cartoonish Andre Stoijka, Red Hollard, and now Penny, this new generation needs characters with different personalities and, more importantly, pitches.

Regardless, I like the reason why Penny was introduced to the show, and you see the benefits of her introduction quite clearly in this episode. We always wondered why Connie was such a loner and had no one the same age to really relate to. The same could be said of Wooton. The reality is that Connie shouldn't be hanging around Eugene as intimately as she used to, and likewise, Wooton shouldn't be hanging around children all the time. With Penny around, Connie and Wooton now have a new friend; in turn, they share a similar purpose, to nurture and take care of their new friend. I'm actually also quite entertained by Wooton's infatuation with Penny; it reminds me of Eugene's relationship with Katrina, and I look forward to hearing more about what happens in that area.

However, the problem with Penny's personality, frankly, is that she doesn't strike me as a different enough character for Adventures in Odyssey. She is, at times, a female version of Wooton and/or simply a dumber version of Connie. I wonder what would have happened if they attempted to make her a little more different from any previous personalities we've seen on the show. For instance, I wonder whether I'd care for this Wooton/Penny relationship a little more if she turned out to be the complete opposite from Wooton. Just a thought.

The truth is that Penny Wise has to be heavily scrutinized and dissected because she's the center of attention in  "A Penny Saved". If you don't like Penny, then the episode might not impress you too much. If you do, then pretty much everything about this episode works. As it is, enough fans enjoy Penny. In the Spring 2011 Avery Awards, Kimmy Robertson was awarded "Best Actress", while 22.8% fans agreed that she was "The Best New Character". It's not a ridiculously high number, but it is significant enough, I think.

Is the episode any good? Yes, it's a good one. McCusker injects his signature sense of humor and enough quirky lines that adults will appreciate: "I couldn't be happier with the verdict. Well, actually, I could be, but, to do that would involve re-introducing punishments they used in the Middle ages. [Laughs] Good times", or "You seem to leave without anyone watching the counter, I mean, what kind of business is that?" or:

CONNIE:  "I'm not attracted to guys with moral angst"

STUDENT: "What about moral ambiguity?"

CONNIE: "What do you mean by that?"

STUDENT: "It depends".

The dialogue is consistently good here. And although I wished Wooton's lines didn't always end with a punchline, enough of those punchlines were clever enough for me to be upset.

Also, Polehaus makes a welcome return as our favorite detective. I wonder, considering all of the members of the Odyssey Police who have come and gone on the show (Harley, Captain Quinn, Burke), he'll be able to last a little longer. I was happy to hear from Ted Humphries, too, whose voice I like quite a bit. I wonder whether both characters can escape their job duties once in a while and become more prominent characters like Dale Jacobs was. Every supporting character in today's show, including Professor Bruce and the student, were excellent, and made the episode all the more special for me.

I'll admit there is nothing blow-your-mind special about "A Penny Saved". It presents its theme only mildly well, and actually quite weakly compared to last week's "Wooton Knows Best". That's fine by me though. "A Penny Saved" is a simple, fun and quirky comedy. It may not reach the levels of "Welcome Home, Mr. Blackgaard", but it is significantly better than "The Benefit of the Doubt", smoothly transitioning from "The Green Ring Conspiracy" into upcoming Adventures in Odyssey episodes and opening doors for more interesting scenarios. And while I have issues with its protagonist, she can still win me over. With no end in sight for Adventures in Odyssey, Penny has plenty of time...

Rating:

Review: Wooton Knows Best

Adventures in Odyssey is unlike any other show in radio or television. Right now, each network is promoting its newest seasons as more exciting, more mysterious, edgier than any of its previous ones. They are marketed as the unmissable event of the year. Odyssey doesn't play by those rules. As we've seen with "Run of the Mill Miracle", "A Glass Darkly", and now "Wooton knows best", Odyssey likes to begin its new seasons showing that it is the same normal, lovable show it has always been. The loyal listeners will always tune in, so what does it have to prove?

I'll admit starting with "Wooton knows Best" is an odd choice for a season premiere. On paper, the episode shouldn't have worked. The episode summary, according to the AIOWIKI, states: "Olivia and Matthew Parker compete for a chance to be Wooton Bassett's camp assistant". I'm not sure how this simplistic, quite unexciting idea was even brought up in the writer's meeting. Yes, we know this album was originally supposed to come before album 54, but after the excitement of "The Green Ring Conspiracy" I wonder: why are we listening to this?

This is the sort of episode you dislike at first because you've first entered it with a negative attitude. Then you begin to miss the "good old days" and wonder why your favorite older characters aren't around anymore, which then brings you to wonder why the children aren't sounding as realistic as they used to, which then makes you miss those older John Campbell tunes, and, boy, Hal Smith...he was great wasn't he?

Then you realize, after listening to this episode a second time, that "Wooton knows Best" isn't so bad. It's, dare I say it, actually pretty good. Marshall Younger manages to take a dull premise, works hard at it, and creates a relatively decent slice of life episode--one that includes important lessons for all ages. If you put aside your initial prejudice for the story idea, or even your Wooton-phobia, you'll see that--hey!--this is sorta like your everyday classic Odyssey episode, isn't it?

There are a lot of episodes like this one in "Clanging Cymbals...and the meaning of God's Love". These episodes are simply about "love". They will not be unrealistic, larger-than-life ideas. No, Blackgaard will not come back from the dead and, no, our characters will not have to reach down and find some way to love him. Clearly, our opportunities to show love are in normal, everyday situations. The little things: A brother showing love to his sister, an older child spending time with a younger child, a sister giving up her pride and learning to forgive. Those are moments that make "Wooton knows Best" quite applicable, and actually, quite nice.

One of these nicer moments is the lengthy conversation between David Parker and Olivia Parker. I enjoyed hearing David Parker's story about Joshua Meanie, and actor Marc Evan Jackson delivers those lines well. Today's father-daughter moment is quintessential Adventures in Odyssey. Where would Odyssey be if it had followed the route of secular Children's entertainment and taken away its "father-knows best" angle that was so prevalent in classic television such as Leave to Beaver and The Andy Griffith Show. Adventures in Odyssey is one of the few remaining shows that hasn't yet portrayed the father as a dumb, bumbling fool. Although, who knows, maybe Harlow Doyle is married and has kids and we just don't know it yet...

Another highlight of "Wooton knows Best" includes a change of actors. Olivia Parker has ditched Hope Levy and replaced her vocal chords with Kelly Stables'. Normally, I'd be annoyed by this, but to be perfectly honest, the change is much nicer on the ears. Kelly Stables has allowed Olivia to sound older, I believe, and therefore, doesn't sound as phony, or painfully forced in her delivery. Furthermore, Kelly Stables, having worked on "Two and a Half Men" and short lived series like "Romantically Challenged", is one of the higher profiled actresses Adventures in Odyssey is working with. In light of this, I hope she'll be able to stick around long enough so we won't need an Olivia Parker #3.

Of course, there are certainly things I disliked about this episode. As much as I've always mildly enjoyed Wooton Bassett, I'm finding him to be somewhat egotistical and overbearing these days. He likes to have long, drawn out moments of dialogue. He hogs scenes like no other. Furthermore, in the entire history of Odyssey, nobody, aside for Whit, has had so many episodes named after themselves. Whit has had his name on episodes 6 times which includes a three-parter. Wooton, during his short existence on Odyssey, has now tied that record with "Wooton Knows Best". What is it about his character that has propelled him to such stardom?

And there are other mysteries, too. Why did Marshall include that final scene where Olivia encounters the pop star? Did the audience really need to feel like Olivia got her happy ending? Isn't forgiveness its own reward? Also, why did Matthew Parker feel so apologetic at the end? And, why has Camp What a Nut made such a hasty return to the show? Is "The Timothy Center" no longer the show's trendy camp? Man, I sure miss that place. And, boy, Walker Edmiston...he was great wasn't he? But, again, I digress...

Rating: