Review: Never For Nothing

''Never For Nothing'' is one of the few Adventures in Odyssey episodes where a child dies. I don't know whether or not I should be celebrating this but I admire their spunk.

Let's go through the history of children's deaths on Adventures in Odyssey, shall we? Thankfully, not too many have died. Some have almost died, like Cal Jordan, Jimmy Barclay and Mary Beth; others have actually died, like in "A Lesson from Mike" and "Karen" and "It is Well"; however, very rarely do we hear children die "on air", so to speak. Either their deaths occur before the episode, or the scene changes before it happens. That said, Adventures in Odyssey always handles the issue very well.

The most chilling and powerful death on Adventures in Odyssey took place in ''Greater Love''. Of course, there are many similarities between "Never For Nothing" and ''Greater Love''. Both are told from the perspective of older characters looking back on their lives, telling how God ultimately used the death of their childhood friends for good. And yet, despite the similarities, "Never For Nothing" never reaches the same level of greatness of "Greater Love".

First of all, one of the main problems with ''Never For Nothing'' is that we are never introduced to the characters in Lucia's story very well. Initially, I hard a hard time keeping track of who was Esperanza and who was young Lucia. These actors didn't strike me as particularly interesting to listen to. And then the worst happened: my mind wandered. And it kept wandering until Esperanza's death. The episode might have been significantly better if these kids had a little more personality or chemistry.

I'm not going to blame the actors, however. My lack of interest may have been because of the story. I wasn't given a good enough reason as to why I was listening to Lucia's story in the first place. Olivia merely asks her about the shell necklace and we are suddenly supposed to care about the story behind it. With "Greater Love", on the other hand, I was hooked from the very beginning. I immediately wanted to hear what happened to Timmy and wondered why Tom seemed so angry at P.D. Up until the moment Esperanza dies in "Never For Nothing", Grandma is essentially just telling a story about a boy who bugged her when she was young.

If the child hadn't died, how special would this episode have been? The death caught me off guard, I'll admit. I thought Esperanza was going to break her arm or, at worst, become paralysed. However, I'm not exactly sure how Esperanza's death helps to illustrate ''love'' any more than if she hadn't died. After all, the fall was an accident. Nothing more. Having Esperanza simply going off to find an adult, or a ladder, or a rock to knock down the shoe would have also been an example of her showing love to him too.

Sacrificing your life, I imagine, is the greatest way one can show love: "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends" (NIV). Except in this case, Esperanza's death wasn't a sacrifice. The fall really has nothing to do with anything. In contrast, Timmy knew the risk of saving P.D Barnes. He showed selfless love by sacrificing his life, like Jesus did. And since Esperanza's death wasn't a sacrifice, her actual death doesn't seem to illustrate anything. It seems to be just a sentimental addition to the story.

Must we do something foolish like climb a tree to show someone love? Although I admit it would have taken away from the story, the episode never acknowledges Esperanza's foolishness. Esperanza herself says "the shoe is pretty high up", and Juan also admits how "crazy" of an idea it is: "That side of the tree is hanging of Morelos ravine. I wouldn't want to end up with a broken neck like Tomas did last year."  Earlier in the episode, Lucia says, "I was the sensible one and she was the adventurous one". Shouldn't it have been "I was the sensible one and she was the crazy one"? Or at the end, Esperanza tells Juan, "You will be brave like she was". It's obvious how brave Timmy was, but how is Esperanza's act considered brave? It's stupid to climb trees; especially, in this case, to retrieve a shoe. There's nothing brave about it.

I think I liked Whit and Matthew Parker's scenes better. I liked hearing Whit give a Bible study. I remember Hal Smith's Whit doing something like that. The twist--Juan now works at the halfway house--was also nice, and I did not see it coming. However, after learning that Eugene's father lived in Odyssey, or Agnes Riley's pen-pal was actually Joanne Allen, or that Joanne Allen was around for Mrs. Meltsner's ultrasound, these ''it's a small World!'' surprises may have run their course. The nice thing about this surprise is that no one except the audience found out that Juan was the same man from the story. Not yet, anyway.

As I write this, fans are praising this episode. They are calling it one of the best of the season. Some are even calling it one of the best of the series. I'm sorry I cannot be celebrating with you all. ''Never For Nothing'' certainly has all the ingredients of a classic, unforgettable Adventures in Odyssey episode: a moving storyline, a dark tragedy, a nice twist at the end. I think it falls (no pun intended) short with Lucia's slow, uninteresting story and a somewhat sentimental plot addition.

That said, it's certainly nice to hear Adventures in Odyssey get serious again. Did it move me? Yes, I'll admit felt a little something. And that's why giving it a positive review. Just another good episode in a surprisingly good season.

Rating: 

Review: A Penny Earned

I have a small confession. I was among the fans who wrongly believed Penny wasn't saved prior to ''A Penny Saved''. And if ''A Penny Saved'' was her salvation episode then ''A Penny Earned'' taught that salvation was a gift and didn't need to be earned.

I wonder why so many of us initially thought this, however. After all, Penny herself admits she's a believer in ''The Green Ring Conspiracy''. Could it be that, given the nature of the album, we automatically disbelieved everything each character said? Could it be that we usually associate Christian fictional characters as being wise and sensible? Could it be that, compared to most characters on the show, she is less outspoken about her faith? Maybe all of the above.

Although in my previous review I accused her of not being different enough from other characters, I'm starting to see her usefulness. She settles in nicely in ''A Penny Earned''. It helps that McCusker reveals a little more about her background, including some interesting information about her personal life (being named after Pennsylvania, for instance). When she isn't sounding intoxicated from the back of her car and eases up on her performance, I don't mind her at all. She is simply a naive child stuck inside an adult's body, and it seems to work because the rest of the characters make it work. In other words, it's not Penny's storyline I find particularly interesting; I care mostly about the characters emotionally invested in her.

And in a period where Connie and Eugene seem purposeless, this is very much appreciated. I may have been entertained by their storyline in last week's ''You're Two Kind'', but they seemed much more developed and realistic here. That said, I'm a little curious to know what both Eugene and Connie are doing in their lives. Apparently Eugene is teaching at the college again. That's fine with me. I just don't know how he manages to split his duties there, Whit's End, and Hand Up. Maybe someone can remind me when exactly he began working at the college since last getting let go ''Back to Abnormal''. Regardless, Eugene is teaching, and Connie is a student. I wonder whether this all being set up to have Eugene become Connie's teacher in future episode. It seems like too good of an opportunity to pass up.

''A Penny Earned'' reminded me, loosely, of older Adventures in Odyssey episodes. Not following me? I feel like their was something awfully familiar about this episode; dare I say it, there was something awfully ''classic''. Did the episode remind anyone of Eugene and Katrina's earlier relationship? Both Penny and Katrina have to make a choice on whether to stay in Odyssey; both Penny and Katrina spent an episode looking for a job; and both end up getting hired by a colourful, foreign shop owners. Meanwhile, Wooton and Eugene--their love interests--are devastated by the potential move. That moment between Wooton and Connie in Connie's apartment was particularly moving (no pun intended). I always like it when Wooton is a little sad. It shows that he's not completely inhuman.

Even John Whittaker sounded perfectly ''classic'' again. He was both involved in the action, moving in and out from behind the counter, while being a source of help and the show's moral Deus ex machina. Eugene's line ''I need to consult with Mr. Whittaker on how to deal with Douglas Helm'' may have be small and inconsequential, but the particular moment took me back to a time when characters never saw Whit as their equal (even though he was), but as a spiritual guide and someone to seek advice from. He even left his shop duties and helped Penny in her job search by introducing her to a friend. I may occasionally accuse this new Whit of being a little passive, but he is certainly the same old lovable Whit in every other way.

I'd be lying if I said I looked forward to writing this review for any other reason than being able to talk about Jacques Henri. The actor does an incredible job in his brief time, and thankfully, we get to see him flex his acting abilities later this season. I wonder whether he was modelled after Bruce Campbell's role in Spiderman 3 or Lumière in Beauty in the Beast, or ''insert famous French stereotype here''. Of course, Jacques Henri is the very definition of a French stereotype, but he's hilarious regardless. When the customer asked whether she could purchase the bathroom sign, his response, ''I can work out a price for that'' or, later on, ''Am I not speaking Haangleesh?'' were definitely two of the most hilarious moments of the show. I hope to hear more of him next season.

Overall, nicely paced and well acted, ''A Penny Earned'' incorporates ancient, time-tested story threads. It follows ''A Penny Saved'' nicely and utilizes our favourite characters well, bringing all of them together again for a common purpose. Like last week's ''You're Two Kind'', these are the episodes where I can sit back, comfortable and reassured, knowing that all is well and everything is as it should be on my favourite radio drama.

Rating: 

Review: You're Two Kind

Not many of us have ever had to compete to be Wooton's camp assistant or participate in a music-themed scavenger hunt, but most of us have experienced what Ryan Cummings did today. We all have known a Valerie, a cold and intimidating character; and we all have known a Brad, a guy who you're nice to but who stabs you in the back anyway. ''You're Two Kind'' gives us a peak inside a harsher side of school, where back-stabbing, peer pressure, and insecurity are all part of the curriculum.

The reality is that people aren't always divided into ''good and bad'' or ''mean and nice". Many of us are like Brad. We mean well, but because of school pressure we say things we don't necessarily mean to say. We have all gossiped or spoken ill of our friends just to benefit ourselves. It's sad, and it's wrong, but it happens. I like how even though Brad was a bit of a jerk, the episode didn't outright make him into a bully or a bad person in the end. He was just your average guy who messed up.

Today's adventure principally follows Ryan Cummings, who seems underused on Adventures in Odyssey. Adam Wylie--who sounds 13 but is really about 27--plays his role well. Unlike one or two other kids on the show, I feel like I can easily relate to him because he comes across as real person. It's interesting how Ryan--like Brad--is a nice guy, but was willing to do something so harsh and humiliate Brad in front of the class. Overall, because of the way the show dealt with these issues, and because of the actors they chose to deal with them, ''You're Too Kind'' felt like one of the most relatable episodes of the season.

And what about that B-Plot? It wasn't as quite as good as Ryan's story, I'll admit; however, neither was it a waste of time. Ever since Eugene Meltsner came back to the show, fans knew Connie and Eugene's relationship never could be what it once was. It needed to be different. And for a while, up until ''The Green Ring Conspiracy''', it seemed as if the show was in denial, wanting to bring back the classic Connie and Eugene chemistry, regardless of whether Katrina existed or not. If we are to learn anything about marriage from Adventures in Odyssey, a man should not be hanging out around his female co-worker more than he hangs around his wife. All of this is to say, I like that the writing team included Katrina in Connie and Eugene's escapades, instead of pushing her aside or telling the audience she was at home baking cookies. With ''You're Two Kind'' and the upcoming ''How to Sink a Sub'', she finally seems to be getting the attention she deserves.

Did this B-plot sound familiar? A little. Jack Allen also once had trouble speaking what was on his mind in "And that's the Truth". Having Katrina and Connie team up to make Eugene feel miserable makes me wonder why everyone on this show has to be so deceitful in order to ''teach'' others a lesson. I think back to what Whit asks Nick Mulligan in ''The Bad Guy": ''Who tempts people to sin?''. While one could argue Connie and Katrina weren't exactly tempting Eugene to sin, they were purposefully putting him into situations to be dishonest. Furthmore, if the point was to tell Eugene to come out and say what he meant, shouldn't Connie and Katrina have done the same? As is customary in recent years, Whit stands far back and washes his hands of it all.

Overall, I quite liked this episode. Despite being one of the season's simpler episodes, it's delightfully engaging and follows a back-to-basics formula. A kid has his realistic problem; Connie and Eugene have theirs; and Whit travels between both stories and does what he does. Simplicity may be this season's motto, but it works best in "You're Two Kind".