AIO Characters on Twitter

I only follow 8 people on Twitter and two of them wouldn't stop talking about the recent election. I get enough of politics at school so I unfollowed them. So, I started searching for other people to follow. Eventually, I came to the realization that there's no one cool to follow on Twitter.

Celebrities are so not cool. I don't care what they have to say. But you know who's thoughts I'd care about? Odyssey characters.

Then I started thinking about funny tweets that our favorite characters may come up with.

I am the worst when it comes to editing pictures and I don't have Photoshop so my attempts at creating these examples are pretty pathetic. Here's what I came up with:

I wish my sense of humor and photo editing skills were better...

If you guys come up with any better looking/funnier ones, email them to me!

Three Dollars More Review

Note: Thank you to Ben Warren because his reviews are incredibly helpful to me. I'm sure you all feel the same way about him. Just in case you don't know about his website, here it is: http://aio-thechangingtimes.blogspot.com/

Lately, I've been a little busy and haven't been keeping up with Odyssey like I normally do. Well, last Saturday, when I got up and had breakfast, I decided that I was gonna listen to this new Odyssey episode. I dragged my stereo into the bathroom, plugged my iPod touch into it, started playing the new episode off the website, and took a shower. This was a good way to start off a Saturday. 

The story starts off at Whit's End. 

No way. Didn't see that coming.

 Barrett comes into the shop and we find out that he skipped out on his offering because he wanted a video game or something. His reasoning behind it was "the church isn't gonna suffer because it's only three dollars". 

I've been there before. Now I feel awkward... 

Speaking honestly, I have often skipped out on tithing because I wanted some clothes or shoes so I know where Barrett is coming from. But Barrett takes this reasoning a step further by saying that he's gonna stop tithing altogether. Matthew, who just finished making a Room of Consequence program, wants to teach Barrett the error of his ways so he sends him on a ROC adventure. 

Matthew's program told Barrett that if he didn't tithe, the church would crumble and society would quickly plunge into a dystopian world. 

Barrett is irritated by this message so Connie tries to patch things up and whips up her own ROC program. (Writing a computer program is that easy? Why is Connie still working at Whit's End? She should go into computer science or programing! Be Eugene's teaching assistant!) Connie's program paints the story of an underprivileged boy who was almost sent to Bible camp but couldn't because Barrett didn't give his pathetic three dollars! Barrett wasn't a fan of this program and just as he's about to angrily storm out, Whit swoops in and calms everyone down. He makes a third program and Barrett goes on another adventure. Whit's program tells the simple story of Barrett becoming a stingy jerk because he refuses to give out his money. 

I like this episode because the writers are really getting back to the old school Odyssey episodes that tackle simple morals and biblical truths. That pleases me. Of course, there were a few things that we're a bit troubling. 

Odyssey reviewer extraordinaire Ben Warren (my spirit animal) points out that all the programs were good reasons to tithe but there should have been a program that talked about the number 1 reason for why we tithe. We tithe out of obedience to Jesus. To quote BTV: Obedience, "Obedience is a result of trust, born of the hope that the person we trust is the best person to be obeyed..." And in John 14:15, Jesus says, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments". 

To the writer's credit, Whit tells Barrett that the main reason why we tithe is out of obedience to God. My question (and Ben Warren's question) is why didn't Whit's program talk about that instead of turning Barrett into a Scrooge-esque figure? 

In my opinion, tithing is a difficult subject to tackle and the writers did a decent job of covering it. It was a good reminder to me to give my money more frequently to church. I'm still listening, Odyssey. Your episodes and lessons (as imperfect as they sometimes are) still apply to my daily life and are a blessing.  

The Perfect Church

The modern Christian church is composed of many of denominations and there seem to be a number of disagreements among these denominations and even inside the churches. Have you ever wondered why that is? Why do churches have to act like that? Can't we all just chill out and get along? I'm sure that the Christians of the past didn't act like this!

I know I've though this before. I'm sure some of you have to. Well, apparently, Matthew Parker also thinks about these things. He comes into Whit's End and pretty much tells Whit that he's not gonna go to church anymore because people at his church are stupid and making church not cool. He just wants to go to church and worship God. Why are people messing that up with all their drama? 

I totally understand what Matthew is talking about. 

Matthew tells Whit he wishes modern churches would be more like the early church in Acts. That'd be...perfect.

Yes. I want my church to be like this

Whit decides to show Matthew that the early church was NOT perfect. Matthew goes for an Imagination Station ride and meets a family and we go through the first part of Acts like Pentecost, the Ananias and Saphira fiasco, and Steven's death. During this two part adventure, Matthew witnesses a lot of problems that the early church had. There were quarrels between the Christians about letting Gentiles join plus the Pharisees had it in for the early church.

That's not really my idea of perfection.

This was a great episode. It had a classic Odyssey feel. We were back in the Imagination Station, having an adventure in the Bible.

Rhoda and her family were good parts of the story. While they weren't mentioned in the book of Acts, it's plausible that there was a family like theirs who lived through all these events in Acts. I liked them. Plus, Matthew needed people like them to act off of and ask questions to.

Who else loved Eugene's random definitions? I wish I had that in ordinary life. I would use it so much in the course of my school day.

I think my favorite scene was Stephen's sermon to the Pharisees. It was a powerful scene. It was one of the most theological scenes in Odyssey history. For a while now, I've been thinking that Odyssey is going down a fluffy Christianity path. I didn't think they'd approach any deep faith matters. This episode proves me wrong. The season appears to be proving me wrong. Good work, writers. 

At the end of the episode, Matthew has realized that the early church was NOT perfect. He has also decided that he isn't gonna give up on church. We all have to realize that, even though the church is an institution of God, it isn't perfect. Humans are sinful but God still uses us for his glory. I'm glad Whit communicated that clearly. It's something we should never forget.     

Note: I'm sorry I haven't updated in a long time! This school thing isn't fun. I'll try to be more regular with my posts. 

A Retraction

When you get older, you get more conscious of what you write and say out loud. I'm getting more and more aware of this everyday. My last post was a rant about how Odyssey was put on iTunes but you couldn't buy any individual episodes. Well, it's been about a week or so since I posted and almost all the episodes have been individualized. Of course I found this out AFTER I posted my rant. 

Don't look at me

Thanks for this guilt trip, Focus. Well played...

I recant! I guess I was too impatient and should have just sit back and let things happen. I'm sorry for jumping the gun and talking bad about Focus. I should have been more patient and waited a bit longer to see if the episodes would be individualized. 

Here's a picture of bunnies to make up for everything.

 
Just so you guys know, I plan to spend as much money as possible on these episodes. I've already bought several.
   
     •Pamela Has a Problem
     •The Price of Freedom
     •The Top Floor 1,2,3
     •Prequels of Love

I've loved listening to all of these episodes. They're great and I love having them on my iPod. I listen to them on the bus in the morning, when I'm in study hall, when I'm on a walk, or when I'm just relaxing at home. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm grateful to FOTF for making the episodes more available to me. Even if the episodes weren't individualized, I'd still be grateful. I may have seemed like I had a bad attitude in my last post but in the long run, I'm just happy that Odyssey exists.

Adventures in Odyssey on iTunes

A few years ago, you could buy episodes of AIO on iTunes. I didn't find this out for a while but when I did, I was very happy and managed to horde some money away and buy some episodes. (This was a few years ago so I'm not sure where I got this money from...) I bought 33 episodes. This may seem like a large number but I quickly listened to all the episodes. Then, one day, all the episodes disappeared off the store. (Mind you, not the episodes I bought but all the ones on the store)

Then, about a month ago, I read that Odyssey was coming back to iTunes. I've been keeping a close watch on iTunes and checking regularly. They're now back on! 

Oh wait...the episodes are only available in album form. This means you can't buy individual episodes. 

Come on!

If I was gonna buy a whole album, I'd buy a hard copy at my local Christian book store! The reason why I was so excited about AIO coming back to iTunes was the thought of buying individual episodes. I'm mad! I have money in my iTunes account that is begging to be spent and I don't have any Odyssey to spend it on! Odyssey is on the top of my list of stuff to buy on iTunes but I want to buy other stuff! Dang it, Focus! Now I have a predicament. 

My one hope is that the episodes are eventually gonna be individualized. You can buy the episodes from album 1 individually so maybe the rest of the albums will follow suit.  I don't see why they wouldn't. I'd be economically wise for Focus to do so because I think people are more likely to buy a few episodes rather than a whole album. I'm gonna keep my money in reserve and see what happens. Hopefully, we will eventually be able to buy the single episodes. 

Happy Hunting Review

*Spoilers for Album 56*

You wouldn't believe how excited I was when I found out that they were releasing a new episode early. I was so happy. 

  

I kind of looked like this. Except less awesome

Let's give this plot a quick summary. After a difficult day at work, Penny asks Connie how Connie stays so happy all the time. Connie is surprised by this comment. She claims that she's not happy all the time but often times, happiness is a choice. This comment sticks with Penny. Penny comes up with several ways she can choose happiness. First, she chose to buy a pair of cute boots to get some happiness. That doesn't work.

I don't know about Penny but if I got these, I'd be walking around the neighborhood whistling and singing "Don't Worry, Be Happy"

Then she tries running because exercise produces endorphins and endorphins make you happy. This backfires because she tripped down a hill and broke a few ribs because she ran in her new shoes. 

They all go back to Connie and Penny's apartment and Wooten offers to make dinner. He makes salmon by Penny's request because she read that salmon is full of Omega 3s. Apparently Wooten is quite a good cook. Penny ends up having an allergic reaction to the meal. (She'd never had salmon before) Penny ends up going back to the hospital. 

Penny then drags Connie to a happiness support group. (This is kind of a throwback to the Happy Smilers) Connie hates the group and is unhappy. Connie is becoming exasperated by Penny's pursuits of happiness because her positive attitude is annoying. Whit points out that thinking positively has roots in Scripture. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. (Philippians 4:8) Whit then makes the point that the quest of happiness can often be selfish because it focuses on ourselves. Penny then quickly draws the conclusion that to be happy means she must volunteer. Whit tries to correct her but Penny quickly runs with the whole volunteer idea. Somehow, Penny can make volunteering at a homeless shelter dangerous. She managed to dislocate her shoulder when she slipped and fell.

She's been to the hospital more times than I've gone in the past 5 years

Here's the part of the show where Whit comes along and sets everybody straight. This is the part of the show that I've been waiting for. Whit says that Penny had the wrong expectations about happiness. He says that happiness is only an emotion that lasts a short time. Penny counters by saying that she thought God wanted us to be happy. Whit explains that kind of happiness (happiness with joy and peace) can only be found in a relationship with him. Whit further says God has given us a number of things in our life to bring us happiness. Mainly, we have his love and forgiveness but we also have a beautiful world, family, and friends. If we focus on those things, happiness will be there. 

Let me say this, I loved this episode. I love Connie, Penny, and Wooten together. They are so enjoyable to listen to. The dialogue was quick and funny. I thought Wooten and Penny were both great. Penny feels like she's been on the show for a long time. Andre did a fantastic job as Whit. He's now really starting to sound like he's getting the hang on Whit. This was such a classic sounding Odyssey episode except for one thing; the message was about as watered down as you could get. 

At the end, I thought Whit was gonna come in a explain to everyone the problems with their thinking. Well, he did. He just left a big part out. It was a pretty important part. 

Whit was right in saying that happiness was only a temporary emotion. Happiness is the feeling you get when you buy a new pair of shoes, if your favorite song comes on the radio, or if you get an early released episode of Adventures in Odyssey. He was also right in saying that happiness combined with peace and joy is what we get from a relationship with God. He even mentioned one thing that gives us that special kind of happiness is God's love and forgiveness. Then we moved right along. 

Look, there was nothing wrong with what Whit said. He just could have said a lot more. 

Alright, John Avery, explain to me why God's love should make me happy. And why should forgiveness give me joy? Is it that important? 

Of course his forgiveness is important! You are beyond sinful and God demands perfection. Nothing can save you from your depravity except Jesus Christ- the perfect son of God. God, in his infinite love and mercy, gave up Jesus to take on your sins and give you his righteousness. You are now pure in God's sight. Why would God give his son for you? You didn't deserve it. What you deserved was an eternity in hell and isolation from God. God did it because he loves you. 

Let's just take a moment and appreciate how amazing that it. 

That's the Gospel and that is what gives you a combination of happiness, joy, and peace. 

I'm not sure when AIO started weakening the Gospel. I doubt it started with the reboot. I'm sure we can trace it back farther. Maybe it's always been a bit weak. I don't know, but I'm saddened when I hear such a missed opportunity like that. I've been to churches where they mention the name Jesus and they mention love but there's nothing more. You have to tell the whole story to get the point. My dad says if you aren't getting the whole gospel when you go to church, you might as well stay home and sleep in. 

The writers really scored when it came to the story, dialogue, and characters. If they can manage to start writing the Gospel back into the story, then I can see AIO going on for many more years. 

The Three Faces of Whit

This one's for you, Old Judge. 

25 years and 3 different actors for Whit. He is the only long term character the crew keeps replacing. Why is that? Well, it's accurate to say Whit is the most important character on the show. The show's setting is Whit's End and Whit is the main character. He's offers advice to those who need it, he invents crazy stuff, he can talk with anyone, and he puts curly q's on top of ice cream cones. He's a unique, integral part of the show.

Now, let's go back to 1994. Hal Smith, the beloved voice of Whit, suddenly passed away. The fans mourned while the crew scrambled to try and figure out what to do. Either they had to kill off Whit, drop his character, or find a new actor. To buy themselves some time, the writers sent Eugene and Bernard on a road trip. While Eugene and Bernard were gallivanting across the country, the crew was searching for a new voice for Whit. They came up with nothing so they went with plan B; they sent him off to the Middle East on an archaeological mission. He was gone for over 2 years. In his absence, they wrote in Jack Allen (a wise, old friend of Whit) and Jason Whittaker (Whit's adventerous, inventing son). Jack and Jason were a fantastic addition to the show but fans missed Whit. The crew eventually found a guy out in Seattle named Paul Herlinger. Paul Herlinger's voice resembled Hal Smith's. They hired him and brought Whit back in the episode "Search for Whit". Paul Herlinger was the voice of Whit for 12 years. (I should note that Hal Smith was only the voice of Whit for 7 years) Paul retired in 2008 during the hiatus. The writers were again faced with finding another voice for Whit. They got Andre Stojka and he's been doing the voice of Whit for 3 years.

It's difficult for me to choose a favorite  "Whit". There's a lot of things to take into consideration.

Hal Smith was the original. Even though I only started listening to Odyssey in 2006ish, I got a hold of most of the classic episodes. (On cassettes. Party like it's 1987) I would drag my dad's old boom box (made in the former Soviet Union) into my room, plug in my headphones, and would curl up under a blanket to listen to those cassettes. Those are some of my best memories. Hal Smith's voice brings me back to those memories. I'm sure you guys have had similar experiences. Hal has a very warm voice. You feel like he isn't playing a character. You feel like he's that kind and grandfatherly in real life. I love that. 

Paul Herlinger stepped into a dangerous position when he took on the voice of Whit. I'm not sure what the fans were saying because message boards weren't around at that time but I figure they weren't happy. It's understandable. Paul Herlinger and Hal Smith's voices are not identical. Although, in my opinion, Paul quickly proved himself to be a great Whit. The episode Clara gave emotion to Paul's Whit and further developed Whit's character. Whit went through a lot in Paul's 12 years of Odyssey. Paul's Whit interacted and formed relationships with Jack and Jason, mentored Eugene, watched Connie grow up, dealt with the Novacom fiasco and gave advice to a whole new generation of kids (actually, two/two and a half). I love Paul. He's in a lot of my favorite episodes and he's an excellent actor. 

Andre Stojka must have had a death wish. I never would take up the role of a beloved character after the previous actor had been acting that part for 12 years. One could say that Paul Herlinger was equally crazy but let me remind you that he took on the role before message boards and fan websites. Back then, if you really wanted to complain, you would have had to write a letter to Focus. That's a lot of work and people are lazy. Nowadays, all you have to do is hop on your computer and rattle off a rant about Stojka online. 

This is so going on my blog

 Normally, I try to listen to people's arguments and respect their opinions. This is the one argument I get tired of hearing. People have got to stop complaining about Stojka. Look people, it's too bad that you don't like his voice but I don't see how whining about it is gonna solve your personal dilemma. You see, you can't complain about something that no one can control. The listener can't control who voices Whit and the writers had no choice but to find a new voice. I'm sorry that they couldn't find the vocal twin of Paul but y'all gotta let go and move on. 

As for my opinion of Andre, I like him. I can't say I love him yet but I respect him and I have a feeling that he will one day come into his own. I know this much; I like him a lot more than when I listened to albums 51 and 52. I believe that's a combination of good writing and talented acting. Nice work, everyone. 

That leaves the final question. Who is my favorite Whit? That question doesn't make sense. Whit is Whit. Sure, he's had several voices but the character doesn't change. Who is Whit? Whit is a veteran, archaeologist, a father, a writer, a trusted friend, an inventor, and most importantly a strong Christian man. No matter who's voicing him, he is still that man. 

Plot Twists

*There will be SPOILERS for Odyssey episodes that have been released and novel Jane Eyre*

Who doesn't love a great plot twist? People eat that kind of stuff up. Think of one of your favorite books or movies. Did it have at least one plot twist that surprised you? 

Take, for example, the book Jane Eyre. Anybody know the big plot twist in that book? The dude who Jane is interested in has a crazy wife locked in the attic. 

When was that book written?

Odyssey is guilty of using the plot twist device as well. Let's look at some examples. 

Last in a Long Line is a classic episode that explored Eugene's history. Eugene's parents died in Africa when he was a child, he found his father's name on a tombstone in a local cemetery, and he managed to track down his grandfather in Connellsville. Plot twist: Bernard is a long lost cousin of Eugene. 

Name Not a Number is when this new character Jason is about to leave for Odyssey to start running his dad's shop. He makes a detour for Switzerland to save his hot friend Tasha from terrorists. Plot twist: Dr. Blackgaard is working for the good guys. Second plot twist: No, he's not. And he faked his death. 

Darkness Before Dawn Saga: Odyssey is being terrorized by vandalism while Glossman is trying to get Tom out of office. As if running a recall isn't enough work, Glossman shuts down Whit's End. Plot twist: Blackgaard is behind it all and wants world domination. 

Novacom: I'm not gonna try and summarize this. Here's the major plot twist: Robert Mitchell is dead. Second plot twist: Nope. Never mind.

"Finding Eugene's Dad Saga": This whole story was one plot twist after another. Plot twist: Eugene's dad is alive. Second plot twist: Eugene has a younger brother who was kidnapped when he was a baby. There was more craziness but those were the big ones. 

Green Ring Conspiracy: There's a counterfeit scheme in Odyssey and some guy named the Stiletto is one of the people behind it. Plot twist: The Stiletto is Jason Whittaker. 

Alright, so AIO has done this a number of times. We can also see that they've been using this more and more in recent years. For the most part, people love this. Although I have heard people complaining about plot twists and how they can be cliche and soap opera-ish. 

I can say with confidence that Odyssey has never strayed into the R. Kelly hip-hopera zone

Lot's of people complain but what about me? Well, I like where AIO is currently at on the drama meter. Not too much, not too little. I've said this before and I'll say it again; the writers do a good job balancing out the show. There's serious episodes and there's fun, light episodes. While I'm amazed at some of the drama that have happened over the years, it doesn't bother me because in the end, Odyssey is still pretty close to reality. And that's what we're all listening for, right? We like the cool episodes with all the intrigue and twists and turns but what keeps us listening is the warm, comfortable feeling we get when the little bell tinkles over the door at Whit's End and you hear Connie or Whit. That's why we stay and that's why we keep listening. 

Bernard, Tom, and Other Forgotten Characters

I think I've explained this before but I stopped listening to Odyssey for about two years. Wait...*counts in my head* Actually, it'd be more like 3. Why I stopped listening isn't the point of this post. What's important is that I stopped listening during the hiatus. When I came back to the Odyssey world, I found that there was a bunch of new characters. This was a bit off putting to someone coming back to the fandom but I endured though all the changes and even began to like some new characters. It took me a while to realize that they had cut out some of the old characters. 

It's not the first time AIO has ditched characters. The Barclay's were exiled to Pokenberry Falls, Lucy and Sam Johnson were left behind after the hiatus in '97, Nick Mulligan vanished, the writers left fan favorite Richard Maxwell in a hospital bed, Alex Jefferson (one of my favorite Novacom kid characters) randomly disappeared, and I know there are several more examples. 

Before the hiatus, Walker Edmiston passed away and Tom had to be left behind. *cries* Then, the hiatus hit and the writers did a reboot kind of thing and dropped a number of characters. Let's try and list all of them. (If I miss any, tell me in the comments) 

*The Washingtons and Kelly

*Grady and his family

*Jack and Joanne

*Bernard  

*Mandy

*Trent

*The Rathbones

Now, I'm not saying that I'm mad at the writers for cutting out a lot of characters. I'm sure there were good reasons. Mandy had been around since '98, Trent and Marvin's voices were both changing, the Rathbones have been around since the classic days and Walker Edmiston's death was probably the reason they were pulled, the actors for Jack and Joanne are in their late 80s and early 90s, the list goes on. 

I don't like change

Most of the character disappearances are justified and the writer's method for these disappearances is pretty good. The characters are simply phased out. It's life. Actors and characters grow up. It's a common thing as we can see if we look at the history of Odyssey. Although, in my opinion, phasing out doesn't work with EVERY character. When you have characters like Tom and Bernard, characters who are ridiculously important to the show, you have to give them a decent goodbye. Tom has been around since episode 1 and Bernard has been around since 1990. They're core characters. I don't need to give you people examples of how important Tom and Bernard are to the show. It's obvious. What I have trouble wrapping my mind around is why they were phased out. 

Please explain this to me. Explain it.

I don't know the reason for why Bernard was dropped. I know Dave Madden is semi-retired/retired in Florida so maybe he decided that it was too much work to keep doing the show.Or maybe the writers just decided to write him out. REGARDLESS, there should have been some kind of closure. For example, Bernard walks into Whit's End and tells the crew that he and Maude are packing up and retiring to Arizona or some other warm place. See? Closure. 

Handling Tom's departure would have been more difficult. You can't just say that he's moving to Arizona too and is gonna be neighbors with Bernard and Maude. I think that the best sendoff for Tom would have been a funeral. It would have been a heartbreaking and emotional episode but I think it would have been the way to go. Of course, that kind of episode would have been difficult for Stojka being that he was a newcomer and all. (Some could argue that only Hal Smith could do an episode like that) 

Now, it's too late to give Tom and Bernard a proper goodbye. On one hand, phasing them out was good because it didn't cause any drama. On the other hand, I think the characters deserved more. 

25 Years

Have you ever been doing something rather inane and then had an epiphany? For example, you could be eating a bowl of cereal and you are hit with a brilliant idea for an invention. (Like a spoon that won't dribble milk down the front of your shirt. Or a spoon that has a nail file on the handle so you can file your nails while eating cereal.) Well, I usually have these kinds of epiphanies but they're never about brilliant ideas. They're generally keen realizations of the obvious. Today, I had one of these realizations in the shower. I was just shampooing my hair and I suddenly realized that Odyssey has been around for 25 years. 

There was a lot of buildup for the 25th birthday bash but the number 25 just flew over my head. I bet a lot of people don't realize how long 25 years is. Let me put it into some perspective. In 1987, Dirty Dancing was released that year, Michael Jackson released his album Bad (and he was still Black), Ronald Reagan was President, and the fashion trends were horrendous. 

I doubt normal people dressed like this but you get my point

It's obvious that trends, music, and society have changed since 1987 but something that has remained the same is Odyssey. Adventures in Odyssey is quality entertainment that always has a Christian message. It's helped me grow in my faith throughout the past few years. I loved listening to the episodes when I was 10 years old and I continue to love it. 

On blogs and message boards, we're always talking about the things we don't like about the show and what the writers are doing wrong. I just wanted to take a moment and appreciate all the things that they've done right. 

Home Again Review

This episode was one of the episodes I bought when it first came out in August. It was the most anticipated episode for me. I found out several months ago that Jason was coming back to Odyssey. This was pretty much how I reacted: 

When I reviewed the Labyrinth, I said that I didn't think that Jason should come back. Well, when I heard that wasn't gonna be the case, I warmed up to the idea. I realized, after someone explained to me, that Jason was only considered dead to the NSA. Odyssey just thought that he had skipped town. This makes the whole situation a bit better. 

Note: the words in italics are some of my comments that I made while I was listening

The episodes starts out with an alarm going off in one of the tunnels. Whit goes to investigate but not before running into Joanne at the counter. She gives him several boxes of antique stuff and then mentions that she thought she saw Jason diving through town. What a good undercover agent. Whit dodges around her comment and then goes down to the tunnel to check. Jason slips out of some hidden corner and greets his father rather casually. Like he lives down the street and is just dropping by to borrow some half n half because he's too lazy to run to the store. Whit is happy to see his son and asks him what's going on. In short, Jason quit because he wants to gain some control of his life and reconnect with God. He's rented a cabin along Trickle Lake and is gonna stay there to do some thinking and praying. Would that be the same cabin where Eugene and Katrina hid out  in when Eugene was all amnesia-ey? Jason tells Whit to keep his appearance quiet. He doesn't want to be disturbed. We then hear Connie wander on down to the tunnel. Jason quickly hides and Connie said that she thought she heard Jason's voice. After some cagey responses from Whit and a few annoyed, Connie-esque outbursts, Whit makes Connie agree to respect Jason's privacy and not tell anyone. She is so gonna tell someone. She tells Eugene because she thinks he already knows. It's kind of understandable. Everybody always knows stuff before Connie. Eugene is stunned by the news and wonders if Jason is bringing trouble with him. Penny then arrives on the scene and finds out the news. Penny hasn't properly met Jason (she at first wonders if he's another one of Connie's ex-fiances) but urges Connie to go see him. Penny, you are not a very good influence. Connie tells Penny that she wants to listen to Whit and do what he wants. Penny isn't satisfied with this and tries to talk Wooton into helping her find Jason so Connie can see him. I'd never go to this much effort to help a friend find a friend that I had never met. Unless that friend of a friend was hot. Hmm. Methinks Penny has ulterior motives. Penny and Wooton quickly deduce that Jason is staying at a cabin by Trickle Lake and Penny decides that they're gonna go on a picnic to the lake. While at J&J Antiques, Eugene finds out that there might be a jewel scam going on in the area. Eugene automatically thinks that Jason must be here to arrest the men behind the scheme. Cut to Jason who's at the cabin and it not enjoying the solitude. He's bored and can't focus. I don't know what his problem is. I love being alone and doing nothing. Of course, if that cabin doesn't have wifi, I can understand where he's coming from. He decides to go for a walk. Eugene goes to have some diamonds appraised and the clerk (one of the conspirators in the scam) mistakes Eugene for his co-conspirator (apparently, Eugene bears a resemblance to the criminal). He locks up Eugene in the back of the store. Wow. Where is this sub-plot going? Back to the trio, they're at Trickle Lake and Penny "accidently" spills all the water. She suggests that they go up to one of the cabins (specifically, cabin #3) and ask for some. Nobody answers at cabin #3 and Penny is disappointed. Connie finally tires of the charade and asks them point blank if this has something to do with Jason. They confess and Connie tries to tell them that she doesn't want to go against Whit's request. As Connie is lecturing them and walking, she literally walks into Jason. You have to be joking. After a bit of awkwardness, they decide to hang out for a little while. They all ended up enjoying themselves and even went back to Connie and Penny's place to play games and order take out. Whit gets a concerned call from Katrina telling him that Eugene's missing and they found his car abandoned outside a jewelry store. Whit and Jason go to investigate and find the bad guy brothers. Jason recognizes them as a pair of criminal brothers and disarms them while Whit goes to fetch Eugene. That wrapped up quickly. The next day at Whit's End, everyone discusses all that went down. Did I forget to mention that Jason talked with Joanne briefly and offered to run the antiques shop? (This was after dinner with Connie, Penny, and Wooton but before rescuing Eugene) Well, Joanne has Jack on the phone and their discussing it. Jack says over speakerphone that he'd be glad to leave the shop to Jason. And that's pretty much how the episode ends. 

Let me give you my analysis on this episode.  

This episode was had several things that didn't make much sense. Penny was obsessive about getting Connie to see Jason, Connie was really eager to see Jason, Wooton was going along with Penny's wild plans (against Whit's wishes), and Eugene gets kidnapped by a pair of jewel thieves who only served the purpose of distracting us from the main story. 

Penny, I know that you are rather impulsive and don't think through your actions but come on. Connie says that Whit told her not go looking for Jason and you ignore that? I didn't think that you would completely disrespect Whit like that. 

Wooton, you may act like a kid sometimes but you've always showed maturity when it comes to important situations. I would have thought that you'd be the last person to disrespect Whit. 

Since this episode hasn't been released on the radio, there aren't many blogs or message boards talking about it. I have heard that a few people think that this episode alludes to a future romance between Jason and Connie. 

Don't you dare, Connie.

Just kidding. I actually have a bit of a soft spot for JasonxConnie. I think it'd be cute but they'd never work out. Their personalities would clash (they both need rational people to balance them out) and Connie would probably have a difficult time dealing with Jason's past. (If her relationship with Mitch is any indicator) I'm positive that the writers aren't gonna push them together. There's at least a 10 year age difference between them (If I was in my 20s, I'd have no problem dating a guy 10-20 years older) and I know that would stir up a lot of trouble among fans and parents. Jason and Connie fans are just gonna have to keep writing fanfiction because that pair is not gonna happen. Sorry to sink your ship. 

I'm just picking up on this but Townsend's voice has changed a bit. I know this can happen with age and cigarette usage so that's not the part that concerns me. What concerns me is how I haven't noticed until now! I think I'm too infatuated with him to notice these kinds of things. Maybe I have a problem. 

Hearing Jack over speaker phone at the end made me pretty happy. It was disappointing that he wasn't in the whole episode but I didn't expect to hear his voice at the end. At first, I didn't think it was Allen Young. The speakerphone made him sound a bit different so I wasn't sure if it was a different actor or if they did audio splicing like in the old days when Whit was off in the Middle East. I listened very carefully and came to the conclusion that it really was Allen Young. Thanks to him for doing that. I'm sure it was loved by the listeners. (I know I loved it)

What was the point of the jewel scam subplot? Honestly, I have no idea. Though that one guy, Rudolph, (who looked like Eugene) wins the award for the most flaming character I've ever heard on Adventures in Odyssey. 

I'm thinking they need to make this part of the Averys.

I'm really happy that Jason's back. I think it's an interesting twist that he's gonna be running the antique shop. Besides the irritating subplot and the out of character-ness of some main characters, I think it was a decent episode. What did you guys think? Honestly, that episode could have sucked and I still would have loved it simply because Jason's back. ^_^