The Labyrinth Review

I'm not gonna deceive any of you guys. I loved the Labyrinth. Definitely my favorite episode that Odyssey 2.0 has released. I was waiting in suspense every Saturday for the new episodes. I'd even try to listen on Friday nights to see if they'd release the episodes at midnight. (They didn't. I stayed up half the night. Nothing.) Of course, there were pros and cons to the three-parter. 

I don't know about you people, but I thought this episode was different and I liked that. It seemed to be following suit to Odyssey 2.0. Everything is still AIO but it's altered a bit. 

This episode was a bit dark for Adventures in Odyssey. (I wasn't offended or anything. After watching Fringe, eight seasons of 24, and various murder documentaries, nothing really shakes me.) For starters, Jason seemed a bit more violent and I think violence makes the show more realistic. Would Jack Bauer sit down with whatever Russian terrorist are after him and try to talk out their issues? No. He'd use whatever resources to kill every terrorist in the room. Now, I don't want Jason to start breaking any necks or ripping out some guy's jugular with his teeth (looking at you, Jack Bauer) but a bit of violence makes the show a bit realistic.

Torture. That was also mentioned about briefly. Part 2 ended with Grote saying "use whatever means necessary". Also, Jason told Dale to not tell him where the codes were hidden just in case he got captured and "questioned". 

The next part was implied but I still picked up on it. Jason worked for Grote so I'm guessing he had to do some things to gain Grote's trust. We could be talking about stealing, drug trafficking, or maybe even killing innocent people. Granted, maybe the writer didn't even think of this and I'm perverting AIO. Regardless, it's something to think about. If it's true, it makes the last scene even more poignant.  

Okay, the Jacob's reappearance is completely random but I'm not gonna complain. This was a rare episode that took place away from Odyssey and didn't involve the main characters like Whit, Connie, or Eugene. The writers were probably like, "This is freaking Adventures in Odyssey. We have to have some splash of Odyssey in here. It can't all be about how awesome Jason is." Dale and Ann are good, classic characters so it's hard to go wrong with them. Plus, they had to be the people to ask all the questions on the listeners minds. 

I really liked Sue. She's my favorite child character that I've heard in a while. I liked everything about her. 

One of my favorite scenes was the scene between Jason and Sue at the beginning. 

Jason: (to Sue) Don't go. You're better off with me. 

Sue: You've got Reggie Fingers, the police, and MI5 searching for you. I think I'll find a better offer elsewhere.

Jason: But I have a backup plan, although he doesn't know it yet. 

The brilliant thing is that he calls Whit. Either he has a much better relationship with his father than I'll ever have with my parents or Whit is the one person you call when you're in a tight spot. 

My other favorite scene was the last scene between Jason and Dale. (I wish it was longer but we can't have everything in life.) The scene made the whole episode more realistic. Jason obviously has a lot of baggage and it's wearing on him. (Did he have to kill Billings? I'm pretty sure he did.) Jason and his...underlying issues have always been a question in the back of my mind. How does he deal with all of it? How do you keep your sanity and your faith? (You'll end up like Jack Bauer, incapable of living a normal life.) I'm glad the writers addressed some of these questions. I thought they did a good job. Although, like I said, I wish it had been a bit longer so it hadn't seemed like it was tacked on at the end. Regardless, it was good writing and fantastic acting. 

Somebody better win an award or something

Alright, there's one more thing I need to get off my chest. They CANNOT bring Jason back to Odyssey. I hate even saying that, but come on! The whole town of Odyssey thinks that he's dead! Once you kill off a character, he's supposed to stay dead. If you "resurrect" a character, the show quickly spirals down into soap opera territory. (I'll use another 24 reference here. In season 7 of 24, they brought one of my favorite characters back who had died in a previous season but he was brought back as a terrorist! That ruined the whole season and nearly the show.) Plus, Jason isn't going to get that normal life he wants if he's living in a town that knows all his secrets. He needs a new start in a new place. (Imagine if they made a spin-off on his life. That'd be hilarious. I'd listen to it, if only to hear Townsend's voice. I could listen to him talk about anything.) 

All in all, I loved it. Sure, it wasn't perfect but I wasn't expecting perfection. In fact, with Odyssey 2.0, my expectations haven't been very high lately. The Labyrinth has now raised my expectations for the rest of album 55. Why wouldn't it? Jason is my favorite character, I thought Sue was a good new character, the Jacobs were main characters, and it took place in London. It's the perfect formula for a great episode. Let's just hope that the rest of album 55 is just as good. 

I'm Determined To Find the Town of Odyssey.

The writers always get asked if Odyssey is a real place. It's not. The writers don't even have a state where it's located. But, the Odyssey Scoop website has a specific part of their site that tries to narrow down where Odyssey really is. Here's where I think it is. 

   The black dots are where I think Odyssey could possibly be. (If you couldn't figure that out)

Perhaps I should explain. 

It's not in the west because Whit's End was once used in the Underground Railroad.

We also know that California is far away because Whit's daughter Jana lives out in California, Connie moved from California to Odyssey, and Eugene and Bernard went on a road trip to California. Connie even mentions one time in the episode "Pamela Has a Problem" that California is about 2000 miles from Odyssey. This places Odyssey somewhere in the Midwest. 

Chicago is talked about so often, you could incorporate that into a drinking game. (The Odyssey Drinking Game. Drink every time Connie overreacts, Eugene says a word that you don't understand, Whit's knowledge owns everyone, the city of Chicago is mentioned, Wooten eats something weird, or when one of Whit or Jason's connections comes in handy. If you're under 21, stick to juice. Heck, even if you're of age, you might want to be careful. You'd be pretty wasted after a few episodes.) We also know that the Whittaker family used to live in Chicago. When the characters have mentioned Chicago before, you get the idea that it's a few hours away.

Since it's narrowed down that Odyssey is in the Midwest, we can start to rule out other states. We can rule out Indiana, Wisconsin, and Iowa because they've been mentioned in various episodes like how people would talk about their neighboring states. Plus, Bernard and Eugene visit Iowa during their road-trip saga. 

Based on the fact that the Whittakers used to live in Chicago, I believe that Odyssey is in central-ish Illinois. (I may be a bit biased in my thinking though. I'm from Illinios and I totally want to be from the same state as Whit, Connie, Eugene, ect.)

There is also a big possibility that Odyssey could be in Ohio. The characters have mentioned Cleveland and Cincinnati several times, especially in the earlier episodes. 

I guess the fun of Odyssey is the fact that the town is pretty relatable. Odyssey seems like it could be your town or close to you. That's just good writing.

Rethinking My Criticism of The New Characters

I have been listening to some of the episodes from album 54 and the new characters are growing on me. Character wise, I'm really liking album 54. The characters seem more well written and developed than they were in album 51 and 52. I suppose that those were like the transitional episodes. It only makes sense that they'd be a bit awkward. There is now more of a comfortable feel in album 54. 

To start off, I first listened "To Sink a Sub" because it had Katrina in it. Here's what basically happens: Katrina becomes a substitute Literature teacher and her students include Olivia Parker, Jay Smouse, and Valerie whats-her-face. Jay and Valerie are mad because they've heard that Katrina is a tough teacher. Olivia doesn't buy it but her feelings change when Katrina gives her a bad grade. Olivia hesitantly starts agreeing with Jay and Valerie's opinions. Jay and Valerie, in typical sitcom fashion, start pranking Katrina. 

Olivia doesn't assist with the pranks but she doesn't try to stop them either. Katrina then turns in her resignation after she finds out about a petition to get her fired. Eventually, the whole class comes around and apologizes. She accepts their apologies and she becomes their teacher again. 

This episode redeemed Olivia in my eyes. She reacted to Katrina's criticism like a natural human being but then swallowed her pride and apologized. 

The next episode I listened to was "Emily, the Genius." I was not too excited about it. I thought that it would be all about Emily strutting around declaring she's a genius  because of some test. She'd take a few shots at Matthew and then Whit, in the last five minutes of the show, would explain to her what humility is. That's what I was expecting. The real episode was about Emily getting some test results back and it said that she was practically a genius. This means that she can qualify to take the advanced placement tests. Her parents are obviously proud and even embaress Emily a bit. We then find out that she got the wrong results. Emily, seeking her parents approval, decides that she's going to take the test anyway and begins to furiously study. Her dad eventually sees what she's doing and assures that he loves her no matter what. Emily still takes the test. Her teacher is so impressed with her perserverence that she asks Emily if she will tutor other students on how to study for the test. Emily declines. She claims that her perserverence came from her love for her parents. 

Missed the mark here, Focus.

To me, Emily Jones has been the most annoying new character. This episode made me change my mind about her. She was embaressed by all the attention she was getting for being a "genius" and then when she was told that she wasn't, she brushed it off and took the advanced placement test anyway. I really admire that in a person. My problem with the episode is that she claimed she did it for her parents. This didn't really sit well with me. If I would do something like that, it would be because I didn't want all that studying and lack of sleep to go to waste. I wouldn't really be doing it to honor my parents. I honor my parents by, you know, obeying them and respecting them. This episode was based off 1 Corinthians 13:7, mainly the "endure" part.

"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

I know this is a kids show but I wish that AIO had gone a bit deeper. Honestly, they could have gone deeper on most of the episodes. The love Paul is talking about in chapter 13 is agape. It's a selfless, unconditional, self sacrificing kind of love. This is the love of Christ and people, regardless of age, need to be reminded of this message. 

Getting back to my original point, I'm impressed with the character development. I'm taking back most of my criticism of the new characters. I think there is hope for Odyssey 2.0 but only if they keep their eyes on Christ.  

Why The Live Show Would Kill Me

 For those of you who haven't heard the advertisements online, Odyssey is 25 years old! (Man, it's older than me.) To celebrate the occasion, they are having a birthday "bash". It's pretty much a convention where you meet the actors, get autographs, buy merchandise, and watch a live show. As cool as a live performance would be, I have absolutely NO desire to go. Let me explain.

The whole thing sounds like Comic-Con or a Star Trek Convention. Ick. Now, don't get me wrong, it's not like those things are below me or anything. I consider myself to be a total nerd! I've been known to watch some anime, I like super hero movies, Dr. Who, the TV show Fringe, 24, and I think Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog is the greatest thing to ever come off the Internet. The reason that I hate conventions is that I'd like to keep the delusion of thinking that something was made specifically for me. Yeah yeah, I know that Joss Whedon didn't sit down and go "Hmm. There's this cool teenage girl in the Midwest and she'd love a musical webisode about a quirky villain. Let me just get right on that."

He probably does have some freaky superpowers but I doubt he has a direct telepathic line to my brain

Since Odyssey is my number one obsession, logic tells me that I should stay the heck away from any conventions involving it. It might psychologically damage me to see other devoted fans. Speaking of seeing other things...

Am I the only one who hates seeing drawing of the characters or pictures of the actors? I cringe whenever I take out one of my albums to listen to a CD because I have to look at the album artwork! You see, I have a mental picture of what the characters of look like based on their voices and no drawing could compete with that. For example, my mental image of Jason kinda looks like Marlon Brando.  

                                                        

This is the closest picture I could find to my mental image.

Also, do you know how freaking weird it would be if I was talking to someone like Katie Leigh in person? She's supposed to be 20 on the show and in reality, she's like my mom's age. :/ Talk about even more psychological damage. 

Though, a live show would be amazing for the same reason that I think Billy Joel and Sam Cooke were better live. When the talent is phenomenal, live performances are great. They are unique. I'd love to hear a live performance if Odyssey. I'd just have to wear a blindfold and that would just get me strange looks. (But hey, I wouldn't be able to see 'em! Haha!) 

Maybe I'm just weird but this is why I won't be at the live show. To those who are going, I hope you guys have the best time! Get as many autographs as possible. ^.^ 

My Review of The Green Ring Conspiracy

My Review of The Green Ring Conspiracy


(My thanks to the Odyssey Scoop for their review on the Green Ring Conspiracy. It greatly helped me and I reference it several times in this review.)


http://www.odysseyscoop.com/reviews/690-679_TheGreenRingConspiracy.htm




*SPOILER ALERT*


I am the type of person who loathes wasting my time on something I might hate. This is why I don't go see movies unless I'm more than 50% sure that I will love them or why I refuse to buy books on Amazon that I haven't read yet. 


I was very unsure of The Green Ring Conspiracy. I had taken about a year and half break from Odyssey after album 51 came out because I was mad. I had been underwhelmed by what I had heard of album 51 plus I was annoyed that they had "killed off" Jason and replaced Paul Herlinger. Then several weeks ago, I found a website that lets me listen to free Odyssey episodes and I saw that they had all 12 parts of the Green Ring Conspiracy. I debated on whether I should listen to it or not. I didn't want to be disappointed again like I had been with album 51. So what did I do? I went to Google, of course! I began searching the internet for reviews and summaries. I scanned the synopsis of whole series (I know, that's cheating) and was only slightly interested until I read that Jason came back! Not kidding, everyone, I had a true fangirl moment. (I'm pretty jealous of those who didn't look ahead and were truly shocked when you heard his voice)


BUT, for some bizarre reason, Jason being back wasn't enough to get me to listen to GRC. (I have no idea why.) I had to do some digging. I found a review on "The Odyssey Scoop" and it was a fair review. The line from the review that sold me was this: "Firstly, The Green Ring Conspiracy is much more chronological in its storytelling. If "The Novacom Saga" was constructed like the jumbled, mosaic TV-show "Lost", then the world of The Green Ring Conspiracy might be comparable to the more linear and more condensed "24"."


I tried to listen to the Novacom saga a while ago but it just confused me. (Maybe I'll try it again later, I don't know) But to compare GRC to 24, my favorite TV show ever, was one of the most wonderful things I have ever heard. So, that night, I jumped on my laptop and began to listen to the Green Ring Conspiracy. 


All in all, I enjoyed the series. It was interesting and kept me intrigued all the way but the main reason I liked it was because it involved the characters being in more mature situations than what we normally see. (Ahem. I mean hear.) The characters are really what make the show for me. I loved how GRC had all the great characters like Connie, Eugene, Whit, and Katrina but it also had the newer characters like Jay, Matthew, and Emily. As I have said before, the newer characters were annoying me in albums 51 and 52 but GRC put them into a better light for me. The kids were working together and not squabbling or complaining about something inane. I liked that because it made the whole saga a lot easier to listen to. 


It's not fair to compare GRC to older episodes like The Blackgaard Saga. It isn't fair because they're in completely different leagues! The Blackgaard saga took place during my favorite Odyssey time period ('92-'97) and there were many things different such as Whit wasn't there and it mostly revolved around Whit's End. I appreciate the diversity among these action episodes because if they were similar and cliche, we'd get sick of them quickly. 


I'm not sure what the general opinion was on the Penny and Connie arc but I liked it! It seems like the writers are trying to push Connie into more adult things and I applaud that. If she and Penny start a business, that'd be totally cool. Penny is kinda strange but whatever. Of course, if she and Wooten start going out, that'll be even stranger. Not sure how I feel about Wooten being in a...romantic relationship.


Let's get to my favorite part of GRC, Jason coming back! ^.^ I was so confused and mad when I listened to the episode where he "died". I thought it was the worst thing that could have possibly happened to the show. (Besides the entire cast dying in a carbon monoxide leak.) Jason is my favorite character and I adore him. Although, as the Odyssey Scoop's review pointed out, Jason's character seems rather inconsistent. He's a missionary in one episode, we have no idea what he's doing in another, and now he's with the FBI. (I personally think that he should stay with the FBI as an undercover agent because he has an amazing fake accent. Where else would he use that?!)

 

Above: A scatter plot of Jason's different jobs. If you connect the dots, it looks like a deformed unicorn. 

Regardless of his inability to make up his mind on a career, I still love him. Not lying, I would marry him in a heartbeat. (I've listened to The Labyrinth part 1 and I'll probably review that when part three comes out.)

Monty coming back to town was pretty cool but his reappearance further illustrates the point that Odyssey has a warped timeline. I'd like to think that only 8 or 9 years has passed since the start of AIO instead of 20 but Monty kills my point. In reality, it's been 15 years or so since the start. This puts Connie at 30, Eugene in his mid 30s, Jason in his late 40s, and Whit and Jack in the grave. :/ 

As far as villains go, I liked Mr. Skint. He was funny. Cold but funny. Dr. Trask was the worst. Not just because he was evil but because he was such a stock character. That one scene where he has Connie, Wooten, and Penny in that underground warehouse is just painful. He seemed like the stereotypical "bad guy" when was talking about his millions of dollars. Ehh. I know I'm nit-picking here but it's still something that bugs me. 

I know we haven't heard from Buck Oliver since GRC but I hope they bring him back. The review from Odyssey Scoop (yeah, I've referenced this review a lot) brought up the good point that Katrina and Eugene should adopt Buck Oliver. This may be a good idea since the spoilers I've heard for album 55 allude to the fact that Eugene and Katrina may not be able to have kids. I could be completely off base on this but it's what my gut is telling me. 

That's pretty much all I have to say on the Green Ring Conspiracy. It was a well made album and restored my hope in the future of Odyssey. Rest assured, I will "keep listening". 

Alright, let me be honest with you guys. I am not crazy about this new Odyssey. (I'll call it Odyssey 2.0) I've listened to half of album 51+ 52 and all of 53. I'm was not impressed with 51 and 52 but when I think about it, I shouldn't be complaining. Odyssey has been going on for more than 20 years! The fact that they've been able to keep the original voices of Connie and Eugene is astounding. So, before I start talking about my issues with the changes, I'd just like to say that I will always appreciate Focus. They are still making Odyssey and I'm grateful for that. 


First thing, most of the new characters annoy me. Mainly, Olivia Parker and Emily Jones. Emily's arrogant and controlling while Olivia is just irritating. (I haven't listened to all the episodes so if there are episodes that show their redeeming qualities, please let me know. My opinion is not set in stone.)

Second, the plot are becoming a bit more childish. Now, as I said, Odyssey has been going on for 20 years. They have to run out of ideas eventually so I'm cutting them some slack.

Finally, I hate that some of the old characters like Jack, Joanne, Tom, and Bernard have just disappeared. I'm cutting Focus slack on this too. People leave jobs, die, or retire. I know Walker Edmiston (Tom) died so there's nothing we can do about that. It's inevitable but it is nevertheless one of the reasons I'm underwhelmed.

Okay, I know I'm sounding like a total pessimist but there are good things I can say about Odyssey 2.0. I think the highlight of Odyssey 2.0 is The Green Ring Conspiracy. I was cautious about listening to it at first. I had kinda given up on the series but then I read a review on it and that persuaded me otherwise. GRC redeemed Odyssey 2.0 for me. I thought it was well done and fleshed out some of the new characters. It made me like Matthew and tolerate Emily Jones. (I'll give a full review later)

Anyway, that's all I have to say on Odyssey 2.0 for tonight. Trust me, I'll have more to say on the subject later.

Hey, everyone.

My name's Victoria. I've noticed that the internet needs more blogs about Odyssey so I have decided to create one. I plan on reviewing shows, discussing various characters, and talking about any news. Feel free to comment or email me at victoriadonahue2362@gmail.com

Before I start, I think I should tell you guys a bit about myself. I first discovered Odyssey when I was about 11. (I'm in my teens now) My friends introduced AIO to me when I was visiting them in Indiana one summer. I pretty much fell in love and they lent me some CDs. Then, almost by the grace of God, a woman from my church gave me a ton of Odyssey cassettes a few weeks later. I became obsessed as I learned about the world of AIO. Odyssey has really helped me grow in my faith and life. I'm sure that you all have similar stories and testimonies. (I'd love to hear 'em!) Okay, I promise, the next post will be about Odyssey and not my boring life! ^_^