(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".
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