Maybe I Should Stop Listening to the Podcast

I just listened to the Official Adventures In Odyssey Podcast and I was a bit mad at what they revealed about the Labyrinth. Instead of the Jacobs being the ones to tag along for Jason's adventure in England, it was going to be Jack and Joanne.

My first reaction

I don't know if you guys know this, but my favorite characters are Jason, Whit, and Jack. The Labyrinth would have been the first episode in a long time that featured Jason and Jack's adversarial relationship. When Whit was off in Israel, Jason and Jack were running the place but it was a very different deal. They argued over most things because they were so different. (I read that this represented the different sides to Whit. Jack was his sensible, wise part of his personality and Jason was his impulsive, adventurous side.) When Jack and Jason were in charge of Whit's End, it made that era of AIO excellent. 

To put two of my favorite characters in a great episode like the Labyrinth would have been one of the best things that I've ever listened to.

The reason Jack and Joanne weren't in the Labyrinth was that one of the actors wasn't available to record. The writers panicked and decided to bring back the Jacobs.

I really enjoyed the Jacob's return, but I was so mad when I heard about "what could have been".

Then, I thought about it more.

If the Labyrinth had Jack and Joanne in it, I would have been blind to all of the episode's faults. Come on, when you have a collection of characters like Jason, Jack, Joanne, Sue, the amusing collection of British thugs, you have a recipe for the greatest AIO episode ever. This would have dulled my critical mind. I wouldn't have been able to give a proper review.

My review might have gone something like, "GUYS THIS WAS THE MOST AMAZING EPISODE. JASON AND JACK ARE THE GREATEST CHARACTERS EVER AND I LOVE THIS SHOW. BTW I'M HAVING TROUBLE BREATHING."

(This is how I would have looked)

You all are probably asking what the point to this post is. I have two: 1. Great characters make up for any crappy plot and 2. Behind-the-scenes fun facts are overrated. They just make me agitated. 

Timing Is Everything

Since I love The Blackgaard Saga, the Green Ring Conspiracy, and the Labyrinth, I've been wanting to give Novacom a try. From what I've heard, it's like all the aforementioned sagas; full of action, classic characters, government secrets, and Jason being freaking awesome. (I enjoy all of these things)

This conviction to listen to Novacom could not have come at a better time. The episodes are on the radio right now and they'll coincide with Mitch's reappearance in May. So, I'll be fully immersed in ConnieXMitch mode and feel much stronger about their relationship when "Something Old, Something New" premieres. 

Only the Lord could have set things up to be this perfect

Now, I'm very familiar with Connie and Mitch. I pretty much listened to all their episodes after Novacom. (I have no idea how that worked out) I'm really excited that Mitch is coming back at the end of the album and I'm dying to hear it. (Sorry if I just completely spoiled it for you guys. Not that I think anyone is reading this anyway.) 

Anyway, there's not much more to say on the matter. If you guys have any thoughts on the Novacom saga, feel free to leave a comment or email me. (I won't hold my breath) 

To Mend and Repair

It used to seem like Eugene and Katrina had a black cloud of misfortune hanging over their heads but it went away after they got married. Guess what? It's baaaack. 

Was this a shock to anyone? I'm asking honestly here. I, for one, kinda saw this one coming. I didn't have any evidence for my suspicions. It was just a feeling. Maybe it was my sub-conscious thinking about how freaking weird it would be for Eugene and Katrina to actually...reproduce. I mean, think about it...

Maybe you shouldn't. 

Speaking episode wise, I thought it was pretty good. It tackled the issue of how men and women deal with problems differently. Women want to talk things out and have someone to lean on while men usually try to figure out a solution to the issue or try to take their minds off it. This was illustrated by both Eugene/Katrina and Barrett/Priscilla.

I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't more Eugene and Katrina and them actually talking about their problem. Then I realized that the Barrett/Priscilla story arc was kind of the kid version of that. It taught that when there's a problem, being a friend towards the person is the best thing you can do. Not being able to have children is a pretty tough topic and maybe AIO is trying to deal with it in little doses. 

Though, what we did see of Eugene and Katrina was very realistic. Good job by the actors. 

This is a pretty difficult topic and it seems like newer Odyssey episodes don't deal with sensitive stuff like the ones from the old days used to do. (The Price of Freedom, Mortal Coil, A Question About Tasha) I'd be fine with any kind of dark or sensitive themes that Focus throws at us but I have to remember that this is a show aimed towards an 8-12 age group. (I am not in that age group.) Also, I'm pretty sure there are some conservative listeners out there who might be easily offended so AIO has to be careful. That's why they used the Barrett/Priscilla arc. They needed a storyline that kids could relate to. 

Maybe I'm being picky, but it seems like the older Odyssey episodes didn't try to beat around the bush when it came to darker topics. There are plenty of deep Odyssey episodes that deal with many sensitive topics and I'm missing those. 

The cloud is back and I'm wondering what's in store for Odyssey's favorite couple. Focus has a way of keeping us in suspense and I have the sinking feeling that this might be an underlying problem for a while. I'm not sure where the writers are going to go with this new development but they have me hooked. I can't wait to hear more.