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. ^_^ 

Great Expectations Review

I couldn't wait for album 56 so I bought three episodes at the beginning of August. I bought "Great Expectations" and "Home Again 1&2".

"Great Expectations" really surprised me. I knew that it was gonna feature some stuff from Whit's past but I wasn't expecting much.

Here's how it starts out: Emily Jones' world has been upset because after a day of doing legal paperwork with her Dad, she realized that she doesn't want to follow in her dad's footsteps and be a judge. She mentions this to Whit because she's now quite confused. You see, she's always thought that she'd be a judge and now she has no idea of how her life's gonna go.

Why Emily Jones, I believe that you and I were/are in the proverbial boat.

                                       I call it the SS Don't Have a Clue                             

When I was 9 or so, I thought that it'd be a good idea to eventually become a lawyer. They make good money, they get to argue for a living, and they get to help innocent people. Then when I was about 14, I realized that there were a lot of downsides to being a lawyer. You had to go to college for several more years, you had to pass the bar, and I found that the majority of sucessful lawyers were unscrupulous. All of a sudden, I found myself in Emily's position. I was lost! I had no idea where my life was going! And my teachers made me feel like I had to have a career picked out before I graduated 8th grade.

I wish that this episode had been around during this crisis of mine.

To help Emily, Whit sends her on an Imagination Station program about his life. She first talks to ten year old John Avery who has a list of things he'd like to: do-fly fishing, flying lessons, writing for National Geographic, ect. Fast forward a few years and Whit is about 18. He tells Emily that he has an opprotunity to write for National Geographic and have an internship there. Then, the mailman comes to the door and serves Whit his draft notice. Whit's plans are goning to have to wait. A few more years pass. The war has ended and Emily is on the University of Southern California campus. Whit has written a screenplay for a movie and some people are interested in it. Whit puts the screenplay on hold when he finds out that he was accepted to USC. Skip a couple of years. Whit, newly married to Jenny, relays to Emily that he's planning on taking flying lessons and getting his pilot's licence. Jenny suddenly bursts into the apartment and excitedly tells Whit that she's pregnant. Whit is obviously overjoyed but his plans, yet again, are placed on the back burner. Skip ahead about 20 years (that's what I guessed at least), Emily meets up with Whit in McAllister Park. He had just resigned from the school. Emily asks him if it bothers him that he hasn't accomplished his original plans. Whit replies that he's only concerned with living his life how God called him to live.

I really liked the episode for a number of reasons. It flowed nicely, it featured things from Whit's past (I love those kinds of episodes), Emily Jones was an enjoyable character to listen to, and the sound effects for the Imagination Station were unusual but good. 

I love how Jim Custer has been the voice of young Whit since 1989. Let's just take a moment and appreciate how awesome that man is. He has been the distinct, young voice of the most important character on Adventures in Odyssey for 23 years.

                         

This man deserves an award

                                          

At first, I did NOT like Emily Jones. I thought she was pushy and irritating. A few episodes like "Green Ring Conspiracy" and "Emily the Genius" have redeemed Emily in my eyes. This episode further changed my opinion of her. Good work, writers. 

We hear from Joanne in this episodes but it's not for a good reason. She and Jack are retiring, closing down the antique shop, and going to be traveling.  

I have so many feelings right now

                                     

I don't know if I've said this before but Whit, Jason, and Jack are my favorite characters. To have Jack (and Joanne) leave the show is one of the saddest things to ever happen to Odyssey. This shouldn't come as a huge surprise since Janet Waldo is 88 and Allen Young is 93. The actors deserve a retirement. It is well deserved but still very sad. 

Getting back to the episode, the message is what I loved the most. In this day and age, kids in both middle school and high school are told that they gotta shape up and figure out what to do with their lives. Granted, it's not a bad idea to start thinking about that stuff but teenagers feel a certain pressure on them when it comes to college and careers. Whit said that our plans don't often work out because our circumstances change or because our relationship with God set our lives on different courses. 

I eventually relaxed about the idea of my future. It took my parents and Proverbs 16:9 "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps" to calm me down. I hope that kids who are stressed about their futures can listen to this episode and realize that, to us, the future is unpredictable but God is the one who does the planning and it's always the best way.