Novacom Review

It took me almost two months to get through the Novacom saga. When it originally aired, it took two years. The episode "Opportunity Knocks" introduced a broadcasting company called Novacom, a representative from Novacom named Arthur Dent, and a radio tower on Tom Riley's property. It took forever for the pieces to fall together.

I was constant suspense and I was listening to an episode every day! Imagine those poor people who had to wait week after week.


(after listening to "Opportunity Knocks)

Person listening in 2000: Hmm. This is probably gonna develop into something. I guess I'll just have to keep listening.

Me: Hmm. I'll see where this is going by looking it up on AIO wiki...reading...mind control?! No way!

(after listening to "Red Herring")

Person listening in 2000: Who is this AREM? Is he a good guy or bad guy? And why would someone want to put a modem in Whit's office?

Me: Back to AIO wiki...oh, alright. Mitch is AREM. Mitch, why are you having kids foil Novacom's evil plans? Ohh...we haven't heard the last of the phone chick...WHAT? SHE DATES JASON. I HATE HER.


That's pretty much how I went through the whole saga. I was reading the plot synopsises as I listened to the episode. (I know. I'm a terrible person for cheating) Let me just say this, it's better to listen than read.

It's hard to criticize the Novacom saga because I think that it was very well written.

Let's start off with my main problem: the fact that Novacom was going to enslave the human race with mind control.

"Mind control" is just one of those phrases that makes me twitch a little. It's on the same level as "aliens", "we're killing the environment", and "it's all white people's fault".

Granted, everything that I listed can be justified to extent. I won't deny that there has been some unexplained phenomenon that could be connected to aliens. I recognize the fact that mankind has often abused the environment and that's wrong. And sure, white people have been horrible throughout history but they aren't the only offenders. So, what I'm saying is that mind control has a place at the justification table. (Where did you pull that metaphor from, Vic?)

There have been a number of mind control experiments over the years. (Mind you, some of the websites I'm reading would not be considered "credible sources") I accept the fact that it's possible and has probably been done before. Could it be perfected to enslave humanity? I seriously doubt it...but hey, I'm only a high schooler. I'm not a scientist. What do I know?

I know that the whole mind control part of the Novacom Saga was a pretty big part, but it didn't matter that much to me. Sometimes, you just gotta go with a plot and not think about it too much.

The writing of the characters was very good. It brought out people's bad sides and good sides while some characters grew up a bit. Connie matured, Eugene grew up too, we (once again) saw how angry Tom could get, Aubrey became a Christian, Mitch and Connie had a complicated relationship, Jason made mistakes, and Monica Stone was more than just a one dimensional "bad guy".


Connie and Mitch are just lovely. I love their chemistry, their messed up relationship, and how they interact with each other. They were definitely one of my favorite parts of the Novacom saga. 

I also really liked the Jason/Monica angle. It shouldn't be a surprise that I like whatever Jason does (Man, I'm obsessed) but I did not expect to like Monica. At first, I hated her. I won't lie, I was actually wishing that she'd get shot or something. Over time, I warmed up to her. She still committed various crimes and deserved to go to prison. I just liked seeing that when she realized she had been lied to, she stepped up and told the truth, even if the truth landed her in jail. I really did hate her at first though.

SIDE NOTE: I was reading some fan reviews on AIOHQ and some girl named Emily B. said this: "One thing I am wondering about is how Jason could have become a good undercover agent in the past when he is always falling for women?" That's a freaking awesome comment. I laughed so hard when I read that. 

I read some other fan reviews and they're a bit harsh towards the characters. They criticize the fact that Jason fell for Monica so easily, there was a lot of complaining about Connie's immaturity in her and Mitch's relationship, and some hated that the writers went all serious for the Novacom Saga

I think that most of the points made on the website (and other message boards) are fairly valid. Although, most can be defended.

First; Monica pretending to be an actual person named Paula. Paula had actual mission experience and legitimate credentials. Monica just stole these credentials. Why be mad that Jason was attracted to Monica? He had no reason to believe she was a spy. 

Second; so you think Connie and Mitch's relationship brings out Connie's immaturity? I can see the justification for that. Look at the episode 'Secrets'. She tried to change herself to earn Mitch's affection. That's pretty immature but it's a fairly common thing to do in that in relationships. We're insecure by nature because we are sinful, fallen people. Insecurity and immaturity are as natural to us as breathing. The writers were making her character real and we should be commending that. Also, aren't you people forgetting that Mitch was Connie's first real boyfriend?

Third; Odyssey has always been able to balance out the episodes nicely. There are episodes about government conspiracies, mind control, and biological terrorism but there are also episodes about Jimmy Barcley playing too many video games, Connie ordering too many napkins for the shop, and Wooten contemplating about removing his internal organs so he could loose a bit of weight. The whimsical episodes and serious episodes balance each other out.

That brings me to my last point. I love that AIO is a mix of lightheartedness and maturity. The show has great writers, fantastic actors, and is incredibly enjoyable. Just keep in mind that all these things wouldn't mean anything if it never came back to Christ and the Gospel. The Christian message is the reason Odyssey has lasted 25 years and why it means so much to me.

Throughout the Novacom saga, we were constantly told to not put our faith in ourselves but in God. Everybody-from grade schoolers to adults-should be reminded of this daily. I enjoyed the ups and downs of the Novacom saga but the most satisfying part was the reminder of our helplessness and God's everlasting strength and love for us.

Something Old, Something New Review

I've been waiting over a month and a half for this two parter. My anticipation couldn't have been higher. In the back of my mind, I knew that the episode couldn't meet my expectations so I prepared myself for some disappointment. The reality was so much more than I had prepared for. Think of it like hoping to get a pair of designer boots for your birthday, being mature enough to realize your family can't afford a designer label so you prepare yourself for a pair of 25 dollar boots from Kohls (which isn't bad at all), and in the end getting a pair of cheap flips flops from the dollar store.

I won't lie; I'm a total Connie/Mitch shipper. I adore them together. I'm still working my way through the Novacom saga (Loving it, by the way) and their relationship is enjoyable to listen to. But, I definitely wasn't expecting them to get back together in "Something Old, Something New". It's unrealistic. Anybody who tries to tell you otherwise is deluding themselves. Connie and Mitch had an insane relationship and it wasn't the best grounds for marriage. (I can almost hear people saying "What do you know about marriage? Are you even out of high school yet?") Getting back to my point, I'm not mad about the episode because it didn't end with Mitch and Connie running off towards the courthouse to elope. I'm mad because there was no closure. The entire hour could have been saved and replaced by this:

    Connie: You'd think after 20 years of being on the air, I'd know what I'd want to do with my life. Because, let's face it, I'm still doing what I used to do when I was 16 years old. The only difference is I can buy alcohol now. That helps...
    Penny: *insert vaguely helpful advice*
    Wooten: *insert totally random quote, preferably about tofu*
    Emily: Yo slave!
    Matthew: Are you talking to me?
    Emily:  Let's go solve a mystery! There's nothing else to do around here...
    Matthew: How about we do something productive? I'm tired of being the annoying subplot.
    Emily: Not listening!
    Penny: Connie, I have something to tell you. Don't be mad.
    Connie: Ugh! Penny! What did you do? *mutters* Hey, at least I'm not the screw-up anymore.
    Penny: The whole town thinks you're marrying Wooten. Because that just makes so much sense!
    Wooten: *insert random quote, preferably about food and/or tofu*
    Mitch: Hey, Connie. Heard you and Wooten are getting hitched. Makes perfect sense.
    Connie: Mitch! What are you doing back in town? And no. Wooten and I are not getting married. Not even a couple.
    Mitch: Then this is awkward. I was going to tell you that I'm getting married.
    Connie: Is she hotter than me?
    Mitch: What?
    Connie: I didn't say anything.
    Emily: (bursts in the door) Your girlfriend is a thief!
    Mitch: No she isn't. She works for the FBI like I do. Trust me, I wouldn't fall for a crook like Jason did. Heh. What a retard.
    Connie: Well, this has been fun. I gotta go get back to work. Eh. I'm not even gonna say goodbye to you.


The episode was successful in capturing the awkwardness of running into an ex. But I'm of the opinion that Connie and Mitch deserved more than a half hour of awkwardness, They needed closure, a proper goodbye, or at least a brief mention of how important they were in each other's lives.

Maybe that kind of maturity would have gone right over the heads of the younger listeners, but it seemed like the older episodes weren't too concerned about that. The older episodes dealt with mature issues in a way that kids could understand. (It also could be enjoyed by older listeners because the issues weren't explained in ridiculous ways)

Pretty much the episode could have gone without these characters:
     •Penny
     •Wooten (maybe he could have appeared briefly because he knows Mitch)
     •Matthew
     •Emily
     •Jauques Henri
     •Mitch's fiance Maureen. (Its not like I had a problem with her. I just thought that her lines were pointless)

On a positive note, I did like what Whit said at the end about longing for the past. If we focus on the past, it'll keep us from living our current life to God's glory. Good job, Whit. Those two sentences were the only salvageable things I could find in this train wreck of an episode. (Besides when Maureen flipped Eugene. That was hilarious. Totally unnecessary to the episode but it made me laugh)

An episode like this must have been a challenge to the writers. They wanted to let the listeners know that Connie and Mitch didn't have a possibility of getting back together but wouldn't be soul crushingly depressing. Plus they have to aim the program at the 8-12 age group. So I admit it must have been a tricky episode to write. But, AIO has done more difficult episodes before. They've always made great quality shoes. (I'm back to this metaphor) Maybe some have been more designer and some have been more Kohls-ish, but they've rarely ever made a pair of cheap flip flops. (In fact, I can't think of any off the top of my head. Maybe the one where they killed off Jason...) I'm gonna show a bit of grace to Focus. Sometimes, you have to have a pair of cheap flip flops. They may not be pretty or even comfortable but they are useful for protecting your feet when you go down to the beach. "Something Old, Something Blue" served the purpose of making sure that Connie and Mitch aren't getting back together. That's all it did. But I'm sure that when fall rolls around, AIO will be back to it's normal standards of shoe making. Keep listening.


EDIT: In the radio version of part 2, it ends with the scene between Whit and Connie. In the album version, it ends with Connie coming home and finding some yellow tulips from Mitch. 

You know, I was fine during the whole radio broadcast. But after listening to that album version end scene, it just pains the Connie/Mitch shipper in me. *sobs* Why do the writers do this to me?