612: "The Top Floor II"

[Meo]

I wish connie was involved in the episodes and does she even know about leonard all and all good episode 5 stars

[Trent DeWhite]

Well, I won't say too much since I want to save some of my commentary for the Unofficial Odyssey Podcast (which will be released next Saturday). But I couldn't let this storyline-bashing continue without saying anything. Let me first preface my comments by saying that I think we have a very intelligent and dedicated fans both off and on this board. However, I've been somewhat disappointed with the overall lack of enthusiasm from the reviewers thus far. We gripe and complain about "kiddy" shows like Hear Me, Hear Me, which have little or no substance to them at all, but then don't fully appreciate the more suspenseful and "mature" episodes like The Top Floor II.

I also don't understand the dissatisfaction with the "resurrection" of characters. At this point, I can only think of four characters who were stated to be dead: Regis Blackgaard, Robert Mitchell, Leonard Meltsner, and Everett Meltsner. The Blackgaard "resurrection" can be easily explained with the whole virus corruption story. Perhaps some fans don't like that reasoning, but no one can state with absolute certainty that Regis ever came back in human form. Mitch's death was really a red herring for the fans and was essentially the one and only time where actual "proof" of his death was provided (i.e. funeral). Leonard had a grave stone, but his body wasn't buried there. We never heard from Leonard or Everett until the past year, so I don't see how anyone can say that they were "resurrected" like Mitch since we had never previously heard them in the first place. They were presumed to be death, but that proof was never given. That being said, I do agree it would be overkill if Thelma came back to life. Who's to say Eugene's "sister" doesn't return?

[Jonathan]

We gripe and complain about "kiddy" shows like Hear Me, Hear Me, which have little or no substance to them at all, but then don't fully appreciate the more suspenseful and "mature" episodes like The Top Floor II.

I have a feeling this was directed to me and I'm argumentative, so I've got to respond

I never said I didn't like the suspense and what not; rather I loved it. In my review I said so. The writing was fantastic, I like the depth given to the characters, and the acting is the best we've seen in years. And I didn't really have anything bad to say about part 1 either, you'll note.

It's just the plot twist I didn't like, and I have good reasons, which will probably be expounded on next week.

I also don't understand the dissatisfaction with the "resurrection" of characters.

Because it takes Odyssey from very-real-seeming-place-because-it's-realistic to Young-Hearts-Turning-type-place.

I don't like soap operas

At this point, I can only think of four characters who were stated to be dead: Regis Blackgaard, Robert Mitchell, Leonard Meltsner, and Everett Meltsner. The Blackgaard "resurrection" can be easily explained with the whole virus corruption story. Perhaps some fans don't like that reasoning, but no one can state with absolute certainty that Regis ever came back in human form.

Agreed, which is why I didn't bring him up (that article I did cite though was written before the virus thing was known and it was alluded to that Blackgaard was coming back).

Mitch's death was really a red herring for the fans and was essentially the one and only time where actual "proof" of his death was provided (i.e. funeral).

It was a unnecessary red herring. It was necessary to fool Novacom, but what was the point in fooling us?

Like I said, it made it seem like a soap opera, and I don't like soap operas .

Leonard had a grave stone, but his body wasn't buried there. We never heard from Leonard or Everett until the past year, so I don't see how anyone can say that they were "resurrected" like Mitch since we had never previously heard them in the first place. They were presumed to be death, but that proof was never given.

With Leonard, I will agree. If he had to come back, the team did a great job with it.

But with Everett, see my previous post. It was established fact that he was dead. We're back to the soap opera deal now. And I'm not a big fan of those

I guess my problem here is this; this episode and it's twist brought to the surface many frustrations I've been feeling about Odyssey in general in recent years. And there are things happening in my personal life that definately only served to make things worse (which you will probably be reading about next week).

[Trent DeWhite]

We gripe and complain about "kiddy" shows like Hear Me, Hear Me, which have little or no substance to them at all, but then don't fully appreciate the more suspenseful and "mature" episodes like The Top Floor II.

I have a feeling this was directed to me and I'm argumentative, so I've got to respond

For the record, it wasn't directed specifically at you... but I appreciate your response.

Mitch's death was really a red herring for the fans and was essentially the one and only time where actual "proof" of his death was provided (i.e. funeral).

It was a unnecessary red herring. It was necessary to fool Novacom, but what was the point in fooling us?

Because it's a lot less boring and suspeseful than explaining it all to us.

But with Everett, see my previous post. It was established fact that he was dead.

What fact? Hearsay from Dalton?

[Bennett]

I think with critisize these shows a lot when they come because we don't want NAthan Hoobler to get a big head by saying how much we love it.

Which...I actually really do.

[Jonathan]

Mitch's death was really a red herring for the fans and was essentially the one and only time where actual "proof" of his death was provided (i.e. funeral).

It was a unnecessary red herring. It was necessary to fool Novacom, but what was the point in fooling us?

Because it's a lot less boring and suspeseful than explaining it all to us.

I think you may be underestimating the AIO writers here.

Actually, I think by taking that mundane fact we could've had a richer story.

As it stood, we all mourned Mitch. Those who loved him were sad for Connie because they wanted her to get married, and felt bad for her because they cared for her character. Those who didn't like him--well, they didn't want them to get married, but still felt for Connie.

This put the fans on the roller coaster of emotions one experiences when one loses a really close friend. There were some fantastic scenes during this time too, between Whit and Connie, Connie and Wooton (it was those scenes that made me first like him) and Connie and Mitch's sister (Rachael, was it?).

When one is grieving, something will happen here and there that makes the whole process seem like a crock, that makes the person feel cheated.

This is how I felt when Mitch returned. All those fantastic scenes of working through grief, and they were stripped of some of their power by his return.

Now, lets say, just for the sake of argument, that we heard from Mitch in his point of view while Connie thought he was dead. I'm sure he was doing stuff to help Bourland, so we could've gotten some mystery and intrigue. I'm sure he was wrestling with emotions--we know he hated putting Connie through that, and we could've gotten some depth there. Who knows? Maybe it would've resulted in some people liking the relationship more.

But this is all a moot point (and an offtopic one too now that I think about it). I'm simply explaining why I thought this red herring was unnecessary and that I'm sure the writers could've kept it from being boring.

The only other main reason is, like I said, I don't like being toyed with when it comes to such an issue as death.

But with Everett, see my previous post. It was established fact that he was dead.

What fact? Hearsay from Dalton?

Correct me if I'm wrong (because I may be), but didn't Leonard tell Eugene that Everett had died in an earlier ep?

I think with critisize these shows a lot when they come because we don't want NAthan Hoobler to get a big head by saying how much we love it.

Which...I actually really do.

I do too; like I said, the story and acting were great, it's just this plot twist I'm having trouble with. And I'm regretting rating it that low I'm still not incredibly happy with how things are turning out, but it deserves a higher rating.

[shasta]

I also don't understand the dissatisfaction with the "resurrection" of characters.

Because it takes Odyssey from very-real-seeming-place-because-it's-realistic to Young-Hearts-Turning-type-place.

I don't like soap operas

There's a lot of action-adventure shows on TV, like '24' and 'Heroes', that must be "soap operas" then... : ]

Seriously though, "resurrection" has been used perhaps a bit much in AIO's history, but in this case I believe it worked for the story.

Great stuff, hope Part 3 ties it up well!
-king shasta

[Jonathan]

I also don't understand the dissatisfaction with the "resurrection" of characters.

Because it takes Odyssey from very-real-seeming-place-because-it's-realistic to Young-Hearts-Turning-type-place.

I don't like soap operas

There's a lot of action-adventure shows on TV, like '24' and 'Heroes', that must be "soap operas" then... : ]

I wouldn't know

[Jeremy]

I gave both parts 1 and 2, five stars.

(3) Obviously, the biggest question of all is - why doesn't Dalton recognize that Everett is actually Leonard's son? As we hear in Dalton's and Doyle's conversation in Eugene's house...Dalton believed that Eugene died in the train crash, and Everett died at the dig. Is Everett really Leonard's son, or not? Why did Dalton have a picture of him and Thelma? I'm hoping that we won't hear another big "resurrection" twist (like Thelma being alive) next week...it would be extremely strange if Dalton is doing something like keeping Thelma prisoner somewhere and has told Everett that she died.

Dalton lied to Doyle and everyone else (including Leonard) by telling them that Everett (and Thelma?) died (was he supposed to have murdered them?), when in actuality he only kidnapped Everett and/or Thelma.

And yes, this leaves open the very real possibility that Thelma is still alive. My sister came up with the idea that the guard may be Thelma (she is a geek, she kept looking at Leonard, etc.). Hmm.

Does anyone remember what Leonard first told Eugene about his mother and brother dying?

Regarding the issue of "resurrections"--I was also disappointed at first that they are having Everett be alive, since it seemed unrealistic. But isn't that the whole point--Leonard seeing God doing amazing things? Also, things like that can and do happen in real life--thinking a relative/friend is dead, and then they turn out to actually be alive.

Regarding Everett's age, in "Prisoners of Fear" Part 3, Eugene says that Everett was born on Eugene's first day of Jr. High. So it does seem that Everett is too young. Hmm...

Jeremy

[Angel Bob]

Let me first preface my comments by saying that I think we have a very intelligent and dedicated fans both off and on this board. However, I've been somewhat disappointed with the overall lack of enthusiasm from the reviewers thus far.

Thank you, Trent - it's about time someone else noticed this too.

To be honest, I really don't see why this needs to be such a huge issue, especially since we don't even know for sure what's going to happen next. In all actuality, we really can't compare Everett's "resurrection" to Mitch's "resurrection." I'll go ahead and say right here: I didn't particular care for the way Mitch's return was handled. When we first heard about him, we already knew him as a character, and when his sister dropped the bombshell in "The Unraveling," there really wasn't much else that needed to be explained. We could already deduce what Mitch was doing: working for the FBI. On the other hand, we have never heard from Everett prior to this episode. We don't really know him as a character. We don't know what the context of his situation his. And unlike Mitch's story, we weren't taken through the range of emotional ups and downs of another character (Connie) who knew the one who "died." Sure, we've heard Leonard mention Everett passing away in Africa a few times, but it's nothing like Connie's mourning in the latter parts of "Plan B."

In the end, the plot twist was just meant to make us wonder and think: how in the world could all of this have happened? It was meant to stir up some discussion about what could possibly happen next week, not to raise complaints. Of course not everyone would be satisfied at a big shocker like this - but...this kind of response? Right now, I'm thinking about an article that Jacob Isom once wrote:

Now, will you allow me to be blunt? This is a judgmental situation. The fans [me, myself] have listened to the audio series and criticized how things have progressed. Knowing this, why have we become so tangled with the world of Christian fiction and less tangled with the reality of our world? Why do we pose questions and concerns for a fictional world and place little care on the actions of our daily living? Why do we concern ourselves with less important things and forget to concern ourselves with our relationship with family, community, and most importantly, God?

As we all know, the suggestions from Odyssey fans are vital to the shaping of Adventures in Odyssey. But may I merely suggest to all of us that maybe we should all take a step back and allow the series to take shape while we focus on the reality, our lives? Our goal should be to be a living sacrifice for the Lord, not a bunch of judgmental Odyssey fans. We should be more concerned with the spread of the Gospel, not the spread of accusations.

As I conclude, think about it. Odyssey takes shape by the fans, especially that of the online community. AIO will continue, the characters will continue to develop, and the new episodes will fall into the series. They will become classics. Let's focus on more important things. Let's take a step back and follow behind. Let's still enjoy the series and tone down our judgments at the same time. Let's concern ourselves with what God wants, not necessarily with what we want. Focus on the Family strives to help us focus on the family, so let's focus off the fiction.

I guess my point is this: is it really worth it to be so worried about the way this episode is going?

nn

[Jonathan]

It was meant to stir up some discussion about what could possibly happen next week, not to raise complaints.

My complaint can be summarized as follows:

I am in no mood to have my emotions unnecessarily toyed with regarding death.

I fail to see how that is out of line.

But it all may be moot, as we haven't heard part 3.

I guess my point is this: is it really worth it to be so worried about the way this episode is going?

Normally, no. But I am this time because of what he have been told, and I care about AIO an awful lot. If it ends the way I fear it will, then some of the magic can be taken away.

Besides, on the whopper of a cliffhanger here this is to be expected, from both sides.

[dsheets]

Actually, Everett was not born on Eugene's first day of Jr. High. Leonard's journal stated that Sorama, a native woman, had a baby. This was before Everett was born. The baby reminded Leonard of Eugene. He doesn't mention Everett at all.

[Laura Ingalls]

I thought this episode was great! I thought the picture of Thelma was an interesting twist, and I'm looking forward to the conclusion.

5/5 stars

[Oba-rai]

What the name of Eugene's uncle again? The guy who was supposed to bring him to Africa? o_O;

[Catspaw]

2: Whit and Dalton. That took me by surprise, Whit walks out and starts talking to Dalton like they're old friends. I guess that would explain how Whit knew where Dalton lived.

I just wanted to address this...do you happen to recall part one, where Whit's friend hands him a piece of paper that does not contain Dalton's address? That's how Whit knows Dalton's address.

This ep left me a lot to look forward to! I don't want to get nitpicky, because ranting about something that will become clear in part 3 really doesn't seem worth it to me. This was an interesting episode that had an "old-school" AIO feel, which was fabulous! I loved it!

[Jonathan]

Actually, Everett was not born on Eugene's first day of Jr. High. Leonard's journal stated that Sorama, a native woman, had a baby. This was before Everett was born. The baby reminded Leonard of Eugene. He doesn't mention Everett at all.

I remember the thing about the baby. But Leonard never said anything about Everett? I thought he had in an earlier ep.

[Trent DeWhite]

I am in no mood to have my emotions unnecessarily toyed with regarding death.

Aww...

[dsheets]

Everett is never mentioned when Eugene reads Leonard's journal in "Prisoners of Fear". Eugene discovers Everett's gravestone (as well as his own) in "A Time For Action", but he doesn't have a clue who Everett is. In "Cover of Darkness" Leonard tells Eugene that Everett was Eugene's brother who died in Africa.

[Gandalf]

Guys,

It seems obvious, looking back, that the character of Everett was going to have to come into play somewhere along the line. The writers simply would not have written him into the series unless he served a useful purpose, which he has not until now. Hints were dropped that we would hear SOMETHING about Everett in the future. Just because we (and I mean all of us, myself included) missed them at the time doesn't mean they weren't there.

Also, this may or may not really be Everett, don't waste your time and energy getting too upset yet. I remember the cliff-hanger from "Something Blue, I" where I promised I would never listen to AIO again if it turned out the way it seemed to be going. I ranted and raved on the Town Hall, and then the next week I felt like an idiot for jumping to conclusions. Relax, wait until next week before your rip AIO for making a story point that you disagree with. It may or may not actually happen.

[totustuus]

I thought that Eugene's long lost brother sounded kind of young. I thought he would have been older. I knew something was coming when Leonard looked as well. Plus that guard asked them that question, which they made up the answer to... I feel like that's going to hurt them. Still good episode though. I am getting a bit tired as well from people "coming back from the dead".

They didn't make up an answer. Remember how Eugene said he had been reading all about the cleaning service employees?

They're not allowed to bring Eugene's mother back from the dead after we saw her grave. But then again, we saw Everett's grave and Eugene's grave (twice?) already.