634: Accidental Dilemma, Part 1

[Me]

And he's had clues about it since The Search for Whit Part I.

EDIT: And DBD, for that matter.

[Jonathan]

Because of my crazy schedule, I was unable to listen until just now. Which is fine, since I wanted to listen to both parts together anyway.

First of all, I would like to sincerely thank the AIO team from the very bottom of my heart--we haven't had "circus music" for a while We haven't seen it--well, heard it, I guess--in several episodes, and it's helped the feel of the show, immensely.

Speaking of which, that brings me to number two--the flow and feel. Both were very very good here. I don't know how else to word it, but the music and the dialogue and everything else came together really well.

Three, Tasha. It was good to have her back. As far as the new voice (I feel an obligation to touch on that), I need to say that whenever we get a new voice for a character, I have a problem. I've heard every single episode, most of them multiple times, and because I've trained myself to listen for subtle things, I will always notice the difference.
That being said, I think things worked out well here. The new actress got the personality down really well. Sometimes I felt the voice was a little off, but that's bound to happen (see previous paragraph). But still, the personality was well done.

Another thing I liked was that Whit told Connie to quit reading Rusty's writings--talk about making sense Still, he and Connie sounded very in character here. Speaking of which, what work did she and Whit do upon noticing that Jason was missing? I really liked her role in all this and was looking forward to seeing what happened next.

Speaking of characters, and this is number five, it was great to hear Jason again. I feel that his being sent on mission trips starting back in Malachi's Message was because with Whit back, they couldn't think of much for him to do. Which is a bummer, b/c Jason is always a lot of fun (anger management, lol). Hopefully we'll see more of him in Odyssey--assuming he gets to come back, I haven't heard part 2 yet after all.

Six, applesauce. I've got mixed feelings about this. I've always viewed applesauce in Exit as merely a password, not a program. What choice do I have, with Whit erasing the program back in The Battle?

Then I have to ask, why does a bad guy show up asking for Applesauce? It doesn't exist anymore. I mean, sure, it's good motivation for a bad guy to make an appearance, but why does it keep showing up?

I'm hoping part 2 answers some of these questions. If what Jason brings the bad guy to really is the program, that might hurt continuity.

And lastly, number seven, The Whisperer. This is another part of the episode I have mixed feelings about. At times he sounds very menacing, villainous, diabolical. And at other times he sounds like a crazed clown--The Joker very readily comes to mind. And it's easier to take him seriously because we can see him.

So at time it's hard to take him and his assistant seriously simply b/c of how goofy they can wind up sounding. Which, ok, this is a kids show, but the same kid show that showcased one of the most chilling villains ever, Dr. Blackgaard.

Again, maybe part 2 will reveal more of him, and I can form a complete opinion on him.

In conclusion, I thought this was a terrific episode, but because of a few misgivings (which I'm hoping will be relieved in part 2), if I had to rate it, I'd say 4.5 stars.

Whoo! This is the longest and most in-depth review I've written in a long time. And now, on to part 2

[Frank]

After just listening to all the AIO episodes in this season (and not listening to almost any AIO episodes at all for the last one and a half years), I can say that I very much like AIO. We'll see what else I have to say once I get FBI "back up."

Haha, and whenever "the Whisperer" said his evil henchman's name, it seriously creeped me out.

[Trent DeWhite]

I usually don't comment on other people's reviews (unless their name starts with "J" and ends with "onathan"), but I had to jump in this time. Sarah and I discussed the villain issue briefly on our latest podcast... and I can certainly identify with the reservations Jonathan had on the Whisperer. There were moments in this episode where he seemed pretty sinister, but the one adjective that cannot be ascribed to his character was the word evil. I think the most notable antagonists, Dr. Blackgaard and Bennett Charles, were villains of malevolent character. The same cannot be said of the Whisperer.

But as I suggested on the podcast, there probably wasn't the need for an extremely evil character. Let's assume for a minute that the Whisperer will be defeated in the end (and it would make sense to believe as such). Would it be believable to create a character reminiscent of Dr. Blackgaard who is introduced in Part I and then captured in Part II? I highly doubt it. And even if the Whisperer is not imprisoned in Part II and somehow manages to escape, then you're left with a cliffhanger... something the writers would not do in a season like this one. If you're going to go to the effort of creating a villain comparable to Dr. Blackgaard or Bennett Charles, then you're going to have to invest the time (and several episodes) so that his capture will be more plausible. Otherwise, the villain comes across as evil, but weak.

[Jonathan]

I usually don't comment on other people's reviews (unless their name starts with "J" and ends with "onathan"),

haha, I've noticed that

[Agent Robert Mitchell]

I usually don't comment on other people's reviews (unless their name starts with "J" and ends with "onathan"),

haha, I've noticed that

...the reason being that we all know that you put a lot of thought into your reviews.

I thought this episode was a turn in the right direction for Odyssey. I've been rather disappointed with the last 50 episodes, just for their lack of "classic odyssey-ness". So, this episode does bring some things back into Odyssey that I've missed.

[Samitude]

I don't think The Whisperer is supposed to be really villianous. I think of him as someone who is not quite as mature and old as Blackguard and Charles. To me he's one of these teen gunmen type that go into these schools and shoot. They all strike me as just wanting attention and try too hard to create a scene. Notice he kept making all these threats with his cane, but didn't use it except for demonstration.

[Jonathan]

I don't think The Whisperer is supposed to be really villianous. I think of him as someone who is not quite as mature and old as Blackguard and Charles. To me he's one of these teen gunmen type that go into these schools and shoot. They all strike me as just wanting attention and try too hard to create a scene. Notice he kept making all these threats with his cane, but didn't use it except for demonstration.

It's Syndrome!

Though I appearently need to clarify--I wasn't saying we needed someone like Blackgaard. I was simply saying that I thought they threw in silly moments to make him seem less sinister or scary, and considering what kind of villians we've had in the past, this didn't make sense to me. Kind of made the character seem inconsistent to me.

[Trent DeWhite]

Inconsistent... I can definitely see that in his character. The Whisperer appears sinister from the start and then reverts back to his goofy, childish self. But I think the juxtaposition of these two behaviors is what makes his character so brilliant! I enjoyed it, at any rate.

[Emma Grace]

This episode seemed....different than what I would expect from Odyssey. I am new to this site, but an old Odyssey fan, though I am definitely NOT an expert. However, it did not sound like what I am used to.
It is wonderful to have Jason back and hear more of Grady and his father. Tashsa was a bit of a surprise, I thought she was long gone:)
The thing that bothered me about this particular episode was the villain. He has a very cool name but his character doesn't carry it out. I know it has been said before on this thread, but The Whisperer was too goofy to be taken seriously. I guess I have just been building my hope up for another Blackgaurd (sp). I undersand, however, why they would not bring in another permanent bad guy this season so I am fine with it.
All in all, this episode peaked my curiosity for what Odyssey would do next. Now I should probably go and listen to part II!

-Emma Grace

[Mrs Jason Whittaker]

I loved this episode. I'm a long time Odyssey fan. The action stories with the villians and the spies are still my favorite. I love Jason, and who could resist a story with Tasha returning? I'm excited about this story and can't wait to hear the conclusion.

[Rio]

I love that Jason is back and that its another "secret agent" episode.
But the best thing I am loving about these episodes is that GAP Digital is doing the music and sound effects! I LOVE GAP digital!

[strife286]

I gave it the lowest score than anyone else it appears. I am definitely tired applesauce. For such a small town, they have so much concentration of world domination and evil villains. I actually enjoyed the stories with Andromeda and "ruku" virus, etc. But the thing with those was the were villains, right? However, the new villains are very cartoony. Odyssey obviously does not limit itself in one category. With the villains though, I can't enjoy them because of the previous way stories have been treated. Those were well acted dramas, but right now they're making it hard to get into the story. If it's a comedic story, then by all means make it funny. But it's just inconsistent with their previous stories. Either funny or adventurous, and of course comic relief. But applesauce was used over and over, and now it's just hard to even take it seriously. I still love adventures in odyssey though.

[Taq]

I love the agent action Jason brings, I liked how Carson/Grady were included. The new actress for Tasha did a phenomenal job; I didn't know there was a replacement until I read it here on the ToO. Very good show: 4.5/5.

[Crazy 4 Pugs]

I have to start out by saying that the adventure/suspense/intrigue eps always seem a little cheesy to me. Stuff happens in Odyssey, a small town in the middle of nowhere, that wouldn't even happen in a big city. How come all the villains are attracted to Odyssey and/or its residents? (Of course that's how it always happens in The X-Files, weird stuff in small towns, so I can't complain too much.)

Okay, so I just had to get that part out of the way. Overall I liked it. It really wasn't a particularly serious suspense show. (The Whisperer was amusing rather than evil and scary.) But it was well done. Plus, I have to consider that I am really well beyond the target audience for AIO, so my idea of a good suspense show would not be appropriate for 8-12 year olds.

The characters were good. It's nice to hear from Jason again, and it was cool that they brought Tasha back. (I wonder if she'll play a part in any other storylines? Maybe getting back together with Jason? But I don't think she's a Christian, so they'd have to get that taken care of first. Her new voice didn't bother me at all, because she's such a minor character and we haven't heard from her in a long time anyway.

I'd give it four or five stars.

[TigerintheShadows]

Overall, when viewing it as a parody, I liked it. Could've done without Applesauce, but overall, now that I look at it, it wasn't that bad.

[Marvin D.]

It was really interesting. I know it'll be sad...

[Parker Family]

It is a 5 star. I love Odyssey!