This episode deserves a thread in this sub-forum, so I listened through once again and jotted down a few things that may help to show why I favor this episode over all of the others:
- In all three of the different broadcast versions (First airdaste, second airdate, today's broadcasts) start with Chris as a fireworks show. She exlaims, "A musical firework" and then the theme plays. Kind of a lame beginning, but most early episodes start in a similar manner to this.
- In the gold auido version, the theme plays and then the music plays and the episode begins. I actually didn't know that the alternative fireworks intro exisited until I heard the broadcast this summer.
- This episode always tends to be on the radio around the forth of July for obvious reasons:
- The music! Once discussed here, it has a catchy feel and can easily get stuck in your head for weeks! It exhibits the perfect colonial mood to start the story.
- Irwin Springer! We get an awesome one-time character who I'm named after! Who doesn't love his charming "oh wow"? In the congress he is also called Master Springer by President Hancock. His full name can be argued to be Irwin Springer from Odyssey as that's what Nathan Hale calls him in quotable part:
Nathan Hale: Well, we've had quite an adventure, and I don't even know your name or where you're from.
Irwin Springer: I'm Irwin Springer from Odyssey.
Nathan Hale: Well Irwin Springer from Odyssey, I thank you for saving my life.
Irwin Springer: Likewise I'm sure. And you are?
Nathan Hale: My name is Hale, Nathan Hale.
Irwin Springer: Nathan Hale, the Nathan Hale!?
Nathan Hale: You've heard of me?
Irwin Springer: Who hasn't heard of you? - Has anyone ever noticed that beginning is similar to 'Not So Trivial Pursuit' where Dwane and Jack Allen are doing trivia?
- "Speaking of Franklin" This foreshadows Herlinger doing his Franklin voice in the end!
- "It's a big thick one too! I found it in a sale downtown." I've nevr gotten hit in the head with a book, but I may get brained with one someday ('The Ill Gotten Deed' Reference)
- "This looks like the dirt road up to trickle lake" Was trickle lake referenced before that at all?
- Many historical auotes are read such as, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country" and "I have lived, sir a long time..."
- The continental congress scene is epic. Especially at the end when the quotes and votes are read over each other.
- "Vote against independence!" And we here a sound of thunder, kind of affective.
- Over all this episode has a superb plot, music and characters and recieves 6/5 stars!
- I put the Bruce Day album two artwork at top where we get our only view ever of Irwin.
- If anyone remembers the police officer at the end of 'No, Honestly!' when a police officer says, "Are you Mark Reed?". That police officer seems to be voiced by Donald Long (who also voiced Irwin). So any logical person can tell that that is indeed Irwin and not Jack Davis!
- Parts of this episode are flashbacked in the retrospective episode 'The Adventure of the Adventure' and 'Blackgaard's Revenge'
- This episodes is in a Chick-fil-a package with a few deleted lines. On a bonus feature in album 14, it is mentioned that some Chick-fil-a listeners took offense, because Washington prayed in the name of Jesus...even though he is quoted exactly.
- Does this episode have less of a meaning to Canadian listeners? I just noticed there are a handful of episodes that deal with US history. ('By Dawn's Early Light', 'The Underground Railroad', etc.)
- I used to think that the kid from 'The Last Great Adventure of Summer' was voiced by the same actor as Irwin. But I was wrong.
- This AIO's first attempt at story-telling as far as I can tell...they tried a few other methods such as 'By Faith, Noah' and 'The Shepherd and the Giant' until they finally arrived ta the most popular method, 'The Imagination Station'.