659: Target of the Week

Archived reviews of Adventures in Odyssey episodes!

What did you think of this episode?

5 stars: Two thumbs way up!
10
36%
4 stars: A good episode!
11
39%
3 stars: Average.
6
21%
2 stars: So-so.
1
4%
1 star: Was not a fan.
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 28

User avatar
Bren
Be positive!
Posts: 6046
Joined: March 2008
Location: Behind the cash register
Gender:
Contact:

659: Target of the Week

Post by Bren »



Enjoy the lastest episode!
Last edited by Bren on Fri Apr 02, 2010 7:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
ImageImageImage
logos linked
User avatar
EMBEE
I've been working out
Posts: 3287
Joined: October 2009
Location: Where is here? The last time I checked it was the same place as usual.
Contact:

Post by EMBEE »

Yay! I'm waiting to eat dinner 25 minutes longer in order to listen!
Last edited by EMBEE on Fri Apr 02, 2010 9:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Image
Thanks to my Secret Santa for the set!
Macy's Corner | My Tumblr | Deviant Art
Eight Muppety Notes: Tumblr | Twitter
Official Term 17 moderator
She left many of us behind. She left us heartbroken. And though we cry now there'll come a time when we'll laugh. Because we'll see her again someday. We'll be with her in heaven. And when we go to heaven she'll be there to greet us. She'll be there to say "Welcome home." -From a poem that SnC wrote about her grandmother
User avatar
Irwin
Springer from Odyssey
Posts: 6264
Joined: December 2008
Location: The camp of the continental army

Post by Irwin »

Wow, this is my favorite episode of the season so far! (Although they are all great!)

First they introduce a character to replace Rodney, who's been there way to long. He seems to be a closer to Rusty than Rodney, but he's got his own unique style. \:D/

They also bring back the Coyotes with KYDS radio commentary! \:D/ Throughout the episode I was reminded of The Winning Edge and The Defining Moment.

Five out of five :goomba:'s.
Image
User avatar
Jason Whits Son
Catspaw Rocks!
Posts: 965
Joined: August 2009
Location: Best Small Town in America

Post by Jason Whits Son »

I'm Listening again as I'm typing this.

Yeah, more nelson. This episode introduces Vance King. At first he sounds like a big bully. Kinda like a Rodney but with a twist, not quite as mean or tough.
A Wooton episode! Yes! Wooton as a baseball commentator? Excellant, reminds me of when Lawrence tried. He made things interesting in the game play.

Vance now sounds more of a prankster than a bully. Somewhat harmless.

I couldn't help thinking of The Winning Edge and The Defining Moment. These two are also baseball episodes.
I like baseball. A Player on the coyotes named Mcgwire? Funny.

When Vance dropped the ball that reminded me of my own experience on the field as a little league player......course then again my glove wasn't tampered with...

Matt's confession was an admirable one, and definitely a hard thing to do. Great speech by Kent.

Conclusion:
This episode was pretty good. I liked this one a lot, and not just because baseball is my favorite sport. Vance wasn't the big bad bully I thought he was going to be. I wonder how much we're gonna see Vance in future episodes? The baseball game scene with Wooton helping Whit with the announcing was a nice touch. Chris's wrap up was good too. I think the theme was a good one to remember as well. This one is one of those that keeps you interested even though it doesn't have a lot of action and spies and stuff like that. I give this one a 5/5.
User avatar
Sapphire
A Beautiful Gem
Posts: 6448
Joined: April 2009
Location: Right Where I Need to Be
Gender:

Post by Sapphire »

I really liked this episode. I loved that Whit gave advice to Matthew. I also liked that Nelson was in it. Vance King reminded me of Rodney Rathbone. I am glad he was nicer to Matthew at the end. Matthew's confession was hard for him to do, but it was the right thing. Kent's speech was great. Wooton was as funny as always. I am beginning to adjust to Whit's new voice. I give this episode 5/5 stars. This episode and Clutter are my favorites so far.
"Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again." ― C.S. Lewis
User avatar
Joanne
Happy Flower
Happy Flower
Posts: 2208
Joined: March 2010

Post by Joanne »

I loved this episode!

I felt like the story flowed really well, and was a great slice of life story.
The characters were great as well! I am still getting used to Whit but, I really liked his role in Target of the Week!

Over all it has been my favorite so far! Keep it up AIO!

-- Sat Apr 03, 2010 11:19 am --
EMBEE wrote: I'm waiting to eat dinner 25 minutes longer in order to listen!
You sacrifice greatly for Odyssey. I was not as dedicated... :)
Image
~*~StrongNChrist, November 22, 1991- March, 25th, 2011~*~
User avatar
Bennett
Someone's favorite
Posts: 1637
Joined: April 2005

Post by Bennett »

Hey guys,

"Target of the Week". After last week's disaster of an episode, this week was definitely a step up. This is a nice strong slice of life show. By the time I got to the end of the episode, I was thinking--"now this episode sounds like it had a good writer, who is this?" Oh. Look. Marshall Younger. Strange, since I thought that he had left Odyssey.

Just a few quick points:

Wooton was simply a distraction during the episode, but he was a very good distraction. They used him lightly, and with a couple of pencil marks, could have gotten rid of him completely from the episode. I think Wooton can be used too heavily and therefore can become a little annoying--the writers may try too hard to squeeze out jokes and humor from him every 4 seconds. Here, he was used perfectly in a secondary role. Oh yea, and he was funny here.

You would have thought... Whit would have learned his lesson about having "colored commentators" after the Jimmy and Lawrence

Matthew, Vance , Nelson , "Jay" and especially Kent were each great new kids and each better come back. They are each great and likable characters. These are the types of characters that get me exciting about the new season. Amazing how there are a lot of new characters already...

Revenge The official site says the main theme is revenge. The episode would have only been mediocre if it wasn't for the second half which there was an even better theme about "placing the blame".

Coach Chang Fang: Hmm. Do any Asians listen to Odyssey? I immediately started liking this character a lot--he makes a really unique, distinct, and hilarious adult character--but are there any negative Asian stereotypes the show is treading on? Oh well I hope it's not a problem...and I hope that we hear from him soon.

Best Lines: "You mean you felt a symbolic responsibility for his error?" and [after there's a foul] Whit: "And it's fouled off! We'll do it again!" Wooton: "Of course we will"...

What was bad? Simple. "Target of the Week" What kind of bullies have targets of the week, I'm wondering? A little lame. Oh yea, and Bonnie. Oh, and squishy shoes. These are a few of my least favorite things.

I'm voting "good" for this episode. People are always voting "great" for each episode for some reason, but, these are the episodes that Odyssey is supposed to be airing. So, nice job on this one, guys.
User avatar
American Eagle
Chief of Police
Posts: 11977
Joined: September 2008
Gender:

Post by American Eagle »

"...in a three hour game is ohhh about three hours." :lol:

This is the best episode of Album 51, by far. I love Vance and Kent! I would love to see them in more episodes. Matthew and Nelson were good main characters, and I had no issues with them. Jay/Vance's "tell him what he's won" speech reminded me of some of the cheesy humor in the Sherwood Pictures movies, but that's a good thing. \:D/

Wooton is back!!! I'm not a Wooton fan or anything, but I'm so glad another fun character is back. He was excellent. I'm now totally used to the Andre as Whit, and the entire episode flowed really well. I agree with Bennett's "negatives", but they weren't annoying at all, and I can totally live with squishy shoes. ;)

This is either 4/5 or 5/5. I'll probably listen again before I decide.
he/him | attorney | spartan | christian | bleeding heart type

Note: My past posts do not necessarily reflect my values. Many of them were made when I was young and (in retrospect) misguided. If you identify a post that expresses misinformation, prejudice, or anything harmful, please let me know.
User avatar
H Tide
Sing in the sunshine
Posts: 1756
Joined: July 2006
Location: Canada

Post by H Tide »

This was a fantastic episode. Right from the beginning, it drew me in and kept me anticipating what would happen next. It had a solid lesson and while drawing memories of previous baseball episodes like The Winning Edge and And the Glory, it still was original and didn't copy too much from past episodes. I agree with others that the kid characters are interesting and have quirky personalities, which is always fun. And I really enjoyed the addition of Coach Chang Fang. Although I am Asian, I wasn't at all offended by his portrayal in the episode but found him quite funny. All in all, the episode deserves five stars!

Random thoughts:

I thought there was good continuity with the Odyssey Coyotes and the Odenton Barons.

This is the fourth time we've heard the name Ken Blaylock before (previously in Sheep's Clothing and in Tuesdays with Wooton and The Highest Stakes (as the bus drive, Mr. Blaylock). No suprise, really, since Marshal wrote or co-wrote all four episodes, and is fond of putting the name in them, but it was fun to notice. ;)

Have we ever heard the National Anthem sung in an Odyssey episode before? We've heard the instrumental version in By Dawn's Early Light, but I don't think we've heard a vocal rendition of the song.
Image
User avatar
JesusFreak777
Expecting a battle
Posts: 4999
Joined: April 2005
Location: In the arms of my Father

Post by JesusFreak777 »

Don't forget Kenny Blalock is mentioned in Alaska during the Novacom Saga. :)
A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man would have to seek Him to find her.

JF, JesusFreak777, and JF777 are all copyrighted by this user. Any violators will be fined and prosecuted. Thank you.
User avatar
DanP740
Trank Tank Driver
Trank Tank Driver
Posts: 6764
Joined: April 2005
Location: In my chair
Contact:

Post by DanP740 »

Well, at least Wooton sounded more like himself than the mini episode thing, but he didn't really seem like he needed to be in the episode. There wasn't really much connecting him to the rest.
Image
StrongNChrist 1991-2011
Use the chatroom! It's been active for a year, and most of you are missing it.
"Every time I start banging rocks together to make a beat, I feel all guilty and I need to repent for my sinful ways. :(" - Jelly
"I actually want to see this happen... the controversy would be legendary. :o" - American Eagle
":hilarious: This ladies and gentlemen is the founding of: 'The Awkward Club!'" - Steve
"Happy birthday, big Mercy! \:D/ \:D/" - Whitty Whit
I wasn't yelling. I was talking with vehemence.
31899
No way I broke the window
Posts: 3613
Joined: February 2009
Location: how come you don't want me now

Post by 31899 »

Is there plan just to rehash everything that happened with the Barclays with different characters?

I lolled when they mentioned Kenny Blalock.

31899
User avatar
Jimmy Barclay Fan
Classic
Posts: 661
Joined: April 2005
Location: Southeast USA

Post by Jimmy Barclay Fan »

Has there ever been an AIO episode with an all male cast ? I cant remember any females in the episode.
4 stars. I really liked it.

ETA: I see a Bonnie listed on AIO Wiki site but I dont remember her. I need to hear it again
Image


I am a big fan of AIO, but I am not Jave Griffin or have ever been on AIO. I am just a huge fan of AIO and Jimmy Barclay. I love Odyssey, and Jimmy rules.
User avatar
EMBEE
I've been working out
Posts: 3287
Joined: October 2009
Location: Where is here? The last time I checked it was the same place as usual.
Contact:

Post by EMBEE »

Joanne wrote:
EMBEE wrote: I'm waiting to eat dinner 25 minutes longer in order to listen!
You sacrifice greatly for Odyssey. I was not as dedicated... :)
Anything for my favorite radio show! Well, anything that my parents will let me do, that is.

Here are some of my notes on this ep that I made while listening for the first time:
  • I miss Rodney. :(
    The humor was great.
    Since when is Wooton so crazy about nachos?
    Nelson was good in this one. I think he is one of my favorite new kid characters.
    The "no shoe diet" thing was hilarious!
I felt like Wooton's part of the story was a little (for lack of a better word) underused in this episode. When I listened for the first time, I was like, "Yay! Wooton!" and I expected him to play a larger role in this ep. Instead, he ended up just being used for comic relief. I think that by not doing more with Wooton's role, they missed out on an huge opportunity to have a subplot that could've contributed to the theme of the episode. Anyways, that's just my two cents.

Some of my favorite lines from this show:
"I like to wear them to prove that I'm not sneaking up on people."
"For the love of all that is great in the U.S.!"
"I'm stupefied."

Lol about the whole Ken Blalock thing. I didn't catch it until someone mentioned it on here, which surprises me 'cuz I've heard the episode Sheep's Clothing (where they mentioned a Kenny Blalock) like a million times.

Overall, a decent episode. 3.5 stars, rounding to 4 in the poll.
Image
Thanks to my Secret Santa for the set!
Macy's Corner | My Tumblr | Deviant Art
Eight Muppety Notes: Tumblr | Twitter
Official Term 17 moderator
She left many of us behind. She left us heartbroken. And though we cry now there'll come a time when we'll laugh. Because we'll see her again someday. We'll be with her in heaven. And when we go to heaven she'll be there to greet us. She'll be there to say "Welcome home." -From a poem that SnC wrote about her grandmother
User avatar
Catspaw
Care Bear Admin
Care Bear Admin
Posts: 30429
Joined: April 2005
Location: Canada
Gender:

Post by Catspaw »

H Tide wrote: This is the fourth time we've heard the name Ken Blaylock before (previously in Sheep's Clothing and in Tuesdays with Wooton and The Highest Stakes (as the bus drive, Mr. Blaylock). No suprise, really, since Marshal wrote or co-wrote all four episodes, and is fond of putting the name in them, but it was fun to notice. ;)
Thank you, H Tide! :mad: When I listened to the episode, the name instantly sounded familiar, but I just couldn't place it. I was going to do the research to figure it out today, but you (and Sarah) saved me the trouble!

I really enjoyed this episode. It remained realistic but still felt like it dealt with a real issue in a responsible way. Wooton's responses as the game dragged on and on were amusing. As Whit was talking about the runs that Odenton was getting, I was thinking about poor Wooton being stuck there even longer before Wooton even said anything, because I could feel his pain! There's nothing worse than doing something you don't really want to do and then have it take way longer than you expected. It was very easy to relate to Wooton...plus I love him anyway, so it was great to hear from him! \:D/ I agree with a lot of what has already been said. This was a very good episode! :D
Image
User avatar
King Butter Turtle
Expecting a battle
Posts: 4706
Joined: March 2008
Location: Marus
Contact:

Post by King Butter Turtle »

Main Thoughts
  • I though it was very good. It very well exemplified the slice-of-life-y-ness that they're trying to get back to; the coyotes, KYDS Radio, kids getting bullied at school, kids coming to Whit for advice at the counter. It was a good story with enjoyable characters. I also appreciated the humor in this episode. I think it might be the first time I notably laughed out load this season.
Vance King
  • I liked him. I liked the voice and I think he has a lot of potential as the school bully.
The Coyotes
  • Tom Riley has been replaced. :cry: Of course, Connie did it for a while but, it really made me miss having Tom around. I still don't think he should stay (unless they find an amazingly similar actor) but, I would really love a good solid replacement to stop by the counter for coffee and fill some of his roles.
  • Have we ever had an Asian Odyssey character before? I guess, it's about time, huh? I liked the idea for his character but, for whatever reason, it just wasn't very funny.
  • Was it just me or did the coyotes game sound like at was in Yankee Stadium? In the past it's been basically parents and a few loyal fans. (like maybe 50 people) I know it's not too big of a deal but, when they started stomping and clapping, ("We Will, We Will Rock You") I found it to be so unrealistic that it took away from the scene.
Other Notes
  • I can just imagine the look on Jonathon Crowe's face when he was told about the scene in which Matthew would be walking around in squeaking sneakers. :lol: Regular footsteps are hard enough! They were executed perfectly, though- sort of reminded me of duck-man at the live show.
  • Jimmy Barclay's right, there was only one small female role. I didn't notice that until I read it. The only all-male cast in the past (wow, that rhymed :anxious: ) that I can think of is It Happened at Four Corners.
  • I'm looking forward to hearing from Connie and Eugene again next week. It's been three episodes.
Rating
  • 4/5 stars
Lisa Hammit - 1991-2011 - Forever strong in Christ
User avatar
JesusFreak777
Expecting a battle
Posts: 4999
Joined: April 2005
Location: In the arms of my Father

Post by JesusFreak777 »

On the Coyote thing: The difference between this and other times is that it is now a school team - before it was little league city teams. That is probably why it is louder and more people.

Also i it just me, or did the asian coach seem rather new age-y?
A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man would have to seek Him to find her.

JF, JesusFreak777, and JF777 are all copyrighted by this user. Any violators will be fined and prosecuted. Thank you.
User avatar
KODY 105
Radio Station
Radio Station
Posts: 13550
Joined: September 2008
Location: In downtown Odyssey

Post by KODY 105 »

I thought the Asian coach was too... stereotyped? Not every Asian has an accent. Although I suppose it would be hard to make that obvious on a radio program... Now about his philosophy, I remember that he used a lot of new age-style metaphors and topics and so on. So, yes, I guess he is.
Image
ToO siblings: Donna Blackbeard, Perron, Evil Chick, American Eagle, Stubborn, Shadowfax, and thelordismyshepherd (aka Anna), but StrongNChrist is my twin!
StrongNChrist, deceased 03-25-11, requiescat in pace :mecry: :mecry: :mecry:
User avatar
Taq
A great mapmaker
Posts: 2848
Joined: April 2005

Post by Taq »

I think Target of the Week is my favorite so far, though Clutter was very good as well!
  • I really like Vance as the Rodney replacement. He's still the overt bully but has a different dimension by being a straight A student and acting perfectly in class. Great! Dalton Kearn from the Leonard Meltsner Arc had a different dimension as well by having some kind of heart, i.e. he showed affection for Everett. Not all bullies and villains are created equal; I like that.
  • The duck squeaking could be construed as lame, but I think it was supposed to be innocuous (We don't want kids copying anything too bad!) and humorous (It was outlandish and thus funny to me.).
  • I didn't even notice the coach was supposed to be Asian, haha. I'll have to listen again. Yeah, there have been a few Asians in Odyssey, for example the guy of Japanese ancestry who was on the U.S. side at Pearl Harbor and his son who Bart was racist toward. For all we know any of the characters that we don't have a cartoon depiction for could be Asian, though I usually (rightly or wrongly) assume everyone's white unless I have reason to believe otherwise, e.g. muy bueno coming from the Parkers. All in all, I'm not worried too much about this issue, just making matter-of-fact observations. And Bennett, Asians absolutely listen to Odyssey! I met a couple in Colorado, I know a bunch on the board (10?), and I live with some at home!
To sum up, Target of the Week was a very good episode. It was traditional in that Whit counsels kid and kid makes right, but original and not fully predictable. I look forward to hearing more from Vance! Haha.
User avatar
Joanne
Happy Flower
Happy Flower
Posts: 2208
Joined: March 2010

Post by Joanne »

EMBEE wrote: I miss Rodney. :(
Me to! The new bully was OK, but didn't quite fill Rodney's big shoes...
Image
~*~StrongNChrist, November 22, 1991- March, 25th, 2011~*~
Post Reply