677: The Malted Milkball Falcon

Archived reviews of Adventures in Odyssey episodes!

How would you rate this show?

5: Sweet!
10
29%
4: Mmm...good!
12
35%
3: Sweet & sour!
10
29%
2: Too melted down!
2
6%
1: Blechh!!
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 34

User avatar
Peachey Keen
Smile for the camera
Posts: 1198
Joined: July 2008
Location: Where The Wind Comes Sweeping Down The Plain
Gender:

677: The Malted Milkball Falcon

Post by Peachey Keen »

So what did you think of the latest Jones & Parker Mystery?



I haven't heard it yet but I'm sure I won't like Emily!
User avatar
Bob
Catspaw Rocks!
Posts: 705
Joined: September 2006
Location: The Metroplex
Gender:
Contact:

Post by Bob »

I haven't heard it either; I'm still busy trying to write about the merits of the Blackgaard saga.

Intend to review when I get a good chance.

-- 11 Dec 2010 03:58 am --

All right, I was finally able to concentrate on the episode, and I have to say that I'm rather impressed.

Without revealing too much of the plot, the premise of the episode is that several of the Odyssey kids (Matthew Parker, Emily and Barrett Jones, Jay, Priscilla Peterson, and Nelson) are going to do an all-night Rockathon for an orphan charity. As an extra incentive for the kids to do a good job, the pastor has bought a piñata in the shape of a falcon, and filled it with bags of milkballs, with one stipulation: To take a swing at the falcon, you must have been awake all night. By the end of the night, however, the milkballs have all gone missing! Emily wants to investigate, in spite of Mr. Whittaker's request that they all come back in the afternoon, after everyone's had some rest, and settle matters then.

If you haven't listened to the episode, don't click on the spoiler box below, which discusses the rest of the plot.
Emily Jones tries to uncover the mystery, by interrogating each and every one of the people who were at the Rockathon...finally, she announces that she's solved the case, and accuses Nelson of being the milkball thief. There even seems to be evidence, when his large, extra-pocket-equipped coat is discovered to have bags and bags of milkballs in it!

Nelson, however, says that he bought them to make up for the theft, and points out that his committing the crime makes absolutely no sense, since it would require him to go home, with the coat, and inexplicably decide to take it back up to Whit's End, in plain sight of everyone else. Furthermore, Mr. Whittaker himself says that he knows Nelson didn't do it.

With that revelation, Emily's case seems to collapse. Who could be left?

Mr. Whittaker is...and that's the big revelation of the mystery. The facts are plain: If anyone was awake all night long, they would have seen someone take the milkballs. Nobody saw someone take the milkballs. Therefore, nobody was awake (except for Nelson, but he was distracted by music and reading). Whit came in several times, from 4 to 7 in the morning, and didn't see that anyone was up...furthermore, we even see ourselves that he has to rouse everyone at the beginning of this tale, which lends extra credence to this statement.

In other words, our narrator, Emily, and everyone else except for Jay (who admitted he fell asleep) and Nelson lied about their level of participation in the Rockathon, to get more money for the charity. Mr. Whittaker tells them that God will only honor money that is earned honestly. The kids apologize for their dishonesty. Nelson, who really stay up all night, is by rights the only person to deserve anything extra, but he generously decides to share the milkballs he bought (and presumably the ones in the falcon) with all of his friends. Afterwards, Mr. Whittaker and the children will tally up their real hours.
This takes the basic premise of the detective agency episodes and neatly subverts it, by the same method that one of Agatha Christie's most unusual stories is renowned for. It offers up a truly interesting, and seemingly impossible crime -- I was genuinely eager to find out how someone could steal a piñata's worth of milkballs, and not be detected, even when they're in a room full of people to observe the crime. This episode also teaches a message that the listener never would've seen coming, with just what they know from the beginning.

All of the characters have their moments to shine. I once said that Matthew Parker was the "useless sidekick", but now I think I might have perceived things the wrong way; he's really more of an unwilling sidekick. He simply doesn't strike me as being as passionate about the entire crime-solving gig as Emily is. It seems more like he's just in it because, for whatever reason, he considers her to be one of his best friends, and it's something she wants to do.

Emily is passionate, as usual, to solve the mystery, but once again, like in "Square One", her own failings prevent her from coming to the right conclusion.

When I first saw Jay on the show, I figured he was just a stereotypical bully, but now that he's actually appeared in several episodes, I can see that they have something different in mind for him...here he appears to be just "one of the guys". While his seemingly random accusations are over the top, that's perfectly fine; I get the idea he wasn't entirely serious about everything he said. Jay's niche in the show right now seems to be comic relief.

Barrett is his usual, average-guy self. I'm not sure his voice is entirely the same as it was in some of the last few episodes, but it was still basically recognizable.

Mr. Whittaker plays a key part in this episode, and cleverly traps the children into confronting their failure. I was overall very pleased with how they wrote him in this episode, and with Andre Stojka's performance. While it's true that Andre doesn't sound a lot like Hal Smith, Katie Leigh was right in that he seems to have a lot of the same spirit, and I think that anyone who judges him based solely on the fact that his voice isn't a carbon clone of Hal's or Paul's could be making a big mistake.

Nelson is shaping into a great new character. When I first heard Kidsboro, I thought, "Great, another throw-away three-parter that will never be of use to Odyssey again, just like Passages", but the Odyssey team's done a great job of merging the Kidsboro characters in to the town of Odyssey.

Finally, Priscilla Peterson is the subject of the one complaint I have to make about the episode...when I first heard her voice, I didn't initially catch that she was a distinct character from Camilla or Olivia Parker, to the point where I wondered why Matthew and Emily had to climb her tree to talk to her -- since she's Matthew's sister, he ought to be able to see her any time. It was only after I realized that her name was different that it came to me who she really was. While I admit I should have been more observant, the fact is that this wouldn't have happened with any of the old female child characters; Melanie Jacobs is clearly distinguishable from Robyn, or Lucy, or Donna. It would be nice to see the Odyssey team try a little harder in the future to make the girls sound more distinct -- except for Emily; they've done fine with her so far.

All in all, a strong episode, that highlights a lot of what's right with this new take on Odyssey. While I'm reluctant to pass out high ratings -- I don't think this is equal to, say, Clara, or a lot of other old episodes that I would give a rating of 5, I do think that it is better than Square One, which I gave a 4.

Therefore, we get 5/5. If it was a scale of 0-99, it might be more like 85/99.
User avatar
Joanne
Happy Flower
Happy Flower
Posts: 2208
Joined: March 2010

Post by Joanne »

I gave this 4/5

Did anyone else think of Broken Window? This episode kept my attention and was very entertaining. I must admit though I am still adjusting to the new characters. I am not very crazy about album 52, but this was one of the better episodes. :D
Image
~*~StrongNChrist, November 22, 1991- March, 25th, 2011~*~
User avatar
Anna><>
A great mapmaker
Posts: 2619
Joined: September 2008

Post by Anna><> »

Joanne wrote:I gave this 4/5

Did anyone else think of Broken Window? This episode kept my attention and was very entertaining. I must admit though I am still adjusting to the new characters. I am not very crazy about album 52, but this was one of the better episodes. :D
That was actually the first thing I thought of when I heard this episode!
This episode isn't too bad... but not one of my favorites either.
Image
User avatar
Taq
A great mapmaker
Posts: 2848
Joined: April 2005

Post by Taq »

Wow!
  • Novel idea: Rock-a-thon. It's different. It's believable. It's fun.
  • Excellent message: Honesty. Not just tacked on at the end, but taught in the very framework of the story. Plus Psalm 139 is one of my faves.
  • Whit as culprit: We've seen this before (Broken Window, anyone?), but it worked well again.
  • Kids gelling: Okay, we've gotten to know the six kids (Emily, Matthew, Barrett, Priscilla, Jay, Nelson), and they worked very well combined; each one's personality contributed to the story. I haven't been a huge fan of Emily's sleuthing thus far, but she did really well as narrator! Matthew's blow-up cushion was consistent with his inventive mind, and I appreciated Nelson's large functional coat. A couple of Jay's humorous comments really spiced up the episode, such as when he suggested "Throw away the key!" and remarked at the end that he was the only one who told the truth at first. A demure Priscilla and brother Barrett provided two great suspects to involve in Emily's search. I really enjoyed the search, the flashbacks, and how we were brought up to the present.
To sum up, the Malted Milkball Falcon is absolutely my favorite kid-centric episode since the reboot. I've been listening to the new episodes weekly, but this is the first time since the inception of the season (The Mystery of the Clock Tower, Parts 1 and 2) that I'm excited about Odyssey. I'm telling my siblings to listen to this episode posthaste!

By the way, did everyone notice Chris' line at the very end after the credits? "Is anyone gonna eat that last maltball?" A nice touch.
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 »

I thought this episode was great. I loved the whole idea of the Rock-a-thon. In some ways, it reminded me of the lock-ins that we have with my youth group. Jay is becoming one of my favorite new kid characters. I thought this episode was very well written. I give it 5/5 stars.
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
The Kings Daughter
Sonbeam
Sonbeam
Posts: 7047
Joined: June 2009
Location: In a small town called "Odyssey".
Contact:

Post by The Kings Daughter »

Rock-a-thon = awesome. \:D/

I like the way this episode was told, FotF once again did a superb flashback, where during the flashback I forgot it was a flashback. ;)

And once again, Emily totally got on my nerves. She is SO controlling! I don't even know how Matthew Parker can stand to be her friend. :mad: The only way I can possibly understand Emily's personality a little is that when I was her age or younger I was a bit controlling. But not that controlling.

I really like all of the Parkers, at first I was thinking how I really didn't like them because I was comparing them to the other old Odyssey families, but now I really love them. So obviously for me, Matthew did an awesome job just because he's a Parker. :yes: Lol just kidding. :P Matthew character in this one was alright, I think average.

Nelson I think really did a good job in this one. I mean, I may be slow, but I really didn't suspect him to have touched any milkballs. ;) He always just seems so 'shy' and innocent.

Mr. Whitaker stole the milkballs! :shock: After he had explained himself, I was like, 'Ooooo. What a Whit thing to do. \:D/

I also think that the various kids giving Emily reason to suspect various ones was needed, but I don't think it really fit in. I mean, if they had remembered it, they would have spoken up soon when they found the milkballs were missing. Not when the Jones and Parker detective agency 'happened to drop by'. And why would they tell Emily of all people? ;)

I don't really care for Jones and Parker mysteries, but if I had to listen to one of them I would pick The Malted Milkball Falcon.

I rated it 4/5, all the other mysteries I think I'd just give a 3/5.

And now my episode ramblings are finished, and yes, I realize they're terribly organized. O:)
Image

SnC Forever. Miss you still.
User avatar
Marvin D.
i haz xpirenancee!!1
Posts: 19548
Joined: November 2009
Location: Amsterdam
Contact:

Post by Marvin D. »

And Emily Jones is off to solve another case! The Case of the Chocolately Maltball Goodness Pinata. Okay, let's go back to our first name. First off, Emily stinks at making mystery names. *shudders*

This was an...interesting case to say the least. The rockathon was a cool idea. I've heard of jumpathons before, but never this. It actually sounds fun, in theory. *in a Matthew voice* I'd sleep through the whole day. The scene where Jay and Barrett and the guys were watching the movie seemed like sometime familiar to me. I don't know why, just because.

I happened to see a remark about this episode being similar to "Broken Window". I didn't make the connection that it was similar to what Whit had done earlier (namely, steal the candy and see what the others would do). I figured that out, at the end. Genius. :P

I'll be a little briefer on this episode. Whit seemed like the more normal Whit, probably because it was similar to what he did previously. I really enjoyed that aspect, though.

I'm glad we're not going to kick out characters like Nelson and Priscilla though--it's nice to have characters stick around instead of using them for one or two episodes and kicking them out (like Tony and Erica in the Novacom saga). I hope we hear more of them, even though I think Priscilla sounds a little...upper class? for her age. Maybe it's just me.

And about Matthew, I really wish we'd hear him helping Emily a bit more. He seems almost as though he absolutely detests it, and is really just...thrown in for it. Either let him help, or let him go through the back door, imo.

Emily, as usual, is always raring for another case. A little annoying, at times. There's no need to make a full-blown problem on this, is there? And because of this, the wrong person is blamed. I did enjoy the twist ending, however.

There were a few clues in the episode which led to my figuring out that it might be not what we thought it was. Namely that everyone was asleep, and even Jay admitted to it. But, I didn't put two and two together (to equal four) and figured it out. Sad for me. :(

In the conclusion, it turns out Jay's finally told the truth! Huzzah! He's done the good deed. *pats Jay* It won't last long, kiddo. Moral? Rather simple. I wish Nelson had told the whole truth instead of not telling everything. All in all, this was a nice story, better than I expected.

Final Rating: 7/10 stars
"I still see Marvin as a newbie that is just as cool as an oldie." --snubs

Most Sarcastic Poster | Most Likely To Be Eaten By a Dinosaur and Smote by God |
Biggest Joker and Grammar Nazi | Best Writer
User avatar
Mrs Jason Whittaker
Classic
Posts: 648
Joined: March 2008
Location: Mitchell, SD

Post by Mrs Jason Whittaker »

I liked this one. Made me hungry for maltballs.

I don't like rockathons...just saying. If you're going to sponsor a child to do something by the hour, why not make it something productive, like nursing home visitations, or baking cookies for an elementary class. But rocking? Ok, I'm off the soap box now.

It was a fun mystery with a twist at the end. It also made a good point.

And I'm beginning to really like Jay. Not your average bully.

Did anyone else notice this Emily and Matthew Detective story also involved a bird? The falcon.
"Your days, at the most, cannot be long. It would be best to use them for the glory of God and the benefit of your generation."
-William Booth
User avatar
The Kings Daughter
Sonbeam
Sonbeam
Posts: 7047
Joined: June 2009
Location: In a small town called "Odyssey".
Contact:

Post by The Kings Daughter »

^ I always thought that a rock-a-thon was just something the kids could do to earn money, and have fun at the same time. :-k But I do see what you are saying. :yes:
Image

SnC Forever. Miss you still.
User avatar
Dallas R.
My posts are revolutionary
Posts: 403
Joined: January 2009
Location: Wisconsin

Post by Dallas R. »

Ayralee wrote:
Joanne wrote:I gave this 4/5

Did anyone else think of Broken Window? This episode kept my attention and was very entertaining. I must admit though I am still adjusting to the new characters. I am not very crazy about album 52, but this was one of the better episodes. :D
That was actually the first thing I thought of when I heard this episode!
This episode isn't too bad... but not one of my favorites either.
By the end I'd thought this too, and then started making the connections.

Jay/Rodney- shift the blame, bully

Emily/Connie- both play the main detective and in the end find what is an important clue, but ends up leading to a different suspect than they suspect, though Connie got it right in the end.

Barret/Alex Priscilla/Sarah- They are all too nervous to speak up about the truth and leave out important facts that come back to make them suspects.

Matthew/Mitch- Calms down Emily/Connie when they get out of hand.

Whit/... well, Whit.- Leaves out important facts to keep the kids guessing to teach them a lesson.

I also liked Whit saying in this episode, "I'd rather not turn this into a court room scene." Which he has done as we see in broken window.

The thing is, even through all the similarities, it was still a pretty good episode. I think the writers are realizing that rewriting certain elements and using storylines again doesn't hurt anything now that they've had the hiatus. It's like what happened with the "Owlnapping" being a lot like "The Secret Weapon." They're different enough to be interesting, but at over 650 episodes, you're going to start repeating certain story ideas.
Personally I don't mind the repeating of ideas. It made a good episode, and my second favorite kid focused episode behind "Square One" since the hiatus.
The kids were good, all of them were unique. I think I'd have rather had Priscilla played by someone else that we know better, like Olivia or Camilla. Jay definitely puts an interesting twist on the bully. Sort of reminds me of the the Binky Barnes of Arthur. Sort of a bully, but sort of not.
3.5/5
Katrina Meltsner talking to Katrina Shanks Video
(Pamela Hayden and Audrey Wasilewski face-off)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDHyEphRM4g

Yep. Using my signature for a shameless plug. But trust me. If I can be so arrogant, I think it'll be worth your time.
Samitude
Pilgrim
Posts: 255
Joined: November 2005
Location: North Carolina

Post by Samitude »

OK. I'm trying to get everyone straight. Tell me if I have this right.
  • Jay- The boy who is kind of a bully, but makes straight A's; was the one who they blamed in the theater story. Do we know anything about his family?
  • Barrett- Emily's older brother; Is he the one who likes Priscilla? Doesn't he play a trombone or something?
  • I agree about Priscilla's voice. For that matter I'm having a terrible time keeping all these kids' voices straight. Jay's and Matthew's are kind of distinct, but not very many other's. Does Priscilla have a family? Who is she friends with? Is she the one that Olivia Parker hangs out with some times?
  • Nelson- My mind is blank. I'm not coming up with any information on him at all. His voice is like the other voices too.
  • I am absolutely lost on those baseball team episodes. Are any of those characters regular Odyssey people? I recognized that one guy's voice who played Mike Fowler in The Last Chance Detectives and I keep calling him that Mike Fowler guy.
User avatar
ric
Isaiah 6
Posts: 6801
Joined: April 2010

Post by ric »

Samitude wrote:OK. I'm trying to get everyone straight. Tell me if I have this right.
  • Jay- The boy who is kind of a bully, but makes straight A's; was the one who they blamed in the theater story. Do we know anything about his family?
  • Barrett- Emily's older brother; Is he the one who likes Priscilla? Doesn't he play a trombone or something?
  • I agree about Priscilla's voice. For that matter I'm having a terrible time keeping all these kids' voices straight. Jay's and Matthew's are kind of distinct, but not very many other's. Does Priscilla have a family? Who is she friends with? Is she the one that Olivia Parker hangs out with some times?
  • Nelson- My mind is blank. I'm not coming up with any information on him at all. His voice is like the other voices too.
  • I am absolutely lost on those baseball team episodes. Are any of those characters regular Odyssey people? I recognized that one guy's voice who played Mike Fowler in The Last Chance Detectives and I keep calling him that Mike Fowler guy.
Um, I don't really remember 'The Last Change Detectives', but the actor that played Ryan was in that, so it's probably Ryan, who was in Kidsboro episodes.

Nelson was in Kidsboro episodes as well. I think he has a unique voice, personally. Maybe it's because he's played by a girl.

Baseball team...basically new characters other than the coach, Vance, Nelson, and Matthew (I think).

You're right on Jay and Barrett. In a Thankstaking story, we meet Jay's uncle, (Wally?), but I think that's pretty much it for his family.
User avatar
Bob
Catspaw Rocks!
Posts: 705
Joined: September 2006
Location: The Metroplex
Gender:
Contact:

Post by Bob »

Actually, it's Vance that makes the straight A's; we don't hear anything about Jay's grades, that I remember.
User avatar
IamConnie
Gold Member
Posts: 72
Joined: October 2009
Location: Narnia

Post by IamConnie »

Joanne wrote: Did anyone else think of Broken Window?
Yes! I was totally thinking that! It is very similar, but the plot is different enough that it doesn't bug you too much. Personally, I loved Jay's line where he said "I didn't do anything wrong this time! I totally admitted what I did!" That cracked me up.
They say all roads lead to Rome, and all roads lead through Indiana. But I say that in the world of Odyssey, all roads lead to Novacom.
User avatar
American Eagle
Chief of Police
Posts: 11978
Joined: September 2008
Gender:

Post by American Eagle »

This episode is forgettable. All I can remember is all the kids try to rock all night long, fall asleep, the candy they wanted is stolen, and Whit ends up being the culprit. Nothing in it stands out to me, and none of the characters were especially memorable. I do remember the episode feeling like a mix between Broken Window and...?

Image
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
ric
Isaiah 6
Posts: 6801
Joined: April 2010

Post by ric »

American Eagle wrote:This episode is forgettable. All I can remember is all the kids try to rock all night long, fall asleep, the candy they wanted is stolen, and Whit ends up being the culprit. Nothing in it stands out to me, and none of the characters were especially memorable. I do remember the episode feeling like a mix between Broken Window and...?

Image
Perfectly put. I can't even remember the lesson, actually.

Broken Window and Prayer Bear.... \:D/
User avatar
Bob
Catspaw Rocks!
Posts: 705
Joined: September 2006
Location: The Metroplex
Gender:
Contact:

Post by Bob »

American Eagle wrote:I do remember the episode feeling like a mix between Broken Window and...?
Slumber Party, maybe?
User avatar
Bennett
Someone's favorite
Posts: 1637
Joined: April 2005

Post by Bennett »

User avatar
Parker Family
Smile for the camera
Posts: 1203
Joined: February 2011

Post by Parker Family »

Its a 3 stars it was ok but not to good :headphones:
Image
Post Reply