573: "Back to Abnormal"

[Trumpkin]

Just listened...I don't like the idea. First Katrina got a different voice, and now...wow. It's just going wacko personally.

[Me]

My review is coming..... I have to listen to the ep another time or two, to pull in some examples. All I will say right now is that I give it 3 stars.

*waits with great anticipation to read Jonathan's review.*

[mr. mellow]

what a stupid ep. AIO is going down hill. I hate that craddy kid. what happend to all the good kid acters??

[Agent DeWhite]

I voted 3 stars. I just couldn't get the Odyssey feel from it. Maybe it was Katrina's voice, which is driving me up the wall. Half the time I'm asking why Eugene is married to such a stranger. But I thought the part where Eugene labels Wooton's origami "Clearly it's Calvin Cool...." (sorry, I don't know how to spell his name) really awesome! It seems like Eugene and Wooton are going to get along real well for being total opposites, and I look forward to more eps with the two of them!
And, mr. mellow, I beg to differ. Grady and Samantha are decent actors for their age. Sure they weren't spectacular or nothing, but they were decent.
Anyway, it was pretty good.

[Rachael Blackgaard]

I liked it. I was surprised by how well Eugene and Wooton got along, but I thought it was great how Eugene's need for something to do tied in with Grady's family desperately need for help. It's not a classic episode, but it has kind of a neo-classic feel-- like it could be the new classics, with new characters but the same warm feel. I hope Eugene and Katrina, Grady's family, the Washingtons, Whit, Connie, and Wooton (to name a few) become our new main characters. Jason, Jack, and Tom just don't seem to fit right now, somehow.

All in all, I'm hopeful for the rest of the season.

[Me]

As previously stated, I give this episode 3 stars. In general, I found it to be a good episode, but there were several issues which detracted from my overall enjoyment of it.

First for the elements that I liked.

The conversation between Whit and Eugene. An excellent scene. The dialogue was classic, and had an excellent point. This is the type of scene that means a lot, and fits in perfectly with who each character is. Whit in his typical advice giving role. Eugene feeling that all his intelligence is no longer of any use. A truly classic scene.

Wooton. Once again, he comes through brilliantly. A character that initially was not one of my favorites is steadily gaining on me. He is becoming a very solid character.

The kitchen appliances. Classic Eugene. I loved it. The way it created conflict with Katrina was also excellent. The door is ajar..... Similar to this, the final scene I found to be a perfect conclusion to the episode. Eugene and Katrina in a verbal sparring match is always fun.

Eugene and Wooton. The first scene with them together, and it far surpassed what I expected. It looks as if an interesting relationship will develop. Both in a friendly way, but it also seems to leave some room for adversity, as Eugene will eventually have to deal with the sillier side of Wooton.

Now for the problems...

The biggest obstacle to my enjoyment of the episode was some of the dialogue written for Eugene. He said things that were uncharacteristic. Just because he is married and now realizes that he doesn't have to impress people with his intelligence doesn't mean that he stops talking like a geek. One particular example that caught my attention was the usage of the word "thanks." This is not a word that sounds right coming from Eugene. He would at the very least, say "thank you," if not something like "I am extremely grateful for your blah, blah, blah...." if you know what I mean. There are several other instances of this dialogue as well. That said, he also had many lines of dialogue that were perfectly in character, but there were a number of lines that didn't sound right.

There was one more thing that caught me off guard about Eugene. This isn't a big issue, and has nothing to do with the episode really, but for some reason I noticed it. While in Grady's apartment, he is faced with the choice of juice or milk. He chose milk. I must say that I was expecting him to go for juice. Simply basing this, of course, on his request for juice in another episode (The Battle, perhaps?). Not a big issue, just something that I noticed.

Katrina: Ok, so I'm just beating a dead horse now, but beat it I must. Certainly, the new actor is improving in her role as Katrina. However, there were several scenes that didn't come off too well.

General observations:

The whole Philanthropic corporation thing. Definitely not a direction I ever expected things to go. I'm not sure I like it, but hey, change can help you change, and that can be a good thing.

The Imagination Station. Although it has had the capacity to do what it currently does for several years, something just occurredt to me. Without the need to work on programs, debug them, test them out, etc, the Imagination Station is ceasing to feel like the Imagination Station. It's getting further and further outside of the realm of plausibility. Now I'm just rambling, but I think it would be interesting, in the future, to have an episode in which the automatic adventure compiler begins to introduce errors. The programs have bugs, children begin to have bad experiences. Eventually it is decided to go back to coding the adventures by hand, as it is safer for the kids and everyone involved. I personally would like to see this because as things currently stand, the IS is losing it's quality as almost being a character in the series.

Anyway, I found the episode to be fairly enjoyable, and I feel that the rest of the season holds great promise.

[shasta]

"Change can make you change -- and that can be a good thing."

I liked this episode a lot.

I hope Eugene and Katrina, Grady's family, the Washingtons, Whit, Connie, and Wooton (to name a few) become our new main characters. Jason, Jack, and Tom just don't seem to fit right now, somehow.

It looks like Grady is becoming a main character, which is great they're developing a central kid.

But "Jack Allen and Jason" don't fit?? I beg to differ! Bring back Jack! We need a whole lot more J&J Antiques episodes... and international intrigue with Jason.

-king shasta

[Broadcast]

My review was given a 2nd read-through and edited for clearity.

Broadcast

[Rachael Blackgaard]

what I meant was, if the entire season is like this, it might be hard to fit them in. On further reflection, however, I think Jason, Jack, and JoAnn might not be too hard to fit in. Still not sure about Tom.

[Bennett]

Still not sure about Tom.

Tom will be in an episode this season where he gets sued and uses Eugene as his lawyer.

EDIT: To answer the question below, just so that not to get off-topic by adding another post, I will quote myself from another topic;

Another thing that is quite interesting is that in "Eugene Returns", which I received today in the mail (btw, enjoy the format), it says a preview of one of the episodes coming up this fall:

This is what is sas about 'the Mystery of the Lost Village"

"It can't be! could Eugene's past be connected toa lost village in Africa? Mystery surrounds Eugene and Katrina as they travel to Zaire. Caught up in a sturgle between two African tribes, the couple must overcome the lies that imprison their new friends. Plus: Tom thinks that all is lost when he gets sued, until he finds the perfect person to be his lawyer...Egene! Catch all the heart-pounding action--not to menton lessons on greed, dealing with change and lots more in Adventures in Odyssey's the Mystery of the Lost Village!"

BC

[Rachael Blackgaard]

Hahaha! You're kidding, right? Eugene as a lawyer? Is it Glossman who sues Tom?

[Taq]

A Jumble of Thoughts

Eugene feels useless: “My irrelevancy!”
-He’s not hired back at Campbell Community College.
-He’s unable to improve the Imagination Station.
-Katrina doesn’t want or need the talking refrigerator.
-The computer club has a new main frame.

Empathy—I felt for him. I identified with Campbell College’s former formal resident genius.

Grady: His mom got a new job. He’s a self-tucker, which Wooton very much respects, and the man of the house. Grady’s eight; how old is his sister Samantha?

Identifying with Eugene did not prevent me from identifying with Grady. I’m in my first college semester; I miss my mom, too.

Now, I will pick on Wooton. What was with that Little Wooton moving story!? I disapprove. I actually thought we were hearing a story from the man’s childhood; sadly, I was wrong. I know it was meant to be funny, but lies are inexcusable. Wooton could have just as easily given a true story from his childhood or comforted Grady in some other way.

A philanthropic organization! The Meltsners have smarts and hearts.

I usually don’t pay much attention to Chris’ wrap-ups, but this one was solid. She gave biblical examples in Abraham, Moses, and the disciples, and, to my delight, ended with practical advice: Face change with prayer, a good attitude, and trust in our sovereign God.

This season premiere also reminded me of the passage about the body of Christ. God created each for his own purpose, so no one is useless. The devil likes to get people to believe they are worthless.

The verdict: 3/5. “Back to Abnormal” was normal; that’s not a bad thing.

[Carrie Ingalls]

I didn't get the Calvin Cooledge thing. Giraffe? Long neck? I'd enjoy it if someone explained that to me.

Speaking strictly from the origami side of things I must say that not all origami models look extremely like what they are. However the detail in origami these days is becoming more and more realistic. But I'm getting of topic...

Some of my favorite lines from this ep:

Clearly it's Calvin Coolidge.

A self tucker! I respect that.

~OrigamiKid

[Ferder]

And, mr. mellow, I beg to differ. Grady and Samantha are decent actors for their age.

Yes, for their age but since Mellow and I are teenagers (as well as most of you guys) we'd rather hear about older kids (12 and up sort of thing)
2 stars.
I actually thought Whit's convo was contrived to show what the AIO writers (and fans, I guess) go through when a character leaves the show (ie: Whit or Eugene).
The storyline with Grady didn't interested much. Eugene's story was just kind of strange and the whole charity thing was too suden and out of the blue.

[Bennett]

And, mr. mellow, I beg to differ. Grady and Samantha are decent actors for their age.

Yes, for their age but since Mellow and I are teenagers (as well as most of you guys) we'd rather hear about older kids (12 and up sort of thing)

Yeah, but this way; start them young--they'll be developped once they're old--and greatly missed once they're gone.

The storyline with Grady didn't interested much. Eugene's story was just kind of strange and the whole charity thing was too suden and out of the blue.

Out of the blue? Perhaps, when you're talking about 1 episode. But their decision came from events actually 'inside' the episode. So, not-so-out-of-the-blue.

[Chandler]

This show is only so-so, imho. I actually liked the storyline with Grady and family so that wasn't a problem for me. Eugene's search for his niche was also good. Even if the humorous scene with "Dean Martin" isn't realistic, it was classic Odyssey humor.
What's bothersome is this....
1) Whit sounded... contrived... I think someone said. Don't stone me but I still miss Hal Smith. I just didn't feel the emotion as he was talking to Eugene about his being hard to replace at first.
2) Katrina sounded like she has some anger issues or something. I know that Eugene's inventions frustrated her but she seemed to get ticked off so easily. It's not like she didn't know who she was marrying.
3) I still hold the hope that Pamela Hayden will return because this new voice continues to make me think it's a different person that Eugene married.
4) A philanthropic organization? I could see it coming, but it's not sitting well with me yet. Oh, I think Christian ministry is great, and we are commanded to help the poor and less fortunate. There is no problem with the scene where Eugene helps Grady's family. This just didn't strike me as a particularly Christian venture...
Charity/ministry coming from the church is always good. Then there are organizations like the Timothy Center and Whit's End which also fill important needs. I probably would rather have seen Eugene and Katrina attach themselves to an existing place like the church, Timothy Center, or Whit's End, with their ideas, instead of staring something new. If they're going to be dedicated to that work, they could have quite an impact on something already existing, especially some place like the Timothy Center which seems to sit around without much use in AIO-land. We also have no idea how they're going to find enough money to live or start this organization. Maybe Whit will forward the money to make it work. Time will only tell, I suppose.

[JesusFreak777]

Now, I will pick on Wooton. What was with that Little Wooton moving story!? I disapprove. I actually thought we were hearing a story from the man’s childhood; sadly, I was wrong. I know it was meant to be funny, but lies are inexcusable. Wooton could have just as easily given a true story from his childhood or comforted Grady in some other way.

(I realize there were several other peopel who posted on this point, but this was closest to the bttom of the page )

When I was listening to this story of Wooton's, I too noticed that he said it didnt happen to him. However, I get the feeling that he really WAS talking about himself. I mean it sort of fits what we already know about him, including the Alaska part. Wooton strikes me as the type of character that would add that on so he doesnt really have to fell rejected. And I'm not sure about his add on at the end there when he says that he just said it was about him because he liked telling stories where he was the main character. But we know from past episodes that is not true at all.

So I guess to sum up my thoughts on the particular section. I really think that the story was, in fact, Wooton talking about his life, but not wanting to reveal it for some reason or anothe, the same reason he never likes to talk about his past in any detail.

Hope that makes sense.

Oh, and I really did enjoy the ep probably 4/5. Awesome job guys and keep up the good work.

[HarlowRoxMySox]

This episode was okay, but for some reason it didn't seem quite up to the Odyssey standard. I don't have a long list of critiques(sp?) or anything, it just didn't seem like an amazingly good episode when I listened to it. It didn't seem stunning in humor like episodes like Do or Diet, nor did it seem deep in suspense like Sounds Like a Mysery. There wasn't a whole lot to grab ones attention. I do think Odyssey needs some good teen talent. But I understand as a season starter it's trying to set things up, and I look forward to more episodes this season.

Eugene as a leader of a charitable organization? It's rich in heart, but it just doesn't hit me as a Eugene thing. But I seem to be the only one who thinks this way. I'll go with it.

[Agent DeWhite]

And, mr. mellow, I beg to differ. Grady and Samantha are decent actors for their age.

Yes, for their age but since Mellow and I are teenagers (as well as most of you guys) we'd rather hear about older kids (12 and up sort of thing)

Yes, but as many have mentioned before, the label on the back of an album does not say 'recommended ages 12 and up' but rather '8-12' Besides, as a teenager myself, does it really bother you to hear a tad about someone who is a couple years younger. It's not like they're sitting there talking about the blankie that they just got. It doesn't make sense to be so dramatically against it.

[Bennett]

And, mr. mellow, I beg to differ. Grady and Samantha are decent actors for their age.

Yes, for their age but since Mellow and I are teenagers (as well as most of you guys) we'd rather hear about older kids (12 and up sort of thing)

Yes, but as many have mentioned before, the label on the back of an album does not say 'recommended ages 12 and up' but rather '8-12' Besides, as a teenager myself, does it really bother you to hear a tad about someone who is a couple years younger. It's not like they're sitting there talking about the blankie that they just got. It doesn't make sense to be so dramatically against it.

Agreed, afterall the point of the series is to appeal to all ages. Heck, we hear from a bunch of old guys every episode, won't hurt for the series to start appealing back down to their lower-age audience.
Sure, I'd like to get a turn, as a late teenager, to hear from more people my age on the series. That's probably why I'm so attached to the Nick Character. But, the magical thing about the series is that every age gets a turn.

I mean, common, Grady is deffinatly no 'Scrub' or 'Danny' (thank-goodness )

BC