576: "Prisoners of Fear III"

[Evil Chick]

It was indeed a pretty good episode! The only thing I did not really like about the entire story was that once again, the writers seem to have the power to raise people from the dead. I don't want to complain or anything, and I really did like the story, but I think it's a little annoying when people who are supposed to be dead are not. Anyway, other than that, very good episodes! I will agree with Me's 4.75 rating.

[STRYPER]

Did Mr. MEltsner specifically request Eugene and Katrina for this project via the mission's board, or were they randomly chosen by the board?

*if* they were chosen specifically by L.m. Then that means a couple of interesting things. 1. He has been folowing Eugene's life closely enough to know that he is a beleiver, AND that he married KAtarina. 2. He is most likely a believer also.

Actually, from what little we know about Leonard, I'm tempted to believe that he's been a Christian the whole time and just never got a chance to share the gospel and influence his son before he died. Some of the things that village people were saying makes me believe that he came as a Christian.

These both raise the question as to *why* L.M. never let Eugene know he was there, but also who DID know and never told him? Unlesss L.M. is a citizen of Odyssey, and then it just get's too weird and my imagination goes into overdrive.

I think we already know that the Meltzners were residents of Odyssey (or at least Cambell County) from Last in a Long Line

[Shadowpaw]

The only thing I did not really like about the entire story was that once again, the writers seem to have the power to raise people from the dead. I don't want to complain or anything, and I really did like the story, but I think it's a little annoying when people who are supposed to be dead are not.

While I do hate that if we are given evidence to make us believe they are dead (like Mitch), Leonard and Thelma Meltsner were always presumed dead because they were lost on an archaeological mission. There is no body buried in Odyssey, just a headstone, and even Ralph Reems was under the assumption Leonard had just walked through the door in "Last in a Long Line". Of all the characters AIO could resurrect (such as Timmy Riley, Dr. Blackgaard, Jenny Whittaker, Karen, etc...) Leonard/Thelma Meltsner are the only two that don't stretch believability, since they were only declared dead as a result of being lost in Africa and not returning.

[STRYPER]

Leonard/Thelma Meltsner are the only two that don't stretch believability, since they were only declared dead as a result of being lost in Africa and not returning.

I wouldn't say the "only two" but remember that Eugene said in Last in a Long Line that:

"I was always told that both my parents were lost in an anthropologic expedition"

So it's he never really said they were dead. The first time I heard it (which was over 12 years ago now) I honestly thought that his parents might still be alive and that they might do a future episode. (come to think of it, I think I may have suggested it to Nathan a few years back )

[Evil Chick]

Well, like I said, I'm not complaining. As you two stated, they were only presumed dead. I just guess the storyline of having some presumed to be dead and then not being dead (or appearing not to be dead), as we've already seen with Mitch and Dr. Blackgaard, is just getting a little old, in my opinion.

[JesusFreak777]

Did Mr. MEltsner specifically request Eugene and Katrina for this project via the mission's board, or were they randomly chosen by the board?

*if* they were chosen specifically by L.m. Then that means a couple of interesting things. 1. He has been folowing Eugene's life closely enough to know that he is a beleiver, AND that he married KAtarina. 2. He is most likely a believer also.

Actually, from what little we know about Leonard, I'm tempted to believe that he's been a Christian the whole time and just never got a chance to share the gospel and influence his son before he died. Some of the things that village people were saying makes me believe that he came as a Christian.

These both raise the question as to *why* L.M. never let Eugene know he was there, but also who DID know and never told him? Unlesss L.M. is a citizen of Odyssey, and then it just get's too weird and my imagination goes into overdrive.

I think we already know that the Meltzners were residents of Odyssey (or at least Cambell County) from Last in a Long Line

I know that we knew they were from Odyssey, but if someone knew they were alive all this time, why didn't they tell Eugene? OH wait...I see what I wrote earlier.. whoops!

What I MEANT there was that he is NOW a citizen there, like in the town at this moment. And that is what would just be plain weird. sorry for the confusion there.

[Shadowpaw]

Oh and for those who don't visit the Soda Fountain too much, I posted my review early this morning.

[Broadcast]

Episode Review: Episode 576: Prisoners of Fear, Part 3
Writer: Marshall Younger (#104)
Sound Designer: Gap Digital
Average ratings/reviews of members: 4.5/5= 90% (Last updated October 22nd, with 20 votes)

Title: Prisoners of Fear, the Overall Review.

Characters:
Eugene (#169)
Katrina (#31)

An episode where I don’t end up regretting too much usually ends up being a fantastic episode. After listening to it, I put down my headphones, stared at my computer screen, sighed, and pondered…which is exactly how an Odyssey episode should make people react.
It was simply a strong episode.

Where the characters first seemed undeveloped and restless during the first two parts, this episode gave each of them a story and, most importantly, a heart. Everyone fit in perfectly into the last half of the show. The story was strong, the acting and accents were believable, and the music was—well—needless to say, amazing.

I could go on for an entire paragraph talking about music. Just like, Waylaid in the Windy City, the Cross of Cortez, and other rare episodes, this one had it’s own theme music throughout the episode. In fact, I was able to hum the tune several days after. It was repetitive and frequently used, but very well done by Jared Depasquale. If you never took time to listen to it, then go back and try to spot that clever, catchy, and dramatic tune. It’s what helped make this episode unique as it was.

The highlight of the episode was, of course, discovering that Leonard Meltsner was alive. I mentioned this previously, but I thought I’d mention it again, that ever since I was young, I always got the impression their was more to Eugene’s parents death then was given out to us. I chuckled as I scanned through Shadowpaw’s review before writing this one that he had gotten the same sortv’e impression as well. That’s why; unlike other ‘Raising of the deaths’, this one was completely (as Shadowpaw put it) plausible. It made sense. It was something that we were practically expecting. It was as if Paul McCausker and Phil Lollar stuck all these clues inside the early episodes about Eugene’s past and childhood, but never got around or forgot about making the episode that we were treated with today.

Many of us were wondering how on earth Marshall Younger would pull off all these stories, because truly, this episode relied heavily on the writer. We were constantly being led through small plots and storylines that we didn’t know how on earth it would fit together. But it worked—it really did.

I’d only change two things. One, I almost felt this couldv’e been a 4-parter. And if it hadn’t appeared on radio, then I would’ve enjoyed having that been done for CD. I still never got too know as much as I felt I had about how the village suffered because of this curse. I mean, I did, but I felt that I couldv’e known them slightly better. Secondly, and I believe it was Jonathan who commented on this, wishing that we could hear from the pilot we heard from at the beginning. As the episode concluded, I thought in my head how nice it would’ve been having a scene with Eugene and Katrina boarding the airplane snickering as the pilot scratched his head in bewilderment. He was a strong enough character for them to have that play out.

The ending action scene was very well done. I enjoyed how Yoseph rescued them and tackled down the father. I love Radio-Action scenes. Also, the scene between father and son at the bridge was an extremely edge-of-the-seat piece of work. So far, it’s one of the best-made scenes of the season.

The biggest “Bravo” that I had for this episode was learning that Leonard Meltsner was alive, but not heard. This is such a big moment, that I thought how nice it would be to savor it for many episodes to come. There would’ve been so many questions to ask, and so many things to talk about with Eugene’s father that including him into this episode would not have had worked. This way, now that the Katrina-Saga is over, Eugene has yet another storyline to continue. The best part of it is that they’re simply taking a storyline that we already have—from “Last of a Long Line”—and continuing it. Also, I’m not expecting this to be solved for many years now. It just gives us something else to wait for—like the chairman—and keep us tuning in for years to come.

If you look at my past reviews, you’ll see pretty much everything I was hoping for came true in a sense. And so, I am left happy. One thing that puzzles me, however, is why for the past 14 or 15 years did I think that Eugene’s parents were to thought to have died from falling off a cliff? Even when people asked me how they died, that’s what I ended up answering knowledgably. Come to think of it, it says nothing about that in ANY past episode. So, why did I think that? I’ll be wondering—and chuckling—about that for years to come.

I don’t see how the season could get any better—but, I sincerely, after listening to this episode, wonder if it could very well be.

Acting: 5/5
Story: 4.5/5
Use of Characters/dialogue: 4/5
Series Relevance: 5/5
Personal Enjoyment/ Entertainment: 5/5

Total: 23.5/25= 94%= SCORE: TERRIFIC-

(Rating Grid:
0%=Poison
0-20%=Complete Failure
20-40%=Very Poor
40-60%=Poor
60-70%=Average
70-80%=Good
80-90%=Very Good
90-100%=Terrific
100%=Perfect)

For Reviews with Similar Opinions and/or agreed by Author of this review, please refer to: Jonathan, Shadowpaw

[Kenric]

I LOVE LOVE LOVED IT!! The music was FANTASTIC! IT made me actually think of Africa. Eugene's entrance in Number 1 was smooth and I got the feel of the whole plot. It was also great that this plot has more suspense added to it, in that it wasn't all settled within these three eps. I liked that their is a glimmer of hope that his dad might "in fact, very well be alive!"

[Chandler]

After my post last week, it's only fair that I duck my head in here now and say that I was very pleased with part 3.

The only issue I have time to post about is the fact that Eugene's dad requested the help in the Ashanti village. Just a few questions... (if this has already been addressed, please forgive me because I didn't have time to read the other posts)

Did Leonard Meltsner know that Eugene and Katrina would be sent to Africa?
Did Leonard track Eugene down in 3 months' time?
Why is Leonard in hiding?
How could Leonard find out about Eugene if he and Katrina were in hiding at the time?
Really, I find it hard to believe that Leonard to accomplish all that in just 3 months after being a captive for 21 years. So many things would've changed by then...


However, I really liked that ending. I think it's perhaps a bit farfetched, but I like it infinitely better than a) Eugene discovering that his dad really was dead and b) that Eugene just happened to stumble accross the same area his dad was in.

[Angel Bob]

This episode is awesome.

nn

[Taq]

I like the fact that Leonard Meltsner's life is left as an uncertainty. I don't think I've ever seen Eugene's emotions fluctuate so much: My father's dead, no, he could be alive! Wait, he died in a cave-in. No, he just made it look like he died! I'm not complaining about the seesawing, mind you, just observing, and opining that the ending uncertainty is a good thing. It leaves a lot of freedom for future episodes.

A satisfying three parter, which I'm rating four stars only because I am hesitant to give out five.

[Thursday Next]

Did Leonard Meltsner know that Eugene and Katrina would be sent to Africa?
Did Leonard track Eugene down in 3 months' time?
Why is Leonard in hiding?
How could Leonard find out about Eugene if he and Katrina were in hiding at the time?
Really, I find it hard to believe that Leonard to accomplish all that in just 3 months after being a captive for 21 years. So many things would've changed by then...

I kind of address the first question in my article called Eugene's Search For Family. I thought it was more approriate then simply reviewing the episode. If you want head over to AIO radio and you can read it there.
_____________________

[Chandler]

Did Leonard Meltsner know that Eugene and Katrina would be sent to Africa?
Did Leonard track Eugene down in 3 months' time?
Why is Leonard in hiding?
How could Leonard find out about Eugene if he and Katrina were in hiding at the time?
Really, I find it hard to believe that Leonard to accomplish all that in just 3 months after being a captive for 21 years. So many things would've changed by then...

I kind of address the first question in my article called Eugene's Search For Family. I thought it was more approriate then simply reviewing the episode. If you want head over to AIO radio and you can read it there.
_____________________

Thanks! I'll do that!

Edit:
Okay, I read it. Good job!


There is one point I want to address quickly...

"That aside I want to address those who pointed out there was no mention of God or them witnessing to the tribe and were rather concerned.  Eugene and Katrina’s mission was to set up the transmitter to bring help to the tribe that was isolated.  In a lot of ways that was witnessing in and of itself.  There was a missionary who came to my church who told us she was in a remote village and her organization set up plumbing and toilets and that opened the way for them to tell the village about God because He cared enough to send people to install toilets.  The selfless/helpful actions of a Christian always make it easier to talk about God then simply talking about God and denying him with their life because that’s what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable, (at the beginning of “What if I stumble” by DC Talk)."

I have to completely agree with what you wrote here. No doubt most, if not all, of the people who raised this point would agree too. The concern, which I believe is probably gone after hearing part 3, was that Eugene and Katrina would do their good deeds without witnessing at all. It has been my belief for some time now that the best way to reach the world for Christ is to serve (not the idea of "hanging out" that I often here espoused) those around us. That is exactly the direction that Eugene and Katrina have taken. However, the good work will be of no benefit if those receiving the blessing don't know that they come in the name of Jesus. There is a lot of charity out there, even by non-believers. We have to explain and show what makes us different. Like charity without strings attached. Or selfless labor that isn't pleasant to do. Again, though, the receiving party needs to know our motivation. What made us do it. Service is what made Christianity spread in the Roman Empire, and I believe we can do the same today.

[MDB17]

i loved that episode the music was good too. but the actig and bibcal parts were the best

[Catspaw]

Shoot, I can't use the time excuse with you.....

Catspaw unlocked the thread early! *attempting to displace blame*

*displaces blame as well* Just for the record, Shadowpaw did it, not me!

I loved this episode! The music was great, and it was a great conclusion to the three-parter. The part I didn't like was what makes it so great - there wasn't a nice, happy, neatly wrapped ending. I was expecting to find out everything, not to be left hanging on something that, until now, I had considered a closed issue. I had never developed any "Eugene's parents are still alive" conspiracy theories, so the idea was new to me. I really look forward to what they'll do with this storyline in the future, because it has so much potential. I did wonder how Eugene's statement that he was going to look for his father fits with his new organization, though. Perhaps he's trying to do some research while he adjusts to life in Odyssey again.

I really want to know if Leonard Meltsner/ the "L.M" initialer is somebody that we've heard from before under a different name, but if Eugene and his dad are supposed to look so much alike, it seems unlikely, since somebody might have noticed. I went to the AIOHQ and looked for people with the initals "L.M." and only found Larry Mellwood, but, if you will recall Connie's words, "Larry Mellwood is a geek!" so the theory still has potential.

Great job, Marshal Younger! I look forward to seeing what he and the rest of the AIO team will do with the exciting storyline!

Dawningoftime, I read your article - thanks for letting us know about it!

[HarlowRoxMySox]

5/5 an exquisite episode

The suspense was great, discovering the truth behind the curse, and the excitement of getting out of the cave, and, everything it was so great! I especially liked the ending, finding out that Leonard is probably actually alive but not hearing from him, was an excellent point by the writer. A great episode.

[Kanimoto]

I loved this ep, but since I missed the first two, I can't say whether or not the ep was a good conclusion. But I do know that I'm enjoying Eugene and Katrina more and more.

4 stars!

[Nathan Hoobler]

Reviews from AIOHQ

Review by Ashley, age 14
Stars: 4
It was really good, I really hope he finds his father

Review by Esther, age 13
Stars: 4
Wow!! This was a great ending to 'Prisoners of Fear'. I can't wait to hear what Eugene does in future episodes! I like the ending with the father
(forgot his name) tells his son (forgot HIS name too!) the truth. Keep up the good work!

Review by SManBeyond, age 19
Stars: 4
Having been highly entertained by the previous two parts of this saga and not knowing where part 3 was going to go, and given that the writer for this episode was the classic Marshall Younger, I had high hopes for part 3.

They were not met.

First, I should mention what worked:

I really enjoyed the kid Kwame in this story. He is insightful, intelligent, and was overall a more fascinating character than even some of the new long term characters (e.g. Wooton).

Also, I now accept the new voice actress for Katrina. I don't know whether the actress has slowly been modifying her character's voice or not, but I never noticed that Katrina was being played by a different voice actress. This was CERTAINLY not due to familiarity.

Likewise, the dialogue in the story was tremendous throughout, and the overall pacing kept it interesting and intriguing to listen to.

Likewise, I was happy that Younger never made Eugene and Katrina go down the blatant evangelizing missionary route. Instead, he made them help the people and instead point them to Christ via subtle messages and by sharing their beliefs.

Now, for why I'm merely giving it two stars instead of four...

While this episode has a lot of things that work, there are too many elements that didn't work and that left a very bad aftertaste in my mouth after the episode...enough of an aftertaste that I wished I had never heard the part or that it had been completely rewritten. This was mostly due to several MAJOR plot holes.

The first one occurred in the story. One scene ends with Eugene and Katrina run away while Gobir is busy fighting Yosef. Gobir has a gun, so this could be potentially lethal. The next scene, Gobir has caught up with Eugene and Katrina at the bridge, while Yosef has somehow gone back to the dam to end the curse...so what happened to them fighting? There is no explanation given. And wouldn't Gobir attempt to kill Yosef if (as he said) he would kill to protect the village from the outside world?

Second, if Leonard is indeed alive, how come no one has ever found him? What is he hiding from? Why does he even need to hide? And why has he never contacted his son before now?

Thirdly, whatever explanation is given about Eugene's parents' faith will create a plot hole:

1) If they were both non-Christians, then how come Eugene doesn't significantly grieve the fact that his mother is dead and in hell? For Younger to have dropped the ball on this was inexcusable, unless...

2) Eugene's parents were Christian. But there is NOTHING is AIO continuity to suggest this, nor is it likely considering that Eugene seems to have no recollection of his parents being Christians (as he never brought it up in the past).

Fourthly, now that Eugene is back in Odyssey, what is he even doing there, and how come he's not (as he implied in this episode) actively searching for his father? And how come he never mentioned this to Whit or his friends when discussing his and Katrina's current life plans in "Back to Abnormal"?

There is one other thing I should note, and that is that this episode explains the curse and how the bridge was booby-trapped. It kind of makes sense to me, but frankly I wish there was more depth and true rationale given to Gobir as well as HOW (logistically) a laser-sensor booby trap to sense movement (apparently) very far downstream as well as how it is maintained and why it never breaks. Did it bother me? Not really, but nor did I find it extremely compelling.

Overall, I enjoyed the first two parts tremendously, but I wish Younger had ended this saga with the assumption that both of Eugene's parents were non-Christian and dead, and then let the story progress. This part had its moments, but at the end of the episode, I found myself disliking it slightly more than liking it. For that reason, I contemplated giving it a mere two and a half stars, but I feel confident in saying that this episode was half the episode each of the previous two parts were.[/b]

[Jonathan]

Reviews from AIOHQ

Review by SManBeyond, age 19
Stars: 4
Having been highly entertained by the previous two parts of this saga and not knowing where part 3 was going to go, and given that the writer for this episode was the classic Marshall Younger, I had high hopes for part 3.

They were not met...

.......(good stuff).......

Now, for why I'm merely giving it two stars instead of four...

While this episode has a lot of things that work, there are too many elements that didn't work and that left a very bad aftertaste in my mouth after the episode...enough of an aftertaste that I wished I had never heard the part or that it had been completely rewritten. This was mostly due to several MAJOR plot holes.

.......(first complaint)........

Second, if Leonard is indeed alive, how come no one has ever found him? What is he hiding from? Why does he even need to hide? And why has he never contacted his son before now?

Thirdly, whatever explanation is given about Eugene's parents' faith will create a plot hole:

1) If they were both non-Christians, then how come Eugene doesn't significantly grieve the fact that his mother is dead and in hell? For Younger to have dropped the ball on this was inexcusable, unless...

2) Eugene's parents were Christian. But there is NOTHING is AIO continuity to suggest this, nor is it likely considering that Eugene seems to have no recollection of his parents being Christians (as he never brought it up in the past).

Fourthly, now that Eugene is back in Odyssey, what is he even doing there, and how come he's not (as he implied in this episode) actively searching for his father? And how come he never mentioned this to Whit or his friends when discussing his and Katrina's current life plans in "Back to Abnormal"?

...........(other complaints)...........

From what I've gathered, this storyline will appear in furture episodes. I expect these questions to be answered in future episodes. Which is why I didn't complain too much here (actually, I didn't at all). The fact that Marshal Younger left 'loose ends' in the story is terrific; it leaves the door open for furture episodes instead of killing the whole story here and now. It'll keep us tuning in. That, and after reading several of your reviews, I think you(Sman) overanalyze these eps. Of course the older crowd is going to find things predictable, or will want all the details. But you need to keep in mind, this is chiefly a kids show (yes I know the show has an appeal to and trys to reach all ages, which is why I added the word chiefly.

-Jonathan