The Jack and Jason Years

Thoughts on the period of time between Whits.

Whit's wiping down the counter, Connie's mopping the floor, and the kids are sipping on their milkshakes. If you want to talk about Adventures in Odyssey the radio drama, this is the spot to do just that!
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Dallas R.
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The Jack and Jason Years

Post by Dallas R. »

I'm listening through the entire series chronologically right now, and my next episode is "The Search For Whit". I love Paul as Whit, and I'm excited to have Whit back again, but it seems that every time I get to this point in the series I feel a bit of sadness knowing that the Jack and Jason days of running Whit's End are over. Anyway else feel this way?
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Post by snubs »

I'm the same. I love the character of Jack. I'm not a huge fan of Jason, but Jack, along with Joanne, are great. It was sad when they slowly faded out. =[
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I liked those days they weren't the best but they were a great age.
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Post by Leonard Meltsner »

That's what I classify as "The Golden Era" of Odyssey; albums 16-28. (I classify AIO into 7 eras).
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Post by Samantha14 »

Personally, I loved the Jack/Jason era. Of course, we all know and love Whit. It really wasn't the same without him. However, that's just it. It wasn't the same. It was a completely new experience. Not necessarily to replace Whit, as much as it was to fill in for Whit. Jason was his adventurous side, always inventing and trying something new. Daring to dream the impossible. Whereas Jack was his much wiser, calmer, sensible side. He had great advice and was always there for the kids. (Even if it meant reverse psychology. ;) )

Unlike Whit, who, though I know isn't, seems perfect. That is, in the way that his adventurous and daring, and his calm and reasonable sides just meshed together perfectly. Jack and Jason brought a unique perspective to the show. Neither character was "perfect". They didn't have that "Whit balance". So, when one thought they should be more daring, the other was a bit more cautious. And, of course, vice-versa. We saw multiple angles, and which ways are best. I found that that to be a great way to show how different characters can bring a lot of dimension to a show.

Though I did love Paul as Whit, and I was so happy when Whit came back! I was also sad when that said era was finished, and it's remains left behind to collect dust on the shelf, so to speak. (Though, of course, I know most fans would never dare do such a thing. ;) ) To me, I think they were both fantastic! But in their own ways. One cannot compare to the other. I just wish Jack and Joanne, and Jason, could make more appearances these days...
Leonard Meltsner wrote:That's what I classify as "The Golden Era" of Odyssey; albums 16-28. (I classify AIO into 7 eras).
^^ QFT! \:D/
Last edited by Samantha14 on Sun Apr 07, 2013 4:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Vic »

I adored the Jack and Jason years. Probably my favorite era of Odyssey. <3
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Post by Dallas R. »

For me, there's just something about Jack that I really admire. As much as I like Whit, I feel like if I had the option of knowing one of them, I'd really be intrigued to get to know Jack. He seems so real, and his convictions are very solid. I know Whit has all of this too, but in some ways it's so much true that it makes him just slightly less relatable. I also like Jack's humor toward the kids. And yes, the reverse psychology is great.

He really did a marvelous job filling in for Whit, making it that much harder for both characters to exist around Whit's End at the same time. It was always a fun surprise when Jack filled in in later episodes though. (Fifteen Minutes, Not-So-Trivial-Pursuits, Stubborn Streaks)
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Post by Jonathan »

Leonard Meltsner wrote:That's what I classify as "The Golden Era" of Odyssey; albums 16-28. (I classify AIO into 7 eras).
What are the 7? We had a topic on this a long time ago and I'm curious on what yours are.
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Post by Leonard Meltsner »

Jonathan wrote:
Leonard Meltsner wrote:That's what I classify as "The Golden Era" of Odyssey; albums 16-28. (I classify AIO into 7 eras).
What are the 7? We had a topic on this a long time ago and I'm curious on what yours are.
I remember that thread; I believe it's when I created my list.

Classic Era-Albums 1-15 & The Lost Episodes
Goldren Era-Albums 16-28
Bronze Era-Albums 29-32
Dark Era-Albums 33-34
Silver Era-Albums 35-43
Modern Era-Albums 44-50
New Era-Albums 51+, The Truth Chronicles, & Passages: Darien's Rise
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Eugene-"Well, the sequence of events occured with extreme rapidity, but I shall attempt to recall them. I was powering my two-wheeler along this concrete pathway, when your personnage suddenly appeared directly in front of me blocking my course. My reflexes immediately sprang to life in an attempt to navigate an evasive manouveur around you while still maintaining course and speed, but I evidently over-compensated, and my Schwinn careened off the hardened path, taking me with it, and up-ended us both in this shrub, a Rhododendron of the heath family I believe, deducing from the leathery evergreen leaves, as distinguished from the deciduous Azalea, which as we all know is..."
Isaac-"You mean, you crashed into this bush cause I got in your way."
Eugene-"Well, that of course is another way of expressing it." Isaac the Benevolent
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Post by Christian A. »

Those are some great divisions. They really make sense. (I love the "Dark Era" delineation. xD) My favorites are probably the Golden and the Modern.
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Post by Leonard Meltsner »

Christian A. wrote:Those are some great divisions. They really make sense. (I love the "Dark Era" delineation. xD) My favorites are probably the Golden and the Modern.
Thanks, and those are also my favourites.
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Eugene-"Well, the sequence of events occured with extreme rapidity, but I shall attempt to recall them. I was powering my two-wheeler along this concrete pathway, when your personnage suddenly appeared directly in front of me blocking my course. My reflexes immediately sprang to life in an attempt to navigate an evasive manouveur around you while still maintaining course and speed, but I evidently over-compensated, and my Schwinn careened off the hardened path, taking me with it, and up-ended us both in this shrub, a Rhododendron of the heath family I believe, deducing from the leathery evergreen leaves, as distinguished from the deciduous Azalea, which as we all know is..."
Isaac-"You mean, you crashed into this bush cause I got in your way."
Eugene-"Well, that of course is another way of expressing it." Isaac the Benevolent
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Post by Peachey Keen »

The J(ack) & J(ason) years is my favorite era of Odyssey. Some of the best episodes were made during that time; the DBD saga, Underground Railroad, Hidden in My Heart, etc. Even though it's good to have Whit around, it's even better with Jack. I suppose a small percentage of the magic will be on the show now that Jason is back for good...hopefully. :pray:
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Post by TigerintheShadows »

Leonard Meltsner wrote:
Christian A. wrote:Those are some great divisions. They really make sense. (I love the "Dark Era" delineation. xD) My favorites are probably the Golden and the Modern.
Thanks, and those are also my favourites.
//nodnod

I think both types have their strengths and weaknesses. What I enjoyed about the duality between Jack and Jason was that it revealed a lot about both men as their personalities clashed. Whit's personality rarely contrasted with anyone's on the show (though early Connie episodes and "Real Time" draw out certain traits); Jack and Jason, because their personalities were fleshed out largely to show two sides of Whit, made for excellent characters, rather than simply excellent people, the latter of which tended to be more characteristic of early!Whit. It wasn't the same without Whit, to be sure, and I adored Paul as Whit, but the character development brought out as Jack and Jason bounced off of one another was a very nice flavor to that "Golden Era" of shows--particularly in the Darkness Before Dawn saga.
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Post by Leonard Meltsner »

I just thought about this: Jack and Jason are both distillations of aspects of who Whit is. They're his two halves in a more fleshed-out form. They also conflict quite a bit. That means that through their conflicts, what we're seeing could easily be the same internal conflicts that Whit struggles with.
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Eugene-"Well, the sequence of events occured with extreme rapidity, but I shall attempt to recall them. I was powering my two-wheeler along this concrete pathway, when your personnage suddenly appeared directly in front of me blocking my course. My reflexes immediately sprang to life in an attempt to navigate an evasive manouveur around you while still maintaining course and speed, but I evidently over-compensated, and my Schwinn careened off the hardened path, taking me with it, and up-ended us both in this shrub, a Rhododendron of the heath family I believe, deducing from the leathery evergreen leaves, as distinguished from the deciduous Azalea, which as we all know is..."
Isaac-"You mean, you crashed into this bush cause I got in your way."
Eugene-"Well, that of course is another way of expressing it." Isaac the Benevolent
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Post by TigerintheShadows »

Leonard Meltsner wrote:I just thought about this: Jack and Jason are both distillations of aspects of who Whit is. They're his two halves in a more fleshed-out form. They also conflict quite a bit. That means that through their conflicts, what we're seeing could easily be the same internal conflicts that Whit struggles with.
^This. I was thinking that as I wrote my post. Jack and Jason as representative of the duality of Whit was an excellent way to write those episodes.
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"Death's got an Invisibility Cloak?" "So he can sneak up on people. Sometimes he gets bored of running at them, flapping his arms and shrieking..."
"And now the spinning. Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile."
"It unscrews the other way."
AIO tumblr sideblog
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