618: The Other Side of the Glass Part III

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Archived reviews of Adventures in Odyssey episodes!
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How do you rate it?

5 stars - As awesome as Bernard!
10
26%
4 stars - As funny as Wooten
19
50%
3 stars - As interesting as Joseph
6
16%
2 stars - As sad as Freddy C
3
8%
1 star - As disappointing as Wainright's Plastics.
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 38

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Conniepaw
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618: The Other Side of the Glass Part III

Post by Conniepaw »

I didnt see any one else post this so I am going to

It's time to review the season Finale!
(And yes I know the stars make no sense..i have no imagination :anxious: )

\:D/
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Danadelfos
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Post by Danadelfos »

It's Friday, I thought we were supposed to put it up Saturday, :p well it's Saturday in Japan. :D
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darcie
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Post by darcie »

They usually go up early and get locked until Saturday. Soo...

*locked until Saturday*
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Nasri
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Post by Nasri »

It was cool wotoon got realse because well just because.
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Oba-rai
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Post by Oba-rai »

"WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THAT?!"
"IT'S A GIANT BUSH!"

... <_<.

"Turn on the windshield wipers!"
"Hey, hey.. you don't have to do that, guys. That tickles!"
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Bennett
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Post by Bennett »

It was funny, but not what I expected.
Last edited by Bennett on Wed Mar 06, 2013 12:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Arla
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Post by Arla »

It was pretty good. I was hoping that Wooten would have to be rescued by Bernard and Whit, but that's okay. I found strangly funny the pickle conversation and the continuois reference to Benard's green eyes.
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Post by Agentpaw »

I gave this episode 5/5 stars because:

I really enjoyed it, there was lots of action, humor ;), and it was very interesting! \:D/

I would go into a long review, but I'm tired. :(
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Angel Bob
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Post by Angel Bob »

I sent ShadowPaw my review for the entirety of this episode for posting on The Soda Fountain. Starting next season, you can read all of my reviews for new episodes on there!

Here is the portion of the review discussing Part 3:

Finally, we reach the finale. Part 3 can essentially be divided into four parts: the story from the bad guy, the decision from the good guys, the climax/resolution, and the post-resolution scenes. It seemed a bit short, and it wasn’t perfect, but it worked well, and the character development was at its peak during the climax of the episode.

When I first tuned in to hear Part 3, the cheerful music played at the beginning during the scenes of the previous episodes was done away with, and more serious music was used instead. Bravo on that choice! This part of the episode lasts a bit longer than usual, as there has been so much information revealed and events that transpired in Part 2. Finally, we go directly to Wooton’s “detainment.” Maybe it’s just me, but the whole thing ended up being somewhat of an anticlimax – instead of being threatened by Mr. Corelli and company, we only hear a conversation between Corelli and Wooton, in which we discover that there’s no “Freddy C.” What a disappointment; no excitement there. I suppose excitement wasn’t necessary, but that scene was a bit of a letdown after all the buildup from the previous week’s cliffhanger. It’s some great information, and I suppose it’s the only way the situation would have been handled within the realm of reason, but it just didn’t seem to fit.

By the time the beginning is finished, the episode quickly moves on, and we are taken to a “decision” scene with Whit, Bernard, and Wooton. (This entire time, I couldn’t help but think of “Do or Diet,” especially when they ate donuts in Part 2.) I didn’t quite understand Bernard’s distaste for nostril hair in this section, but oh well. Not too long after that, we are taken to the climax, an extremely fun scene with some excellent dialogue between Bernard, Wooton, Whit, and even Agent Hayworth – probably some of the best dialogue in the entire three-parter. I wondered if Paul McCusker was thinking about “The Final Conflict” when he wrote that scene – the two have many similarities (good guys attempting to get the bad guys out of a building, a hero rushing in to stop the villain(s), more good guys watching the action from a car, etc.). It’s almost as if this served as a subtle parody of that entire scene, but maybe I’m just over-observing everything. Whatever was intended, it played out extremely well for the most part. :)

I say “the most part” because the scene had one minor problem: the action. One of the marks of a quality audio drama is its ability to stimulate the listener’s imagination, which is one of the things AIO sets out to do. But there are some instances where there is so much excitement going on that the writers end up using a character to explain everything that’s happening. In the factory scene, we hear Wooton giving a blow-by-blow description of everything going on. At moments, there were no other characters talking for a little while. But it was handled pretty well, contained some fun lines, and wasn’t quite as groan-inducing as the “explanation scene” with Maude in “A Most Surprising Answer.”

Then, after some conversations between the bad guys, we get to that crazy scene where Wooton attempts to foil Mr. Henderson and Mr. Corelli in the van. Yes, it’s extremely silly, but somehow it fits in an episode like this – yet another example of Mr. McCusker’s knack for merging a serious situation with some humorous elements. I was somewhat disappointed, though, to find that once again, the villains simply get caught by the police in their car. It happened in “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow” and “The Top Floor,” and now it’s happened yet again. Maybe there’s something going on with all the suspenseful three-parters lately. But honestly, I didn’t really care all that much because the scene had enough Wooton uniqueness to make it stand out above those others. :)

At the very end, Wooton visits Joseph. I loved this scene. For some reason, I was half-expecting Wooton to reveal to Joseph that he draws Power Boy, but thankfully he didn’t. We get an explanation about the real Freddy C. and how Joseph chose to stand up for his principles. It’s a simple moral, but it’s expressed in a fun way and manages to be different from the themes of many of the exciting action or mystery shows on AIO. Then, at the very end, we hear Wooton and Joseph “riding off into the sunset” by doing something fun. Or, rather, clucking off into the sunset. :) Honestly, I couldn’t think of a better ending.

You’re probably getting tired of reading all of this, so I’ll start wrapping it up. ;) I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. Whenever I hear a suspenseful or multi-part show on AIO, normally I leave excited or “in awe” of the listening experience. But this show is different. It didn’t set out to completely blow the listener away. It’s not trying to be something incredibly exciting. It’s simply meant to capture an incident in a small town through the eyes of a humorous character. Its “feel” and atmosphere hit all the right notes. It’s not perfect, but it simply works, and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing it. Like many of Paul’s episodes, it has great replay value, and I’ll gladly listen to it for many more times to come.

So I tip my hat to you, Paul McCusker. Well done on a fantastic, memorable episode.

“The Other Side of the Glass” rating (all three parts):

(4.5 out of 5)
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Post by Bennett »

noname wrote: I was somewhat disappointed, though, to find that once again, the villains simply get caught by the police in their car. It happened in “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow” and “The Top Floor,” and now it’s happened yet again. Maybe there’s something going on with all the suspenseful three-parters lately.
Not to mention, "Sounds like a mystery"
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Post by H Tide »

The third part was a bit of a letdown to Part II. I was definitely expecting Wooton to be “held prisoner,”, so hearing Mr. Carelli calmly talking to Wooton was different. ;) I really enjoyed the rest of the episode, however. Whit, Bernard, and Whit again had some great dialogue while staking out the factory at midnight again. And Wooton’s rescue of Joseph was hilarious, yet fitting and appropriate for the episode. Once I listened to this episode over again, I enjoyed it a lot better. Overall, I’d give this episode four stars out of five.
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Post by Angel Bob »

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Post by Taq »

Joseph going to a foster family continues the recent inclusion of families that aren't all together. I'm just relieved that he's not going to live with the Washingtons or Meltsners! Kelley to the Washingtons was a good move. Though I loved The Top Floor, Everett to Odyssey may be weird.

What did I like? That a weighty issue could be appropriately dealt with through comedy. Not all of the comedy meshed with me, but the mix of humorous and serious scenes was well put together. I particularly enjoyed the beginning scene in which Carelli tries to convince Wooton of Seawright's purported innocence and benevolence. The sinister Carelli succeeded in undermining Wooton's complete confidence in Joseph. Wooton didn't authoritatively choose Joseph over Carelli in the nostril hair scene with Whit and Bernard; he had the Power Boy help symbol make the decision.

Speaking of Joseph Frederick Carelli, I was disappointed that Freddy C. wasn't real. However, Freddy C. not being real did work with the plot. Oh, I liked Joseph. The oppressed youth who was wise beyond his years quite nicely rounded out the character selection. He complemented Wooton well. Wooton gave Joseph the infusion of courage and hope he desperately needed.

Wooton continues to baffle me. He's comedic and childlike. He doesn't seem like the type of fellow who would go around littering. He's supposed to be a good albeit goofy role model, such as he was when he coaxed Grady to tell Max the truth about his father in Like Father, Like Wooton. The expensive hotel with video games comment seemed out of line. It could be construed as childlike, but Joseph had just learned of his future in foster care; the comment didn't feel appropriate.

Parts I and III were average while Part II was above average. The set is solid and a nice change of pace.

Edit: Oh yeah, I ended up giving Parts I, II, and III 3, 4, and 3 stars.
Last edited by Taq on Thu May 31, 2007 8:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Epic »

It was good! I liked it but the ending... I don't know! it was a little weak!
It was still good don't get me wrong!
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Post by Ae_91 »

I really enjoyed all the episodes. I love continued story. Though you have to wait a whole week, but that just adds to the suspense. I thought maybe it would be lame when I read the Part 1 description but after listening to them they really surprised me, and kept my attention. I love episodes with Wooten.
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Post by J-man »

Wooton rocks.

That's all I have to say. :anxious:
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Post by Candy »

Review as I go.

He's Lying!

Again...

OH NO!

wow, Bernard

Camo...

WOW WOOTON!

"they didn't have a plant in my size"

I don't think agent hayworth is nice.

I hope they don't get caught.

And JOSEPH!!!!!

The meeting room...

I hope they don't hurt Joseph

OH NO! THEY HURT HIM!

They're getting away!

YAY! WOOTON!

That tickles! :lolsign:

YAY! They got Caught!

Wow, Agent Hayworth was nice.

"The book, the bookshelf and the wall behind the bookshelf"

Sherlock Holmes Basset

"...got a ticket for littering" LOL!

I Loved the ending.
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LizzieG
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Post by LizzieG »

Well, this has been an interesting three-parter! I haven't rated any of the episodes partly because I wanted to wait until I heard the whole story before I decided anything, and partly because I honestly didn't know what to make of it.

The second episode (with its cliffhanger) was definitely the highlight, and I was expecting some sort of reversal in the finale, but, essentially, the mystery was solved in part two with Joseph's explanation to Wooten of the illegal activities of Seawright. I don't know, it just felt too simple to me. I also found it hard to care about the plights of characters I had only just been introduced to.

While I enjoy Wooten in small doses, the "comedic mystery" angle that these episodes took didn't really work for me. It was hard for me to take the serious stuff seriously, and Wooten's humor - which has never been particularly funny to me - wore thin after awhile.

I need to listen to all three episodes again, though, before I rate them.
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Jonathan
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Post by Jonathan »

So, I decided to wait until the last ep to review, for two reasons. One, I'm not here ;) Two, Shadowpaw once said it was a good idea to just listen to multi-parters and then review them. Third, after my The Top Floor reviews, I think this may be a better idea when it comes to establishing credibility.

So anywho, having listened to all three parts, here are my thoughts (though thanks to my library's 'one hour of internet a day' policy, my refusing to drive [growls at gas prices], and my work schedule, I had to listen to part three a week after part two):

Part one was pretty light. It was amusing, but like others have said, there wasn't much substance. It worked, however, because it did a nice job of setting the stage for part two.

Part two made it worth it too--and this is why I was glad I waited to listen, let alone review. Part one without part two, is, well, a pretty weird half-hour, and one without sense.

Though it was a week ago, so I'm having trouble remembering what I liked. I seem to recall Bernard and Wooton were funny, and Whit (what a trio they make), but I can't remember what I liked.

The only problem with part two was that, like another Odyssey mystery, is that we knew who the bad guy was the moment we heard him.

Part three, there was good and bad. I really liked the action, the scene with Wooton on the car, some of the jokes about the 'bushes', etc.

There were two things I didn't like. The first was the play by play in the first part of the episode. It didn't work, and as a general rule, writers for an Odyssey show need to give us the mental picture without a play by play. That really goes for any radio show.

The second was part of the car scene near the end. Like I said there was lots to like there, but one, cops show up, bad guy gives up. Doesn't happen that way. Seemed anti-climatic, especially after how Dalton was caught. And why wasn't Wooton injured after flying off the car? (though I really liked the "whooo-hooooo!" we hear when he goes flying--that's very Wooton-like).

Lastly, I absolutely loved Chris' closing wrap. She's been getting some good stuff to say from the writers lately.

So, in conclusion, it was good. Not bad, not great, just, good. It isn't in my top-ten, and wasn't the best mystery we've heard, but I must say it was much better then I was originally expecting after reading the description.

That being said, if I absolutely had to rate it right now, I'd say a three for all three parts (though part 2 stands out). Though I probably should listen again before listening, so this is hardly set in stone.

*goes back to biking*
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Post by Ruth »

I liked the plot of this show a lot. I like the mysteries. Wooten's silliness is sometimes annoying though. Am I the only person who doesn't like how silly he is?
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