When did AIO's 'Golden Age' end?

[AIO Psyche]

For me, it was after Novacom ended. However, IMO, AIO was at it best during the 90s, when Whit was gone. Having Jason and Jack was amazing.......Even after Whit came back, the show was great. But the recent years of AIO havent felt the same. The quality isn't there anymore. Especially the latest seasons.

What do you guys think?

[The Top Crusader]

Novacom was fine but I don't even include that in "the golden age"... I don't feel like looking up specific albums or episodes, but I basically agree that it was at its best with Jason and Jack... which is sad because Whit is my favorite character... but the dynamic of the two of them was just awesome. I would probably say the golden age lasted up until an album or so into Whit's return from the Middle East.

Unless you count Whit leaving to begin with as the end of the Golden Age and the subsequent two or three years as like a Silver Age before the Dark Ages set in or something.

[Lee]

hmmm... i'd have to say like the first 20 albums.

[Mark Prescott]

I think that it ended like, right before Hidden Treasures

[Bennett]

Novacom was fine but I don't even include that in "the golden age"... I don't feel like looking up specific albums or episodes, but I basically agree that it was at its best with Jason and Jack... which is sad because Whit is my favorite character... but the dynamic of the two of them was just awesome. I would probably say the golden age lasted up until an album or so into Whit's return from the Middle East.

Unless you count Whit leaving to begin with as the end of the Golden Age and the subsequent two or three years as like a Silver Age before the Dark Ages set in or something.

I'd agree with everything you said. Hal Smith made the show great, but Jason and Jack brought it to new heights with their interesting relationship. I actually kinda wish Paul Herlinger took a year or two more before joining the show.

I think,the album "Signed Sealed and Commited" seemed a little too different for most folks. I think a lot of fans experienced then what we experience with "Take it from the Top"--that it was too different, and so a lot of fans abandoned the show around that time. But, today, I think I've come to appreciate the show up to "Hidden Treasures" just for different reasons. Albums "Virtual Realities" and "In your wildest Dreams" will always be considered trash for me--Odyssey's lowest period ever. While albums 35-38, the novacom Saga, was a return to good episodes. And now, Post-Novacom is the show's weaker period, but definitely not the weakest. I may change my mind in ten years though.

[Musical Shutterbug]

For me, it ended as soon as album 51 came out.

[LizzieG]

I would say it ended with album 28. Album 29 was like album 51 on a smaller scale (the kids were replaced, but all the adults stuck around). There were a lot of good episodes between albums 29 and Novacom, but 29 was a new beginning of sorts. As far as when the "golden era" started, that's a tricker question, sometimes I want to say album 21 or 22; at other times, 19 or even 16 seems more accurate, since it was around then that we started getting longer-running story arcs (George becoming a pastor; Eugene and Katrina; Eugene's faith journey really kicking into high gear with "The Mortal Coil"). A lot of really classic stand-the-test-of-time episodes fall in this fuzzy-edged "Golden Age." The Jack-and-Jason era, though, really is the heart of this "age."

[Lee]

actually, I agree with ID4J except for me... it ended with album 49... since I really didnt like 50 at all... too different.

[Taps]

I like the new albums myself they are all good exept for the split episodes. I would have to say the real gold era hasn't come yet.

[TigerintheShadows]

All of you are wrong!

The real Golden Age started with Album 33 and ended with Album 34.

Actually, I think the drop period that may or may not (your mileage may vary) have occurred post-Novacom climbed steadily back up with Albums 49 and 50. For example, I only saw positive reviews for such episodes as Something Significant and Life, in the Third Person, Parts 1 and 2, and I think there was maybe like, what, one episode in Album 50 that generated mixed feelings? The episodes leading up to said albums might not all have been up to standard, but I think most people will agree that Albums 49 and 50 played a part in bringing the show back to its old quality

Then Album 51 premiered and the show was ruined FOREVER.

[ric]

I can't really talk, 'cause I haven't even heard all of the episodes. But personally, I think AIO has always been great and always will be, as long as they keep doing what they've been doing for 20 years.

[AIO Psyche]

as long as they keep doing what they've been doing for 50 years.

AIO has been around for 50 years?? Naaaaaaw.........

[Boswell]

I would say it ended with album 28. Album 29 was like album 51 on a smaller scale (the kids were replaced, but all the adults stuck around). There were a lot of good episodes between albums 29 and Novacom, but 29 was a new beginning of sorts. As far as when the "golden era" started, that's a tricker question, sometimes I want to say album 21 or 22; at other times, 19 or even 16 seems more accurate, since it was around then that we started getting longer-running story arcs (George becoming a pastor; Eugene and Katrina; Eugene's faith journey really kicking into high gear with "The Mortal Coil"). A lot of really classic stand-the-test-of-time episodes fall in this fuzzy-edged "Golden Age." The Jack-and-Jason era, though, really is the heart of this "age."

Gah! You beat me to it! You just iterated everything I was thinking before entering the topic, down to pegging the Age as spanning Volumes 16-28. Your comparison of Vol. 29 to Vol. 51 left me with a bit of hope for the future: if they could have awful seasons like 29 and 33-34, but progress to the Novacom saga, perhaps we'll see an upswing in the quality of new episodes in a few years. Hopefully we don't get stuck in an "Aver Age" again, like Volumes 43-50.

All of you are wrong!

The real Golden Age started with Album 33 and ended with Album 34.

You, also, beat me to it.

[Leonard Meltsner]

I've loved all of Odyssey, with the exception of a few episodes here and there, but then came Album 51. Enough said. I would like to say that I really liked albums 44-49 a lot, especially The Top Floor. That, The Mortal Coil, and Best Intentions are my favorite episodes!

[TigerintheShadows]

All of you are wrong!

The real Golden Age started with Album 33 and ended with Album 34.

You, also, beat me to it.

WIN.

[shadowdog]

Stopped @ Album 26....Started again @ Album 35....Sopped at 51.....Started 52????? Just maybe!

So the not-so-odyssey albums = 26-34 and 51

IMhO

[AIO Psyche]

I have very high hopes for this new 'saga'. IMO, it's LONG overdue.

[shadowdog]

I have high hopes too,
although the cover sketch looks like there's a ferris wheel in the background. I hope it's not to childish.....BIG hope

[Taps]

where did you see the cover scetch??

[American Eagle]

where did you see the cover scetch??

This is all we have now (it may or may not be of The Green Ring Conspiracy):



And expanded version from Campbell County Connection:


With Katrina and probably Jason returning, I sincerly hope The Green Ring Conspiracy is as good as Darkness Before Dawn or Novacom.