And so I have.
I listened very carefully to each episode in album 53, writing down every plot point that occurred in every episode, and, ultimately, came to several conclusions. While I give specific examples in places to support my overall arguments, it isn't my intention to list every single thing (or scene) I liked or disliked. And now, here's the review:
*****
The Green Ring Conspiracy introduced some interesting characters and character relationships that, in themselves, were interesting. Polehaus was one of them, and Monty has great potential (even though he was used more as a surprise plot device than as an actual character). Buck's relationship with Mr. Skint, and his interactions with Katrina near the end of the saga, made for the beginnings of a redemption story that, all things considered, worked pretty well. Dr. Trask's small group and the ideas it pondered also provided some interesting food for thought that I hope get explored further in later episodes. Katrina was used well for the first time in awhile, and Audrey proved that she has acting chops. Even Emily began to grow on me, Matthew sounded more natural, and Jay and Wally Haggler have risen in my esteem.
So much for the positives, which are mostly character-based. Now for the negatives, which are mostly plot-based. The Green Ring Conspiracy lost all its subtlety in the first episode, when Whit and Eugene had a conversation about Connie's art class where they rehashed things their characters obviously already knew solely for the benefit of the audience. Uncle Archie's Carnival was also introduced out of the blue. By the second episode, the audience already knew about the counterfeit money and that Skint and Buck were involved in the local counterfeiting ring and with Uncle Archie's Carnival; that the lost phone belonged to Dirk; and, by its mere mention, that Connie's art class probably had something to do with the whole thing. The first seven or eight episodes revolved around the phone (Buck trying to find it and Matthew trying to figure out to whom it belonged) and the good guys' search for the man who seemed to be tied to everything (Mr. Skint). But the audience already knew that Mr. Skint was deeply involved in the scheme, and to whom the phone belonged.
In between repeated rehashings of the plot for characters not in-the-know, characters began doing things that didn’t make much sense, or at the very least seemed forced in order to stretch this saga to fill an entire album. First, Buck tried to get a job at Whit's End, which caused a lot more trouble for him and Mr. Skint than it was worth. Mr. Skint assumed that the kid who found the phone probably hung out at Whit's End. A fair assumption. But why put Buck in the spotlight -- and at greater risk -- by having him pull out all the stops to get a job there (keep in mind that he had no idea it was in the basement at Whit’s End)? What advantages would that give him in his search for the phone that he couldn't gain simply by hanging out at Whit's End and befriending the local kids? Second, Matthew didn’t tell Emily about the phone. Given that he found the phone (and, thus, it wasn't a Square One project), and that Emily is his fellow sleuth, there's no reason why he would've kept it from her. Third, certain other characters who are close don't share things with each other. The most obvious example is Whit not finding out about the phone -- or about Katrina's interactions with Buck and Mr. Skint -- from Eugene and/or Katrina until much later than he should have.
Therefore, the plot managed to "give away the store" too soon, then filled time by uncovering minor, secondary details, waiting for the main characters to figure out what the audience already knew, and meandering along on a predictable, drawn-out trajectory. This saga certainly didn’t deserve 12 parts. After Monty's appearance, the reveal that Jason was the Stiletto was the only other genuine surprise of the whole saga. Unfortunately, the information Jason brought with him didn't do much to fix the sagging plot. After all, the audience already knew that the conspiracy was connected to a big crime boss; what did it matter if it was the Stilleto (a largely unknown character anyway prior to Jason's appearance), or Mr. Grote ... another unknown? Even Trask's involvement was to be expected. Why in the world would the ill-fitting Connie's-art-class plot have existed otherwise?
While the story behind The Green Ring Conspiracy was great, the plot (how it was told) killed all suspense and didn’t justify a 12-episode story arc.
I could talk about Polehaus’ rather incompetent police force, Wooton’s unnecessary role, and how there was too much telling (as opposed to showing). Instead, I’ll share how I think the story should’ve been plotted:
Imagine if Polehaus (with his Haggler suspicions), Buck (without his connection to Mr. Skint known at this point) and Connie's art class had been introduced prior to the saga. How cool would it have been if the "official" saga episodes had started with Monty (going by a different name) and Dirk in Chicago, and then going to Odyssey to meet with Mr. Skint, and then their tussle on the plane that led to its crash? That could've been the first “official” episode in the saga. Then, in the second episode (which would have some similarities to the actual first episode), we could still be shocked along with Whit to find out that Mr. Alias on the plane was Monty (yeah, die-hard fans would recognize Chad Reisser's voice in the first episode, but that actor has played so many characters in the past that it wouldn't necessarily be a spoiler if the Odyssey team didn't hype up the saga and "returning characters!!!")! Then, in a few more episodes, the conspiracy, with its connections to Buck and Connie's art class, would be unraveled and solved with Polehaus' help. That way, we could still explore the theological issues of Trask’s small group without them seeming so out of place.
Part of the reason “Darkness Before Dawn” was such a masterpiece was because many of the pieces were already there beforehand, but we had no idea they were important/interconnected until “Darkness Before Dawn.” Novacom wasn't quite as subtle in its foreshadowing (since all the related pieces and plot points took place more clearly within the saga, after Novacom's arrival), but because the saga spanned four albums, and because it started small and mysteriously (cameras in Whit's End, AREM, a radio wave study), and because other things were happening at the same time (a new Whit's End, Wooton's introduction, Connie and Mitch), the plot is able to develop naturally and doesn't err in "giving away the store" too early. In both of these sagas, we don't find out what the bad guy(s) is/are after until mid-saga.
Here, we find out right away that it's a counterfeiting ring, taking away a lot of the suspense. And because Uncle Archie's carnival and Connie's art class were mentioned early on, both were obviously connected.
The Green Ring Conspiracy had neither the foreshadowing of the Blackgaard saga, nor the slow, steady build-up of the Novacom saga (though it is slow, all right). Rather, all the episodes with any connection to this new saga were put in one over-hyped album titled “The Green Ring Conspiracy,” with each episode bearing the same name. Can you get any more obvious than that?
In conclusion, The Green Ring Conspiracy didn’t work as a mystery. As a jump-starter of a few interesting (or potentially interesting) characters? Maybe. As an example of good sound design, music and acting? For the most part, yes. But as a story with suspense, a good plot and good pacing? Not at all.
*****
I would like to add that, if the saga was intentionally plotted this way because the writers thought that it would appeal more to the target demographic, I'd be a bit more forgiving toward it. However, I do hope that future sagas are plotted better and with more subtlety. Maybe at some point the weaknesses in the plot won't bother me as much because I'll appreciate the characters more, but, at this point, the plot was paramount to me.
I don't mean to start anew a bunch of arguments about album 53, but I did want to share my thoughts on it.
