931-933: As Buck Would Have It, Parts 1, 2, and 3

[TheDinosaurPlanet]

Buck’s place in Odyssey and with the Meltsners is put to the test through unlikely friends and foes.

Okay, this one was a hard one. Buck just acted irrationally throughout the story, and it wasn't until the end that he came to his senses. Also, everyone in Harlanville is a crook except the reporter it seems. Jules was good, and she actually played a role in it, and they're a couple now it seems. The ending kinda wrapped everything up okay. They had too many plot points and they all had to be wrapped up in relation to Eugene.

Over all, it was okay, 4/5.

[Polehaus53]

Here are some of my thoughts on the three-part album finale.

My thoughts on Part 1:

Well, Eugene and Katrina are finally planning to adopt Buck. Over the years since his return to Odyssey, many fans have speculated this possibility, and it is now becoming a reality! The part with the upgraded car was funny. It’s been a while since we’ve seen the inventive side of Eugene, so I’m glad we got that again here. I was reminded of “Back to Abnormal”. The scene with Eugene and Katrina at the diner was great. Eugene is not very good when it comes to subtle investigations. We saw this in “The Green Ring Conspiracy”, where Eugene tries to get a spit sample from Buck, and we once again are seeing something like that here.

My thoughts on Part 2:

Large amounts of information being dumped on the listeners here; I had a hard time keeping it all straight. Buck’s father stole a diamond. Sherriff Stone was pretty suspicious, being so cooperative. I like that we learn more about Eugene’s childhood and how he felt living under foster care.

My thoughts on Part 3:

I liked all the action in this episode, with Buck and Jules being chased by Sherriff Stone and the smoke bomb in the gas station. Very exciting stuff and very good sound designed as well, I thought it was excellent. I like how Eugene’s upgraded car came to good use with catching the Candice lady, whom I did not expect to be a villain. That was a very good plot twist which I didn’t see coming. The ending with Buck officially being adopted was good; I’m sure the hundreds of fans who have been predicting Buck’s adoption for years are absolutely thrilled at this moment.

Oh, yeah, and this episode has some great sound design! While listening, I was impressed with the sound design in the scenes with Buck and Jules running away from Sherriff Stone and the scene with them in the garage. Good job to Luke Guenot! The Odyssey crew certainly made the right choice, adding him to the team!

Overall, I thought this was a great conclusion to Album 72: The Long Road Home. And this is Will Ryan’s final episode as Eugene. I am very interested in what the future hold for the Meltsner family.

[Bob]

I thought it was a pretty good series, although it seemed a bit railroaded, more focused on getting the desired results (there's Meltsner/Buck drama, Buck learns about his father, then they make up and things are great, we learn facts about the characters along the way) than the events being realistic or likely. I know there's been 'small world' scenarios before, but this one was really reaching in a few places.

It is curious that every single person who was in or acquainted with Buck's family was/is a criminal. In hindsight, and judging by the results, it seems that Mr. Skint was the best person connected to them that Buck could have been raised by (given that his parents were dead). Although he's no Dalton Kearn, he apparently did the best he could to raise and educate Buck, in his own fashion. These episodes in particular give us no cause to hope or expect that any alternatives would have done better.

[Everett]

This is my first post so bear with me if it's a bit messy.

Buck's rather erratic actions are understandable when you think about what the emotional turmoil he's going through. I'd say it goes as far back as 'Crash Course". I actually have mixed feelings about Eugene/Katrina adopting Buck. on the one hand, if they can't have kids, then it's perfect. However, knowing that Eugene (and presumably Katrina) are only around 27, means that there is still a good chance they could have kids (they could just not be biologically ready yet, and it wasn't said they could NEVER have kids, so I figure it's still an option).

The whole Jules/Buck thing seems to me like it could go either way, which I like, a there is nothing wrong with them just being best friends.
When I heard Candice in part 2 I literally said out loud 'oh come on, she's got to be a bad guy if she sounds that good". the part with Eugene catching her with the car did remind me of the scene from "'Sounds like a mystery"

lastly, I loved the scenes between Eugene and Katrina. you could really see how they fit together. Eugene acts as a rock for Katrina's emotions, while Katrina helps bring Eugene 'down to earth'. the stuff they did in part 3 gives me an idea of how they evaded Andromeda. I did laugh at the way Katrina was explained what she did though. Knowing that this is Will's final episode as Eugene does make the ending somewhat bittersweet, and I'm kind of sad that we'll never hear that kind of interaction between Will and Audrey again.
The last scene was (though predicted) just great. I love that they included sound bites of Whit, Connie, Wooton and Penny, and the way Katrina breaks down just sums everything up. the last line from Eugene was typical, but perfect. he started out happy to spend all his time with a computer, and now he's ended literally embracing his family.

there is more I could say but I'll leave it there.

I do think the ending is perfect for Will's time as Eugene, but I'd not be upset if another actor came in voice Eugene though, just as long as they were a good fit.