569: "The Invisible Dog"

[dancer02248]

i also liked the episode
one part i thought was corny was when they started signing B-I-N-G-O
other than that it was great

[Trent DeWhite]

Whitsend.org has posted an interview with actor Jeff Doucette.

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Jeff Doucette plays Lester in "The Invisible Dog" and "No Way In/No Way Out." Jeff has been doing voice work for cartoons and commercials for over 25 years, appearing in over 200 TV shows and 35 films. Jeff had a special connection. Here's what he said about the role:

“I experienced great joy and satisfaction playing Lester. I feel a special connection to who he is and how he thinks. I get the connection from having been raised with my dear Aunt Susie. Susie had Downs Syndrome. She was only about five years older than me so we more or less grew up together. There were eight of us kids in the family and Susie made nine. Susie died a few years back, but she has been the inspiration for a number of characters I’ve played over the years.

"My daughter has a form of autism, and I am reminded daily to keep things simple. I refer to my daughter and to my Aunt Susie as angels because they bring out the best in me. Their very presence and approach to life is one of pure Love and Innocence. We could all learn a great deal about life and compassion from these angels.”

[Catspaw]

That's so cool! Thanks for posting that, Trent!

[popcornqu33n]

WEll i thpught it was a well written Adrentures In Odyssey Lester, for some reason frightens, me he is, not to be man or any thing, a little wierd. I think of him as a homeless mental man with many oddities. I No Way In, No Way out eppisodes (i think) was a sweet story but a little startiling!!! but one thum up

[EugeneFan]

I'm sorry it's so late, but my review of "The Invisible Dog" can now be found at Eugene Forever.

[Omega]

3 stars.
Why can't they get rid of Lester forever? Why do we need two Wootons? Why didn't we hear about this invisible dog in the show where the Washingtons bought the house?
Why in the world was Eugene teaching a 7th grade class the Pythagoream's theorem in 7th grade? Is Trent really that smart?
Do we really need fire hydrant humor?

[Me]

I knew the theorem before seventh grade (if I remember correctly). Not really an issue there. It's a pretty simple concept.

[Chandler]

I knew the theorem by grade 7 as well but I know other kids who simply aren't that advanced by then. They usually catch up later.
Being taught in a normal class doesn't seem possible because the class should have a range of abilities.

[Trent DeWhite]

I can't remember exactly when I first learned the Pythagorean theorem, but it certainly was quite a while ago.

Is Trent really that smart?

Of course he is.

[Frodo]

I can't remember exactly when I first learned the Pythagorean theorem, but it certainly was quite a while ago.

Is Trent really that smart?

Of course he is.

yah yah.

[Thursday Next]

Eugene as a substitute teacher...great idea.

[J-man]

I knew the theorem by grade 7 as well but I know other kids who simply aren't that advanced by then. They usually catch up later.
Being taught in a normal class doesn't seem possible because the class should have a range of abilities.

I think that's when I learned it. I don't know if I understood it or not though.

[Sonuna]

I was learning some trig by around grade 3... um... >_>

The actor interview is neat! I suppose it's best to just act from what you know, and if you have a specific person in mind when you do so it makes it that much easier. It's probably best to talk to a wide variety of people if you plan on acting.

That's my random comment for the day...

[Chandler]

I was learning some trig by around grade 3... um... >_>

Were you class with Eugene?

[Alleycat]

My brother walked out at the Trent/Lester scene. You see, we just put my dog down last Friday. but the episode was a good one, and I loved Eugene as the substitute teacher. 4/5 stars!

hey, a little late, but I'm so sorry for you! My hamster died two days ago, I know how you feel, although you don't get such a bonding between hamsters and people as dogs and people.

[Nate Jones]

This was the best one I've heard in a while. It really touched me personaly, something Odyssey has only done once or twice. I can simathize with Trent, I also watched my puppy get hit by a car and was helpless. I can hear the car screeching and the dull thud as she was hit, much like Trent did. I think that was awsome they had those background noises in, it made it come alive. The music was great, very moving.

I type this with tears in my eyes, thank you Odyssey for such a great ep.
5/5

Sorry to hear that you witnessed your puppy being hit by a car.
But I am glad that you could relate to the story. Doing sound design for that scene was very emotional because of the music and sound f/x used to create that feeling of reflection of Trent relating his story to Lester.
I wanted even people who had not experienced that to understand the
sense of loss and memory of such a thing. Thanks for posting.
Best
Nate

[zuzus_petals]

I realy did not like that one at all.

[TigerintheShadows]

I liked this episode. I almost cried during the scene in which Trent and Lester talk about the death of Trent's puppy.

Re: Geometry being advanced for seventh grade--the simpler concepts of geometry, such as basic trig functions, surface area and volume, et cetera, are not that difficult for a seventh grader. Seventh grade advanced math classes learn the same sort of thing they did in this episode; the Pythagorean theorem is one of the first things we learned. I do find it inconsistent that one season before this one, Trent—whether he was good at it or not—despised math, considering it useless. It's something of an inconsistency in his character.

Edit: On the other hand, it may not be so much of an inconsistency as it is a difference in environment—I don't think he hated math so much as he hated Dr. Hawthorne's bullying.

What I do like is the development of the idea of compassion. It's so easy to think that we know what's best for someone, as Trent thought he did for Lester—we think we know how best to deal with a certain situation. Because I don't think that Trent meant any malice toward Lester; he just didn't really understand where Lester was coming from. I liked his character development by the end, and that a child character was able to communicate to an adult character the mistake that they had made—especially since it says a lot about Trent that he was the only person in the class who knew what he was doing and he still made an effort to help the rest of the class learn the material from someone whom he knew could teach it.