Applesauce wrote:Hmm...interesting topic. There are some good points being made on both sides of the argument. And while we could go back and forth on the differences between the (G)olden Days of AIO vs. the recent shows, we probably wouldn't get anywhere because that argument has been made numerous times before and it still resurfaces. Really, though,
my main issue with the most recent episodes comes when I compare this season's shows with, well, themselves.
I, for one, think that the quality of AIO has been on the decline ever since the Novacom saga ended. There were
only a few episodes between 2003 and 2005 that I really enjoyed listening to more than a couple times. And that's without comparing them to past shows. Then, over the last couple years I've noticed a glimmer of change. AIO still had it's occasional bad episode, but overall, I finally felt that Odyssey was beginning it's rise to its former glory. I especially felt this way last fall. Sure, there were a few weaker episodes, but
"Cover of Darkness",
"Out of Our Hands",
"Blood, Sweat, and Fears",
"The Nudge",
"Mum's the Word",
"The Family Next Door", and
"The Chosen One" I & II were all great. I wouldn't consider them classics just yet, but they were good. But now the spring season has arrived, and my opinion of this season has taken a 180 degree turn.
"Run-of-the-Mill Miracle" was the only episode that has really stood out to me so far this year. I enjoyed
"Prequels of Love" the first time through, but it felt rather stale after a second listen.
"Hear Me, Hear Me" I had a
lot of problems with.
"The Top Floor" was okay (though kind of dumbed down compared to past mystery episodes), but it really was only the third part that I enjoyed. All three parts as a whole, however, felt rather weak. And as I stated earlier in this thread, though
"Best of Enemies" wasn't necessarily bad, it felt rather bland and uninteresting.
So without all the "old vs. new" arguments, I think just arguing "fall vs. spring" is enough to show that the last batch of episodes have been far poorer than they should be. And unless the final four episodes of the season are
amazing, I am seriously considering not buying the new album when it comes out (and so far I own them all).
Trent DeWhite wrote:I love how Candy Loveperson interrupts our discussion... and gives the episode a 5-star rating.
I totally agree there.
I agree with most of what u said. (minus some of ur episode choices)..lol
Its not a matter of the same old New episodes vs. classics. Not at all. I've said time and time again I want progression in the series. Theres no use them trying to go back to doing shows similar to the old ones. We don't want them. We want quality. We want realistic. We want orginiality. The show appealed to "all-ages". Even the pre-Novacom ones (not counting the half-shows--theres no forgiving many of those), was part of a not-so-strong part of the series, but still had many good episodes that stood out.
Not to mention, this "dumbing down" must be losing Odyssey much business. I know they matured the show since the very biginning. The first 10 albums were terribly childlike. But the change was best of the show. They got so much more business.
That's not even the point. If its just a "kids show" (and I liked the description of Saturday Morning Cartoons), then you think families still listen together? Nope. Mine don't anymore. Its gotten too young. I can only listen to the ones during the Jason/Jack era. There you have change in the show that surpassed the original. Another family I know used to listen to them as a family...during the Novacom era...now all there kids don't want to anymore.
I went to a Christian camp for kids for the past three summers. They always thought the young ones were stupid. They'd much rather listen to ones that they knew older people could enjoy too--that would make them feel smart.
And sure I think its important to have that balance of kids shows and older shows. That's how they've always done it, and that's what I expect them to be doing. Its the Odyssey-formula.
Now, I've owned every single album of Odyssey my whole life. I stopped collecting last season. I mean, I'll probably someday buy them. But I really hope the show shapens up...or at least some producer tell us what on earth they have planned for the show.
I appreciated the Connie/Lindsay storyline in this last episode, because I've been that person wondering, "Am I really the only one who doesn't like this person?" and if that's the case, like Connie, you have to realize that it's the possible that you yourself are the problem. 
Because I could relate to Connie's problem, I liked the episode more than some of the other people in my age bracket. 
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