675: A Thankstaking Story

Review it!

Archived reviews of Adventures in Odyssey episodes!

What is your rating?

5 stars - will be a favorite for years to come
6
17%
4 stars - well done and enjoyable
14
40%
3 stars - average...
6
17%
2 stars - only a few redeeming qualities
7
20%
1 star - I never want to hear this episode again
2
6%
 
Total votes: 35

User avatar
jennifertwt
Catspaw Rocks!
Posts: 790
Joined: April 2008
Location: Stockholm, Sweden

Post by jennifertwt »

OT: I listened to Rescue from Manatugo Point over Veteran's Day in November. The young Whit sounded like André to me. I was glad we had Passages to get used to him, now I don't even think about it.
Jennifer Lundgren
Stockholm, Sweden
User avatar
Leonard Meltsner
I'm memorable
Posts: 1542
Joined: January 2010
Location: Odyssey, of course!! Isn't that implied in the name of the forum?

Post by Leonard Meltsner »

I'm starting to get used to André too, which is good. I truly enjoyed this episode. I did find it a little scrambled and perplexing at times, but I liked all of the different ways that Christmas (and other) references were made, especially to all the old movies, it put me in the christmas spirit, thinking of Elf, The Year Without A Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman, A Christmas Carol, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin, etc, which were all referenced in the episode!
Image
Eugene-"Well, the sequence of events occured with extreme rapidity, but I shall attempt to recall them. I was powering my two-wheeler along this concrete pathway, when your personnage suddenly appeared directly in front of me blocking my course. My reflexes immediately sprang to life in an attempt to navigate an evasive manouveur around you while still maintaining course and speed, but I evidently over-compensated, and my Schwinn careened off the hardened path, taking me with it, and up-ended us both in this shrub, a Rhododendron of the heath family I believe, deducing from the leathery evergreen leaves, as distinguished from the deciduous Azalea, which as we all know is..."
Isaac-"You mean, you crashed into this bush cause I got in your way."
Eugene-"Well, that of course is another way of expressing it." Isaac the Benevolent
User avatar
Bennett
Someone's favorite
Posts: 1637
Joined: April 2005

Post by Bennett »

jennifertwt wrote:The young Whit sounded like André to me.
That's actually very interesting. And when I think about it, kinda true. The young Whit's voice has that up-and-down quality to it that Stojka also has.
User avatar
jennifertwt
Catspaw Rocks!
Posts: 790
Joined: April 2008
Location: Stockholm, Sweden

Post by jennifertwt »

Leonard Meltsner wrote:I'm starting to get used to André too, which is good. I truly enjoyed this episode. I did find it a little scrambled and perplexing at times, but I liked all of the different ways that Christmas (and other) references were made, especially to all the old movies, it put me in the christmas spirit, thinking of Elf, The Year Without A Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman, A Christmas Carol, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin, etc, which were all referenced in the episode!

That might have been the problem. In A Thanksgiving Carol, they focused on the re-telling of ONE Christmas classic, not seeing how many references to others they could throw in. I confess I caught a few of the other references, but was concentrating so hard on trying to follow the main storyline that I missed most of the others. It might have gone better had they only focused on the 'grinch-like' character.
Jennifer Lundgren
Stockholm, Sweden
User avatar
Taps
Set blasters to rapid-fire
Posts: 5043
Joined: June 2010

Post by Taps »

This episode was really good! I really enjoyed the refrences to the christmas carol and the grinch! I liked to see harlow Doyle come back and I really liked seeing Jay in this episode. he is a really funny bully! I am geting used to Andre now and his voice I think he is doing a really good job! it got me in the holiday spirit of christmas and thanksgiving! I think this was a really good episode way better then I thought it was going to be from the preview! I will give this 9 1/2 out of 10 stars!
Image
User avatar
JesusFreak777
Expecting a battle
Posts: 4999
Joined: April 2005
Location: In the arms of my Father

Post by JesusFreak777 »

I lived this episode! I made me feel warm and fuzzy inside by combining Thanksgiving with my favorite Holiday - Christmas! I'm going to go listen to the album version in a few minutes, but the radio one was excellent! I loved all the references to other Christmas movies - and not Christmas movies - that were mentioned earlier by people. I thought the spoof was great, and so was the music and acting. 5/5 for me! This is probably my favorite episode thus far.
A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man would have to seek Him to find her.

JF, JesusFreak777, and JF777 are all copyrighted by this user. Any violators will be fined and prosecuted. Thank you.
User avatar
The Kings Daughter
Sonbeam
Sonbeam
Posts: 7047
Joined: June 2009
Location: In a small town called "Odyssey".
Contact:

Post by The Kings Daughter »

Before you could say "I love black Friday shopping". hehehe ;)

I agree with Shen, it was nice to hear Katrina mentioned again. :yes:
Image

SnC Forever. Miss you still.
User avatar
American Eagle
Chief of Police
Posts: 11977
Joined: September 2008
Gender:

Post by American Eagle »

I enjoyed this episode. I liked Jay and Walle (did anyone notice the Pixar reference? ;)), and they fit in nicely with the whit's end crew. Thank you so much, writers, for not making this another A Christmas Carol-spoof! I am sick of those. The Grinch story isn't used as much, so it worked well. Additionally, Harlow was used correctly.

Image
he/him | attorney | spartan | christian | bleeding heart type

Note: My past posts do not necessarily reflect my values. Many of them were made when I was young and (in retrospect) misguided. If you identify a post that expresses misinformation, prejudice, or anything harmful, please let me know.
User avatar
IamConnie
Gold Member
Posts: 72
Joined: October 2009
Location: Narnia

Post by IamConnie »

I enjoyed it. It was nice to hear a spoof on the Grinch, which isn't done very often anywhere. The situation was funny too. Why is it that people always seem to be trapped at Whit's End during a bad storm? Also, I loved the ending. It was a nice salute to us older Odyssey fans.
They say all roads lead to Rome, and all roads lead through Indiana. But I say that in the world of Odyssey, all roads lead to Novacom.
User avatar
jennifertwt
Catspaw Rocks!
Posts: 790
Joined: April 2008
Location: Stockholm, Sweden

Post by jennifertwt »

IamConnie wrote:I enjoyed it. It was nice to hear a spoof on the Grinch, which isn't done very often anywhere. The situation was funny too. Why is it that people always seem to be trapped at Whit's End during a bad storm? Also, I loved the ending. It was a nice salute to us older Odyssey fans.
My husband, who has only heard a handful of episodes said 'haven't they done that before'?
Jennifer Lundgren
Stockholm, Sweden
User avatar
Joanne
Happy Flower
Happy Flower
Posts: 2208
Joined: March 2010

Post by Joanne »

I thought I would pop in and give my thoughts.

This was a decent episode and I thought the whole story was a lot of fun. The characters were pretty good and I loved the little girl played by Connie. I still however was pretty disappointed by it. Most of the episodes lately seem like the humor is being forced. I also have never been able to get comfortable with the new whit. For some reason he just is not Whit in my mind and will never be. Jay did not sound like himself, but other than that I thought the other actors did well. Over all I gave this 2 stars. It seemed to be below there average quality, but still had some good qualities.
Image
~*~StrongNChrist, November 22, 1991- March, 25th, 2011~*~
User avatar
Parker Family
Smile for the camera
Posts: 1203
Joined: February 2011

Post by Parker Family »

It was just average 3 stars but still pretty good \:D/
I liked how they brought Harlow back to the show! :lol:
Last edited by Parker Family on Mon Mar 21, 2011 12:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Image
User avatar
jennifertwt
Catspaw Rocks!
Posts: 790
Joined: April 2008
Location: Stockholm, Sweden

Post by jennifertwt »

I listened to it again after a couple of weeks and it was not AS irritating, probably becuase I knew what to expect. I will most likely listen to it around Thanksgiving time, but it's not my favorite holiday episode by far. It probably falls between BTV: Thanks and In All Things GiveThanks which isn't even about thanksgiving at all, but Focus seems to play it that week every year.

So, in order of favorites:
1) Stepping Stones-I consider The Truth Chronicles to be cannon
2-3) A Thanksgiving Carol tied with Thanksgiving at Home
4) Thank You, God
5) The Thankstaking Story
6) In All things give thanks
Jennifer Lundgren
Stockholm, Sweden
User avatar
Christian A.
Animatronic
Posts: 1063
Joined: April 2011
Location: Copley, Ohio
Contact:

Post by Christian A. »

Here's my review:

I liked this episode quite a bit, and while it was a little (okay, maybe a lot) corny at times, I believe it did a good job in appealing the usual target audience of 8-12.

The epsiode started out really well. It felt like the old Odyssey just having Connie, Eugene, and Whit at Whit's End. I thought it was funny that Connie had lost something yet again, and then it was even funnier that Eugene turned out to have it! Her ringtone was interesting, and I'm sure we'll hear some negative responses from fans who believe drums and backbeats are associated with devil "rock" music.

And then Jay and his uncle (who just happens to run the junkyard mentioned in Square One) drop in because they got caught in a ditch just outside Whit's End. On a sidenote, am I the only one who thinks it's weird that there's a road in front of Whit's End? If you've ever seen the Odyssey videos, you know that in them, Whit's End is always in the middle of town between other buildings in front of a road. But I thought it was supposed to be in the middle of McAlister Park! The only video that depicts it as I would imagine it should look like is Race to Freedom. That one, however, is what Whit's End looked like as a church in the 1800s, so it may not be as reliable. Am I the only one who doesn't get that? If you can explain, please comment!

Back to Jay and his uncle. I'm glad we get to hear from Jay again, and it was interesting to have his uncle as well. It was funny to hear him say "Rue the day!" at one point in the episode. I think Jay is going to be a good replacement for Rodney as I said before in Stage Fright. Having him and his uncle there almost felt like Bart and Rodney were there. : )

So up to that point I really liked the episode. Then came the singing. And then came Connie singing. Now I know why they didn't have her actually sing her full song in Odyssey Sings! Just kidding. Well, sort of. Eugene's singing sounded as good as ever, and I was pleasantly surprised to hear that Will Ryan wrote all of the songs. But it was weird to bring music back to Odyssey, and it would have seemed quite out of place had it not been in this episode. I guess it was handled pretty well. But I don't think Connie has a very good voice for singing to be honest.

I liked that Whit was the narrator, giving it a Passages feel, while still having the Dr. Seuss elements.

The story was a bit fast-paced and unrealistic and weird, but I guess I can deal with it. There was a very good moral, and I'm glad that it was reinforced by Whit and Chris at the end.

Overall, it was a pretty entertaining episode with a great moral that was just different from the Odyssey that we're used to. It was almost like a mix of Thank You, God and A Thanksgiving Carol, combining a meeting of the main characters with some silly storytelling. Plus, we haven't had a Thanksgiving episode since BTV: Thanks, so it was about time. ; D I liked it a lot, and will give it an 8/10.


Having heard the album version now once or twice. I think I'll up that rating to an 8.5. The songs are all really well done, and it was pretty good for a holiday episode.
User avatar
Leonard Meltsner
I'm memorable
Posts: 1542
Joined: January 2010
Location: Odyssey, of course!! Isn't that implied in the name of the forum?

Post by Leonard Meltsner »

Christian A. wrote:On a sidenote, am I the only one who thinks it's weird that there's a road in front of Whit's End? If you've ever seen the Odyssey videos, you know that in them, Whit's End is always in the middle of town between other buildings in front of a road. But I thought it was supposed to be in the middle of McAlister Park! The only video that depicts it as I would imagine it should look like is Race to Freedom. That one, however, is what Whit's End looked like as a church in the 1800s, so it may not be as reliable. Am I the only one who doesn't get that? If you can explain, please comment!
Whit's End is on the edge of McAlister Park! Not only the videos, but any pictures you can find of Whit's End will show you, and listening to just about any episode, will show you that there's a road in front of Whit's End. It must also be a fairly main road, since the parade passed by it in "The War Hero", and strangers seem to run into it so frequently.
Image
Eugene-"Well, the sequence of events occured with extreme rapidity, but I shall attempt to recall them. I was powering my two-wheeler along this concrete pathway, when your personnage suddenly appeared directly in front of me blocking my course. My reflexes immediately sprang to life in an attempt to navigate an evasive manouveur around you while still maintaining course and speed, but I evidently over-compensated, and my Schwinn careened off the hardened path, taking me with it, and up-ended us both in this shrub, a Rhododendron of the heath family I believe, deducing from the leathery evergreen leaves, as distinguished from the deciduous Azalea, which as we all know is..."
Isaac-"You mean, you crashed into this bush cause I got in your way."
Eugene-"Well, that of course is another way of expressing it." Isaac the Benevolent
User avatar
Christian A.
Animatronic
Posts: 1063
Joined: April 2011
Location: Copley, Ohio
Contact:

Post by Christian A. »

That actually makes a lot of sense. Thank you for explaining that! I'd never thought of it that way before.
User avatar
Leonard Meltsner
I'm memorable
Posts: 1542
Joined: January 2010
Location: Odyssey, of course!! Isn't that implied in the name of the forum?

Post by Leonard Meltsner »

I think the most significant statement of it's location would be in "Mayor for a Day", when the reporters ask Curt where the land he gave to ACME was, and he said "It's right here, at the edge of McAlister Park." And everyone yells "THE EDGE OF MCALISTER PARK?!!?!?!?!?!?!?! :shock: " Then he says "Yes, the edge of McAlister Park. What is this, Mitch Miller?"
Image
Eugene-"Well, the sequence of events occured with extreme rapidity, but I shall attempt to recall them. I was powering my two-wheeler along this concrete pathway, when your personnage suddenly appeared directly in front of me blocking my course. My reflexes immediately sprang to life in an attempt to navigate an evasive manouveur around you while still maintaining course and speed, but I evidently over-compensated, and my Schwinn careened off the hardened path, taking me with it, and up-ended us both in this shrub, a Rhododendron of the heath family I believe, deducing from the leathery evergreen leaves, as distinguished from the deciduous Azalea, which as we all know is..."
Isaac-"You mean, you crashed into this bush cause I got in your way."
Eugene-"Well, that of course is another way of expressing it." Isaac the Benevolent
User avatar
KODY 105
Radio Station
Radio Station
Posts: 13550
Joined: September 2008
Location: In downtown Odyssey

Post by KODY 105 »

This episode was broadcast again on 2021-11-25 Thanksgiving Day.

Alas, I am not entertained by Eugene's style of music. I find it mildly annoying. This is a personal flaw and not one of the story.

I am amused by the long-running joke "Rue the day! RUE THE DAY!" I do like longevity and consistency and continuity. I am also amused by the Christmas story rewritten for Thanksgiving. AIO has a nice little history of doing that.

This Thankstaking story is amusing, and a decent frame story. Probably not the most significant story, but an OK one.

Reading through the discussion from over a decade ago, I see that this episode was one of the earliest ones with the third Whit (Andre Stojke?; AIOwiki is down at the moment). By now, I'm used to it.

2/5
Image
ToO siblings: Donna Blackbeard, Perron, Evil Chick, American Eagle, Stubborn, Shadowfax, and thelordismyshepherd (aka Anna), but StrongNChrist is my twin!
StrongNChrist, deceased 03-25-11, requiescat in pace :mecry: :mecry: :mecry:
Post Reply