The Town of Odyssey

Album 33: Virtual Realities: I know everyone hates this album, and I know there's some good reasons for it, but for some reason I find it curiously engaging. Nevertheless, "The Eternal Birthday" is silly. Bethany's Imaginary Friend has always annoyed me a little bit, and "The YAK Problem" is pretty silly too... on the bright side, "Another Man's Shoes" is a legitimately interesting episode, and "Where There's Smoke" is pretty good too, especially given that it's a split episode. "The Buck Starts Here" is pretty silly, but I still like it for some reason.

Album 34: In Your Wildest Dreams: Sunset Bowlawater is silly. Long Way Home is pretty silly too, but it did have a good concept. "I Slap Floor" was silly, but it was intended to be, and the entire thing is a story from Bernard anyway, so I don't think that's really a bad deal. "No Boundaries" is one of the great episodes from this era, and showcases Alex Jefferson's truly frightening descent into crime. "Mandy's Debut" is very silly, but I still find it interesting, for some reason, and it's a play so it doesn't have to be realistic.

That said, though, whether it's fair or not, these aren't the episodes that most people remember from this album. "The Seven Deadly Dwarves", "Idol Minds", "Lyin' Tale", "Idol Minds", "A Matter of Manners", and "Idol Minds" are all ill-remembered, and I don't think I have to elaborate as to why; if you've heard them you already know the reason.

Album 35: The Big Picture: This album could be said to be the last of the brief "late '90s" period, as several of the child characters (Sarah Prachett, and Nathaniel Graham, for instance) disappear afterwards, and the writing takes on a much more serious tone. "Best Laid Plans" is actually a pretty good episode; "The Big Deal" isn't a bad two-parter, and was a legitimate use of the Imagination Station to tell a Bible story. "Life Trials of the Rich and Famous" and "Missionary: Impossible" are a little silly, but they have a good message and I still find them enjoyable. This album also opens up the Novacom series, which overall notably improved the series' QEP (while simultaneously lowering its ASQ).

Now for the other side of the coin: I like "The Worst Day Ever", but I have to admit that it is pretty silly, and could stand to have been done a bit differently. I actually like "Slumber Party", but it is very silly, and the weaknesses in that episode are readily apparent.

The episode that most people are divided on here is "The Great Wishy Woz"... people seem to either love or hate that episode, with nothing in between. I think the portrayal of the Fisherman is very strong, the episode has a good moral, and the music isn't nearly as irritating as it could've been... that said, though, for various reasons, I understand that there are people who feel the opposite way about it. I'm not going to list this as a bad episode, but if you want to do so, that's fine -- I would like a detailed explanation as to why people seem to hate it so much, though.

Album 36: Danger Signals: Two words: "Snow Day".

Silly, silly, silly, silly, silly. The plot (keep Rodney Rathbone from stealing Grandma's cookies) is silly. The dialogue is silly. It's one of the silliest episodes ever made.

And in my opinion, that isn't a good thing.

"Fifteen Minutes" is silly as well, and could have been handled more realistically... I might have focused on a sports angle (maybe baseball, since that's Odyssey's favorite American sport), and based the story around just one person.

Also, this album introduces Wooton Bassett, which by itself raises the ASQ by about 10 points.

That said, though, there are still good things in this album, "The Triangle" and "Chains" are both very good two-parters, and "Breaking Point" has a good moral too.

Album 37: Countermoves: "Happy Smilers" can be a little annoying, but it has some sting, which puts it a step up above the truly bad episodes. It's been a long time since I heard "Battle at the Kishon", but I suspect it would be better without the O.T. Action News team. Other than these points, I don't think there's really anything that bad here.

On the contrary, this episode has some very strong moments, with "Shining Armor", "Plan B", and "Grand Opening". My favorite moments in the Novacom saga are yet to come, though.

Album 38: Battle Lines: This album doesn't have any bad episodes, and brilliantly wraps up the Novacom saga. Parts I particularly like: "Under the Influence" is very well-written; I also favor "The Black Veil", which gives us insight into how Novacom's machinations are affecting normal people.

Album 39: Friends, Family, and Countrymen: Well... I have to say I don't like this album all that much. "The American Revelation" had some good moments, but Marvin Washington, if I remember right, was kind of annoying there. "Aubrey's Bathrobe" had a good concept, but it had Seth. 'nuff said. "The Popsicle Kid" is silly.

However, I do really like "Relatively Annoying", and although I personally don't like it that much, I've heard it said that "The Pact" was a good two-parter.

Album 40: Out of Control: "All Things to All People" has Seth.

Yeah.

Other than that, this actually is a pretty good album... there's a lot of gratuitous silliness, but there aren't any really awful episodes that stick out to me.

Album 41: In Hot Pursuit: "The Mailman Cometh".

I've already torn into this episode in another post, so I don't need to go into it again... "Do or Diet" is also pretty silly, and Ricky gets on my nerves, although not as much as I suspect he does yours. Finally, I don't really sympathize with Mandy that much in "Teacher's Pest"; Max is just way more charismatic than she is, and obviously is capable of doing good work, so I'm personally not receptive to listening to her complain (like Robyn about Oscar) about how much working with Max will drag down her project. Also, "The Taming of the Two" is really pretty silly.

On the bright side, "Hindsight" is an underrated Room of Consequence adventure with a very good moral. This album also wraps up the Connie-Mitch romance very elegantly. This album is really much better than my long negative appraisal makes it out to be, with all of the Connie-related episodes.

Album 42: No Way Out: "Called On in Class" can be funny, but Trent still kind of annoys me... "Eggshells" is silly, and "Something's Got to Change" wasn't really that enjoyable for me.

That said, though, "The Girl in the Sink" was a good episode, "Living in the Gray" is an underrated two-parter that, while it might not've rubbed everyone the right way, was probably a good idea, and although "Nothing But the Half Truth" is silly, it has a good moral.

I haven't listened to "No Way Out" or "No Way In", so I can't unfortunately comment on how good a two-parter it is.

Album 43: Along for the Ride: I have to say I don't like this album nearly as much... "Sounds Like a Mystery" has some good points, and "A Glass Darkly" has good points.

However, "Potential Possibilities" strikes me as annoying, mostly because of Trent (keep in mind that this may not be a fair evaluation, since it's been forever since I tried to listen to it, and I'm just reading the plot summary). "Stars in Our Eyes" doesn't really seem to have that much of a point, to me... the entire thing seems kind of like a cameo for Davy Holcomb, although the part where Tamika interviews the actress is pretty clever. "A Lamb's Tale" has too many different plot-lines going on, I think; it would have probably been more powerful if they split Nick and Mark Horton's stories into two different episodes (and then cut Grady's unfortunate debut).

The episode that most of you will know, though, is "Fairy Tal-e-vision". I don't remember hearing much of it, but I'm not impressed with what I remember... if it was on the air right now, I don't think I could listen to it all the way through, and that speaks volumes.

Album 44: Eugene Returns!: I think "Two Friends and a Truck", although it has some strong dialogue, is overrated and a pretty silly episode... "For Better or For Worse" is also very silly, and "The Present Long Ago" suffers because it has Trent (to be honest, I'd have rather had Max end up with Mandy; I fall for the "unrequited love" angle, and after all, it's said that opposites attract). "The Power of One", from the little I remember of it, seemed to me to be annoying, just like Fairy Tal-e-vision.

However, I really like "Tuesdays with Wooton" -- it is, in my opinion, probably the best episode that I can think of that Wooton is used in. Also, "The Last "I Do"" is a good and very interesting telling of the Valentine story. "The Invisible Dog" has some important points.

Album 45: Lost and Found: Mostly a pretty strong album... "Odyssey Sings" is silly, but then, I figure it was probably supposed to be. "Prisoners of Fear" is really interesting, and I'm personally pretty fond of "Always", because it gives us such a great update of the Shepard family's relationship (even though Bethany stowing away in the car was just a bit far-fetched).

That said, though, "The Business of Busyness" leaves something to be desired... "Tales of a Small-Town Thug" is a pretty meh episode for me, but that could just be my bias (I've always really liked Rusty Gordon, and having an episode that puts him in such a bad light really irks me). "The Champ of the Camp" isn't a bad episode, but the premise that Connie and Eugene met ages before they really met is one of those "small world" ideas that cheapens the series. "Back to Abnormal" suffers from the de-intellectualizing of Katrina, and "All-Star Witness" isn't written nearly seriously enough to get its point across.

Album 46: A Date with Dad (and Other Calamities): "Switch" is very, very, very silly. "Broken-Armed and Dangerous" is too, and features some extremely annoying characters in Eugene, Edith Sutton, and Dr. Pittske. It's been a long time since I listened to "Bringing Up Dads", but from what I remember I was not impressed.

However, while "A Cheater Cheated" is silly, I still do enjoy it -- "The Impossible" is a very intriguing one-shot, "The Poor Rich Guy" has a great lesson, and this album helps develop Eugene's search for his father.

Album 47: Into the Light: "My Favorite Thing".

I've torn this episode to shreds before, and I would do it again if I didn't think it was gratuitous negativity. This episode speaks for itself, and not like an educated scholar: more like a bratty kid screaming in a restaurant (which, coincidentally, isn't too far removed from what this episode features ).

Okay, that's probably a little too much. Let me finish off this negative point by saying that "Mum's the Word" is silly, and "Blood, Sweat, and Fears", while not a bad episode, does have some silly points.

Other than those few weak points, every episode in this album is good or great -- ""Out of Our Hands" is a great look at the Straussberg family's situation, I think "The Nudge" is a great look at answering God's call, and "Like Father, Like Wooton", "The Family Next Door", and "The Undeniable Truth" are all good episodes too.

Album 48: A Moment of Truth: "Best of Enemies". Connie is so immature in this episode that it just about destroys everything they'd tried to do with her character, and while Lindsey is a nice girl, and I like her, the dumb things she does in this episode are just too outlandish.

Also, "Hear Me, Hear Me" brings both Eugene and Connie back to their early-90s level of maturity -- which is not a good thing. I'm sure "Prequels of Love" is funny for some people, but for me it's just too silly to appreciate.

However, I feel there are still good things in this album. "The Top Floor" is a great three-parter, and my eyes actually got a bit moist during "Run-of-the-Mill Miracle", so I know it did *something* right.

Album 49: The Sky's The Limit: "Buddy Guard" is silly, but still enjoyable. I didn't like "Wooing Wooton" as much either; it just didn't strike me as being very interesting.

However, this episode has, by my count, three good or great stories -- "A New Era", "Life, in the Third Person", and "The Highest Stakes". Also, "Something Significant" is a nice little Imagination Station jaunt.

Album 50: The Best Small Town: I have to confess that I just don't like this album, and I honestly don't understand why so many people seem to think it's the "last great Odyssey album", and hate on #51 and #52 so much in comparison to it. It seems that the ASQ flew up higher than ever in this album... even when the stories are trying to be exciting (Accidental Dilemma), it fails because the villain is just too silly to be intimidating. "Suspicious Finds" stands out to me above all the rest, though, as being a bad episode... it's basically the same as "Best Face Forward", except the dialogue isn't as good, and instead of children doing these silly things, it's adults. "A Capsule Comes to Town" is horribly boring. "The Triangled Web" stands out to me as a bad two-parter also -- Connie hits an all-time low in her "Candid Conversation" with Lawrence Hodges, and the episode, like I've said before, seemed like the writers had decided that Odyssey was just so bad that the only way to drum up listener interest is to bring back every character that ever appeared on the show prior to that point.

Nevertheless, this album still did do some things right: It resolved the "land under Whit's End" problem. "The Imagination Station, Revisited" was a great story also... though I wouldn't buy the album just on its account. "Rights, Wrongs, and Winners" was actually mostly pretty good too.

Album 51: Take it From the Top: At last, we're nearing the end of this series of posts, and we've reached the album that so many of you have bashed, criticized, and generally despised...

You might not like the sound of this, but while I don't think #51 is a great album, it doesn't strike me as being nearly as bad as the one right before it. The ASQ is significantly down, the new characters are mostly well-done, and it strikes me as a positive stroke in Odyssey's history.

That said, though, it still undeniably does have weak points. "The Inspiration Station" is something of a let-down -- although I guess that was inevitable, considering that we'd been looking forward to it for an entire year. "Clutter" is like "Treasures of the Heart", but without as strong a moral. "When You're Right, You're Right" is silly. "Finish What You..." isn't a bad episode, per se, but it isn't as good as "The No Factor" (and that considered, Connie is unusually callous in her treatment of Olivia -- you'd think she would have remembered that she did the exact same thing ten years ago). "Grandma's Visit" is silly, silly, silly.

However, there are some good moments. "Target of the Week" is a pretty good episode... "For the Birds" is silly, but it still has some "aw" moments, like when Camilla stays up late to watch the bird. The characters in "The Jubilee Singers" may be a tad bit too perfect, but I still think it's fair to say that it is a great two-parter.

Album 52: Cause and Effect: "Stage Fright". It has some good points (I like the introduction song), but none of the characters are likable except for Jay, and that isn't the sign of a great episode.

Also, "An Agreeable Nanny", "The Owlnapping", and "Opposite Day" all have some very weak moments... "An Agreeable Nanny" is like Slumber Party revisited, "The Owlnapping" suffers from Obnoxious Pete and about ten minutes of silliness with Ryan running around town obeying Vance's instructions, and "Opposite Day"... well, just one (paraphrased) scene tells you what's wrong with it:

Olivia Parker: ... so I totally like screamed at Amber. Is that bad?
Mr. Whittaker: Well... at least you got your point across?

Also, I didn't like "A Thankstaking Story" that much, and while the album version may be better, "Grandma's Christmas Visit" was a little too chaotic for me.

However, there are good moments too -- although I think "Wooton's Broken Pencil Show" mostly qualifies as a weaker episode, the "Captain Absolutely" segment is actually pretty funny. "The Mystery of the Clock Tower" is a great mystery two-parter. "The Malted Milkball Falcon" has some silly moments, but it's a great mystery and a good character development episode. "Square One" is a good episode too, and finally deals with Emily Jones and her controlling/curious streak.

Is it a great album? Well, no. That said, though, it isn't as bad as it's made out to be.

Album 53: The Green Ring Conspiracy: For my opinion of "The Green Ring Conspiracy", go here. It's positive. No really bad episodes that I can see (yet).

Album 01: The Adventure Begins: I honestly don't think there's really any bad episodes in this one; although "Gifts for Madge and Guy" is silly, and "Whit's Flop" isn't the strongest one either, I don't think they're at the level we're aiming for here.

Alright. I will hand it to you here. Both of these episodes are a bit lame, but, "Whit's flop"... is the first Odyssey episode. Give em a break. "Gifts for Madge and Guy" is silly, yes. But is there anything wrong with that?

Album 02: Stormy Weather: "The Day Independence Came" is a little annoying, but overall this album doesn't have major problems either.

Yes. "The Day Independence Came" is a little lame... but I still like it.

Album 03: Heroes: "A Single Vote" strikes me as a bit annoying... also "Peace on Earth", where everyone but Tom forgets the reason for the season, is a little bit irritating, but I don't think any of these episodes qualify as "stupid". "The Shepherd and the Giant" is probably the worst as far as lost potential; Samuel was probably poorly cast and Connie is just annoying... it's the classic case of an "Imagination Station"-like episode that would have been better if they didn't try to fit the modern characters in, and just told a straight-up, serious Bible story.

Alright.. I may be slightly biased on this one because this is the only album I had growing up...... But, "A Single Vote" is amazing. It's a grandfatherly way of telling a story to a confused teen. "Peace on Earth" caught a glimpse of what practically EVERYONE does at the Christmas season. We rush and bustle around... and often forget the true meaning of Christmas. "The Shepherd and the Giant" Is really good! Samuel... was an old guy. The voice was perfect for that. And seriously... Does everything ALWAYS have to be serious? Kids get enough of that EVERYWHERE else.

Album 04: Puns, Parables, and Perilous Predicaments: I'm sorry, but "The FUN-damentals" is a really obnoxious album title
That said, "By Faith, Noah" is a fairly weak episode, but it doesn't hit the low level we're looking for yet.

I'll agree. But... what does this have to do with Stupid episodes?
And "By Faith, Noah" took a comical, modern day-ish version of Noah. Personally, I thought it was awesome.

Album 05: Daring Deeds, Sinister Schemes: At the time it was made, this was possibly the strongest album in Odyssey history; even though the Odyssey team didn't have the strongest grasp of technology, they still managed to produce a great opening to the Blackgaard saga, and produced the best Imagination Station episode(s) ever in "The Imagination Station". No dumb episodes yet (but don't worry, we'll get there soon).

Agree on this one too...

Album 06: Mission: Accomplished: Not there yet, but I'd like to point out again that I think "Elijah" would have probably been better if it didn't have Jack or Robyn in it.

May I just say... I LOVE this episode. And Jack and Robyn MAKE that episode.

Album 07: On Thin Ice: Now we're getting there! "Front Page News" isn't the worst episode the Odyssey team has ever made, but it has the exclusive honor that it is the first great bad episode... from the very beginning, the point of it seems to be that Curt is evil, and deserves to run track. Even though this is middle school, the Odyssey Owl is already trying to pick up "experienced" or "talented" reporters -- I would like to know where exactly people would develop their writing or journalism skills *before* middle school? Yes, I admit that Curt's motives might not have been the best, but frankly wanting to get out of hard, pointless labor is the cornerstone of human development... and the episode adds insult to injury by having their teacher mock the one part of his (fake) story that was true.

O.o Where did you get that Curt is evil? He's a mischievous middle-schooler.... That's it. Addressing the whole "experienced/talented reporters" bit: I'll agree that hey, they're not gonna be ready for the wall street journal. But, how would you like it if you opened up a Kid's school newspaper, and you saw HORRIBLE grammer/spelling? They wanted someone who actually Knew how to write. And the rest of this quote, I'm not even gonna comment on, because, guess what? I like it!

All the things that show up in later Curt episodes -- the unsupported idea that Curt is the villain, and needs to be punished, the misguided moral stories, and the narrator's "righteous indignation" at his actions (ultimately vindicated when he falls back to earth), were done first here. There are worse Curt and worse Odyssey episodes than this one, but this is where the Odyssey team first began producing bad episodes.

....... Curt... Is messed up because of his alcoholic father. plus... he's just mischievous/wants to get out of school. what's your problem with him anyway?

Album 08: Beyond Expectations: "Curious, Isn't It?" leaves much to be desired... from the fact that both of its main characters (Esther and Ben) are unlikeable, to the way the entire town of Odyssey decides, based on the most circumstantial of evidence, that Whit is getting married, and throws a celebration because of it. Esther was Emily Jones before Emily Jones -- only without any of the redeeming character traits. Also, even though I know everyone thinks it's funny -- myself included -- "Suspicious Minds" is really very silly and could have been implemented much more realistically.

o.o What's unlikeable about Esther and Ben? I mean really?
Once again... what's wrong with Silliness?

Album 09: Just In Time: "Have You No Selpurcs?" is an episode I look forward to, with odd amusement... I like it, even though I know I really shouldn't. The episode is a classic "Curt episode"... where the writers have pretty much decided they have nothing better to do but run his reputation into the ground for 25 minutes. He does outrageously immoral things, with no real consequences; the writers have decided that the last episodes he was in weren't bad enough, so they've made him into a thief as well. In spite of all this, he's the only character in the episode I sympathize with, since Lucy is incredibly obnoxious, serving as the embodiment of the writers and their grudge against Curt Stevens. Also, I'd like to point out that although I think "Not One Of Us" is a good idea, Lucy is unbelievably ignorant in it.

"Selpurcs"... would have to be one of my favorite episodes. I see this episode as a cute, fairly realistic/cutely childish type of episode. This is a show for 8-12 year olds. none of them are gonna be thinking this deeply into the show.

Album 10: Other Times, Other Places:"Waylaid in the Windy City" has some weak spots, and the episode probably isn't as strong as I'd like to think, but this is still overall a decent album.

I concur with this... mostly.

Album 11: Another Fine Day...: "Coming of Age". "Coming of Age". "Coming of Age". "Coming of Age". "Coming of Age".

I thought this episode faced adolescence in a very cute way! I personally LOVE this episode. Plus, what were they supposed to do with Jimmy while his voice changed. I mean really. Come on.

One of the truly great bad Odyssey episodes, all the more notable because it happened when the Odyssey team was otherwise making good stories... the episode for me will be forever infamous by the fact that it was the episode where Jimmy Barclay cried over not being able to play Juliet.

Juliet? Seriously? No healthy red-blooded American male I know would've been caught dead playing a girl's character -- in adolescence or at any other age. If Jimmy was all, "Great, now I finally get to play a male role", it would have otherwise been a good episode, but as it is, that single part of it makes it entirely unbelievable for me.

Umm... He's hitting puberty. His hormones are raging anyway.. plus he gets this disappointment of not being able to play his role he's been playing for years. -.-

Album 12: At Home And Abroad: "Room Mates" is silly. That's all I can say about it... it's one of those cases where you know the episode is unrealistic, but you can't say as much as a single word against it because the dramatic license, and popular opinion, seem to overweigh everything else. That doesn't mean that it isn't a silly episode, though, and a case where the series' realism broke down.

I know I'm gonna wear this out.. but... What. In. The. World. Is wrong with silly?!

Album 13: It All Started When...: "Isaac the Chivalrous". Sir William is portrayed as a blundering idiot, and that characterization makes it very hard, or impossible, for me to enjoy the episode.

Mehh... I kinda have to agree with ya there.

Also, I would like to point out that "It Takes Integrity" is the most blatant, and worst, of all the Curt episodes, from the beginning to the end: The story starts out bashing Curt, and you can just sense the writers' glee. "This is it, this is the episode where we're finally going to get to tear him down." At the end Whit basically blackmails him by using a weak analogy between Lucy's muckraking and Curt's father, but the thing is that what Lucy did actually was her fault, and is relevant to her leadership ability, whereas Curt has no control over what his father is like. Whit exploits what's basically the only really good point in Curt's character (His love and concern for his father and his reputation, shown by Curt's efforts to keep his dad's alcoholism a secret) to tear Curt down.

Umm... What do you have against curt? Or rather.. What do you think the writers have against curt? What? you think that all the Characters need to be goodygoods?
Whit was just trying to help. Ya know.. give him a reality check?

I admit that exposing Lucy's skeleton in the closet wasn't a nice thing to do, but the fact is that it's in a different league from what Whit talked about doing... if they wanted to get back at Curt, they had plenty of material to work from; they could have mentioned that time he tried to steal Lucy's neighbor's newspaper, or the time he illegally snuck into a movie other than the one he paid for, or the time he told Connie to steal a scarf. Instead they chose the one thing that *isn't* his fault to hang him on.

........... no comment. nothing I have to say would be nice to say here.

Album 14: Meanwhile, in Another Part of Town: "Sixties-Something" can be a little silly, but it has a good message, so I don't think it's fair to give it a bad rating. I don't think there's really any bad episodes here -- "Harlow Doyle, Private Eye" is silly, like all episodes with him in it, but it does have a message and does a good enough job of getting it across.

Thank you. FINALLY an episode you give a positive rating.

Album 15: A Place of Wonder: "On Solid Ground", and really just about every OT Action News story, would have been better if they didn't have the OT Action News team in them... I think the story of Sodom and Gomorrah is powerful enough to stand on its own, without all the obnoxious modern commentary.

-sigh- As if picking on Curt wasn't bad enough for you... now you pick on OT action news. I'll admit.. they're DEFINITELY not my favorite episodes.. but they're a cute way of getting the message across.

"Pipe Dreams" is annoying because of how they hate on Charles, from the beginning to the end. Okay, I get that he might not be the brightest bulb in the box, but that's no excuse to bash him the entire way through... pretty much the only people who're consistently nice to him are his mom and his teacher; I guess Officer O'Ryan and Ms. Bavaqua are nice enough too, but his classmates are pretty much openly jeering him, and his nickname, "Chunky", is inherently insulting.

Yeah.. I've never really seen where they bash on Charles in this Episode. I mean, obviously his nickname... but really. Who doesn't have an annoying nickname they'd like to lose? I have a friend whose nickname is Beever. I mean... it's just something people do.

Album 16: Flights of Imagination: "The Living Nativity" is kind of silly, but I've been in a play or two before, and they had their own set of problems, so I guess I can't really complain about that... "Best Intentions" really has no reason to exist. Basically, the plot of the episode is "All of Whit's friends come over to his house and bother him". Yawn.

Catspaw said everything that could be said about this.

Album 17: On Earth as it is in Heaven: I almost hate to criticize this album, because there is a lot to like here -- it even had an episode which used Danny Schmidt pretty well, which is amazing considering how almost everyone hates him.

People hate Danny? :O Since when?

Nevertheless, it isn't perfect. "The Power" in particular is very flawed, for several reasons. Let me try to count the ways:

First, its protagonist is very badly characterized. Isaac is basically an anti-hero... if it wasn't for Sam, and the implication that we should know who the main character is, Isaac would be completely unrecognizable from the guy we've seen in every other episode. He's downright ruthless here, basically messing around with Charles for no good reason, and honestly you can't help but feel by the end of the episode that Isaac really does deserve to get beat up on, whether by Nicholas or somebody else.

Second, Nicholas isn't at all where he should be; this is Nicholas Adamsworth, last seen running from Eugene in the Imagination Station, but he is now inexplicably out of the college program, wasting his time dominating in middle school (which makes no sense, since we know that he already graduated at a younger age, much like Eugene once did).

Way to pick on my second favorite episode. -.- Isaac is an anti hero? Really? That's funny... I thought he was pretty heroic. He tried to stop the bullies... and He ended up getting in trouble so He prayed... and then Everything got fixed. [sarcasm]huh. yep. definitely anti hero [/sarcasm]
Yeah... Nicky... that's a goof. that's all I can say about it. It has to be a goof.

Album 18: A Time of Discovery: "The Case of the Delinquent Disciples" is a good idea that's rendered just a bit creepy by having a middle-aged man investigate... if I was any of those kids' moms, I'd be half-inclined to call the cops.

haha... yeahhh... me too.

"Family Values" is silly. Same deal with "My Fair Bernard". In fact, this album probably has more silly episodes than any album before it -- but if you've had your head under a rock for the past fifteen years or so and think this is the silliest this radio drama could get, that it can't possibly go downhill from here, all I can say is, you ain't seen nothing yet.

(imma say it again) sillyness... Is not bad.

Album 19: Passport to Adventure: "The Bad Hair Day". If you've listened to this episode even once, in your entire life, you know why it's on this list. It's... bad.

-sigh- "Bad Hair Day" is good. It shows why you shouldn't try to solve things by yourself.. and not to judge things but what they appear to be. and forgiveness. soo... remind me again... why is this bad?

"Aloha Oy" is three consecutive silly episodes in a row, which I think has to have set a record for Odyssey at the time. Likewise, "Truth, Trivia, and 'Trina" is a little silly as well -- and so is "Naturally, I Assumed".

-sigh- once again.... no comment.

Album 23: Twists and Turns: A good album with a lot of great ideas, that nevertheless could have been better implemented. "St. Paul" would have been better if it wasn't in the Imagination Station... A Victim of Circumstance is a little silly (but nevertheless a good episode). At the church I frequent, the youth sit either with their parents or in the front, so it strikes me as interesting when we see that the Odyssey church does it differently, in "Preacher's Kid"... and see that it doesn't work very well.

How else are they supposed to tell "St. Paul"? Just a regular story? Yeah. That's definitely gonna keep a kid's attention these days.

Album 29: Signed, Sealed, and Committed: This album is split into two halves -- the last part of Odyssey's golden age, fighting for survival, and the silly, silly late '90s-style episodes. The conflict between these two sets the tone of this album and what is to come.

This has one of my all-time favorite three-parters in "For Whom The Wedding Bells Toll", and has some more good episodes with "The One About Trust" and "The Painting". Nevertheless, "Just Say Yes" is a little silly, "Best Face Forward" is also pretty silly, and "Viva La Difference" is very silly. Don't get me wrong, just because it's silly doesn't necessarily mean it's bad... but just wait and see what's coming up. The quality of episodes (QEP) generally goes down when the average silliness quotient (ASQ) is raised.

They're Mulligan Episodes. What're ya gonna do?

Album 30: Through Thick and Thin: "No Bones About It" is silly. Jephthah's Vow is yet another story that could have been great, if only it wasn't in OT Action News. "Poor Loser" is silly and probably would've been better to focus more on the volleyball angle. In fact, probably the vast majority of these episodes are pretty silly... they aren't necessarily bad yet, but we're getting there.

1. Volleyball... is not my favorite sport. They focused on it almost too much imho...
2. Poor loser. Is just great.

Album 33: Virtual Realities: I know everyone hates this album, and I know there's some good reasons for it, but for some reason I find it curiously engaging. Nevertheless, "The Eternal Birthday" is silly. Bethany's Imaginary Friend has always annoyed me a little bit, and "The YAK Problem" is pretty silly too... on the bright side, "Another Man's Shoes" is a legitimately interesting episode, and "Where There's Smoke" is pretty good too, especially given that it's a split episode. "The Buck Starts Here" is pretty silly, but I still like it for some reason.

I don't hate this album... who hates this album? o.O
Eternal birthday.. yeah. It's silly.
The YAK problem.... it's cute.

Album 35: The Big Picture: Now for the other side of the coin: I like "The Worst Day Ever", but I have to admit that it is pretty silly, and could stand to have been done a bit differently. I actually like "Slumber Party", but it is very silly, and the weaknesses in that episode are readily apparent.

The worst day ever... is annoying. (if you listen to it to much like I have) Other than that, it's pretty cute.
Slumber party....-sigh- is actually how most of my preteen sleepovers were

Album 36: Danger Signals: Two words: "Snow Day".

Silly, silly, silly, silly, silly. The plot (keep Rodney Rathbone from stealing Grandma's cookies) is silly. The dialogue is silly. It's one of the silliest episodes ever made.

And in my opinion, that isn't a good thing.

SERIOUSLY?!
-.-
I love this episode. and once again... what is wrong with silly?

Album 41: In Hot Pursuit: "The Mailman Cometh".

I've already torn into this episode in another post, so I don't need to go into it again... "Do or Diet" is also pretty silly, and Ricky gets on my nerves, although not as much as I suspect he does yours.

-sigh- Obviously... you've never tried to diet. that episode is pretty dang funny if you're dieting.

Album 43: Along for the Ride: "A Lamb's Tale" has too many different plot-lines going on, I think; it would have probably been more powerful if they split Nick and Mark Horton's stories into two different episodes (and then cut Grady's unfortunate debut).

Kids are ADD these days (most... not all) They enjoy Several plotlines. (i know I do)

The episode that most of you will know, though, is "Fairy Tal-e-vision". I don't remember hearing much of it, but I'm not impressed with what I remember... if it was on the air right now, I don't think I could listen to it all the way through, and that speaks volumes.

Am I the only person here that actually likes this episode? O.O

"The Champ of the Camp" isn't a bad episode, but the premise that Connie and Eugene met ages before they really met is one of those "small world" ideas that cheapens the series.

How in the world does this cheapen the series? This is an adorable subplot thingie. And if you try to say this is unrealistic, save it. My parents lived 20 minutes away from each other... and they ended up going to bible school across the country...and meeting there.

Album 46: A Date with Dad (and Other Calamities): "Switch" is very, very, very silly. "Broken-Armed and Dangerous" is too, and features some extremely annoying characters in Eugene, Edith Sutton, and Dr. Pittske. It's been a long time since I listened to "Bringing Up Dads", but from what I remember I was not impressed.

However, while "A Cheater Cheated" is silly, I still do enjoy it -- "The Impossible" is a very intriguing one-shot, "The Poor Rich Guy" has a great lesson, and this album helps develop Eugene's search for his father.

I know I'm repeating myself... but seriously? You keep using "silly". Do you have something wrong with a non-dramatic episode for once?

Album 48: A Moment of Truth: "Best of Enemies". Connie is so immature in this episode that it just about destroys everything they'd tried to do with her character, and while Lindsey is a nice girl, and I like her, the dumb things she does in this episode are just too outlandish.

Umm... this never struck me as a bad episode.

Also, "Hear Me, Hear Me" brings both Eugene and Connie back to their early-90s level of maturity -- which is not a good thing. I'm sure "Prequels of Love" is funny for some people, but for me it's just too silly to appreciate.

This was a good episode that brought them back to a kiddish level. Finally.
And "Prequels of Love" is another one of my favorites. So anything I say to argue is too mean to type out.

Alright. I will hand it to you here. Both of these episodes are a bit lame, but, "Whit's flop"... is the first Odyssey episode. Give em a break.

I did, hence "I don't think they're at the level we're aiming for".

I could have said it was the worst episode ever... that would be much more extreme than what I really said, and ironically, it would much more in line with what some people really think. There are some reviewers that really do trash episodes like Whit's Flop, for no particular reason -- I guess because it isn't funny enough to get a high score on their silly-o-meter, and because it isn't deep enough to be a serious story that "should be reviewed highly" (like, say, "The Time Has Come", or "Karen"), which people know they ought to give props to even if they don't personally like it.

"Gifts for Madge and Guy" is silly, yes. But is there anything wrong with that?

Well, not necessarily, but as I mentioned before, I think a well-done, serious take on something can be more powerful, and in a way more enjoyable than a silly one. That said, a lot of the time, when I say that something is "silly", that's just a statement in itself -- it doesn't mean that it's a bad episode, it just means that it has elements that I think are slightly distasteful, from a serious, quality-driven viewpoint. They're episodes that wouldn't happen in real life.

Yes. "The Day Independence Came" is a little lame... but I still like it.

That's fine... but, I, personally, don't like it as much as others do.

Alright.. I may be slightly biased on this one because this is the only album I had growing up......

I'd like to note that this was also one of the few albums I had when I was a kid, too.

But, "A Single Vote" is amazing. It's a grandfatherly way of telling a story to a confused teen.

Well, I have no issue with the quality of the story-telling. It's clearly the best part of the episode.

Aside from the fact that Horace gets on my nerves (which is a personal opinion, and isn't really a reason to rate the episode down), the thing about this episode is that it's a re-telling of the "one vote" urban legend, which, as Snopes can tell you, just doesn't happen to be true. It strikes me as like an Odyssey version of the columns that ladies like Ann Landers write up on their spaces every time a vaguely patriotic date or event comes around.

"Samuel... was an old guy. The voice was perfect for that."

The problem that I have with its portrayal of Samuel is that, while I don't know if it's necessarily disrespectful, I don't think it takes him as seriously as it should. A proper way to regard one of the OT prophets, I think, is showcased in "Elijah", or "Moses, the Passover". He was one of the greatest leaders the children of Israel had ever had, a universally respected judge in the land. God once told Jeremiah that He would not forgive Judah for their transgressions "even if Moses and Samuel came before Me". That statement implies that Samuel is near par with Moses as a mediator for Israel. We're not talking about just some guy here; this is one of the greatest leaders Israel has ever known. I think it's appropriate to give him that kind of respect. You would presumably be upset if there was an episode that put a pastor in a consistently silly or ridiculous light; I think Samuel should qualify the same way.

I'll agree. But... what does this have to do with Stupid episodes?

If we're reviewing each and every album, one at a time, then obviously it makes sense to criticize aspects of the albums on the whole too while we're at it.

May I just say... I LOVE this episode. And Jack and Robyn MAKE that episode.

I like the episode too, but mostly I like the parts with Elijah, Ahab, et al. in them. I would say that it is actually Parley Baer's very strong performance as Elijah that makes the episode, not anything the modern characters did... with the exception of one scene. The scene with Robyn and Jezebel, where Robyn refuses to bow to the idol, is very memorable, and the one part of the story that really uses the modern characters well.

O.o Where did you get that Curt is evil?

I didn't get the idea that he's evil, I got the idea that the *writers* thought he's evil. There is a very important difference there.

Where did I get that from? Chris's ongoing commentary about Curt at the beginning and end of every episode. She barely has as much as a single positive word to say about him, and that struck me as being the writing staff's perspective on him.

But, how would you like it if you opened up a Kid's school newspaper, and you saw HORRIBLE grammer/spelling?

That's just the point, though -- where are they going to learn how to write, if not in the school newspaper?

Obviously writers at that age are going to have issues. That's the whole point of having something like that to begin with, to give children journalistic experience, to refine their talents and teach them what it takes. If you only pick out the ones who are good to start with, then what you're in effect doing is saying, "We can't be bothered to teach anyone anything; only people like Lucy, who inherited her skill from her journalist father, should be allowed to write". That just doesn't seem right.

....... Curt... Is messed up because of his alcoholic father. plus... he's just mischievous/wants to get out of school. what's your problem with him anyway?

I've already explained this, but I'll do it again just to make sure it's clear.

I don't have a problem with Curt. But the writers seemed to, as they seemed to imply through Chris's dialogue. When Curt did something right (in his mayoral dream sequence, in "Mayor for a Day", where he effectively solved a problem), the follow-up was, paraphrased, "Well, look at him, he learned his lesson, this time. Let's see if that lasts. Heh heh." The focus is always on "teaching him a lesson", as though he's got it coming.

o.o What's unlikeable about Esther and Ben? I mean really?

Esther is everything that people hate about Emily Jones. She's overbearing, and a bit rude.

Ben, on the other hand, is being blatantly portrayed as a slow character, and whenever he speaks, someone usually tries to get him to shut up as quickly as possible.

Once again... what's wrong with Silliness?

Once again, I think it can detract from writing quality, the ability for people to relate to the situations therein, and the power of any particular episode.

"Selpurcs"... would have to be one of my favorite episodes. I see this episode as a cute, fairly realistic/cutely childish type of episode. This is a show for 8-12 year olds. none of them are gonna be thinking this deeply into the show.

That's why I said that I "look forward to it". I enjoy it, but that doesn't mean that it's necessarily a well-written episode, or that it's above and beyond all criticism.

I believe there *are* episodes that are mostly above criticism -- like Clara, Karen, etc. -- but that they are few and far between, and merely being enjoyable alone (like "Suspicious Minds") isn't enough to shield them from review.

Plus, what were they supposed to do with Jimmy while his voice changed. I mean really. Come on

Write an episode that isn't unrealistic?

Don't get me wrong -- as I tried to say the first time around, I think this is actually mostly a decent episode. That said, there are aspects of it that greatly bring it down.

plus he gets this disappointment of not being able to play his role he's been playing for years. -.-

Maybe being a girl, you wouldn't necessarily relate to this, but that isn't normal... in this specific case.

The realistic response to a male being forced to play Juliet is depicted in the episode where it first happens -- where Jimmy is obviously disgusted with the idea (though, somewhat unrealistically, not to the point where he wouldn't do it).

Jimmy playing Juliet would be like having a boy play Mary in a Christmas pageant... and if you don't see anything unusual about that, well, there's nothing more I can do to try to explain this to you. Just trust me on this, 'kay? I'm a male; I understand this aspect of the story.

I know I'm gonna wear this out.. but... What. In. The. World. Is wrong with silly?!

Bob wrote:Once again, I think it can detract from writing quality, the ability for people to relate to the situations therein, and the power of any particular episode.

What do you think the writers have against curt?

I don't know exactly what they seemed to have against him. I'd like to know, though.

Every time an episode called for a "bad" character, they threw Curt in. Need a practical joker? Curt. Want an episode that has a bad kid that believes stealing is okay? Go ahead and use Curt, that's okay.

Sometimes this even happens when he's trying to do the right thing, like in "Mayor for a Day" -- but his effort there just wasn't good enough, and still gets criticized at the end of the episode.

Whit was just trying to help. Ya know.. give him a reality check?

I understand the intent, but the fact is that these two situations aren't directly comparable, when it comes down to real politics.

........... no comment. nothing I have to say would be nice to say here.

I'm not afraid of any negative comments you have to make regarding what I've said. Don't get the impression that I condone what Curt did in the episode; it was clearly wrong. The fact is, though, that I think the writers chose the wrong way to try to get him back for it.

Thank you. FINALLY an episode you give a positive rating.

Well, considering that this is a list of "stupidest episodes", it wouldn't really make sense for me to say: "Well, this episode is bad... now let me list off the other eleven in the album that aren't."

As it is, I did eventually end up doing just about that.

-sigh- As if picking on Curt wasn't bad enough for you... now you pick on OT action news.

Is it because these episodes are old, that they're above criticism? I don't get it; when someone rips into every point they can think of to dislike one of the new albums, like #51 or #52, everyone likes it. This just seems kinda inconsistent to me.

I'll admit.. they're DEFINITELY not my favorite episodes.. but they're a cute way of getting the message across.

It so happens that I think it could've been done more effectively if it didn't try to be cute.

Yeah.. I've never really seen where they bash on Charles in this Episode.

Well, for starters, we can start with the class jeering at him every chance they get, and Mrs. Hodges (who, coincidentally, happens to be a special ed teacher) being his only base of support in the school.

And the part where Eugene goes on a tirade. And the writers themselves calling him by the same nickname as his "friends", in Chris's dialogue.

People hate Danny? :O Since when?

I'm sorry, but just about everyone hates Danny... I'm one of the few people who tries to give him a little bit of leeway, in fact. Just do a search on "Danny Schmidt" and you'll see plenty of negative feedback about him.

Way to pick on my second favorite episode. -.-

I didn't just wake up one morning and say, "I think I'm going to go annoy someone I don't know online, 'cuz that sounds like a fun thing to do... lemme see, who should I pick? I know, how about Candy?" I'm not trying to single you out here... if you like it and I don't, that's fine, but I'm trying to explain why I don't like it. It shouldn't be about me vs. you; the post was about criticizing the parts of the episode I think are weak -- in a topic where everyone else is doing the same thing.

Isaac is an anti hero? Really? That's funny... I thought he was pretty heroic. He tried to stop the bullies...

Let's look at the methods he used, though, and the way he acted at the time.

He decided to try to find out what Charles was talking to Nicholas and Rusty about. To do this, instead of reasoning with him all the way, or maybe talking to Charles' mother (since he had good evidence Charles probably cheated on a test), or something, he decided to just catch up to him, outside, and when Charles refused to tell, tortured him (okay, tickling doesn't exactly count as "high torture", but the bad guys did it too). We get the impression that this is supposed to be okay, because the ends justify the means.

Isn't that exactly the sort of attitude that Emily Jones has/had? And didn't the Odyssey team directly condemn that in "Square One"? What makes this different? Just because it's Isaac, who came along earlier in the series, doesn't mean it's okay.

-sigh- "Bad Hair Day" is good. It shows why you shouldn't try to solve things by yourself.. and not to judge things but what they appear to be. and forgiveness. soo... remind me again... why is this bad?

The point isn't the message, the point is how well they implemented it, and I would say "not well". I believe another episode could have done this better... and they *did* carry two of those points off better, with the court episode (where the suspect is found "Not guilty" thanks to Eugene), and with Richard Maxwell and the man who indirectly helped Timothy Riley's death (on the topic of forgiveness).

Besides, neither Rodney nor any of his friends/the people he dragged along get punished for what they did, even though it could qualify as criminal action, especially in today's society. Not only that, but if I remember right, that aspect is never even brought into the equation -- Rodney's gang is regarded as being like a force of nature, who are beyond direct condemnation or opposition. The issue isn't what they did, it's what Henry did (or in this case, didn't do). That seems slightly off.

How else are they supposed to tell "St. Paul"? Just a regular story? Yeah. That's definitely gonna keep a kid's attention these days.

By "these days", you imply something changed at some point.

I don't believe that to be the case. If something held a kid's attention at one point, then, logically, if it's well-done, it should work just as well on children of the future. I believe "The W.E." made this same point -- not all things have to change.

Besides, how did Sam and Rodney add anything to the story? The most I saw they did was tag along and either ask questions or make snarky remarks (in the case of Rodney)...

They're Mulligan Episodes. What're ya gonna do?

Point out that there were things that could have been done better, of course.

1. Volleyball... is not my favorite sport. They focused on it almost too much imho...

Well, volleyball *is* one of my favorite sports, so I have no objection with it.

That said, it might have been more consistent to go with the great tradition of Odyssey and use baseball instead (since that appears in every other Odyssey sports episode)... I would have personally liked a hockey episode myself, but I guess the AIO team is too far down south for that.

2. Poor loser. Is just great.

It's an enjoyable episode, and I like listening to it, but it isn't perfect, and I'm trying to keep that in perspective.

I don't hate this album... who hates this album? o.O

Do a search on "Virtual Realities" or "Album 33", and find out.

Album 36: Danger Signals: Two words: "Snow Day".

SERIOUSLY?!

Seriously.

-sigh- Obviously... you've never tried to diet.

What does my dieting have to do with whether some aspects of the episode are realistic or not? For that matter, what does it being funny have to do with that, or the quality of the episode?

For instance, is the deception Bernard employs in the episode realistic, for a mature Christian of his stature? Of course it isn't. Yet it still shows up there.

Kids are ADD these days (most... not all) They enjoy Several plotlines. (i know I do)

Maybe so, but three is too many -- especially when most of them are pretty weak. Grady's debut is largely pointless fluff... the episode alludes to a lot of deeper themes, like with Mark coming home from the war, with one of his friends dead (a very traumatic, life-changing experience that was barely brushed on here)... Mr. Mulligan not taking a profitable job on Nick's behalf... and with Tamika giving up one of her favorite possessions... but it barely stops to touch on any of them.

All of these could have been great, character-development episodes, even if they did all have about the same theme, but instead they tried to rush through all of them, and it just didn't work for me.

Am I the only person here that actually likes this episode? O.O

Yes.

My parents lived 20 minutes away from each other... and they ended up going to bible school across the country...and meeting there.

The thing is that Bible School is inevitably going to attract a lot of the same sorts of people. I've gone to several state conventions, and I've seen a lot of the same people at each one. I imagine that's going to happen for a lot of highly-regarded institutions or meetings that cater to specific groups like that.

I know I'm repeating myself... but seriously? You keep using "silly". Do you have something wrong with a non-dramatic episode for once?

Bob wrote:Once again, I think it can detract from writing quality, the ability for people to relate to the situations therein, and the power of any particular episode.

Not all the episodes I like are "dramatic". You don't hear me talking about, say, "Back to School", which also happens to include a lot of (what some people would say is silly) material thrown in.

The difference is that that isn't the whole episode, and furthermore, no plot points hinge on Crazy Eddie's driving; it's just a natural elaboration of Leslie's character, and it doesn't interfere with any of the things the episode tries to tell us in the end.

Umm... this never struck me as a bad episode.

It strikes me as having problems in a lot of ways.

If my opinion isn't good enough in itself, though, do a search and you'll see that other people have some of the same complaints.

This was a good episode that brought them back to a kiddish level. Finally.

This line is what makes me think we're on two completely different pages, and may never see eye to eye on this.

I'm looking at these episodes from the angle of character development. "Bringing them *back*" to something, obviously, undoes all of that, and basically says, "All those episodes where Connie and Eugene were mature? Forget 'em. We're going back to the late '80s/early '90s."

Furthermore, it portrays that immature way as something that, at the least, should be expected of mature adults, when I don't think that is at all how it should be -- or is.

And "Prequels of Love" is another one of my favorites. So anything I say to argue is too mean to type out.

One more time, I didn't pick it as a bad episode specifically to spite you -- I said what I said because I believe it to be true of that episode, at least using the criteria that I'm using.