Episode Description:
"The cast and crew of B-TV explore what revenge is and why it's wrong through a series of Bible stories, the "What If Zone" and an adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo." -AIO
Episode Review:
B-TV may not be the genre of episodes that fans look forward to the most, but they’re the ones that have consistently amused and consistently entertained. There’s a reason for that. Writers can let loose creatively, and actors can try-out outrageous new voices, all within an easily digestible format: various segments filled with pop-culture references, revised fairy-tales, biblical stories, abridged classical literature, TV infomercials and movie parodies – all divvied up by the harsh sound of television static. Though, with kids now watching TV shows on their computers and tablets, will they still know what that sound means anymore?
Much like “B-TV: To Tell the Truth”, “B-TV: Revenge”, sadly, confirms that B-TV does not totally need Bernard to function. That said, we are nevertheless reminded of his important contribution; while Bernard was not at his most memorable within these sorts of episodes, his Eeyore-esque demeanor often served as a strong counterbalance for the episode’s chaos. His monologues between segments served as a moment to pause, take a breath, as he either recapped or thoughtfully deliberated on previous scenes. Not only was Bernard, the character, a great storyteller, but Dave Madden, the actor, had a wonderful gift of delivery and elocution, and audiences couldn’t help but pay close attention. Although Connie is the logical option to follow-up as the host of B-TV, there’s still that feeling that something’s – someone’s – missing here.
“BTV: Revenge” is separated into three main segments which run throughout the episode. The first, Wombat Man, is the closest we’ll ever see of Batman battling the Riddler on Adventures in Odyssey – in this case, it’s Wombat Man vs. The Puzzler. This story was, in my opinion, the weakest of the bunch. The jokes didn’t quite work for me, and the exact motivations of the Puzzler eluded me (more on this later). It’s the one story that Bernard’s presence would have really elevated, since he certainly would have sounded annoyed by the presence and the nonsensicalness of these two characters, injecting the scene with some much-needed humor.
Next, we have the What-if Zone, a parody of The Twilight Zone. Or was it? It’s strange for Adventures in Odyssey to include yet another Twilight Zone parody after its regular use of The Twilife Zone; then I wondered if it was also somehow a Stranger Things parody when the 80’s synth music appeared. Was the What If Zone supposed to be Odyssey’s take on “The Upside Down” world? Can one segment really parody two television shows at once? Who knows. Though, whatever it was trying to parody, the skit was hilarious. Though this segment may be considered borderline blasphemous for how it adds absurd revisionist endings to biblical stories, all three of these scenes comedically worked for me. In my mind, it ranks alongside the best B-TV skits, such as Ancient World of Sports: Gideon’s Pitch.
Finally, we have the Count of the Monte Cristo, the story which takes up most of the episode’s running time. While I appreciated the fact that it gave Will Ryan and Jess Harnell a chance to play off one another, I wonder if this would have been better suited as a KYDS’ Radio episode akin to “Pilgrim’s Progress, Revisited” or “Pinocchio: The Tale of a Foolish Puppet”, where it could take more time to delve into the meat of the lengthy Alexandre Dumas novel, and where its themes of revenge could be properly explored. As it is, the segment tried and failed to cram in the main points of the The Count of Monte Cristo – even as someone familiar with the story, I found these scenes bloated and difficult to follow. Their comedic additions missed the mark as well; for instance, apart from the purpose of having a cute pun, why was there a need to have both Edmond Dantes employed as a sandwich-maker and have the kingdom be at a sandwich war? And, after finishing the episode, can you even remember how the Monte Cristo sandwich really helped Edmond Dantes get his revenge? I don’t. Overall, I never felt there was much purpose, logic, or humor behind the sandwich-related comedy, here.
What “B-TV: Revenge” ultimately lacked from several of its predecessors was that unexpectedly sobering moment. While B-TVs were first established in “I want my B-TV” as unapologetically silly, its best episodes were the ones that somehow managed to include a strong biblically-tied storyline amidst the cacophony, such as Shoemaker Martin in “BTV: Compassion” or the story of David and Bathsheba in “B-TV: Envy” that strongly illustrated its theme regardless of whatever else was happening. In “B-TV: Revenge”, no such skit exists.
In “B-TV: Revenge”, its theme of revenge is used primarily as a jumping off point – an inspiration for vignettes – but hardly as a proper theme. Think about it. In Wombat Man, it’s difficult to comprehend exactly what the Puzzler’s revenge even is (a math equation?). In The What-if-Zone, biblical stories about forgiveness are given false endings, robbing listeners of any concrete biblical examples of revenge and its consequences. And in The Count of Monte Cristo, only one scene involves Edmond Dantes enacting his rather confusing revenge – every prior scene acts as set-up. Essentially, none of the episode’s main three segments give clear and precise examples of revenge or its consequences.
“B-TV: Revenge” certainly has a few memorable laughs that makes it a welcomed and worthwhile entry in the B-TV series, but its inability to focus on its own titular theme and my own inability to fully connect with hyperactive moments made this episode a little less memorable than it could have been. Overall, past B-TV episodes have explored their themes in much more instructive and economical ways. But – who knows – maybe if they had simply included Corey Burton’s iconic “Did you know?” segment, I might have given this a far more glowing review.
"The cast and crew of B-TV explore what revenge is and why it's wrong through a series of Bible stories, the "What If Zone" and an adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo." -AIO
Episode Review:
B-TV may not be the genre of episodes that fans look forward to the most, but they’re the ones that have consistently amused and consistently entertained. There’s a reason for that. Writers can let loose creatively, and actors can try-out outrageous new voices, all within an easily digestible format: various segments filled with pop-culture references, revised fairy-tales, biblical stories, abridged classical literature, TV infomercials and movie parodies – all divvied up by the harsh sound of television static. Though, with kids now watching TV shows on their computers and tablets, will they still know what that sound means anymore?
Much like “B-TV: To Tell the Truth”, “B-TV: Revenge”, sadly, confirms that B-TV does not totally need Bernard to function. That said, we are nevertheless reminded of his important contribution; while Bernard was not at his most memorable within these sorts of episodes, his Eeyore-esque demeanor often served as a strong counterbalance for the episode’s chaos. His monologues between segments served as a moment to pause, take a breath, as he either recapped or thoughtfully deliberated on previous scenes. Not only was Bernard, the character, a great storyteller, but Dave Madden, the actor, had a wonderful gift of delivery and elocution, and audiences couldn’t help but pay close attention. Although Connie is the logical option to follow-up as the host of B-TV, there’s still that feeling that something’s – someone’s – missing here.
“BTV: Revenge” is separated into three main segments which run throughout the episode. The first, Wombat Man, is the closest we’ll ever see of Batman battling the Riddler on Adventures in Odyssey – in this case, it’s Wombat Man vs. The Puzzler. This story was, in my opinion, the weakest of the bunch. The jokes didn’t quite work for me, and the exact motivations of the Puzzler eluded me (more on this later). It’s the one story that Bernard’s presence would have really elevated, since he certainly would have sounded annoyed by the presence and the nonsensicalness of these two characters, injecting the scene with some much-needed humor.
Next, we have the What-if Zone, a parody of The Twilight Zone. Or was it? It’s strange for Adventures in Odyssey to include yet another Twilight Zone parody after its regular use of The Twilife Zone; then I wondered if it was also somehow a Stranger Things parody when the 80’s synth music appeared. Was the What If Zone supposed to be Odyssey’s take on “The Upside Down” world? Can one segment really parody two television shows at once? Who knows. Though, whatever it was trying to parody, the skit was hilarious. Though this segment may be considered borderline blasphemous for how it adds absurd revisionist endings to biblical stories, all three of these scenes comedically worked for me. In my mind, it ranks alongside the best B-TV skits, such as Ancient World of Sports: Gideon’s Pitch.
Finally, we have the Count of the Monte Cristo, the story which takes up most of the episode’s running time. While I appreciated the fact that it gave Will Ryan and Jess Harnell a chance to play off one another, I wonder if this would have been better suited as a KYDS’ Radio episode akin to “Pilgrim’s Progress, Revisited” or “Pinocchio: The Tale of a Foolish Puppet”, where it could take more time to delve into the meat of the lengthy Alexandre Dumas novel, and where its themes of revenge could be properly explored. As it is, the segment tried and failed to cram in the main points of the The Count of Monte Cristo – even as someone familiar with the story, I found these scenes bloated and difficult to follow. Their comedic additions missed the mark as well; for instance, apart from the purpose of having a cute pun, why was there a need to have both Edmond Dantes employed as a sandwich-maker and have the kingdom be at a sandwich war? And, after finishing the episode, can you even remember how the Monte Cristo sandwich really helped Edmond Dantes get his revenge? I don’t. Overall, I never felt there was much purpose, logic, or humor behind the sandwich-related comedy, here.
What “B-TV: Revenge” ultimately lacked from several of its predecessors was that unexpectedly sobering moment. While B-TVs were first established in “I want my B-TV” as unapologetically silly, its best episodes were the ones that somehow managed to include a strong biblically-tied storyline amidst the cacophony, such as Shoemaker Martin in “BTV: Compassion” or the story of David and Bathsheba in “B-TV: Envy” that strongly illustrated its theme regardless of whatever else was happening. In “B-TV: Revenge”, no such skit exists.
In “B-TV: Revenge”, its theme of revenge is used primarily as a jumping off point – an inspiration for vignettes – but hardly as a proper theme. Think about it. In Wombat Man, it’s difficult to comprehend exactly what the Puzzler’s revenge even is (a math equation?). In The What-if-Zone, biblical stories about forgiveness are given false endings, robbing listeners of any concrete biblical examples of revenge and its consequences. And in The Count of Monte Cristo, only one scene involves Edmond Dantes enacting his rather confusing revenge – every prior scene acts as set-up. Essentially, none of the episode’s main three segments give clear and precise examples of revenge or its consequences.
“B-TV: Revenge” certainly has a few memorable laughs that makes it a welcomed and worthwhile entry in the B-TV series, but its inability to focus on its own titular theme and my own inability to fully connect with hyperactive moments made this episode a little less memorable than it could have been. Overall, past B-TV episodes have explored their themes in much more instructive and economical ways. But – who knows – maybe if they had simply included Corey Burton’s iconic “Did you know?” segment, I might have given this a far more glowing review.
Writer: Sam Suksiri, Erin Chapman
Director: Phil Lollar
Sound Design: Nathan Jones
Music: John Campbell
Theme: Revenge
Scripture: Romans 12:19