Episode Description:
"When Whit sends Olivia and Matthew on an Imagination Station adventure to Old Testament Days, the pair discovers that their heroes have unpleasant dark sides too." - AIO
Episode Review:
About ten years ago, everyone assumed that Adventures in Odyssey had run out of Bible stories to adapt. Due to some rather mature themes, we had all assumed that there was a selection of stories that they wouldn’t approach – the story of David and Absalom in 2nd Samuel 13-14 being one of them. But apparently, as long the adaptation glosses over a few difficult-to-explain points, no story is off limits for Adventures in Odyssey. Should we really be surprised? After all, this the show same show that featured Yael driving a tent peg through Sisera’s skull and featured the story of Jephthah having his own daughter killed. What’s next? An Imagination Station adventure about Ehud plunging a sword into Moab’s fat belly? That’s probably being written as we speak.
Most Imagination Station episodes begin with some sort of hilarious misunderstanding – 21st century American heroes awkwardly trying to fit into the middle eastern story in the vein of “A Kid in King Arthur’s Court”. In “David and Absalom”, we see Matthew Parker stammering as he tries to understand his role as Joab’s “servant”, while Olivia Parker fawns over Absalom’s good looks like a Justin Timberlake concert go-er. Through humor, the episode does a good job relaying the complex information without allowing listeners’ minds to wander, as can sometimes happen in these swords-and-sandals episodes.
For the rest of the episode, “David and Absalom” relies primarily on creating a strong element of tension/danger to keep listeners involved. Like every good imagination Station adventure, we need to feel – even though we know no harm can possibly come to them – that characters entering the machine are inhabiting a perilous world. And the further we get into this biblical story, the more we hear Matthew and Olivia worry about one another’s safety. It’s a trait of the best Imagination Station episodes; in “Moses: The Passover”, for instance, both Jimmy and George believe that the other one is going to die. Did they just forget that they're still in the Imagination Station? But, time after time, characters are forced into cruel and unusual situations that would, in real-life result in lawsuits –for mental distress, probably – against Whit’s End. But for listeners, the main characters believing that real harm can come to them makes for a better story.
“David and Absalom” doesn’t just offer an engaging story, it is also thematically interesting. The episode doesn’t really editorialize David and Absalom’s respective actions/behavior every step of the way. Was Absalom right in taking the law in his own hands and murdering Amnon? Was David right in banishing him? Was David right in later forgiving him? Was Joab right in disobeying his king’s wishes and having Absalom killed? They have Matthew and Olivia defending/justifying these characters’ actions at various points of the story, but very rarely does the show come out and concretely pronounce these actions as “right” or “wrong”. The episode seems more interested in simply relaying the biblical events. It blankets all these issues under the singular theme of “hero worship”: as if to say, “Look, this story is really confusing, but can’t we all agree that these guys are a total mess?”
But the theme of hero worship is an important one. We should be careful about putting people on pedestals – so, when our heroes eventually do fall (and they will) we won’t be as quick to crucify them. Isn’t it ironic that most of the beloved characters in the Bible are either murderers, thieves, drunkards, adulterers – or all the above? But today’s pastor, or preacher, politician can be discredited and then forgotten by their fans for much less? Since when did a person’s mistake, or series of mistakes, erase all their good words or deeds? If we applied our own modern logic, should we not ban all words written by David or Paul due to their past indiscretions? To be reminded that much of the gospel is spoken by "mis-doers" is a reminder of depth of God’s mercy and grace for everyone. That said, for an episode that heavily criticizes hero-worship, I can’t quite decide if it’s ironic or not that Baltimore Ravens football star, Benjamin Watson, makes a cameo appearance here.
“David and Absalom” is a taught, well-constructed episode with very few weaknesses. Perhaps the only real complaint I can muster about is the fact that Andre Stojka played both Mr. Whittaker and the character of Hushai. Stojka is a terrific actor, but he did not disguise his voice nearly enough to make us forget that he was still just playing Mr. Whittaker. Couldn’t they have cast someone else? Though, in fairness to Andre Stojka, it’s not like every other Mr. Whittaker has been able to seamlessly disguise themselves as other characters. Anyone remember when Paul Herlinger tried to play an elderly woman in “The Spy Who Bugged Me?”. That was…memorable.
By the time “David and Absalom” ended, I thought it was perhaps the very best Bible-based Imagination Station adventure in 15 years. The purpose of the very first Imagination Station adventure was to instruct Digger Diggwillow – and us listeners – that the Bible isn’t boring. In “David and Absalom”, this mission is certainly accomplished. But “David and Absalom” teaches as much as it entertains; it was one of those stories that made me consider its themes, flip open a page or two of my Bible, make me reflect on the complex elements of this story. That’s surely worth something.
"When Whit sends Olivia and Matthew on an Imagination Station adventure to Old Testament Days, the pair discovers that their heroes have unpleasant dark sides too." - AIO
Episode Review:
About ten years ago, everyone assumed that Adventures in Odyssey had run out of Bible stories to adapt. Due to some rather mature themes, we had all assumed that there was a selection of stories that they wouldn’t approach – the story of David and Absalom in 2nd Samuel 13-14 being one of them. But apparently, as long the adaptation glosses over a few difficult-to-explain points, no story is off limits for Adventures in Odyssey. Should we really be surprised? After all, this the show same show that featured Yael driving a tent peg through Sisera’s skull and featured the story of Jephthah having his own daughter killed. What’s next? An Imagination Station adventure about Ehud plunging a sword into Moab’s fat belly? That’s probably being written as we speak.
Most Imagination Station episodes begin with some sort of hilarious misunderstanding – 21st century American heroes awkwardly trying to fit into the middle eastern story in the vein of “A Kid in King Arthur’s Court”. In “David and Absalom”, we see Matthew Parker stammering as he tries to understand his role as Joab’s “servant”, while Olivia Parker fawns over Absalom’s good looks like a Justin Timberlake concert go-er. Through humor, the episode does a good job relaying the complex information without allowing listeners’ minds to wander, as can sometimes happen in these swords-and-sandals episodes.
For the rest of the episode, “David and Absalom” relies primarily on creating a strong element of tension/danger to keep listeners involved. Like every good imagination Station adventure, we need to feel – even though we know no harm can possibly come to them – that characters entering the machine are inhabiting a perilous world. And the further we get into this biblical story, the more we hear Matthew and Olivia worry about one another’s safety. It’s a trait of the best Imagination Station episodes; in “Moses: The Passover”, for instance, both Jimmy and George believe that the other one is going to die. Did they just forget that they're still in the Imagination Station? But, time after time, characters are forced into cruel and unusual situations that would, in real-life result in lawsuits –for mental distress, probably – against Whit’s End. But for listeners, the main characters believing that real harm can come to them makes for a better story.
“David and Absalom” doesn’t just offer an engaging story, it is also thematically interesting. The episode doesn’t really editorialize David and Absalom’s respective actions/behavior every step of the way. Was Absalom right in taking the law in his own hands and murdering Amnon? Was David right in banishing him? Was David right in later forgiving him? Was Joab right in disobeying his king’s wishes and having Absalom killed? They have Matthew and Olivia defending/justifying these characters’ actions at various points of the story, but very rarely does the show come out and concretely pronounce these actions as “right” or “wrong”. The episode seems more interested in simply relaying the biblical events. It blankets all these issues under the singular theme of “hero worship”: as if to say, “Look, this story is really confusing, but can’t we all agree that these guys are a total mess?”
But the theme of hero worship is an important one. We should be careful about putting people on pedestals – so, when our heroes eventually do fall (and they will) we won’t be as quick to crucify them. Isn’t it ironic that most of the beloved characters in the Bible are either murderers, thieves, drunkards, adulterers – or all the above? But today’s pastor, or preacher, politician can be discredited and then forgotten by their fans for much less? Since when did a person’s mistake, or series of mistakes, erase all their good words or deeds? If we applied our own modern logic, should we not ban all words written by David or Paul due to their past indiscretions? To be reminded that much of the gospel is spoken by "mis-doers" is a reminder of depth of God’s mercy and grace for everyone. That said, for an episode that heavily criticizes hero-worship, I can’t quite decide if it’s ironic or not that Baltimore Ravens football star, Benjamin Watson, makes a cameo appearance here.
“David and Absalom” is a taught, well-constructed episode with very few weaknesses. Perhaps the only real complaint I can muster about is the fact that Andre Stojka played both Mr. Whittaker and the character of Hushai. Stojka is a terrific actor, but he did not disguise his voice nearly enough to make us forget that he was still just playing Mr. Whittaker. Couldn’t they have cast someone else? Though, in fairness to Andre Stojka, it’s not like every other Mr. Whittaker has been able to seamlessly disguise themselves as other characters. Anyone remember when Paul Herlinger tried to play an elderly woman in “The Spy Who Bugged Me?”. That was…memorable.
By the time “David and Absalom” ended, I thought it was perhaps the very best Bible-based Imagination Station adventure in 15 years. The purpose of the very first Imagination Station adventure was to instruct Digger Diggwillow – and us listeners – that the Bible isn’t boring. In “David and Absalom”, this mission is certainly accomplished. But “David and Absalom” teaches as much as it entertains; it was one of those stories that made me consider its themes, flip open a page or two of my Bible, make me reflect on the complex elements of this story. That’s surely worth something.
Writer: Phil Lollar
Director: Phil Lollar
Sound Designer: Christopher Diehl/Nathan Jones
Theme: Heroes
Music: Jared DePasquale
Air-Date: 04-28-28
Review Published: 02-25.18