“Out of the Picture” begins with an unknown individual whistling a pleasant melody. Who is this figure? Where are they? And has this been the first time that an unknown, unexplained voice accompanied the musical transition/introduction? Does it confirm the ancient theory that the entire show is taking place within Digger Digwillow’s imagination as he lounges out in the Wonderworld tree-house, and we’ve at last heard traces of the real-world, in this case, his own whistling, seeping into his daily renderings?
“Out of the Picture” is an intriguingly structured episode. Not counting format breaking episodes like BTV or serialized sagas, the typical Adventures in Odyssey episode features either a full “A” story – seen, for instance, in the recent “Friend or Foe” – or an “A” story paired with a smaller “B” story – seen, for instance, in the recent “Your Honest Opinion Please”. But it isn’t often that Adventures in Odyssey decides to present what feels like two “A” stories – drastically disconnected storylines with equally-shared time, each having their own compelling dramatic premise.
Both stories certainly kept my attention from beginning to end; I appreciated how Buck Oliver’s search for his parents mirrored Eugene Meltsner’s search for his own parents in the early days of the show. Meanwhile, the search for a mysterious photographer was a genuinely intriguing mystery which had me curious about who was tracking our favorite character’s lives. The idea behind the story – to offer some much-needed gap-filling into Wooton’s arrival to Odyssey – was a welcome one.
That said, I had some issues with this episode. Upon discovering that Buck’s mother has passed away, the listener quickly asks themselves: why on earth would Eugene allow Buck to go along on this adventure with him to meet a total stranger without first making the venture himself? How could he – given his own experiences searching for his birth parents– think that a 16-year-old is well-equipped for the wide range of difficult and possibly tragic answers? This part of the episode rang false.
Meanwhile, Wooton discovering that his butler Bradford – a character who has not been heard from in the show in 15 years – once visited Odyssey before Wooton arrived left me thinking – frankly – “who cares?”. Since Wooton was going to go to Odyssey anyway, then why does it matter that Bradford visited Odyssey beforehand if this had no bearing on Wooton’s decision to go in the first place? I fail to see how his appearance in Odyssey reveals God’s Will any more than if he hadn’t. And, upon hearing that Wooton was going to end up in Odyssey anyway, why would Bradford not tell him about his experiences?
Honestly, both storylines felt like they were leftover pitch meetings ideas, and when neither story churned up enough story beats, one writer said, “let’s just put these stories into the same episode!” Because the stories share space with another equally commanding storyline, the episode suffers because it’s forced to give quick and easy answers to each respective mystery; in the case of Buck’s parents, he discovers that his mother is dead in the amount of time given to a split episode. In the case of the mysterious photographer, we are told simply: “the butler did it”.
Both stories would have been more interesting if they were the primary focus of their own 25-minute episode. Buck Oliver’s search for his parents might have commanded, perhaps, a multi-part roundtrip episode with a few more surprises and revelations about his family life. And, considering how out-of-the-blue his appearance is in “Welcoming Wooton”, an episode revealing Wooton’s past and how he came to Odyssey could have commanded a greater, more complexly hashed out episode with a few more story beats – and a better ending.
Because of sagas like Novacom and The Green Ring Conspiracy, fan’s expectations can be slightly skewed when listening to a mystery episode that starts off with an intriguing premise– especially if serves as, in this case, a season/album finale. We can’t help but wonder: will the episode be a self-contained mystery, or will it lead to a more dramatic and exciting saga? Because this question is constantly swirling in the listener’s minds as the episode begins, it can create some false expectations, leaving us somewhat disappointed when the conclusion isn’t earth shattering.
But once I managed my expectations, I was able to enjoy “Out of the Picture” overall. It provided 25 minutes of genuine Odyssey-esque entertainment, while building onto established characters’ pasts, and, in the case of Buck, creating anticipation for future revelations. (Is his father, perhaps, Richard Maxwell?!) And while both endings provide us with answers less interesting than they ought to have been, the answers given are definitely serviceable enough.
“Out of the Picture” is an intriguingly structured episode. Not counting format breaking episodes like BTV or serialized sagas, the typical Adventures in Odyssey episode features either a full “A” story – seen, for instance, in the recent “Friend or Foe” – or an “A” story paired with a smaller “B” story – seen, for instance, in the recent “Your Honest Opinion Please”. But it isn’t often that Adventures in Odyssey decides to present what feels like two “A” stories – drastically disconnected storylines with equally-shared time, each having their own compelling dramatic premise.
Both stories certainly kept my attention from beginning to end; I appreciated how Buck Oliver’s search for his parents mirrored Eugene Meltsner’s search for his own parents in the early days of the show. Meanwhile, the search for a mysterious photographer was a genuinely intriguing mystery which had me curious about who was tracking our favorite character’s lives. The idea behind the story – to offer some much-needed gap-filling into Wooton’s arrival to Odyssey – was a welcome one.
That said, I had some issues with this episode. Upon discovering that Buck’s mother has passed away, the listener quickly asks themselves: why on earth would Eugene allow Buck to go along on this adventure with him to meet a total stranger without first making the venture himself? How could he – given his own experiences searching for his birth parents– think that a 16-year-old is well-equipped for the wide range of difficult and possibly tragic answers? This part of the episode rang false.
Meanwhile, Wooton discovering that his butler Bradford – a character who has not been heard from in the show in 15 years – once visited Odyssey before Wooton arrived left me thinking – frankly – “who cares?”. Since Wooton was going to go to Odyssey anyway, then why does it matter that Bradford visited Odyssey beforehand if this had no bearing on Wooton’s decision to go in the first place? I fail to see how his appearance in Odyssey reveals God’s Will any more than if he hadn’t. And, upon hearing that Wooton was going to end up in Odyssey anyway, why would Bradford not tell him about his experiences?
Honestly, both storylines felt like they were leftover pitch meetings ideas, and when neither story churned up enough story beats, one writer said, “let’s just put these stories into the same episode!” Because the stories share space with another equally commanding storyline, the episode suffers because it’s forced to give quick and easy answers to each respective mystery; in the case of Buck’s parents, he discovers that his mother is dead in the amount of time given to a split episode. In the case of the mysterious photographer, we are told simply: “the butler did it”.
Both stories would have been more interesting if they were the primary focus of their own 25-minute episode. Buck Oliver’s search for his parents might have commanded, perhaps, a multi-part roundtrip episode with a few more surprises and revelations about his family life. And, considering how out-of-the-blue his appearance is in “Welcoming Wooton”, an episode revealing Wooton’s past and how he came to Odyssey could have commanded a greater, more complexly hashed out episode with a few more story beats – and a better ending.
Because of sagas like Novacom and The Green Ring Conspiracy, fan’s expectations can be slightly skewed when listening to a mystery episode that starts off with an intriguing premise– especially if serves as, in this case, a season/album finale. We can’t help but wonder: will the episode be a self-contained mystery, or will it lead to a more dramatic and exciting saga? Because this question is constantly swirling in the listener’s minds as the episode begins, it can create some false expectations, leaving us somewhat disappointed when the conclusion isn’t earth shattering.
But once I managed my expectations, I was able to enjoy “Out of the Picture” overall. It provided 25 minutes of genuine Odyssey-esque entertainment, while building onto established characters’ pasts, and, in the case of Buck, creating anticipation for future revelations. (Is his father, perhaps, Richard Maxwell?!) And while both endings provide us with answers less interesting than they ought to have been, the answers given are definitely serviceable enough.
Writer: Kathy Buchanan
Director: Dave Arnold
Sound Design: Jonathan Crowe
Music: John Campbell
Scripture: Psalm 61:6
Original Air-date: May 12, 2018
Review Date: 2/18/2018