The very best Adventures in Odyssey episodes don’t take place in Odyssey at all. Many listeners who compile their top ten lists of episodes likely include “Waylaid in the Windy 1-2” or “Aloha Oy', 1-3”, or perhaps even “The Cross of Cortes 1-2” and “The Fifth House on the Left 1-2”. These episodes took our favorite characters out of their comfort zones, giving them the opportunity to be challenged by different situations and viewpoints and allow unique external forces to drive the action.
Since the introduction of the Adventures in Odyssey club, there’s no arguing that the number of episodes that don’t take place in Odyssey have risen tremendously over the past several years; characters have taken trips to Afghanistan, Nepal, the Congo and the Philippines, among many others. And while there’s no denying that these episodes have featured many powerful and impactful moments, there’s a sense that the specialness of these “abroad” episodes has, over time, diminished. This logic applies to most things in life: do something too many times and it eventually becomes less special. It’s basically the same lesson that Bethany Shephard learned in “The Eternal Birthday”.
The plurality of these abroad episodes may not be solely to blame, however. Many of the episodes themselves have felt mechanical and, therefore, uninspired. Many, for instance, involve characters visiting these countries as easily as deciding to take a leisurely stroll over to Holstein’s Books. Recent club episodes such as “The Launch 1, 2” or “When One Door Closes 1, 2” drop our characters within a country without much set-up or context to how they got there. And episodes like “Unfair Game” and “To the Ends of the Earth” are too short to be given a proper glimpse of the country, leaving us as informed and educated as an unfinished Wikipedia page. It also doesn’t help that some of these episodes have simply felt like 25-minute infomercials for an organization. For all these reasons, these travel shows have lacked the spark and memorability of earlier episodes.
Despite following a litany of conveyer-belt travel episodes, “There and Back Again 1-3”, thankfully, does not repeat the mistakes of its predecessors. It both adequately takes time to set up a believable reason Whit, Jason, and Wilson ended up in New Zealand – taking a family trip together – and spends a healthy amount of time fully exploring the customs, history, and tourist traps of the country. It also, amazingly, makes its citizens well-rounded, fully developed characters – much like the character of Dan Isidro in “The Cross of Cortes”. In other words, you can feel the detailed effort in the molding of this episode, everywhere from the accents, to the whimsical New-Zealand-inspired music, to the small bits of dialogue – “Driving on the left side of the road takes a little too much concentration” – to create an immersive and thoroughly enjoyable experience. By the end of the third part-er, the listener truly feels like they’ve visited New Zealand.
They’ve managed to create this feeling largely from by using a structure borrowed from the Aloha Oy’ guidebook: combining moments of random, rollicking vacationing fun – visiting the Shire, bungee jumping, Zorb rolling – with a running story involving Whit and the gang discovering a woman on the road who appears to be part of a cult. And, admittedly, my first thought was: why did we need to go to New Zealand to explore the subject of cults? Are they more common in New Zealand than in the United States? My fear was that the episode would make this the central focus and risk stereotyping New Zealand as a cult-infested country. But the episode slowly justifies its choice of setting through how it weaves Joelle’s story into the story of the spreading of Christianity throughout New Zealand, pulling the attention of the episode away from cults, towards other matters. While some listeners may find the bonus episode (the 2.5 parter) boring since it doesn’t seem to advance the plot, I thought it served to validate the adventure’s setting.
The only “criticism” I have about “There and Back Again 1-3” regards the ending. Is the 3rd part narratively satisfying given the suspenseful set-up in part 1? The early near-miss on the road first introducing us to Joelle, as well as the introduction to the cult’s leader in part two, were so tense and mysterious that I thought the episode was setting itself up for a more tense and powerful ending. I expected, perhaps, a further glimpse into the cult’s premises, or a dramatic confrontation between the leader of the cult and Whit’s gang, or an ending akin to Father Gilbert’s “Healing”. However, by the time the last episode ends, Joelle’s story wraps up without very much surprise. She simply chooses to return to her father with not much persuasion. Given the amount of interesting set-up, the third-part does not pack the emotional punch that I expected – though, given the lighthearted nature of the majority of “There and Back Again”, perhaps an understated ending makes more sense, here.
By the time the ending rolls around, the listener is provided with a clear picture of what “There and Back again” seems to care most about; rather than a rollicking good time or a suspenseful story, “There and Back Again” is mostly concerned with providing us with four different examples of a father and their child: James Billingsley and Joelle, Whit and Jason, Chief Ngakuku and Tarore, and Nick Smouse and Jay Smouse. Though the episode provides more of a loose exploration on the subject –rather than a clear-cut and focused message – in a time where fathers are undervalued, this exploration is certainly welcomed. For me, the most poignant moment involves Whit’s small bit of dialogue – a call, of sorts, to fathers and future-fathers: “[Fathers should be] a moral compass for their kids – always hoping and guiding and correcting them and praying for them – to find their way towards God.”
In addition to exploring a compelling theme, the episode does several meaningful things for the show going forward. First, it brings back Jay Smouse, arguably the most popular character introduced since the hiatus. Though, not only does it bring him back, it reveals an aspect to his background that will certainly make him more endearing: Jay, known for being goofy and troublesome, comes from a family of geniuses – a truly ingenious surprise that will certainly create some interesting storylines going forward. And, second, the episode provided us with more well-rounded Wilson Knox. In “Father and Sons” and “No Friend like an Old Friend”, we’re simply told that he’s friends with Whit and Jason, but we’ve never been extensively shown their relationship. Whit’s good-natured bickering with Wilson – “you’re such an amateur videographer!”/ “when did you get so old?” – helped to establish a much-needed rapport for the show going forward. And while the episode still doesn’t communicate why Adventures in Odyssey necessarily needs this character, it certainly gives us a reason to like him.
The very best episodes aren’t necessarily the ones that meet every listener’s expectations; sometimes they’re the ones that can stick out from the pack. And there’s no denying that “There and Back Again”, with its new setting, new music, new characters, and new character reveals, feels fresh and unique – and, trust me, these are the sorts of episodes that will be remembered above the rest. A job well done, Odyssey.
Since the introduction of the Adventures in Odyssey club, there’s no arguing that the number of episodes that don’t take place in Odyssey have risen tremendously over the past several years; characters have taken trips to Afghanistan, Nepal, the Congo and the Philippines, among many others. And while there’s no denying that these episodes have featured many powerful and impactful moments, there’s a sense that the specialness of these “abroad” episodes has, over time, diminished. This logic applies to most things in life: do something too many times and it eventually becomes less special. It’s basically the same lesson that Bethany Shephard learned in “The Eternal Birthday”.
The plurality of these abroad episodes may not be solely to blame, however. Many of the episodes themselves have felt mechanical and, therefore, uninspired. Many, for instance, involve characters visiting these countries as easily as deciding to take a leisurely stroll over to Holstein’s Books. Recent club episodes such as “The Launch 1, 2” or “When One Door Closes 1, 2” drop our characters within a country without much set-up or context to how they got there. And episodes like “Unfair Game” and “To the Ends of the Earth” are too short to be given a proper glimpse of the country, leaving us as informed and educated as an unfinished Wikipedia page. It also doesn’t help that some of these episodes have simply felt like 25-minute infomercials for an organization. For all these reasons, these travel shows have lacked the spark and memorability of earlier episodes.
Despite following a litany of conveyer-belt travel episodes, “There and Back Again 1-3”, thankfully, does not repeat the mistakes of its predecessors. It both adequately takes time to set up a believable reason Whit, Jason, and Wilson ended up in New Zealand – taking a family trip together – and spends a healthy amount of time fully exploring the customs, history, and tourist traps of the country. It also, amazingly, makes its citizens well-rounded, fully developed characters – much like the character of Dan Isidro in “The Cross of Cortes”. In other words, you can feel the detailed effort in the molding of this episode, everywhere from the accents, to the whimsical New-Zealand-inspired music, to the small bits of dialogue – “Driving on the left side of the road takes a little too much concentration” – to create an immersive and thoroughly enjoyable experience. By the end of the third part-er, the listener truly feels like they’ve visited New Zealand.
They’ve managed to create this feeling largely from by using a structure borrowed from the Aloha Oy’ guidebook: combining moments of random, rollicking vacationing fun – visiting the Shire, bungee jumping, Zorb rolling – with a running story involving Whit and the gang discovering a woman on the road who appears to be part of a cult. And, admittedly, my first thought was: why did we need to go to New Zealand to explore the subject of cults? Are they more common in New Zealand than in the United States? My fear was that the episode would make this the central focus and risk stereotyping New Zealand as a cult-infested country. But the episode slowly justifies its choice of setting through how it weaves Joelle’s story into the story of the spreading of Christianity throughout New Zealand, pulling the attention of the episode away from cults, towards other matters. While some listeners may find the bonus episode (the 2.5 parter) boring since it doesn’t seem to advance the plot, I thought it served to validate the adventure’s setting.
The only “criticism” I have about “There and Back Again 1-3” regards the ending. Is the 3rd part narratively satisfying given the suspenseful set-up in part 1? The early near-miss on the road first introducing us to Joelle, as well as the introduction to the cult’s leader in part two, were so tense and mysterious that I thought the episode was setting itself up for a more tense and powerful ending. I expected, perhaps, a further glimpse into the cult’s premises, or a dramatic confrontation between the leader of the cult and Whit’s gang, or an ending akin to Father Gilbert’s “Healing”. However, by the time the last episode ends, Joelle’s story wraps up without very much surprise. She simply chooses to return to her father with not much persuasion. Given the amount of interesting set-up, the third-part does not pack the emotional punch that I expected – though, given the lighthearted nature of the majority of “There and Back Again”, perhaps an understated ending makes more sense, here.
By the time the ending rolls around, the listener is provided with a clear picture of what “There and Back again” seems to care most about; rather than a rollicking good time or a suspenseful story, “There and Back Again” is mostly concerned with providing us with four different examples of a father and their child: James Billingsley and Joelle, Whit and Jason, Chief Ngakuku and Tarore, and Nick Smouse and Jay Smouse. Though the episode provides more of a loose exploration on the subject –rather than a clear-cut and focused message – in a time where fathers are undervalued, this exploration is certainly welcomed. For me, the most poignant moment involves Whit’s small bit of dialogue – a call, of sorts, to fathers and future-fathers: “[Fathers should be] a moral compass for their kids – always hoping and guiding and correcting them and praying for them – to find their way towards God.”
In addition to exploring a compelling theme, the episode does several meaningful things for the show going forward. First, it brings back Jay Smouse, arguably the most popular character introduced since the hiatus. Though, not only does it bring him back, it reveals an aspect to his background that will certainly make him more endearing: Jay, known for being goofy and troublesome, comes from a family of geniuses – a truly ingenious surprise that will certainly create some interesting storylines going forward. And, second, the episode provided us with more well-rounded Wilson Knox. In “Father and Sons” and “No Friend like an Old Friend”, we’re simply told that he’s friends with Whit and Jason, but we’ve never been extensively shown their relationship. Whit’s good-natured bickering with Wilson – “you’re such an amateur videographer!”/ “when did you get so old?” – helped to establish a much-needed rapport for the show going forward. And while the episode still doesn’t communicate why Adventures in Odyssey necessarily needs this character, it certainly gives us a reason to like him.
The very best episodes aren’t necessarily the ones that meet every listener’s expectations; sometimes they’re the ones that can stick out from the pack. And there’s no denying that “There and Back Again”, with its new setting, new music, new characters, and new character reveals, feels fresh and unique – and, trust me, these are the sorts of episodes that will be remembered above the rest. A job well done, Odyssey.
Writer: Dave Arnold
Director: Dave Arnold
Music: John Campbell
Sound Design: Nathan Jones
Theme: Gods plan for our Lives
Scripture: Proverbs 19:21
Original Air-date: Oct-Dec, 2017
Review Published: 12.10.17