Saturday, April 6, 2013

723: Groundhog Jay

Hi guys! Thanks for sending us your feedback on the pilot of Candid KOnversations; we'll be using it all season long! We're getting ready to record Ep 2 this week. In the meantime, thanks to the Peacheys for their promotion on their blog (see Our Friends in Odyssey). We really appreciate it! And now, on to the review...

THE ODYSSEY TIMES (Facts, notes, and quotes about Odyssey from this ep):
-Wait a minute, so now ANYONE can program something into the Room of Consequence? Matthew's was at least a little more understandable since he's somewhat of a tinkering genius and all, but Barrett? The guy who had trouble making a birthday card? Next thing you know, Tom Riley will show up and invent the Innovation Station - with his eyes closed. It all makes Whit's inventions seem less special!
-Jay's new idea: the Room of Coincidence?
-Jay, dates inside of inventions don't work out so well. Do you not remember The Triangled Web?
-NOOOO...how many ice cream floats were harmed in the making of this adventure?
-"Hey, watch it, there's an arm in that sleeve!" - Jay
-Jay's new idea: the Room of Challenges?
-"What would Barrett say?" "I don't know, durrrrr." - Priscilla and Jay
-"Barrett's not my boyfriend. He's just a good friend." FOR NOW.
-Nice reference back to Stage Fright ("Rue the day")
-"You steal my heart, I have underestimated you." Could this be the beginning of a possible Jay-Priscilla future?
-"Every action has an opposite fraction." - Jay
"I didn't realize I had such rugged good looks. Squint of my eyes, lean man-like jaw, mhmm." - Jay
-Jay's new idea: the Room of Concentration?
-Why do the people in Odyssey have to trick each other all the time to teach each other lessons?
-Proverbs 20:11: "Even a child is known by his deeds, whether what he does is right and pure."

REVIEW:
After last reviewing The Lost Riddle, which took the structure of Buried Sin, Groundhog Jay follows the structure of The Eternal Birthday. The great thing about this particular structure is that you can do multiple stories that repeat over and over again, so Jay feels very fresh. It also doesn't hurt that the cast has such great chemistry with each other. This is the first pairing with Jay and Priscilla, and in my humble opinion, they're a more entertaining mystery-solving team than Emily and Matthew! Jay's morally ambiguous personality combined with Priscilla's sweet sensibilities is an intriguing combination, proved by their first episode co-starring together. 

Bob Hoose and Dave Arnold work together to create fantastic snap-crackle-pop dialogue for Jay all the way through. Hertford was given line after line to work with, and he delivered once again. This episode combined both Jay's more devilish tendencies (as in Unbecoming Jay) and dramatic tendencies (Mistaken for Good).  It was interesting to see him learn a lesson, but learn it in a very funny episode that still felt very Jay. I'm curious to see what further character development happens to Mr. Smouse in Album 57.

The revelation that the adventure was once again a sneaky trick by the good folks at Whit's End to teach someone a lesson baffled me at first, but then I realized that it was the only way that would get Jay to get in the Room of Consequence. I do think that the writers need to stop using that device so often - it's almost becoming a cliche, and it didn't work very well in You're Two Kind.  However, it worked out fine here, although Barrett being a puppetmaster (Italian) doesn't fit with Jay's description of him ("a leprechaun - without the beard!") 

In the episode, Jay asks "What is the brilliant but slow building big idea?" The theme of taking responsibility for one's actions is explored quite well - and interestingly through the fantastic pairing of Jay and Priscilla. With great dialogue and humor, I give this episode a 91/100, or a

A-

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Buy this episode and 11 others on Album 56: The Grand Design via CBD
Talk about this episode and a bunch of other Odyssey stuff over at Campbell County




2 comments:

  1. Those Odyssey Time sounds bites ARE SO FUN TO READ!
    Nice review as always.
    Oh:
    "... threaten to pound me. Because you know you want to."
    "Uh, I uh, I'm... I'm gonna pound you."
    Another of MANY good quotes from that show.
    Must be going. "Every action has an equal and opposite..."

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