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

The Grand Design Avery Awards: Predictions & Snubs

Hey, hey, hey, happy Oscar season, y'all! And in the heat of the award season, the night before the Golden Globes, lies my predictions and sad reflections on the snubs for the 6th Biannual Avery Awards, recorded live from Colorado Springs, CO! Unfortunately, this is finals week, however, our new release date for the pilot is Tuesday, January 22. Stay tuned! Oh, and our Happy Hunting review will follow later in the week. As many, many prognosticators try to figure out the Oscar race, I take on the work carried out so wonderfully by Ben Warren four albums ago for Album 52. I was inspired by all the Oscar guessing game sites but looked back at Ben's to see what I could learn from him as well. By the way, if you haven't checked out his always professional, always entertaining, always thought-provoking blog, The Changing Times, check it out as soon as you're done with this post. And now...zee categories...

Best Actress
Chris Anthony as Lady Deluxe Haversham in "Push the Red Button"
Georgia Dolenz as Rhoda in "The Perfect Church"
Katie Leigh as Connie in "Home Again"
Christina Pucelli as Emily Jones in "Great Expectations"
Kimmy Robertson as Penny Wise in "Happy Hunting"

Should/Will Win: When looking at the nominees in this category, I connected Katie Leigh and Christina Pucelli's performances very closely. They both portrayed female characters unsure about their future; Emily about their future career and Connie about Jason's future and her future connections with Whit and Eugene. Emily continues to deepen and develop as a character, but I feel like the emotional weight continues to fall behind Katie Leigh, who has had 25 years to develop Connie. Similarly to the Oscars, it's often difficult to compare dramatic and comedic performances (unlike the Golden Globes), but we are forced to through Chris (who has a delightfully over the top performance) and Kimmy (Penny's mishaps). While I really enjoyed Perfect Church, I thought Georgia Dolenz's performance as Rhoda was good, but not great unlike some of the other nominees. Lady DH was a little too over-the-top for me and Penny is still lacking mature emotional growth, so my Should Win/Will Win falls to Katie Leigh for Connie! Again.

Snubbed: Carolyn Hennesy stole every scene she was in in "Perfect Church" taking on the role of Saphira after  similar biblical roles and Mama Shepard in her past AIO career. Disappointed, but definitely not surprised.

Best Sound Design
All episodes nominated

Should/Will Win: Josh is undergoing relistens to Album 56, so hold your horses. However, he really enjoyed sound design for "Perfect Church," done by GAP Digital. 

Snubbed: Uh, that invisible episode on Disc 5 definitely should've gotten nominated. 

Best Actor
Zach Callison as Matthew Parker in "The Perfect Church"
Jim Custer as Young Whit in "Great Expectations"
Townsend Coleman as Lord Gargantuan Foulspleen in "Push the Red Button"
Dan Hagen as Drill Sergeant Combs in "The Bible Network"
Whit Hertford as Jay Smouse in "Groundhog Jay"

Should/Will Win: The nicest surprise in this category is that Dan Hagen was recognized for all of his great work in "The Bible Network." He played multiple roles, but the drill sergeant was the funniest and had tons of memorable lines. Looking back, there were a lot of great male performances this year. Jay continues to be a fantastic antihero that reflects many moral struggles people go through. Matthew articulated our thoughts and feelings in The IS. And Jim Custer plasters in a very warm quality to his portrayal of Whit, and his ability to sound older as Whit did was incredible. Jim Custer has my vote for "Should Win," (Dan Hagen, don't worry, you're right behind) but I'm predicting that Whit Hertford will take home his second Avery in two years, due in large part to Jay's popularity, and I'm fine with that as well.

Snubbed: JIM CUMMINGS. Come on, his Stephen was one of the best Biblical reenactments I have ever seen. The retelling and the acting were top-notch, and I'm incredibly disappointed he did not get a nod. Can he get a honorary Avery for being Jim Cummings? Heck, why we're at it, let's give Phil Lollar a honorary Avery for "Best Being Back on Odyssey Moment." I would've also liked to see Townsend nominated for "Home Again," but a nod is a nod is a nod. Or something like that.

Best Script
All episodes nominated

Should/Will Win: If you've been reading this blog, you already know that my Should Win is..."The Perfect Church." As I said in my review, "'The Perfect Church' pulls something off masterfully; it manages to take Scripture (Acts 1:8-8:3) and create a narrative that tells the story and yet makes you wonder how McCusker/Younger are going to tell it." Sadly, I don't believe that enough voters will take notice and the award will probably fall to "Home Again" because Jason and Joanne showed up or "Groundhog Jay" because Jay was in it and had funny things to say. However, I must admit that if "Perfect Church" wasn't in the album, my vote would've gone to "Jay."

Best Scene
Barrett finally realizes the consequences of not tithing in "For Three Dollars More"
Bible Boot Camp in "The Bible Network"
Dale Jacobs learns the whole story from Kenny Rutherford in "The Lost Riddle"
Connie, Wooton, and Penny reunite with Jason in "Home Again"
Lord Gargantuan Foulspleen destroys the Sistine Chapel in "Push the Red Button" 

Should/Will Win: Of these particular scenes nominated, the only scene that stuck out to me was Bible Boot Camp. It was the funniest, but also had the best lesson. Jacobs/Rutherford sounded familiar (Buried Sin, Album 32: Hidden Treasures), the reunion scene wasn't as impactful since we'd already heard a lot of Jason and it didn't happen till the middle of Part 2, and I sadly don't remember the Barrett/LGF scenes. I'm thinking voters will feel the same way as me, but don't count out the Jason Reunion scene; pure Jason nostalgia could carry that scene to a victory. 

Snubbed: I'm getting tired of repeating my praise for "The Perfect Church," so here's an excerpt from my review: "The most powerful scene was when Jim Cummings as Stehen testified to the high court with his defense. The fact that it was taken literally from the Bible, along with Cumming's commanding performance, made me begin to tear up. Now, I don't cry very often at media, unless some element of the form moves me (See: Clara). His acting is powerful, intense, and speaks to us today."

Best Overall Episode
All episodes nominated

Should/Will Win: And once again, another excerpt: "['The Perfect Church'] speaks to us today. The church today is not perfect as well. The episode shows us how God uses all of us with our flaws for his purpose. We have our flaws, and we have our disagreements, and yet, God still calls us to fellowship, worship, and preach together. This can be hard, as I know well, but it's an important lesson for us to learn today. The whole episode feels very human, as often we think of the people of the Bible as superheroes, but God uses all kinds of people for His plan, from prostitutes to corrupt tax collectors to murderers (Saul!). The theme is beautiful, with wonderful harmonies, and a score that captures the episode completely. Paul McCusker and Marshal Younger have crafted an episode that deserves to be up there with the best of the best in Odyssey. The story is engaging, well-told, fresh, moving, and relevant; with powerful performances, dialogue, and sound." My Will Win falls to "Home Again," though "Groundhog Jay" could always be the dark horse in this race.

Let me know what you guys thought of this season's performances! More Candid KOnversations, Album 56 reviews, and Album 57 discussion to follow in the weeks and months ahead. 

LINKS:
Read all of our Album 56 reviews
Buy Album 56 on CBD
Vote for The Grand Design Avery Awards at the Whit's End Blog