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Re: The E.R.K. (Emily Rules Klub)

Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2021 4:45 pm
by cheesesoup123
How do you join? Do I just say "Emily Rules!"?

Re: The E.R.K. (Emily Rules Klub)

Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2021 6:50 pm
by Polehaus53
Greetings and salutations, cheesesoup123! Welcome to the Emily Rules Klub! Yes, Emily does indeed rule. You have certainly joined the right Klub! Prepare yourself for some fun Emily discussions, contests, theorizing, and more! Here, have some brownies. *hands you a gigantic plateful* We look forward to getting to know you!
Tell us, what is your favorite Emily episode?

Re: The E.R.K. (Emily Rules Klub)

Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2021 7:01 pm
by cheesesoup123
Not what expected from Album 65

Re: The E.R.K. (Emily Rules Klub)

Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2021 3:56 pm
by Monica Stone
Man, I've been so inactive & distanced from the fan community lately. Not because I've lost my love for Odyssey, but because my life is consumed by other things & I have not had the time to listen to or rant about Odyssey. I have been also really bad at keeping up with my favorite Odyssey podcasts! I'm sure I'll be more involved on here again in the summer & hopefully, I can come on a tad more regularly in general.
Polehaus53 wrote:
Sun Jan 10, 2021 8:36 pm
By the way, has anyone listened to the Raspberry Ripple Podcast's interview with Atticus Shaffer? Apparently Atticus Shaffer ships Emily and Morrie. :? :|
To be fair, he was only afforded the option of characters he had already interacted with. She's really the only option for a romantic interest but a terrible one at that.

Welcome cheesesoup123!! We're happy to have you!! As you may have been able to tell, we've been a bit inactive lately but I'm hoping I'll be able to come on more frequently and help liven this klub up a bit.

EDIT: I had been unable to post for the last several days, but I guess the error on my end has been resolved. Thank goodness :) I'm glad to be back.

Re: The E.R.K. (Emily Rules Klub)

Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2021 6:21 pm
by Polehaus53
Happy St. Patrick's Day, E.R.K.! Don't forget to wear green. I suggest wearing a green sweater, just like Emily! \:D/ :mrgreen:
Monica Stone wrote:
Fri Feb 26, 2021 3:56 pm
Polehaus53 wrote:
Sun Jan 10, 2021 8:36 pm
By the way, has anyone listened to the Raspberry Ripple Podcast's interview with Atticus Shaffer? Apparently Atticus Shaffer ships Emily and Morrie. :? :|
To be fair, he was only afforded the option of characters he had already interacted with. She's really the only option for a romantic interest but a terrible one at that.

Welcome cheesesoup123!! We're happy to have you!! As you may have been able to tell, we've been a bit inactive lately but I'm hoping I'll be able to come on more frequently and help liven this klub up a bit.
Oh, yeah. I must have missed that point. But agreed, Emily is not a good choice! :x
Good to see you back, and I look forward to getting this klub more active!
And welcome again, cheesesoup123! Don't be shy and feel free to join in our discussions!

By the way, I just discovered that the Soda Shop has an E.R.K. usergroup that we can join! Just go to your user control panel, click on the "usergroups" tab and select the option called "The ERK". One of the group leaders (Either Pound Foolish, Aftershocker, or Rosy) will have to approve you, and then the group will be displayed in your profile. I recently requested permission to join the usergroup, so I suggest everyone else do the same.

I am still in the process of reading through the pages of our opposing klub, the K.R.E., trying to get ideas for activities we can do on here. I'm almost done, and have some ideas which I will share once I finish.

Until then, let's discuss Emily!

ERK Special Topic Starter
Emily's latest episode was in "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off", in album 70: Finding A Way.
What did everyone think about her interactions with Morrie, Suzu, Buck, and Jay? And the last scene where she blows up at Morrie and Suzu? And when they ask her to join their "team"? Do you think she will accept their offer to join their team? Album 71: A Slippery Slope, is set to release in the Adventures in Odyssey Club this summer. It has been confirmed that the first episode in it will be called "The Team", and will have the theme of teamwork. I'm assuming that it will pick up from where "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" left off. What do you think this episode will begin with? Emily declining or accepting their offer? What will the episode's plot be? Let's discuss!
(Hopefully those were enough questions to have an active conversation. :anxious:)
"Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" has not aired on the radio yet, so until it does, let's try to keep everything about it in spoilers.

Re: The E.R.K. (Emily Rules Klub)

Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2021 9:25 pm
by cheesesoup123
I think that Let's call the whole thing off was weird. Honestly, Morris and Suzu shouldn't have asked, but i guess that's part of the plotline so we'll just have to see how it goes...

Re: The E.R.K. (Emily Rules Klub)

Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2021 12:18 pm
by Doll
Polehaus53 wrote:
Wed Mar 17, 2021 6:21 pm
By the way, I just discovered that the Soda Shop has an E.R.K. usergroup that we can join! Just go to your user control panel, click on the "usergroups" tab and select the option called "The ERK". One of the group leaders (Either Pound Foolish, Aftershocker, or Rosy) will have to approve you, and then the group will be displayed in your profile. I recently requested permission to join the usergroup, so I suggest everyone else do the same.
Or as none of them are super active anymore (not that I am either lol), send me a PM requesting to be in the usergroup and I will add you in asap!

Re: The E.R.K. (Emily Rules Klub)

Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2021 10:13 pm
by Polehaus53
Huzzah! I've been approved into the E.R.K. usergroup! \:D/
Belle wrote:
Tue Mar 30, 2021 12:18 pm
Polehaus53 wrote:
Wed Mar 17, 2021 6:21 pm
By the way, I just discovered that the Soda Shop has an E.R.K. usergroup that we can join! Just go to your user control panel, click on the "usergroups" tab and select the option called "The ERK". One of the group leaders (Either Pound Foolish, Aftershocker, or Rosy) will have to approve you, and then the group will be displayed in your profile. I recently requested permission to join the usergroup, so I suggest everyone else do the same.
Or as none of them are super active anymore (not that I am either lol), send me a PM requesting to be in the usergroup and I will add you in asap!
Thanks, Belle! I'll remember that in the future. Good to see you back, by the way.
Monica Stone wrote:
Mon Jan 04, 2021 11:54 pm
Whenever Emily's story about her fallout with the Rydells comes to a close, I wouldn't be surprised if they wrote her off the show. If, say, the arc ends with her remaining a solo detective, she may be phased off the show. I personally think there are many stories you could tell with her character, but the writers might just want to write her off after her part in the Rydell arc comes to a close. She is the longest-running kid character in real-life time (followed very closely by Jay). The writers seem to have phased the Parkers out, Emily might be next.
(I thought I responded to this. I must have missed it.) What you’re saying does make sense. The Odyssey team seems to be moving on to a new era of characters. The Perkins family, the Calhoun family, and lots of other new characters. Emily may indeed be next. But I sincerely hope Emily does not get written off the show. :pray: There definitely are other things that can be done with her, especially considering the prominent role she is currently playing in this Rydell storyline. We’ll just have to see how the rest of the Rydell Saga goes.

"Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off" airs on the radio and online on April 10. Discussion about this unaired episode is contained in the spoiler. Read at your own risk.
cheesesoup123 wrote:
Wed Mar 17, 2021 9:25 pm
I think that Let's call the whole thing off was weird. Honestly, Morris and Suzu shouldn't have asked, but i guess that's part of the plotline so we'll just have to see how it goes...
I agree that the episode was a bit odd. And I agree, the Rydell kids should not have asked Emily to join their team. What is this team they're referring to? A detective agency? We'll have to see what happens in the next episode.

Although there were some things that didn't make sense, I liked "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off". Emily's interactions with Morrie and Suzu were great. The last scene with her blowing up at them was excellent. Jay also had some hilarious lines, and Emily was a genius as usual. Emily RULES! (In case I didn't mention this before. ;))

Now, as far as the first episode in album 71, "The Team", is concerned, let's just say that I'm concerned. :lol: Here is a basic outline of some of the things I think will happen:
I predict that the episode will begin with Chris giving a "previously on Adventures in Odyssey" intro, and then the episode picking up where "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" left off. I think that it will start with Emily initially refusing to join their team. I assume this "team" they're inviting her to join is a detective agency they're forming, since Matthew is no longer doing mysteries.

Anyway, I think Emily will refuse to join them and perhaps walk away. However, throughout the episode they will reason with her and get her to join. And I think Whit will encourage her to join them. I don't think the entirety of the episode will be about her trying to figure out whether to join their team. I don't know how she will be convinced, but somehow Emily will reluctantly agree to join their team. Either that, or the three of them will get thrown together and be forced to work as a team. Which actually sounds more likely.

Since we know that the episode's theme is "Teamwork", I think its plot will involve a mystery. Soon after Emily agrees to join the team (As we've discussed on the previous page, "The Jones and Rydell Detective Agency" sounds terrible and this had better not be the name of their team!), they stumble into a mystery. Hopefully not a fake one, but a real one. During this mystery, Emily and Morrie and Suzu will work together on something as a team, temporarily putting their disagreements aside.
(Hey, you know what would be cool? If it was a life-threatening situation similar to what Morrie did to Emily in “A Sacrificial Escape”. Then Morrie could also be traumatized! HA! Okay, no, I'm not really serious. But it would be interesting if that was the case.)

Oh, and Morrie will say the word “good” in this episode. That’s probably most likely to happen if nothing else. :lol:

I’m not sure how it will end. Perhaps with Emily either warming up to the Rydell kids or being even colder towards them than before. I don't know. But we know that Emily will lose her faith in this album (and hopefully will get it back by the end of it), so I predict that something will happen in this episode that will lead up to it. Maybe Emily runs into Whit and questions everything he says, or Morrie will challenge her faith, or something. Either way, it will cause Emily question her faith, which will result in her ultimately losing it in another episode in this album.
Those are a few of my theories. Anyone else have any thoughts?

Re: The E.R.K. (Emily Rules Klub)

Posted: Wed Mar 31, 2021 6:14 pm
by cheesesoup123
Polehaus53 wrote:
Tue Mar 30, 2021 10:13 pm
(Hey, you know what would be cool? If it was a life-threatening situation similar to what Morrie did to Emily in “A Sacrificial Escape”. Then Morrie could also be traumatized! HA! Okay, no, I'm not really serious. But it would be interesting if that was the case.)
Lol, it would be funny if Morris was traumatized. Maybe then he'll face up to the fact that what he did was wrong. I would like to see what consequences they have, like Whit mentioned. I'd also like to see Whit and the Rydells together. I wonder how it's working out. Emily will most likely end up joining the team? I don't know, I guess AIO wouldn't even bother to bring it up if Emily said no, because then it would just cancel out and be non-existent in the saga? :mad:
Somehow, Emily will lose her faith, I don't know how that's going to happen, but maybe if she joins the Rydells, she will start solving cases or doing stuff with them and such. Maybe she'll become affected by them, influenced, and stop believing in God. Like, she would question why she needs faith?

Also, after seeing the album cover art, I tried to zoom in, tho it isn't the best quality. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks like a blond person on the stretcher. Could be emily? I think Higher than our Ways (grief) is about the cover. Maybe something tragic happens to her that causes her to lose her faith! Like if she got injured and God didn't heal her or something like that, then she would decide that it was useless to believe in God and lose her faith.

Edit: Though if it was Emily, I would wonder why she was skiing with Zoe and Olivia, because it's not like they have been friends.

Crazy idea: What if the person was Whit that got injured. I know that it's a little out-of-this-world but it could happen... I mean that would defiantly cause grief but then he would obviously get better, because there is no way Odyssey would harm him with only a 1 parter

Any ideas? All in all, I'm so excited for the new album, I might end up liking it more than Album 70.

Re: The E.R.K. (Emily Rules Klub)

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2021 9:05 pm
by Monica Stone
Excellent thoughts, everyone. I don't have time to reply to you guys individually but I'll share my general theories for the future of Miss Emily Jones.

"Higher Than Our Ways" probably depicts the cover art. It could be a horrible attempt at a pun (hahaha ski lifts are high...right? so funny!). But the theme is grief. And like...if Emily goes through another traumatic incident...yeah grief is a fitting theme. Zoe, Olivia, and Emily would probably appear together...the disaster trio that Wilson referred to in "The Christmas Bells." If Emily falls from a ski lift, I'll definitely feel bad for my gal, but it'll make Wilson's "one of three will fall" so hilariously on the nose. It will be both literal and metaphorical. Also, does Emily need to be traumatized more to start questioning her life and faith? She's already been through so much but I can see how an accident would be the tipping point for her. But geez, the writing team has it out for her.

On the latest Official Podcast, Phil confirmed that he and Marshal Younger are collaborating on the storyline hinted at towards the end of "The Christmas Bells." This checks out because Marshal Younger mentioned at Sonic Con how he pitched a storyline about a character losing her faith and it was approved and in development.

Also...
Please let Emily Jones rest.
Why are all of my all-time favorite characters destined for relentless pain? It makes my attachment to them very grief-inducing.

Re: The E.R.K. (Emily Rules Klub)

Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2021 9:06 am
by MonkeyDude
Monica Stone wrote:
Wed Apr 07, 2021 9:05 pm
If Emily falls from a ski lift, I'll definitely feel bad for my gal, but it'll make Wilson's "one of three will fall" so hilariously on the nose. It will be both literal and metaphorical. Also, does Emily need to be traumatized more to start questioning her life and faith? She's already been through so much but I can see how an accident would be the tipping point for her. But geez, the writing team has it out for her.
Holy cow though, I would absolutely lose it! I get "Worst Day Ever" vibes from this scenario, where you are enjoying the episode but at the same time, you just want the suffering to end (especially with the reveal about Mandy's cat at the end :( big sad).
Monica Stone wrote:
Wed Apr 07, 2021 9:05 pm
On the latest Official Podcast, Phil confirmed that he and Marshal Younger are collaborating on the storyline hinted at towards the end of "The Christmas Bells." This checks out because Marshal Younger mentioned at Sonic Con how he pitched a storyline about a character losing her faith and it was approved and in development.
I'm actually really excited Marshal is hopping on board for this one. I think currently he is probably my favorite writer in terms of themes and stuff like that. Not that I don't trust our man Phil, but having Marshal along just puts me at ease a bit, especially seeing how he's dealt with delicate issues as of late.

Re: The E.R.K. (Emily Rules Klub)

Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:03 pm
by ASmouseInTheHouse
Not to change the subject or anything, but I recently wrote this poem about Emily and the Rydell Saga. Mainly because former members of the ERK wrote a few poems, so I decided to give it a try. But I don't think poetry has ever been one of my strong points... :wacky:
Just for background:
Emily is addressing Morrie; the first stanza is about A Sacrificial Escape, the second about Further From the Truth, and the third sort of about Let's Call the Whole Thing Off.
Emily's Rebuttal
I thought, "This is real"
But we didn't make the deal
We escaped from death
Grateful for every breath
Only to hear you reveal,
It wasn't real

This is real
But something was wrong, I could feel
Pieces wouldn't fit
Nothing made sense, not a bit
Time your I.S. game did steal
And I realized, "That wasn't real"

You tricked me to think, "This is real"
How long will it take for me to heal?
You said you were a friend
As far as I'm concerned, this is the end
I don't know what's your deal
But you can be sure THIS IS REAL
So...was it bad? :oops:

Re: The E.R.K. (Emily Rules Klub)

Posted: Mon May 24, 2021 5:06 pm
by Polehaus53
cheesesoup123 wrote:
Wed Mar 31, 2021 6:14 pm
I'd also like to see Whit and the Rydells together. I wonder how it's working out.
I would also like to see this. Before “Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off” was released, I had assumed that the episode would be about Whit taking the Rydell kids into his house and getting them settled in. I would like it if "The Team" was about this. It would be interesting to see. How are the Rydells and Whit getting along? What does Jason think of the kids? And, of course, what does Emily think of them living with Mr. Whittaker?
cheesesoup123 wrote:
Wed Mar 31, 2021 6:14 pm
Emily will most likely end up joining the team? I don't know, I guess AIO wouldn't even bother to bring it up if Emily said no, because then it would just cancel out and be non-existent in the saga? :mad:
Good point! I didn’t think of that. It is likely that she will join them. The question I have is how she will end up joining? Will she be talked into it in the first scene of “The Team”? Or will the whole episode be about her avoiding them and joining them in the very last scene of the episode? I’m thinking that the three of them will somehow get thrown together and forced to work together as a team.

The Official Adventures in Odyssey Podcast recently released an interview with Atticus Shaffer and April Hong, voices of Morrie and Suzu. Atticus gives a hint about “The Team”. He says that Morrie and Suzu will, “actually end up helping Emily against a different antagonist character that comes into play.” I’m curious to know who exactly this “different antagonist” is? Valerie Swanson? Or some entirely new character? What does everyone think?


cheesesoup123 wrote:
Wed Mar 31, 2021 6:14 pm
Somehow, Emily will lose her faith, I don't know how that's going to happen, but maybe if she joins the Rydells, she will start solving cases or doing stuff with them and such. Maybe she'll become affected by them, influenced, and stop believing in God. Like, she would question why she needs faith?

Also, after seeing the album cover art, I tried to zoom in, tho it isn't the best quality. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks like a blond person on the stretcher. Could be emily? I think Higher than our Ways (grief) is about the cover. Maybe something tragic happens to her that causes her to lose her faith! Like if she got injured and God didn't heal her or something like that, then she would decide that it was useless to believe in God and lose her faith.
Ah, yes, the recently released album 71 cover art and episode titles. I can’t make out a head on the stretcher, but I agree that it is most likely Emily. I also agree, an injury would be enough for her to lose her faith. One idea I have is that the entirety of album 71 will be leading up to the cover art and then she loses her faith after the injury. Hopefully by the end of the album, she will get her faith back.
cheesesoup123 wrote:
Wed Mar 31, 2021 6:14 pm
Crazy idea: What if the person was Whit that got injured. I know that it's a little out-of-this-world but it could happen... I mean that would defiantly cause grief but then he would obviously get better, because there is no way Odyssey would harm him with only a 1 parter

Any ideas? All in all, I'm so excited for the new album, I might end up liking it more than Album 70.
That would be interesting! I agree that it would probably be a 2-part episode if it was Whit, though.
I as well am excited for this album! I wonder when it will release on the Adventures in Odyssey Club. I'm waiting for the release date to be announced! :mad:


Monica Stone wrote:
Wed Apr 07, 2021 9:05 pm
"Higher Than Our Ways" probably depicts the cover art. It could be a horrible attempt at a pun (hahaha ski lifts are high...right? so funny!).
Monica Stone wrote:
Wed Apr 07, 2021 9:05 pm
If Emily falls from a ski lift, I'll definitely feel bad for my gal, but it'll make Wilson's "one of three will fall" so hilariously on the nose. It will be both literal and metaphorical.
If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that the AIO team is the master at making puns. :lol: Some recent examples include “Dinner Roll Models”, “Thirty Jays Hath September” and “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off”. Whether it is with episode titles or character names (I’m thinking about Tanyer Hyde from “The Conscientious Cross-Guard” right now and laughing), the AIO team does them well. “Higher than Our Ways” would work well as a pun. Yes, ski lifts are pretty high up, that’s hilarious! Quite punny. ;) I wonder if it’s necessary for the AIO team to make so many puns, though, especially if “Higher Than Our Ways” will include a traumatic experience.
Monica Stone wrote:
Wed Apr 07, 2021 9:05 pm
Also, does Emily need to be traumatized more to start questioning her life and faith? She's already been through so much but I can see how an accident would be the tipping point for her. But geez, the writing team has it out for her.
Yeah, I can see that as well. I think throughout album 71 Emily will be having difficult encounters with Whit and the Rydell kids and then her injury will be what ultimately results in her losing her faith. Like I said, let's hope she gets it back by the end of the album.
Monica Stone wrote:
Wed Apr 07, 2021 9:05 pm
Also...
Please let Emily Jones rest.
Why are all of my all-time favorite characters destined for relentless pain? It makes my attachment to them very grief-inducing.
Indeed. Hopefully, after all of this is over, we will see some aftermath episodes with Emily Jones going on a nice vacation. Or getting therapy. :anxious: But hey, at least the writers are getting sympathy from the fans for her! ;)
MonkeyDude wrote:
Thu Apr 08, 2021 9:06 am
Monica Stone wrote:
Wed Apr 07, 2021 9:05 pm
On the latest Official Podcast, Phil confirmed that he and Marshal Younger are collaborating on the storyline hinted at towards the end of "The Christmas Bells." This checks out because Marshal Younger mentioned at Sonic Con how he pitched a storyline about a character losing her faith and it was approved and in development.
I'm actually really excited Marshal is hopping on board for this one. I think currently he is probably my favorite writer in terms of themes and stuff like that. Not that I don't trust our man Phil, but having Marshal along just puts me at ease a bit, especially seeing how he's dealt with delicate issues as of late.
Indeed he has. His episodes “Jumping Off, Jumping In” and “The Protector” dealt with trauma and were very well done. Hopefully he will handle Emily’s situation as well as he did with Bridget.


ASmouseInTheHouse wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:03 pm
Emily's Rebuttal
I thought, "This is real"
But we didn't make the deal
We escaped from death
Grateful for every breath
Only to hear you reveal,
It wasn't real

This is real
But something was wrong, I could feel
Pieces wouldn't fit
Nothing made sense, not a bit
Time your I.S. game did steal
And I realized, "That wasn't real"

You tricked me to think, "This is real"
How long will it take for me to heal?
You said you were a friend
As far as I'm concerned, this is the end
I don't know what's your deal
But you can be sure THIS IS REAL
So...was it bad? :oops:
Not bad at all, I think that’s pretty good! :clap:
I have recently finished reading through the pages of the K.R.E. Ugh. That was a terrible waste of time! However, I now do have a few ideas of some things we can do.
As ASmouseInTheHouse said, poetry was one of the things that the old E.R.K. and K.R.E. members did that we could do as well. Emily or E.R.K. poems should be fun to write.

Here's an E.R.K. poem that I recently wrote. I’m not that good at poetry, but it’s entertaining to attempt:
The origin of the war can be found if we delve
Into the past starting with the year of 2012
Soon after the debut of "Game for a Mystery"
Was what resulted in a most glorious histroy
Emily Jones was introduced onto the show
And a series of events started to flow
There were some who admired this young sleuth
While others wished to lock her in a phone booth
Two klubs were established, and a battle now rages
With monkeys, bombs, and poems filling the pages
The war was started against the ERK
A war which we find ourselves in to this day
Anyone have any thoughts? More predictions for Emily episodes? Poems? Let’s discuss, fellow emilyophiles!
(Wow, this was a lot of responses. O.o )

Re: The E.R.K. (Emily Rules Klub)

Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2021 4:42 pm
by ASmouseInTheHouse
Polehaus53 wrote:
Mon May 24, 2021 5:06 pm
Here's an E.R.K. poem that I recently wrote. I’m not that good at poetry, but it’s entertaining to attempt:
The origin of the war can be found if we delve
Into the past starting with the year of 2012
Soon after the debut of "Game for a Mystery"
Was what resulted in a most glorious histroy
Emily Jones was introduced onto the show
And a series of events started to flow
There were some who admired this young sleuth
While others wished to lock her in a phone booth
Two klubs were established, and a battle now rages
With monkeys, bombs, and poems filling the pages
The war was started against the ERK
A war which we find ourselves in to this day
That was pretty good! And funny. Too bad the KRE isn't around to destroy us -- uh, I mean... type weird things at us.

The Team has been released! Well, gang, what's the analysis on Emily?

Re: The E.R.K. (Emily Rules Klub)

Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2021 7:35 am
by Polehaus53
ASmouseInTheHouse wrote:
Wed Jul 14, 2021 4:42 pm
Polehaus53 wrote:
Mon May 24, 2021 5:06 pm
Here's an E.R.K. poem that I recently wrote. I’m not that good at poetry, but it’s entertaining to attempt:
The origin of the war can be found if we delve
Into the past starting with the year of 2012
Soon after the debut of "Game for a Mystery"
Was what resulted in a most glorious histroy
Emily Jones was introduced onto the show
And a series of events started to flow
There were some who admired this young sleuth
While others wished to lock her in a phone booth
Two klubs were established, and a battle now rages
With monkeys, bombs, and poems filling the pages
The war was started against the ERK
A war which we find ourselves in to this day

That was pretty good! And funny. Too bad the KRE isn't around to destroy us -- uh, I mean... type weird things at us.

The Team has been released! Well, gang, what's the analysis on Emily?
Indeed. Come at us, K.R.E. If you dare. :twisted:
Ah, yes. “The Team” was finally released! And I have thoughts!

Warning: “The Team”, the first episode of album 71: A Slippery Slope, was released in the Adventures in Odyssey Club on July 13th. It is scheduled to air on the radio and online in October this year. Discussions about specific things in this unaired episode are included in the below spoiler. Read at your own risk.
So, this episode starts out with Cooper being blackmailed by a Mysterious Voice ;). The new antagonist for Emily whom Atticus Shaffer mentioned in that interview on the Official Adventures in Odyssey Podcast. Turns out that it’s an entirely new character whom Emily, Morrie and Suzu capture. But more on that later.
The second scene picks up where “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” left off. Check out what I wrote on here earlier, before “The Team” was released:
Polehaus53 wrote:
Wed Mar 17, 2021 6:21 pm
Anyway, I think Emily will refuse to join them and perhaps walk away.
THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED IN THE EPISODE! I CORRECTLY PREDICTED THIS! WOO-HOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! \:D/ \:D/ Pardon my excitement. It’s not very often when my predictions are correct.
Hmm, then again, I guess this prediction was pretty obvious, wasn’t it? :?
Oh well, I’m still going to say that I predicted 3 months in advance that Emily would walk away after being offered to join Morrie and Suzu’s team! :noway:

Anyhow, this second it was great, even better than I had predicted! I loved the fact that Emily just walked away after being offered to join Morrie and Suzu’s team. As we have mentioned before, Morrie and Suzu never should’ve even asked. They seem to think that they’re friends with her. Emily’s line “The fact is we aren’t friends. We haven’t been friends. Friends don’t do to each other what you did to me. Friends don’t make friends think they’re going to die” was fantastic. YES! You tell them! On the AIO Club, I saw a commentor who said that Emily should just forgive and forget and move on. I disagree with that. This is not the kind of thing to easily “forget” and “move on” from. Emily thought she was going to die. It’s been emphasized before that Emily was traumatized by those Rydell kids during her experience in “A Sacrificial Escape”. Although Emily should forgive them, it doesn’t mean that she should continue hanging around with them. Anyway, enough of that; we’ve already gone through those points here in the E.R.K. and other areas on the SS. ;) I really liked Emily’s dialogue there and how she asked to be left alone.

But unfortunately, Emily goes back to Morrie and Suzu after hearing Cooper’s problem. Well, I guess that she needed help to help Cooper. I just didn’t like the fact that she voluntarily went to the Rydell kids. I am assuming that the writers have a plan with Emily and the Rydells by making them work together. I appreciated the fact that Emily made sure Morrie and Suzu didn’t break any laws.

The scene where they distract the principal, like I said on the episode topic, was very stressful. But Emily did her part well, distracting Principal Solly.

Let’s move on to the second-to-last scene: Emily, Morrie, and Suzu all congratulate themselves on helping Cooper. I was glad that Emily told Cooper to tell his parents what had happened. And I also liked that she once again walked away when Morrie and Suzu talk about working together as a team again.

Now, let’s move on to the last scene. First, let us view some of the E.R.K.’s previous statements which are very important to this scene:
Monica Stone wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 7:39 pm
I doubt they'd ever bring Barrett back, but Simon Jones (and possibly Dorothy) could easily come back if they write them into the story. It's been five years since Simon Jones last appeared and I need him to come back. I liked him as a character and I like his relationship with his daughter. Gimme.
Polehaus53 wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 6:02 pm
YES! We need the Jones family back! Or at least Emily's dad. This would be the perfect time for him to return.
Monica Stone wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 10:49 am
NOW IS THE TIME TO BRING SIMON JONES BACK. As I said before, I love his relationship with Emily. It's such a wholesome father/daughter relationship and it's so refreshing.
Fellow ERK members, Simon Jones has returned! \:D/ I was very happy when I heard his voice. This is a cause for celebration! Six years, 153 episodes later, Simon Jones is back! \:D/ I hope that he makes more appearances alongside Emily in the rest of Album 71.

I’m going to quote what Monica Stone wrote on the topic for “The Team” and respond here.
Monica Stone wrote:
Wed Jul 14, 2021 2:46 pm
Simon says that maybe Emily is the right person to join the Rydells exactly because she doesn't trust them and she's what they need in terms of moral leadership. I just don't like the message this is sending. Emily isn't responsible for being a good influence on Morrie & Suzu. That's Whit's job. Emily shouldn't have to partner with her past abusers (because that's what they are) because she would be good for them. On Emily's side of things, I see how mysteries breathe fresh life into her and keep her mentally stimulated. Her motive for joining them seems to simply be that they can be useful assets and they can help her solve mysteries that she couldn't solve herself. But that's literally it: she sees them as helpful assets, not as people she actually desires to team up with. She hates what they've done to her and being around them always seems to reopen her fresh wounds. Ehhhh. I just feel it's way too early for this.
I agree with this. What I want to hear is Emily going through the process of forgiving the Rydell kids’ and then maybe later becoming friends with them. These kids, as we have said multiple times, traumatized her, and Emily’s recovery and reconciliation with them should be a long process. This is only the second episode after “The Rydell Revelations, Part 3”. It is much too early for her to be hanging around them. She can always do that later. Let’s have an episode where Morrie and Suzu appear without Emily. Or even better, an episode with Emily without them.

Overall, this episode was something like I predicted. It began with Emily being cold towards Morrie and Suzu, initially walking away and refusing to join their team. But they end up working together anyway and they temporarily put their disagreements aside. The journey for Emily continues to unfold, which I (And the rest of the E.R.K., I’m sure) am fully in favor of! \:D/
I look forward to the rest of Album 71 and seeing what the future holds for Emily Jones.
Anyone else have any thoughts?

Re: The E.R.K. (Emily Rules Klub)

Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2021 11:49 pm
by Monica Stone
Spoilers for "The Team" and "Higher Than Our Ways" below! You've been warned.
When I first heard Simon's voice, I flipped. I was so excited! And then...I didn't like what he had to say to Emily. He basically states that Emily is exactly what Morrie and Suzu need because she's a strong moral figure. Even beyond that, he says that even her distrust is good, too, because she can be fairly skeptical of them.

No!

Emily is not responsible for Morrie and Suzu's spiritual health. Whit, temporary or not, is the one responsible for everything concerning them. This isn't a weight Emily deserves to carry. She was put through horrific things because of them. She needs to recover. She needs to find closure. This ain't it. And while the episode suggests that Emily is ready to be on their team under conditional circumstances (I'm sure it'll be revealed when we learn what her conversation with Whit entailed), I don't buy it. She doesn't like Morrie and Suzu (valid). Her only incentive to join them is to have them as assets. This is what really differentiates the Emily/Morrie/Suzu dynamic to the Matthew/Emily dynamic. Matthew and Emily were such a fantastic duo because they are complementary counterparts who valued each other as individuals and as detectives. When Matthew wanted to leave, it caused Emily pain, but she let him go because she wanted what was best for her friend. And even when Matthew was frustrated with her in the past, he always encouraged her to do the right thing and set healthy boundaries that were beneficial for them both. Morrie and Suzu never have had Emily's best interests in mind. They toyed with her and hurt her for months (?) simply as a means for their own personal enjoyment. They were impressed by her detective skills and also grew to know her character and found her to be someone they desired to have partnership with. They are oblivious to what is right for Emily and what is morally good and that's a problem (you really could reduce everything in this saga to ultimately being a huge Whit problem). No, Morrie, it's just...not good.

Also "Higher Than Our Ways" was extremely unexpected. It really felt like the episode was trying to convince us, the listeners, Emily was going to be the one to (literally) fall. You could call it a red herring, but it felt so excessive for no reason. It felt more like the writers trying to pull a "gotcha" than anything else in that regard. I need to relisten to the episode but I DID like it. I just need to get over my initial surprise of Emily not being the one to fall (haha I was too convinced). I'm excited to see how this goes. However, this isn't the O.R.K. so I'll discuss Olivia elsewhere.

Re: The E.R.K. (Emily Rules Klub)

Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2021 7:24 pm
by Polehaus53
Happy 9th Anniversary, E.R.K.!!
Image
That’s right, the Emily Rules Klub’s ninth anniversary is today! Nine years ago today, in 2012, our founder, Pound Foolish, created this wonderful Klub and it has played a prominent role on the Soda Shop message boards for many years. Let’s give a round of applause to our President Pound Foolish and all the other people involved with this amazing Klub! :clap: :clap:

If there are any old E.R.K. or Soda Shop members out there who would like to say a few words in honor of this milestone, please do. It would be much appreciated. :yes:

I, for one, have enjoyed being a part of this legendary Klub and have enjoyed posting here. One of the things I like doing in my free time is reading through all the previous pages on this topic and learning about the battle for Emily Jones. It is truly an honor to be part of it. Although it has been slightly inactive, I have enjoyed discussing the character of Emily Jones with you all. The E.R.K. was one of the first places I posted in when I first joined the Soda Shop, and it has been a magnificent experience. Emily RULES! Here’s to another nine years and another 121 pages! \:D/

Let the celebrations begin! *Hangs up green streamers and inflates Emily balloons everywhere* In honor of this event, I have baked some brownies for everyone. I may have mixed up the salt with onion powder, but please ignore that. I think I also dropped half a shrimp in the batter while mixing, so they may taste a bit fishy. Disregard that as well. :anxious:

Don’t worry, the brownies aren’t the only things. I have plans to do other things to celebrate this milestone. But for now, let the Emily discussion continue!

“Higher Than Our Ways” was released in the Adventures in Odyssey Club yesterday! Spoilerific discussion for “The Team” and “Higher than Our Ways” is included in the spoiler.
Monica Stone wrote:
Tue Jul 27, 2021 11:49 pm
Emily is not responsible for Morrie and Suzu's spiritual health. Whit, temporary or not, is the one responsible for everything concerning them. This isn't a weight Emily deserves to carry. She was put through horrific things because of them. She needs to recover. She needs to find closure. This ain't it.
I like how you worded that, I completely agree! Although Morrie and Suzu do need some good influences, Emily is not the person. And as you said, she needs time to recover. I feel like the AIO Team is rushing this process. Let’s have a few episodes where we see Emily’s recovery process. Morrie and Suzu have plenty of other people to influence them in the meantime. There’s Whit, of course, and Cooper, who accepted their invitation to join their team.
Monica Stone wrote:
Tue Jul 27, 2021 11:49 pm
Morrie and Suzu never have had Emily's best interests in mind. They toyed with her and hurt her for months (?) simply as a means for their own personal enjoyment. They were impressed by her detective skills and also grew to know her character and found her to be someone they desired to have partnership with. They are oblivious to what is right for Emily and what is morally good and that's a problem (you really could reduce everything in this saga to ultimately being a huge Whit problem). No, Morrie, it's just...not good.
Once again, I agree! After everything Morrie and Suzu did to Emily, and especially after she blew up at them at the end of “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off”, they really should just leave her alone. They obviously can’t take a hint. However, I will admit that their apology to Emily in “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” sounded genuine. And they seem to really want to be friends. But that all seems odd to me. Are they trying to flatter her just so that she’ll join their team? :?

As Monica Stone said, you really could reduce everything in this saga to ultimately being a huge Whit problem. Whit encouraged the Rydell kids to ask Emily to be on their team and I think that he is in agreement with Simon that Emily should be their leader. Notice in the last scene of “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off”, Morrie says to Emily that Whit, “says you’re a good leader.” He then adds that, “after the three of us talked for awhile, we all agreed that we should ask you to do something for us.” He then proceeds to invite Emily to join their team. So, we have not only Simon in favor of Emily joining, but also Whit. What I want to see is more of Whit and his perspective on everything that's been happening. We haven’t seen Whit with the Rydell kids or Emily since “The Rydell Revelations”.

Here are some of the things that I want to see happen with the rest of the Rydell Saga in upcoming epiosdes:
1. Whit with Morrie and Suzu; how their lives are living with Whit and Jason.
2. Emily going through the process of forgiving Morrie and Suzu.
3. Matthew Parker making an appearance!!

Those are just a few things. I have more, but I think I’ll stop there. I have talked too much. ;)

So, in other news, “Higher than Our Ways” was released on the Club yesterday! And I am very disappointed that Emily isn’t the one who is going to lose her faith. Especially after all the theorizing done above in pervious posts. Although it is interesting that it’s a character we didn’t expect, I think it would make more sense for it to be Emily. I would expect her to be most vulnerable after all that she’s been through in the Rydell Saga. Oh, well. I’m still very interested in Olivia’s journey and what will happen with her faith. Three more episodes are left in Album 71, and I am excited to find out what happens with Emily and everyone else in Odyssey.
Well, those are some of my thoughts. More are to come!

Once again, Happy 9th Annivarsary, E.R.K.! Enjoy the party, everyone. I look forward to seeing what the future holds.

Emily RULES! \:D/

Re: The E.R.K. (Emily Rules Klub)

Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2021 11:23 pm
by Doll
a few words.

Re: The E.R.K. (Emily Rules Klub)

Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2021 4:28 pm
by Polehaus53
Belle wrote:
Wed Aug 11, 2021 11:23 pm
a few words.
Beautiful speech, Belle! Absolutely inspiring. Thank you for saying a few words. They truly brought a tear to my eyes. Pass the tissues, please.

And that was your 5,000th post, congratulations! :clap:

Anyone else have any thoughts they'd like to add?

Re: The E.R.K. (Emily Rules Klub)

Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2022 12:47 am
by Pound Foolish
Greetings, ERK. Ok, some news: I am writing, on this our tenth anniversary, with peanut buttered fingers to announce I am stepping down as president. Thank you all for ten years, it's been a ride. I am leaving big shoes to fill. Well, Polehaus53 is the man with big feet. I'm sure you'll agree I couldn't name a better successor than our most passionate member. Please welcome President Polehaus53! Would our new president like to say a few words?