Bassett Boy Brings Bothersome Bitter Bulletin Board Bickering
By Jared Walczak
| March 30, 2002
"You crank up the toons and I'll
set up the first game of hangman!" Alex Jefferson immediately goes and turns up the
radio to its loudest volume and returns. A fast-paced game of Hangman is in play. Alex
Jefferson and a corny mailman are at odds with each other in a game that could mean life
or death! A crowd of children enjoying a certain ice cream shop and discovery emporium
gather around for this intense and exciting scene. Then... the scene changes.
The above pretty much sums up the new
character recently introduced on Adventures in Odyssey. Little consideration and planning
went into the first scene with a new slice-of-life character named Wooton Bassett. His
name perfectly fits him for the corny loon that he is. We meet Wooton as he comes into
Whit's End to deliver the mail (keep in mind that this is the very first time we hear from
Wooton), he talks to Connie for less than two minutes, and she hands him the keys to the
store. Not much character development went on.
I may be oversteeping my bounds, but it
seems to me that after reading various opinions about Wooton's debut on Adventures in
Odyssey at the Town Hall message board and on various websites, it seems as if people
aren't accepting him very well. That isn't to say that all people hate him, there is just
an array of opinions from all sides:
The First Opinion: He's Okay
Many fans think that Wooton is okay as
a character, but are having trouble accepting him right off the bat. Actually I fit into
this category too. After hearing only a few episodes with Wooton in them, I (and others
like me who heard it) am in the "I need more experience" stage: that stage being
that it's hard for people to grasp Wooton as either a cool character or a dumb character
until they get to know him (i.e.: hearing more episodes with him to gain more of an
opinion). This category of AIO fans really need time and patience to help them decide.
Also this category can be classified as very uneasy.
It's good to consider the fact that
this group of uneasy fans have been listening to the show for a long time, and have grown
to judge the show a little bit more. You may be a new listener and are uneasy too,
but this is just an overall view.
The Second Opinion: He's
Great!
Some fans fit into the "He's
Great" category. This group of AIO fans have heard Wooton for only two episodes and
are willing, at all odds, to welcome Mr. Bassett to the AIO realm. They like just about
any character, or story, that debuts on Adventures in Odyssey. This group of people enjoy
the happy-centered, loving friendships that Wooton has to offer.
This group of AIO fans tends to be in
the one-to two-year listeners category, though as I have been mentioning, you may be in
this category and your fan timeline may not match up.
The Third Opinion: I Hate His
Guts!
Some AIO fans fit into the "I Hate
His Guts!" category because they obviously cannot even stand Wooton in general. It is
absolutely impossible for them to accept Wooton, and there's nothing that's ever going to
change that. If they're lucky, then they might be convinced to move up one notch to the
"He's Okay" category, but there's no hope after that.
This group of AIO fans has most likely
been listening since/close to the show started. They also most likely compare and judge
the show more than the two categories above, and have been having trouble getting used to
every new character since "Signed, Sealed & Committed."
* * * * * * * * * *
Well, now that we have the three
categories developed, it's a very good time to stop reading this Extra Extra article.
Don't continue reading this article until you have decided upon which category that YOU
fit into. Think carefully, and make sure that you're absolutely, without question,
completely positive that you know what category you fit into: "He's Okay,"
"He's Great!", or "I Hate His Guts!, then head down to the paragraph below.
Opinions from AIO fans have drawn their
attention to Wooton's childhood. On the first episode starring Wooton, we hear a bit of
Wooton's past already revealed. Wooton sounds like he really had struggled as a boy and
was really missing a vital piece that most children get. Love.
Inferences can be made on what happened
to Wooton as a child, but to me it seems like Wooton was possible a foster child. He
mentions to Whit (and seems rather hesitant to say so) that he never received any toys
when he was a kid, "well... just because." Those few words coming out of
Wooton's mouth gave me the assumption that he was either a foster child, or that he lived
in a poor home life. Maybe his father and mother were neglectful? Maybe his mother and
father were always away working, and when they were home Wooton would be confined to his
room because his parents were alcoholic? Whatever the reason and whatever our thoughts and
assumptions, I'm sure we'll all find out what and when this took place, be it alcoholism,
divorce, neglect, etc. And I'm sure that we'll have many more conversations about Burger
World Smiley Meal toys and Powerboy. And we're all eager to learn just why Wooton has so
much money.
Also, many fans have pointed out (have
you?) that Wooton Bassett has already begun to display his firm Christian morals. He, like
Whit, can turn any conversation into a Biblical lesson. Yeah he is a bit loony at times,
but can you pick every quality of Wooton apart after hearing him display his encouraging
Christian foundations?
Then we come to a real stalemate with
many AIO fans. What did Wooton do to his house? Why would anyone hang glitter-covered
records from his/her ceiling? Would anyone do such a thing? Actually...YES! The original
"hanger of glittered-records from your ceiling man" was appropriately enough,
Torry Martin, the writer and creator of Wooton's character! I am quite fond of the idea,
and congratulate Torry for his creative idea! "You should see it when the fan is
on!"
But the biggest controversial concept
about Wooton's house is... the slide. Who in their own right mind would make you go down a
slide just to leave a house? Wooton would. Sometimes people just need to accept people the
way they are. In this case, Wooton needs some major acceptance. And Wooton's "secret
knock" needs some acceptance too.
Should Wooton be working at Whit's End
so soon? He's only been in two episodes and he's already filling in at Whit's End in his
first episode! It's possible that THAT is one of the reasons that fans can't accept him.
The writer(s) of Wooton's episodes possibly haven't left enough time for character
development, and in tern, fans can't accept Wooton. Or maybe it's just the voice or his
personality in general. I personally would like to see Wooton working at Whit's End. I'd
rather see him there than that annoying Mary Hopkins! Of all the nerve for Mary to make
Whit hire Barry Muntz! I'm sidetracking... That's for a different time.
Will Wooton be a good character on
Adventures in Odyssey? Will he work at Whit's End? Will he be a famous character? Will
he...? Oh, so many questions! You know the answer to that! Keep listening! But while you
do "keep listening," why not cut Wooton some slack. He could be the coolest
thing since Jordos tennis shoes or... or soft-spread butter! You never know how your
opinions will turn out. Who knows? Maybe you will move up from the "I Hate His
Guts!" category to the "He's Okay" category!
Let's just hope and pray that God will
use Wooton Bassett as a way to bring people to Him. God works in mysterious ways.
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