There's
no
denying
that
Wooton
Bassett
is a
very
popular
character
on
Adventures
in
Odyssey.
Ask
just
about
anyone
and
nearly
50
percent
of
them
will
say
Wooton
is
their
favorite
character.
If
someone
were
to
ask
me,
Wooton
would
be
in
my
top
five
favorite
characters.
But
after
over
10
years
on
the
show,
many
die-hard
fans
and
Wooton
lovers
are
saying
that
Bassett's
character
has
become…
well,
stale.
And
why
is
that?
To
find
out,
let's
go
through
what
I
like
to
call
"The
Three
Stages
of
Wooton."
Stage
1:
2001-2004
When mailman Wooton Bassett first walked through the door at Whit's End on May 26, 2001 (Welcoming Wooton), fans were skeptical. Some thought he was awesome. Some were indifferent. Some hated him. As we all know, not all new characters on Odyssey will become favorites right away, if ever.
During this period, Jess Harnell's voice for Wooton was only slightly different than his own voice. Also during this time, Wooton wasn't very hyperactive and his crazy personality was at a minimum. When Wooton was introduced during the Novacom Saga, he was only in a few episodes and wasn't always the main character of an episode. In the course of this stage, we found out that Wooton draws for a famous comic book series of his own creation. It wasn't until much later that this element would become a significant part of someone else's life.
Stage 2: 2005-2008
At the beginning of this stage, Wooton's voice and number of appearances didn't change much. But as time progressed, Jess started making Wooton's voice a little bit higher, his character became a little more energetic, and his humor became more hilarious. Soon, Wooton was appearing in more episodes and listeners started to like him more. Around this time, Wooton finally earned the big fans that he deserves. More and more people started to grow attached to Odyssey's goofy mailman. Of course, there were those who still didn't like him.
It
was
during
this
time
that Wooton
finally
had
a
real
reason
to
be
on
the
show,
other
than
being
there
for
comic
relief.
That's
because
Grady
McKay
came
to
Odyssey.
We
first
heard
Grady
in
A
Lamb's
Tale
as
he
tried
to
get
his
sister's
stuffed
lamb
back
from
Rodney
Rathbone.
In
the
season
following, Wooton
met
Grady
in
Tuesdays
with
Wooton
as
Grady
was
pretending
to
be
Max
Hampton
to
get
his
comic
books.
Wooton
found
out
about
it
and
persuaded
Grady
to
give
them
back.
In
the
process,
Wooton
made
friends
with
this
troubled
boy.
Fans
agree
that
Grady
made
Wooton
a
better
character.
Wooton
was
able
to
be a
little
less
silly
and
really
show
his
compassion
for
people.
Because
of
this
friendship,
Grady
became
a
Christian
and
Wooton
became
even
more
three-dimensional
and
enjoyable
as a
character.
Stage
3:
2010-present
Then the hiatus came. For two years, no new AIO episodes were made. When the show was re-launched in 2010, there were a lot of changes. There was a new actor for Mr. Whittaker, many of the characters from before the hiatus—including the McKays—were no longer in sight, and Odyssey was toned down for younger listeners. Among all these changes, Wooton changed, too.
He was still funny, but his voice and mannerisms were different. Wooton's voice was even higher and he spoke faster. Also, his jokes became a little stupid. Not just crazy, but stupid. It seemed like Wooton had become nothing more than a two-dimensional character.
Then, on April 16th, 2011, Penny Wise walked into his life. She first appeared in the Spring 2011 season during The Green Ring Conspiracy. She quickly became friends with Connie at the art class both of them were taking. Later, she met Wooton and they hit it off right from the start. The problem was that fans had seen Wooton fall in "like" before with a girl named Victoria before the hiatus began. Before he got serious about the relationship, he asked her if she was a Christian. Because she wasn't one, he broke up with her.
When it came to Penny, Wooton didn't even try to find out if Penny believed the same as him. He was too head-over-heels in love. It seems that the maturity and values he had before the hiatus were gone.
Many die-hard listeners believe that Wooton and Penny were too similar to each other and that they were better when they weren't together. When Wooton is around Penny, he acts even more immature. It wasn't until A Penny Saved and A Penny Earned when Wooton finally got a little bit serious.
It
seems
it's
not
only
the
fans
who
think
Wooton
is
annoying.
In
A
Penny
Earned,
Connie
makes
it
clear
that
she
is
annoyed
by
Wooton
and
was
actually
rude
to
him.
It
may
be
because
she
was
sleep-deprived
in
that
episode,
but
even
though,
it
seems
she
speaks
for
a
lot
of
people
when
it
comes
to
how
they
feel
about Wooton's
character
now.
Wooton-Around
to a
Conclusion
So, after saying all that, why do fans think Wooton isn't the same anymore? Maybe it's because he's overused. Wooton certainly seems to hog the spotlight these days. Wooton is now counted as being a major character, up with Whit, Connie, and Eugene. Perhaps if he was not in as many episodes, his appearance and humor would be more appreciated.
Maybe the writers have demoted Wooton to be nothing more than comic relief. It may be that they've lost interest in him or can't keep his character fresh. Maybe Wooton's creator, Torry Martin, needs to write for him again to get Wooton down to earth a little more.
Regardless
of
which
case
it
is,
some
listeners
have
grown
tired
of
the
way
Wooton
acts.
I
consider
myself
to
be
in
that
group.
I
still
like
Wooton
in a
way,
but
I
don't
love
his
character
like
I
used
to.
Time
will
tell
whether
Wooton
will
return
to
being
his
genuinely
funny
and
heartfelt
self
again.
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