The Odyssey Scoop - Episodes: Reviews for "The Inspiration Station I & II"

Main Thoughts

Overall, I was impressed. The inspiration station is very intriguing and I'm excited to find out more about it. While the Parkers are new and it seems somewhat awkward having them around, I can definitely see getting used to them in the future as we find out more about them. What most impressed me, though, was the classic feel of it; with a little Connie and Eugene bickering and a little advice from Whit, it felt like it could fit right in Secrets, Surprises and Sensational Stories.

Acting

Andre Stojka was very good. There's still a little inconsistency but, he fit very well in the regular swing of things (not passages). He has elements of Hal and Paul, while adding his own new and unique perspective to the roll.
I thought Matthew sounded a little like Doug Underwood from The Pushover.
Katie Leigh and Will Ryan were phenomenal as always, of course; jumping right back into their characters as if the last two years never happened.

The Parkers

Overall, I liked each character but, as a family, they seemed a little fake and cheesy; similar to the Schmidts. What made the Barclays so great was that they were so normal. Jimmy and Donna drove each other crazy and George and Mary made mistakes and learned lessons just as much as the kids. The Parkers, on the other hand seem to be the type of family whose perfect parents are very concerned when their son gets a little upset and have magical teaching moments in their kitchen like they're Mr. Whittaker. Of course, we don't have much to judge them on yet so, we shall see.

Music

All the music within the episode was great.
I, too, was surprised to not hear the new theme in the intro. I know that it'll be in most of the other episodes but, it seems weird to me that the new theme that starts in Album 51 isn't in the premier. Of course, it was probably a time issue, so I'm glad they didn't sacrifice part of a scene for it.
The closing music was not nearly as impressive as the opening theme. The new theme is very exciting and welcoming which goes well with Chris' upbeat perkiness but, the closing music seamed to have a similar mood which clashed with Chris' more calmly stated credits.

Other Notes

What happened to the red button?!?! Is it just me or did that go totally unresolved? Was it supposed to start the inspiration station?
I, also, wonder who Whit's friend was that Connie met. Hopefully that will be answered in part II.
What was that sound at 22:22? It certainly sounds like they replaced the bell above the door with a train whistle and we all know what happened last time they did that; some one nearly had a heart attack. Please tell me they didn't get rid of the bell so, that doesn't happen to some poor fan like me.
EDIT: I just noticed that the familiar bell occurs at 11:25 so, it looks like we're safe. Maybe that was an upstairs pager type thing.
There's exactly 5 seconds between Eugene's 15 second warning and his 10 second warning. At first, it seemed a little short so, I checked but, it's exactly 5 seconds.
I found it interesting that one of the story lines (Matthew's) was very everyday, slice-of-life that we're expecting for this season, while the other (Connie's) is, while it's not a villain saga, much more serious and has a large aspect of character development. I thought they rolled together nicely but, I don't remember that ever being done before on Odyssey.

Prediction for Part 2

Connie will continue to use the Inspiration Station but, in her discussion with Whit, will realize that her 'niceness' is dependent on it. Then she somehow hears nice things the kids have said about her (fan submissions) and is inspired to do some big thing (I have no idea what). As for Matthew, he will start to fix things for friends again, being much more careful.

One more note after listening for the... fourth time. (I just love days with new Odysseys) Whit says he's never seen anything like this before, referring to all the displays shutting down but, what about applesauce? Probably, with the whole fresh start thing, references to the past will be limited to purely comedic ones that don't take away from the story if they're not understood by newer fans.

Also, I love the line; "Why? Did she like unfair South American trade policies?"

Review by Amethystic (Town of Odyssey)

Though I'm not sure I liked it as much as I liked previous episodes, I still thought it was interesting. It was a lot more simplified, I guess, and it sounded like the AIO staff was trying to show off their computer know-how. I love Matthew Parker as a character; Olivia is kind of whiny, though. Oh, and I'm really starting to like the new Whit--he just sounds so friendly, and Passages really helped me adapt.

Main Thoughts

It was just as good as part one. It was a little heavy on the Whit/Connie discussions; not that that's a bad thing but, I think one lesson-teaching moment per episode is a good rule of thumb. I also didn't like the scene in the inspiration station. It seemed a lot like Truth Chronicles. But, overall, it was pretty good. The fan submission thing worked really well!

Acting

Andre's awesome! He seems to be fitting in better and better every episode which is very cool!
I love Jess Harnell!

The Inspiration Station

It's fine but, I was kind of expecting it to be a regularly used invention. I don't see how it could be used again unless... they want to do a whole bunch of shows on inspiration.

Music

What was with the very first part of the intro. It wasn't bad but, my initial instinct upon pressing play was, "this isn't Odyssey."

Other Notes

What about the red button?!?!

Review by Mitch

Rating:

I liked Mortimer a lot. I think Mathew's visit to the inspiration station was better than connie's. I hope i can see Mortimer more in the episodes to come!!!

Review by Meisha K.

Rating:

I like the show but was kind of confused what the inspiration Station was/is. Also I really want to know what Connie experienced in the machine. I also want to know what happens in the machine. The show seemed to leave alot out. ,Althoug the Parker family is new I think that there should have been more of them in the story. It seemed the story revolved around whits end instead of odyssey. But I'm pretty picky all in all it was a good episode.

Review by Christian A.

Rating:

That episode was awesome! I almost don't want to say anything else. I agree with most in saying that Matthew's adventure sounded like something out of the Truth Chronicles. I like Mortimer a lot and I wish there were some way we could here from him more. The music rocked! (not literally) I loved the scene with the callers' comments about Connie. It gave me major goosebumps. I have to say that it is very high up there among my favorite Odyssey scenes ever. This was a great two-parter and a great debut for Andre Stojka. He did wonderfully and I am looking forward to gearing more from him. This was a very touching episode and I look forward to hearing it again and again. Great job, Paul McCusker and GO ODYSSEY!

Review by Nelle

Rating:

While I thought Andre did a good job, I didn't think the episodes were that good.,,They just didn't seem to flow; like Connie's supposed "embarrassment" on her radio show, really wasn't that big of a deal. ,,The Parkers also seemed to make a much bigger deal out of their son's halt to tinkering than should be.,,The Parkers seem a little, well, annoying to me. They certainly aren't very realistic.,,The whole thing just seemed like a step backward from their most recent seasons.

My review of the whole episode (Parts 1 and 2) is as follows:
Let's start with Andre. I personally think that he is really good (not awesome, but close) I definitely detect more Hal in there than Paul.

Connie and Eugene were fantastic in both parts (and I actually liked Eugene's return to full nerddom)

Review by Jumpman256 (Town of Odyssey)

Rating:

My review of the whole episode (Parts 1 and 2) is as follows:
Let's start with Andre. I personally think that he is really good (not awesome, but close) I definitely detect more Hal in there than Paul.
Connie and Eugene were fantastic in both parts (and I actually liked Eugene's return to full nerddom)
But now to the meat of this review--The Inspiration Station itself.
Ever since the end of the last season, I'd been mulling over one fact: Whit said point-blank to Connie that this invention was BETTER than the Imagination Station. High praise indeed. I was a little dissapointed that we didn't see how the Inspiration Station worked in Part 1--until I realized that we were going to get to experience it as it should be--through the eyes of a customer. Good for them.
So Matt goes in, pushes the red button (and yes, those of you who asked, the red button is there, on the wall of the Station) and...
My friends, IMO.....Whit was exactly right. The Inspiration Station is the Imagination Station on steroids. For the person who said that they couldn't see it being used more than once....are you kidding? It could replace all his other inventions with the library alone. Think of it: They could see consequences of actions (ROC) they could see history unfold (Imagination Station) step into someone else's shoes (Transmuter)....the list goes on. I can see this used a lot of ways, especially if there's a trip that involves more than one history stop (ie: Something Significant) In short, this machine is AWESOME. I want more!

Review by Jonathan (Town of Odyssey)

Rating:

Whit seems to enjoy the color red, as two inventions of his now have that color button.

I am still rather unsure of what the purpose of the Inspiration Station is. Not because things were resolved with Connie--that actually cleared a lot up. Rather, it was because of Matthew's trip. I liked that part of the episode, Mortimor is one of the more unique one-time(?) characters we've seen in--a while, really, and the point was taken. However, it sounded almost like a Room of Consequence adventure. Matthew didn't act anything out, especially since he was getting a lesson regarding something he'd already done, but still.

Perhaps, if the Inspiration Station sticks around, we'll find out. If Connie's trips and Matthews trip were that different, perhaps there is more to that invention then meets the eye. It is, after all, an invention of Whit's.

Speaking of Whit, I'm afraid it may take me a while to get used to Andre. He's continuing to do a good job, but he still sounds very different most of the time. Just as it took a while with Paul, I'm sure I'll get used to Andre over time as well.

Eugene was classic. His fumblings after he was given the reins of Connie's show was funny. Props to Will Ryan.

Finally, and this is the main reason I liked part 1 more than part 2, I was kinda unsure of what the message of this episode was at the end. Sure, things were resolved with Connie, but was the message? That we should be comforted by our own works? The Lutheran in me thinks that sounds just a tad too humanistic.

Overall, not a bad start to the season. I'll give a preliminary ranking of 3 for both parts, though this may change after we've heard more of the season and can give this two-parter some context.

Review by Mandy Straussberg (Town of Odyssey)

Rating:

I said it for last week's episode, and I'll say it again: I'm really impressed with Andre. There are times when he sounds so much like Hal to me it's ridiculous. I told my sister last night that I'll have to hear him laugh before I can fully accept him as Whit, though. And she still contends it'll take her awhile to get used to him, but I said, "I got used to Paul, so I know I can get used to Andre."

I wasn't a huge fan of the Inspiration Station . . . it kind of freaked me out. But then I realized if I'd heard the Imagination Station for the first time now as a twenty-one-year-old I'd probably feel the same. So I tried to imagine hearing it as a kid, and I was impressed. I think it'll grow on me.

Overall, I think it was a pretty average couple of episodes. 3/5

Review by Laura Ingalls (Town of Odyssey)

I don't know quite what to think of this episode - I did like it well enough. Mortimer sounded just a tad too much like Wooton, but he wasn't too bad. The radio show was quite funny with classic Connie/Eugene interaction.
Congrats to the people whose entries were chosen for the episode!

Review by SivartM (Town of Odyssey)

I liked this episode almost as much as the first one. I love the Inspiration Station. It's my new favorite invention, although I'm not sure how Whit found the time to build it and the new Imagination Station at the same time. Maybe he'll combine the two in the future?

Review by Dallas R. (Town of Odyssey)

Yep. I'll have to agree with most of us. It was a decent episode. I'd rate it about the same as part one.

In the Inspiration Station with Matthew, Mortimer tells the story of Whit messing with the clock and then getting the idea to make inventions that showed different parts in history and stuff. Is this supposed to be a reference to Back to The Future, because for some reason that's what it reminded me of; Doc on the clock tower, trying to create the lightning rod that would power his time machine.

Review by Over the Rainbow (Town of Odyssey)

Andre's voice is just lovely. He has Herlinger and Smith's voice combined, yet with his own style added, although there is a bit more Smith in his tone. Some lines Andre speaks sound so much like Hal, I forget I'm listening to a newer episode. =]

Review by DanP740 (Town of Odyssey)

Wasn't too bad of an episode. Whit still isn't Whit.... Isn't Mortimer that guy from that Lamplighter Theatre or something?

Also, I heard that mini-episode thing or whatever, and people are right. Wooton was... not.

Review by V-lady (Town of Odyssey)

I liked it. Especially the classic Eugene and Connie moments. I'm still not quite sure about the Inspiration Station, but that's usual for me; I'm often unimpressed with the inventions in AIO.

I think I'll be able to adjust to Andre's voice quickly; his playing the character already sounds fairly natural to me.

Review by Smaug the dragon (Town of Odyssey)

Rating:

I loved this episode! I didn't like the first part, it felt a little bit awkward or something. But part two, it was brilliant. I felt inspired just listening to it. It was funny and exciting, the music was magical and the characters were lovable, just like Odyssey should be. I really liked Mortimer too.

Maybe it's just me... 5/5.

Review by The Top Crusader (Town of Odyssey)

...great job by the actors once again. I was worried as the episode started that we were having a relapse of "A Touch of Healing" with Connie being weird and sneaking into the machine, but that resolved itself quickly I suppose. I thought it was kind of weird that as soon as Connie was out practically, Whit threw a kid in there, after Connie was having weird psycho withdrawal from the machine. Not really the typical overly cautious (when it comes to kids) Whit. I just thought that seemed out of place. Otherwise though it was a fine episode.

I actually really like Mortimer, too. I despise Wooten because he is supposed to be a real person but acts like he belongs in a cartoon or something. Mortimer can be as crazy as needed because he is just an invention from Whit to help teach kids a lesson or whatever.

Review by Taq (Town of Odyssey)

Thoughts:

The Inspiration Station I and II had a classic feel. Whit teaches kid a lesson. Connie learns a lesson. Eugene is geeky. The two-parter was reminiscent of Whit's Flop (Whit encourages a kid who has given up) and A Touch of Healing (Character relapses) as Top mentioned.
As King Butter Turtle mentioned, I also thought the show had a Truth Chronicles feel, mostly because of the Mortimer character in the Inspiration Station. Jonathan expressed his desire for more clarity on the Whit's new invention and the red button; I would agree. I concur with Mandy Straussberg that the rest of the season will likely help.
Zach Callison did a great job acting as Matthew Parker! It's great to have another inventive mind in Odyssey. I'm looking forward to hearing him as a gumshow with Emily Jones. By the way, I just Googled "Zach Callison" to find out he was a kid in one Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? show, haha.
Mr. and Mrs. Parker were good as well. Nothing about Olivia and Camilla stood out to me, but then again this episode wasn't about them; I look forward to hearing episodes with each of the sisters in the limelight.
I've no qualms about Andre; he's great! I'm conscious of the difference but cool with it.
I LOVED how the fan clips about how Connie inspires everyone were used!

To sum up, The Inspiration Station was a good introduction to AIO, the new season, a new family, and a new invention. I look forward to the rest of the season.

Review by Trixie Belden (Town of Odyssey)

I really enjoyed this episode! It's not up there with "The Imagination Station" or "Malachi's Message", but it was good. Was it just me, or was it a bit confusing what the Inspiration Station actually did? What was the world like inside it? I take it that Connie didn't spend nine hours inside Mortimer's library, as much fun as that would be.

Yes, the clips were great and really cute! I especially enjoyed the ones that were "set inside Odyssey" like the kid saying that Connie helped him when he fell off his bike.

I also liked Andre. No, he isn't Paul or Hal, but I could really get used to him. He is totally his own person, but he still seems like Whit. Was he on some weird ADD causing medication on Darien's Rise or something?

It was nice to see good old Odyssey with Eugene being normal, Whit giving advice, and normal kids. Although.....Matthew Parker sounds a bit too much like Trent DeWhite for my tastes.

Review by Freddy Jay (Blog)
Rating:

The opening scene was very intense. It seemed like something very bad was going to happen.

The conversation with Connie about her experiance in the Inspiration station seemed really heavy..

Mortimer is a very interesting character, and we can assume that he is the person Connie was referring to in Part 1.Is he going to be a one time only character? Or are they gonna somehow bring it back in other episodes..? "That lead to...which lead to..which lead to this and that and there we are!"

We learn of Whits "town clock mistake. "

My favorite part of the whole episode is with the clips of the different people saying how Connie inspires them. Congrats to all the people who made it in, including Audry from AIO Insanity, to find out what she said, click here.

Over all this two part episode was pretty good. I give it a 4/5. It was great, can't wait to hear the rest of the season.

Back to 2010 Episodes