Reviews
for
"The Mystery of the Clock
Tower I & II"
[#667,
668]
*All
ratings are based on a 5 star scale unless otherwise noted.
Part One
Review by Big Odyssey Fan
Rating:
This episode is the best so
far of the two new albums! Andre Stojka did a much better
job of sounding like Whit, and this episode sounded much
more Odessey-like than any of the episodes in Album 51.
,,The only downside is I wish they would bring some of the
old kid characters back instead of just the Jones and
Parkers. ,,I can hardly wait to hear Part II next Saturday!
Review by Jonathan Valentin
Rating:
I really liked this episode. It had a good
morale. It was also very adventurous. This episode scored a
a+ with me.
Review by American Eagle
(Town of Odyssey)
Firstly, I love every
character in this episode! The news ones were great! Mayor
Spencer Hicks was very good, Alicia has a good voice (she
reminds me of Monica Stone), and even minor characters like
Andrew were enjoyable. I felt album 51 was ruined due to
both poor characters and an overall lack of characters, so
this was fantastic.
Some good lines:
"If you're going to give a girl a rose, it shouldn't be
black."
"Because in the mysteries, the butler always does it."
Speaking of black roses, I remember those from the "clue"
image we got for Album 52. There's one mystery solved. The
mystery of this episode is completely out in the open,
though. I was entertained and mystified through every second
of this premiere. Although The Inspiration Station wasn't
bad, this beats it in every way.
Review V-lady (Town of
Odyssey)
I liked it! The story was
entertaining, the characters played well off of each other,
and it was definitely nice to see Eugene working on
technical stuff again instead of running away from birds.
Review Dave (Blog)
Rating:
(out of 10)
AIO returns for a new season
of small-town fun with "The Mystery of the Clock Tower." Or
small-town mystery, as it turns out.
This show almost felt like a Father Gilbert mystery, except
it was set in America and there were no British accents. It
felt awkward at first--I found it hard to get in to--, but
as the pace picked up a bit and the mystery grew deeper I
started to get interested. Probably the best part of the
episode was the two scenes which went back and forth: Alicia
Jennings telling Eugene and Matthew about her role as a
courier twenty years earlier, while Michael gave his side of
the story. That was written very well and made the
presentation of the back story stay interesting without
resorting to flashbacks. We also get different perspectives
on the same event, although we miss out on hearing the voice
of Wendy, the third character in the twenty-year old tale.
We meet a new mayor in this show, whom we can assume has
replaced Mayor Faye. How this has transpired is left up to
our imaginations, as it mustn't have been exciting enough to
make it in to an AIO episode. I'm not sad to see Margaret
go--thirteen years as a liberal mayor of a conservative town
was a good run for her, although I'm not sure who voted for
her all those elections--, but Mayor Spencer Hicks doesn't
have much of a character in part one of "Clock Tower."
Nothing connected me to him as a person, and unlike with Tom
Riley and Margaret Faye we haven't gotten to know him before
he became mayor. I'm sure he could become more interesting
with future appearances, but right now he's one of those
stock characters (but he did only get one scene in part
one...).
Whit, Connie, and Eugene are our main investigators here,
which makes the story move smoothly. When you have old and
beloved characters in every scene, it's just got to make the
episode better. And Matthew's occasional comments let us
know that he's still there, but not trying to take the
spotlight away from AIO characters that we like better. It
turns out Dreams by Constance has made it past the hiatus
and actually gets events to cater for! Why a 16-year old
who's never had a good boyfriend or healthy romantic
relationship is running a wedding planning service is
anybody's guess, but at least the writers have let Connie
keep helping those who do manage to find true love in
Odyssey. It's a reassurance that the main AIO characters
haven't changed much since before the hiatus. On the topic
of Connie, I thought her moment of inquiry at the flower
store was a nice scene--some gentle humor with Connie
getting out and about.
The music was notably different from what we usually hear on
AIO. Sounded more like what you would hear on Left Behind,
but it worked for this episode. And they actually used the
new 30-second theme to start off the episode--I appreciated
that.
Not being able to listen to part two of this show right away
was not a problem for me--I felt the denouement could easily
wait. Somebody's trying to re-create the events from 20
years ago--my guess is the mysterious Wendy--, but it wasn't
a show which really left my head spinning with questions.
Yes, questions were left unanswered, but the answers can
wait. I'll have to wait to reserve my verdict on this
episode until part two has aired, but so far it's been well
done and easy to listen to. Connie hasn't gotten addicted to
anything and Whit hasn't invented an incomprehensible new
invention, nor has Mortimer made an appearance (or was that
Finnian? ;-) ). So far so good!
Those "Jilted" flowers sound seriously sick, by the way. :-D
Review by AIOCREFan (Town
of Odyssey)
Rating:
Wow!! This episode is even
better than I thought it would be! We finally have a
complicated mystery that is more than just a single episode.
We haven't had that since Album 48 with "The Top Floor" &
"The Other Side Of The Glass". Also, even though I liked
"The Inspiration Station", I would definitely agree with
those who said that this episode is a much better season
opener. (By the way, I tend to like every AIO episode that
was ever produced, even the split episodes. That's just me,
I guess. )
One of the things I liked best about this episode is where
it switches back and forth between Alicia Jennings and
Michael Butler telling the story.
Connie, Eugene, Micheal, & Alicia played their roles nicely.
I am glad that Matthew was in this episode, as he is my new
favorite kid character. Mayor Spencer Hicks wasn't as much
of a part of this ep. as I thought he would be, but it
appears that he will make a good replacement for Mayor Faye,
whose time as mayor has been a bit too long in my opinion.
Andre as Whit has been the norm for me since Album 51 and he
did an exceptional job as Whit in this episode. Anthony (the
Janitor) was good as well.
The last few scenes were heart-pounding (at least for me)
and they were very well done from every angle of production,
as was this whole episode.
I also enjoyed the electronica/techno style music woven into
the transition music in this episode.
One thing I wish they would do is include the Andre Whit
saying his lines during the theme when they air them on the
radio. The only place that this is found is on Album 51.
Also, since this is the "fullest" AIO album yet, I wonder
what extended/new scenes will be found for this episode on
Album 52.
I enjoyed this episode immensely. 10 out of 5 stars!!
Review by Peachey Keen
(Town of Odyssey)
All right!! We finally here
the new Odyssey theme on the radio version. The theme makes
the show after all.
Hearing all the most important Odyssey characters with a mix
of the new characters was great. The music was awesome. It
reminded me of Novacom.
I think I already know who's the culprit but I hope I'm
wrong. I want to be suprised.
Overall, great show! Sooo much
better than the last season's premiere.
Review by Jesus_Minime
(Town of Odyssey)
Rating:
I'm shocked and awed with the
quality of the great music in this episode, John Campbell is
really getting modern with his compositions and I'm likin'
it. the story so far has been mind gripping, and I can't
wait to see what happens next.
Review by TigerintheShadows
(Town of Odyssey)
W00t! The return of Dreams By
Constance! And with it comes a strong episode that surely
bodes good will for the newest season of Adventures in
Odyssey. A well written mystery bringing back both the
nostalgia of Novacom and a true Odyssey feel to the show, it
seems to me like this episode might just be the start of a
season making up for the number of flops in 51.
Review by EMBEE (Town of
Odyssey)
Rating:
I love this episode! It is
awesome! A very good start to the new season. The characters
and story are great. It gets a 5 from me.
Review by Taq (Town of
Odyssey)
Rating:
Notes:
-
Does the device remind anyone of Call Me
if You Care? It's been 20 years. There is a relationship
rift. There is a crisis that needs to be attended to
now. (There will be forgiveness/reuniting/a relationship
restored at the end? I would not be surprised to find
Alicia's sister in Part 2.)
-
I enjoyed Matthew as a supporting
character tagging along with Eugene.
-
I was surprised but not disappointed to
hear Chris step out of the bookends of the show in her
reporter role.
-
I thought Emily Jones was randomly
inserted into the show for a sec, then laughed when I
realized it was a commercial.
-
Dreams by Constance-- gotta love the
continuity.
To sum up, I enjoyed The Mystery of the
Clocktower, Part 1. I am giving it a 4/5 for now, but the
rating could go higher or lower depending on how I like the
conclusion. I concur with American Eagle that this season
premiere beats The Inspiration Station in every way. After
not listening to or caring about Odyssey for a while, I'm
looking forward to seeing how this mystery wraps up.
Review by Laura Ingalls
(Town of Odyssey)
Rating:
I really liked the episode!
Much better than the majority of album 51, in my opinion.
Review by ric (Town of
Odyssey)
Rating:
Great episode. At the moment,
I don't have a single idea as to the ending of this mystery.
I like Matthew kinda tagging along with Eugene.
I still can't get used to Andre Stojka, but I guess that'll
come eventually.
I especially like the last few minutes, where it starts to
sound like and Alfred Hitchcock movie.
Overall, a really great episode.
Review by DanP740 (Town of
Odyssey)
Rating:
I have to admit, I was
impressed by this episode. It had the old two-parter mystery
feel to it. One thing though... in the promos for album 52,
I thought I heard them say that the clocktower's time hadn't
changed since it had been struck by lightening x years ago,
which is not at all the problem in this episode. What?
I give it 5 stars, which the first of the newer episodes
I've ever given a 5, I believe.
Review by Anna (Town of
Odyssey)
This actually was a great
episode! I was a little disappointed with album 51, but this
seems like it'll be a much better season!
It was really intense in some parts and I can't wait for
next week to hear how it ends!!!
Eugene and Connie made me happy. I love hearing them.
I still can't get used to Andre as Whit... He's just not
Whit... I hope I get used to him soon!
Review by Jimmy Barclay
(Town of Odyssey)
Very enjoyable and I am ready
to see how it ends. It has me into it. I have a suspect in
mind too. I like how it went back and forth in telling the
story from 2 viewpoints.
Review by Marvin D. (Town
of Odyssey)
And it's time for the kick-off
of Album 52: Cause and Effect. Huzzah and Wooton! When
Eugene tells Matthew about the effects of cause-and-effect,
I wondered if there would be more mentions of it. Now onto
the review.
Every single character was great: Eugene, Whit, Connie,
Alicia, Michael, even Andrew. (I didn't mention Matthew on
purpose though, because I'm already fazed out on the fact
he's gonna be around a lot). The music was so much different
from AIO, sort of electric, I think. But it definitely made
the episode stand out. John Campell did a great job on it!
Kudos to him. I'm glad we still have enough of Connie and
her insatiable curiousity; that made her better. In fact,
Eugene, Connie, and Whit all seem like themselves in this
episode. Take it From the Top didn't make them seem like the
good old ones. The mystery itself has gotten me well
intriuged, and I'm dying to find out what happens. I wonder
if Andrew has anything to do with it. Not because of
Matthew's theory...but just a gut feeling that's driving me
insane. Maybe I'll feel better next week. I enjoyed how the
AIO team mixed the Eugene's conversation with Alicia, along
with Whit and Connie's talk with Michael, together. It was
more interesting. I have no real negatives for this show.
The only one I can think of is that we have to wait till
next week.
Review by AIO Psyche (Town
of Odyssey)
WOW WOW!!!
Thoughts on this amazing episode:
As someone who hasn't listened to AIO in YEARS, thisis quite
a pleasant and nice suprise. Amazing ep, actually feels alot
like classic 90s Odyssey!
The music reminded me alot of Novacom. Loved it!!
I honestly have no clue what is gonna happen next. We don't
have enough info!!!
Nice to hear they got rid of Ms. Faye!! Never did care for
her too much......
Where is Harlow when you need him?? This would have been a
great place to bring him into the story for some great comic
relief.
I do agree though, that I'm just not diggin this new Whit.
He just doesn't sound or feel like Whit in the least to me.
Overall, AMAZING episode! CANNOT WAIT for the second part!!
Review by iluvsns (Town of
Odyssey)
It was FANTASTIC!! i really
enjoyed the music. Its still hard to get used to the new
Whit, but I think i'll eventually adjust. I think album 51
was sort of a test to see how people would react to the new
changes and now they've got it a little more figured out and
they're doing a great job! Keep it up! cant wait to hear the
end...
Review by 31899 (Town of
Odyssey)
Rating:
This episode was a far better
season opener than last season, in fact it was better than
every episode last season. I'm warming up to the new voice
of Whit and this season seams to be off too a good start.
It's hard to tell where this episode seems to be going but
because it's AIO it will probably be the happy Disney like
ending where every thing is perfect and the two people get
together again under the clock tower at 11:45pm or the clock
is a bomb and explodes, perhaps the person's sister is
already married, Mathew hits the self destruct button. It
would be far more interesting if it were one of the last
options. Something I noted is there seems to be no lesson to
the episode at this point, perhaps I'm just missing it, but
I can't find one. On more positive basis there was a very
nice cliffhanger ending and more than four characters.
Part Two
Review by jennifer twt
(Town of Odyssey)
I thought it was a good start,
like the previous album, but the story didn't go in the
direction I thought it would. I was hoping it was something
more to do with Whit as a previous 'clock tower episode' was
alluded to earlier in the series. Don't remember which
episode, it's a fleeting line and if you're not paying
attention, you miss it. Anyway, I was hoping the series
would go back and pick up that thread and make it more of an
intrigue tale rather than unrequited love. Not a bad
episode, just not awesome or fantastic.
Review by ric (Town of
Odyssey)
Rating:
(out of 10)
Ok, nice episode.
Pros:It was a good plot. Pretty unpredictable. I still don't
think there was too much of a lesson, but the lesson that
was there was good. (Every decision matters and your sin
will always find you out.) I like how it seems James and
Alicia's sister get back together.
Cons: Um, the janitor was a bit predictable, but, you
know.... There wasn't much suspense. The plot wasn't too
interesting. Um....a bank robbery? I was kinda hoping for
something bigger. It's kind of unbelievable (notice I didn't
say unrealistic) that Andrew would go to all the trouble of
getting the flower, and placing the wedding veil and all
that stuff, just for a diversion. I'm sure the clock
counting down was enough.
Review by Smaugh the dragon
(Town of Odyssey)
Rating:
Aww, I wanted Andrew to be
innocent. It sounded like he was guilty, but I really hoped
it would be Alicia or something that was responsible. He
seemed like a sweet guy, except for the whole 'stalking'
thing... I thought that a little creepy for Odyssey.
At any rate, I enjoyed the episode, although I was a little
disappointed that the ending wasn't bigger. Like Whit's End
being bombed or Dr. Blackgaurd returing to life or
something.
4.5/5 coz I love mysteries!
Review by takeitfromthetop
(Town of Odyssey)
Rating:
I knew it was the Janitor and
I knew when it was counting down it was going to be a
diversion. a little predictible but still good. I gave it
4/5 stars. also we got to hear more from the mayor this
episode!!
Review by Marvin D. (Town
of Odyssey)
Rating:
(out of 10)
Wow, this was an...interesting
episode to say the least. It was too predictable, though. As
I said last week, "I wonder if Andrew has anything to do
with it. Not because of Matthew's theory...but just a gut
feeling that's driving me insane," I figured it out now. I
just felt that he had something to do with it, and in the
end, it happened. And the closest thing to a surprise ending
that was in it was the fact that Andrew's father was a part
of it. But after knowing enough about mysteries, I had a
hunch it was him. The music also didn't seem to really be
that related to the previous one. The last one was
more...electric, and this one was back to what I'm used to.
I'd rather that a show keep the same music standard, instead
of changing. Also, the lesson learned seemed to be summed up
in what Matthew said. No more than a sentence, really. Not
that big of a lesson learned. And it looks like we got
romance starting, also. The mystery part was intriuging
enough, though it was spoiled with the fact that Andrew was
guilty. When it was found out that he was 'stalking' Alicia,
it sort of felt...like a mature scene there, not so
ordinary. I'd say more, but I'd rather not. Stalking in
Odyssey. Weird. >_> And also, I think Spencer Hicks is an OK
character. Nothing really special about him. Just ordinary.
Connie and Eugene were played as they normally have been, so
I don't think much was changed on that part. There wasn't
enough Whit for me to really talk about him. But, he'll
hopefully be around more. So I give this episode 6.5/10,
which has sunk my total rating of The Mystery of the Clock
Tower down to more of a 7.5/10. Mystery, yes, which got my
interest. Few moral lessons, fairly predictable plot, yes,
which lowered my interest.
Review by iluvsns (Town of
Odyssey)
I enjoyed this episode... but
it wasnt as interesting as the first part. I had suspected
the janitor already, so it wasnt really suprising that he
had masterminded the plot. This episode really showed how
the writers have lowered the age range for Odyssey... I'm
sure it would be more suspenseful for younger listeners, but
for an older audience it wasnt as captivating. Overall it
was very interesting, but I was hoping the ending would've
had more of a climax and suspense. I'm hoping to see more
complicated plots in the future.
Review by JesusFreak777
(Town of Odyssey)
I am surprised they even
touched a topic like stalking, but I think they way they
handled it was professional and audience appropriate. They
did not outright call it stalking so as not to give undue
exposure to adult themes to children, but at the same time
they allowed the seriousness to show though with the
synonyms they used for stalking, the explanation of what was
happening, and the serious tones of voices they used. This
way the adults listening could get the serious aspect, but
not have to worry about it being too much of a mature theme
for the target audience.
Review by The Kings
Daughter (Town of Odyssey)
Rating:
Part 2 was very good! Although
I was a little disappointed with the ending. I, like some of
the others, would have preferred a little something bigger.
FotF did a superb job of drawing you attention to what they
wanted you to think about though. I thought it was all
centered around Elisha.
But a downside for me was, at the end, how did Whit know to
go to the bank of all places?? That just
seemed...interesting.
Review Jesus_Minime (Town
of Odyssey)
I loved this story, but I kind
of wish it had have gone deeper, like it should have been
the last episode in the season linking to "The Green Ring
Conspiracy" but it kind of ended up ending (semi) anti
climactic. I suspected Andrew the whole time, and speaking
of him, I don't like the guy who played him either . The
episode itself was great, and I enjoyed it, but it could
have been better. I'm still looking forward to the rest of
this season, and hoping it will be as good or better than
this episode.
Review by EMBEE (Town of
Odyssey)
Rating:
I really liked this episode. I
had a very well written story, and the music was awesome
too. Will Ryan did an amazing job as Eugene, as he always
does. I have to say though, I am starting to get really
tired of Matthew. I'm giving this episode a rating of 4.
Review by Shennifer (Town
of Odyssey)
Rating:
I give this episode a 4 out of
5. I thought it was good, though I thought the janitor had
something to do with it all along-but was held in suspense
as to how he was involved. Indeed, I didn't expect how it
ended, but I felt like leading up to it was very
complicated. I didn't understand all the details. And I
thought it was a bit far-fetched about Andrew and the diary.
But on a better note, I'm glad Wendy and Micheal are
reunited, and how it worked out.
The first part was amazing; this part was good.
oh, and as a sidenote, when Andrew's father was talking to
Whit and Connie about their security people or their staff
or whatever, he mentions a Mr. Kincaid, which of course made
me think of Dave Madden and the Partridge Family.
Review by 31899 (Town of
Odyssey)
Rating:
The second part of the episode
seemed to clear up my confusion about the message, but
having to wait for the message was a bit of detractor
especially for the average Joe listener who may not tune in
every week. A second message I noticed but may not have been
intentional, is the whole crime revolved around money, which
takes us to the point of 1 Timothy 6:10. On a different note
there seems to be a general lacking of kid characters
although it is probably too early to tell. The whole love
story thing seemed a bit too perfect, too Disney like,
because in Odyssey people never get back together so easily.
Example Eugene and Katrina, Connie and Mitch (pretty much
any AIO character relations.) It almost seems like Connie
has nowhere left to expand her character unless she starts
taking classes at a post secondary institute or gets into
another relationship. The episode also was rather
predictable to who the culprit was, because the person I
suspected was Andrew, because why else would they have him
in the scenes and he had keys to everywhere, where as one
wouldn't of suspected it as much to be the "victim." Also in
the end they one with no problems a bit too easy almost.
Overall it was an okay episode and get 3/5 star rating.
Review by Taq (Town of
Odyssey)
Rating:
4 stars. The most enjoyable
episode since the reboot. The clock tower diversion reminded
me of another diversion, namely the burning down of Tom
Riley's barn.
Review by American Eagle
(Town of Odyssey)
Rating:
This was a good episode! I
didn't like it quite as much as Part I, though. I suspected
Andrew from the very start, but his father being involved
was a surprise. The final confrontation at the bank was odd.
After Whit came in to stop the robbery, I halfway expected
the thieves to pull out guns and shoot our heroes.
The Whit/Connie phone conversation was VERY cheesy. However,
I loved it when Whit said, "...and neither of them are
married."
Back
to 2010 Episodes
|
