When the Actors Die, do the Characters Die?

[Pound Foolish]

This topic is about characters that are dead on the show, like for example, Tom Riley and many others. Talk about the characters that are dead.

This topic is about characters that are dead on the show, like for example, Tom Riley and many others. Talk about the characters that are dead.

Sir, please let me stop you there. We don't know for certain Tom is...deceased. I like to imagine he moved to Wyoming and runs a therapeutic horse camp for teens at risk. It probably could be argued, though it sounds nice.

This is actually a pretty good topic right here. When an actor dies, do you tend to headcanon that they're dead? For me, Bernard's still alive, but Tom's always pictured with the white hair and he's been around since episode one so I find it easy to imagine him dying. I never really thought about the details though. What's on Tom's tombstone, for instance? Maybe,

Roses are red, violets are blue
Robert Louis Stevenson's dead and so are you

Or more likely, "He made people a little happier, a little kinder, and a little wiser."

[PennyBassett]

....and now I'm crying again. Thanks Pound Foolish!

[Novatom]

To me, if an old character disappears from the show they are dead and if a young character (like a kid) disappears they've grown up and moved away. Though it is a nice thought, I find it hard to imagine that they're still around and for some weird reason we just never see them interact with the other characters.

[Kathy0]

I think to me it depends on how much I liked the character. For an example, to me, Tom Riley will never be dead. He is amazing and one of the oldest characters so to me he will never be dead. But other than ones like that I agree with Novatom.

[Bananareader]

I only consider them dead if their mentioned to be dead in an episode or else die in one. They already mentioned that Tom Riley being dead in two different episodes which are #811: “Legacy, Part 1” , and #884: “Always Home”. I imagine Bernard Walton and the Rathbones are still alive.

[Polehaus53]

This is a topic I don’t think about very much. In the case of Tom Riley, the AIO Team did make the character die when the actor died. But for the most part, it’s up to us, the Odyssey fans, to decide whether a character will continue to live if their actor passes away.

In my head, the character generally does not die when the actor dies; the character is still alive if the actor has died. Like Bananareader, I only consider them dead if they are mentioned to be deceased in the show or if they die in an episode.

A lot of characters have had their actors die. But since the AIO Team has not pronounced them dead, they are still around to me! Here are a few examples:
I imagine Bernard Walton to still be alive and in good health, as well as Jack and Joanne Allen. Joe Finneman is still alive, still the owner of Finneman’s Market but having someone else run it because he has moved into the retirement home. Howard J. Weizel is alive in another state, still doing lawyer stuff and still correcting those who mispronounce his last name. Bill Kendall is also around, contacting Connie every once in a while, to check up on Jules.

There have been more instances where the AIO Team replaced the actor and allows the character to live, rather than making the character die. Which I am usually in favor of; I’m personally not a fan of making characters die. But I also don’t like (although I don’t mind it as much) the character disappearing entirely without mention, which is what the AIO Team often does. I would actually rather have the AIO Team give each character a proper send-off before the actor dies. Jack and Joanne Allen are an excellent example of this.

[Bananareader]

I was thinking the Elsewhere in Odyssey comic is going to tell us who adventures in Odyssey officially considers alive ,that we haven't heard from in a while and what they are doing, even if their actor is dead. The fact that two of the characters that are mentioned being in the comic, confirms that my and Polehaus53 theory of

Bart Rathbone, and Bernard Walton

being alive is accurate according to this podcast https://www.audiotheatrecentral.com/202 ... rview.html. The Official Adventures in Odyssey podcast confirmed that the comics will be cannon as well.

[The Old Judge]

They already mentioned that Tom Riley being dead in two different episodes which are #811: “Legacy, Part 1” , and #884: “Always Home”.

Sorry for being late to the topic, but I dropped off the face of the (online) earth when COVID ground the world to a standstill.

*ahem*

Tom Riley is dead?!?! He was always my favorite character, and the strongest supporting character throughout the original run of Adventures in Odyssey. What was the context of the quote? Did any of the characters in that scene mention a cause of death?

[Bob]

Both of those episodes feature Tom's passing as significant plot points. In "Legacy" Tom's passing and the aftereffects are (at least ostensibly*) the main plot setting of the show. The relevant section in "Always Home" is shorter (it takes place in the closing scene), but it is well-regarded.

In neither case, as I recall, do they ever specifically state a cause of death. Based on the context and characters' reactions, we have no reason to assume it was anything but the result of a normal condition typical for someone of Tom's age.

*

Many listeners bashed 'Legacy'. This was partly because they didn't feel the show was somber enough or focused on Tom enough, partly because the second part was largely a western-themed skit, and slightly because the episodes (admittedly inexplicably) never mention the Timothy Center. The criticism and my defense of the episodes can be found here.

[djchatswithu]

I was thinking the Elsewhere in Odyssey comic is going to tell us who adventures in Odyssey officially considers alive ,that we haven't heard from in a while and what they are doing, even if their actor is dead. The fact that two of the characters that are mentioned being in the comic, confirms that my and Polehaus53 theory of

Bart Rathbone, and Bernard Walton

being alive is accurate according to this podcast https://www.audiotheatrecentral.com/202 ... rview.html. The Official Adventures in Odyssey podcast confirmed that the comics will be cannon as well.

the latest comic revealed that Bernard moved to Connellsville due to business reasons, he's also revealed to be old friends with Red Hollard. Bart is still Bart, even in the imagination station he tries to sell a calculator to a kid for a bag of silver.

If the comics are canon couldn't they still feature Eugene? depending on what the team does of course. I think a lot people (including myself) will be extremely upset if they kill Eugene off. I don't care what they do with him, as long as he's not killed off.

[Bananareader]

I was thinking the Elsewhere in Odyssey comic is going to tell us who adventures in Odyssey officially considers alive ,that we haven't heard from in a while and what they are doing, even if their actor is dead. The fact that two of the characters that are mentioned being in the comic, confirms that my and Polehaus53 theory of

Bart Rathbone, and Bernard Walton

being alive is accurate according to this podcast https://www.audiotheatrecentral.com/202 ... rview.html. The Official Adventures in Odyssey podcast confirmed that the comics will be cannon as well.

the latest comic revealed that Bernard moved to Connellsville due to business reasons, he's also revealed to be old friends with Red Hollard. Bart is still Bart, even in the imagination station he tries to sell a calculator to a kid for a bag of silver.

If the comics are canon couldn't they still feature Eugene? depending on what the team does of course. I think a lot people (including myself) will be extremely upset if they kill Eugene off. I don't care what they do with him, as long as he's not killed off.

He is featured in the some of the comics though I’ve only read the free ones, I also don’t want them to kill of Eugene.