Split episodes

[Mickey]

So what do think of episodes like Where There's Smoke/The Virtual Kid? I don't really care! There kinda different. And as some of you probably know I like longer ones like sagas! What do you think?

[ArnoldtheRubberDucky]

I'm not opposed to the idea of split episodes (I would recommend that the admins change the title of this topic, since "split episodes" is the official name for them), but I don't believe that Odyssey used the idea to its fullest potential. I can safely say that the only split episodes that I genuinely enjoyed were "The Eternal Birthday" and "Chain Reaction", though "Sunset Bowlwater" and "What Do You Think?" aren't too shabby either. The other ones seemed to be suffering from a lack of originality in story line, or just an overall rushed feeling because of the time constraints. I think I read somewhere that the splits were a way for AIO to give new writers some practice before moving on to full-length episodes. And while this idea would certainly be beneficial for the writer, it's not great for the listener who has to sit through dull episodes like "The Virtual Kid", "Lyin' Tale", "Idol Minds", "Long Way Home", and the notorious "Bethany's Flood/Seven Deadly Dwarves". To be honest, I wouldn't be too thrilled if AIO returned to the format again since the same problems could easily arise, but I guess you could say that, when done well, split episodes "have their place".

[Rosy]

I must second that and say that The Eternal Birthday is the only spilt episode that stands out to me. The rest of them weren't really memorable episodes, and most of the time I just skip over them. (Especially the one about Bethany's dream. That one was awful, in my opinion)

[Mickey]

I will argue saying the Eternal Birthday is quite a boring episode But A Lion 'tail is cool.

[Emma]

What is a split episode?

[The Old Judge]

The split episodes were made during what has been called the AIO "Dark Ages" (1998-2000). Each half hour show was split up into two 15-minute segments, thus the name "split episodes." It is true what everyone has said. The episodes felt rather rushed, the plots were juvenile, and overall they lacked the charm of traditional Odyssey episodes. Probably for that reason they were discontinued. You can find them on Albums 33 and 34.

[ArnoldtheRubberDucky]

I will argue saying the Eternal Birthday is quite a boring episode But A Lion 'tail is cool.

I will argue saying that I vehemently disagree with you on both points. Would you care to state your argument for this belief, sir?

[Mickey]

Oh my word I AM NOT A SIR!! What is up?! Well eternal birthday is just weird boring I just don't like it!
While a 'lion tale is totally more exciting!

[ArnoldtheRubberDucky]

"Lyin' Tale" was literally a cliche, the whole thing. "The Eternal Birthday" benefited mostly from its great source material (Groundhog Day), but it was still pretty good in its own right.

[Emma]

Ohhh... Okay, I know that I have listened to some, I just don't remember.

[Pound Foolish]

The Eternal Birthday was funny, anyway. It seems like I keep coming across that premise though. A kid makes wish, everything goes berserk. And that's kind of a problem when that was the only idea it had and the whole thing was milking it. Still, again, it was funny, and that's the real point of a comedy after all.

[ArnoldtheRubberDucky]

Yeah, I would agree. I wasn't really a huge Groundhog Jay fan, though, since I felt that doing two homages to one (admittedly great) movie was a little much, even for AIO's constant parody of pop culture. But anyway, I'm getting off-topic.

I understand that you, PF, are a fan of splits. Could you perhaps give me some examples of "great" split episodes and perhaps change my mind about them?