Album 58: The Ties That Bind Discussion

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Doll
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Album 58: The Ties That Bind Discussion

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Hey folks! So, if you didn't know, episode one is up for free on the Official AIO podcast: http://whitsendblog.org/

What do you guys think of this episode? Remember to stick to spoilers for spoilery information though, please.

Below is my commentary while watching the episode.
So, when Connie started talking about the theory that Eugene and Katrina were going to adopt Buck..I thought, "She's becoming self-aware!"

Remember what Disney does to self-aware characters? D:

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Ugh. I don't really like Matthew's voice...doesn't really seem like him... :/

I didn't get any of the superhero references at Comic-Connelsville..no surprise there though.

Ooh, they're tackling the tough issues of the definition of marriage, this should be interesting..

Jules is back? O_o Can they do that....? Her voice sounds different though...
I can't wait until they get onto the OAC!
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Woody
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I totally called it on Buck. How long until Mr. Skint shows up? :P

Oh, and who else thinks Jules is the Perilous Pen?
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Doll
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Woody wrote:
I totally called it on Buck. How long until Mr. Skint shows up? :P

Oh, and who else thinks Jules is the Perilous Pen?
While I agree that Jules might be the Perilous Pen, it's totally predictable..I'd rather AIO do something interesting, and have Penny be the Perilous Pen or something...
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Mara
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Belle wrote:Hey folks! So, if you didn't know, episode one is up for free on the Official AIO podcast: http://whitsendblog.org/

What do you guys think of this episode? Remember to stick to spoilers for spoilery information though, please.

Below is my commentary while watching the episode.
So, when Connie started talking about the theory that Eugene and Katrina were going to adopt Buck..I thought, "She's becoming self-aware!"

Remember what Disney does to self-aware characters? D:

Image

Ugh. I don't really like Matthew's voice...doesn't really seem like him... :/

I didn't get any of the superhero references at Comic-Connelsville..no surprise there though.

Ooh, they're tackling the tough issues of the definition of marriage, this should be interesting..

Jules is back? O_o Can they do that....? Her voice sounds different though...
I can't wait until they get onto the OAC!
These were my thoughts exactly.
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SirWhit
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Well, listening to Part 1, and I hate Matthew's new actor. Sounds like that Riley kid.
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I don't really either like or dislike Matthew's new voice actor, to be honest, but then again I sort of feel that way about Matthew's character in general.

I appreciate the Comic-Connellsville thing if for no other reason than that I'm pretty big into various fandoms myself—not to mention that San Diego Comic Con is coming up at the end of July. (I'm not going, but there's going to be a Korra panel, and that's all I need to know.)

I saw the Whit story arc coming as soon as I read the album summary, and I think it's definitely going to be interesting to see whether they directly address certain specifics or simply leave it vague enough for parental discretion without sacrificing a good story.
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Yeah, the Whit story arc might get interesting, depending on how gutsy focus is feeling.
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1. Yay for, Bell/God's Girl, for beating the rest of us to posting this, AND THE TOO. The ToO is lagging behind. *brohoof* Although I wish I could've beaten you, Blondie. I wish, I dream, I yearn. But oh well, you did some amusing commentary. I laughed aloud.


2. This episode was a pretty darn incredible pilot, so here's what we should treat ourselves too: a celebration. YAY! YAHOOQ! I was absolutely thrilled when I logged onto Whit's End and saw the new podcast! WOOHOO! I geeked out through the whole thing. Let's be glad this episode was so packed, instead of complaining about the new voice. It is unnecessary for every other poster (or rather, every single one thus far, oh so shockingly) to talk about Matthew's voice. Let this be a topic about the start the to new AIO season NOT a WAAAH MATTHEW HAS A NEW VOICE topic.

3. I'll say more about what I think of this episode later.
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Pound Foolish wrote:1. Yay for, Bell/God's Girl, for beating the rest of us to posting this, AND THE TOO. The ToO is lagging behind. *brohoof* Although I wish I could've beaten you, Blondie. I wish, I dream, I yearn. But oh well, you did some amusing commentary. I laughed aloud.
Erm. *cough* It's Belle. :P With an E. Like Anne with an E.

And thank you. *bows*
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OH WOW!!! O.o :D
This was was a great episode. My reactions in approximate order:

Unus: BUCK!!! Buck Oliver is coming back!!! I was afraid he wouldn't! AND He may be adopted Eugenes & Kat!!

Duo: We were REFERENCED!!! The Podcast doesn't really count because it was written by fans. Of course everyone knows Eugene and Katerina will adopt Buck. But by challenging us-themselves with that accusation of "predictability", I think we can expect things to go "not-smoothly". Just so long as E&K adopt Buck in the end, the writers can do anything they want in the meantime.

Tres: Buck+Emily. I had forgotten about this angle of things. Do we like Buly, Bucly, Emuck, Embu, Buckly, Buckily... whatever we would call this? I'll have to think about that. During the GRC I was just worried about Emily falling for a bad guy and helping him. I was too worried about the Appleberry to think about the relationship.

Quattuor: Comic Connellsville? HA HA! That's great!

Quinque: Will we see Juan and Abuela meet for the first time in years?

Sex: Mathew's new voice! (The Riley actor?!) We will have to hear more, but this voice seems very down and quiet, as opposed to Mathew's sprightly, energetic voice. Horrible. But, as I said, we will have to see. No point kicking I guess.

Septem: They are addressing the issue of of God's design for families!! This has NEEDED to be addressed! It's going to be touchy, but thank you Adventures in Odyssey for addressing this. ("Stop using 'address' so much you idiot!") This is one of the best topics they could have chosen to spread morals on.

Octo: A Wooton Relative! We are going to meet a Basset Hound!

Novem : JULES?!?! Whatisshedoinghere?! Wow! Jules is back! I never thought we would see here again. She sounded just like herself. (But how? Shona was just a one time kid from somewhere, how could they get her back for as many episodes as are set up here? It must be a different voice.)

Decem: It do expect Jules to be The Perilous Pen, but that does seem too obvious.

Undecim: Was Wooton starting to confess his love to Penny?

Duodecim: Clear Connie's attic for a "studio"? Could they finally be making good on their Connie-Penny Replica Paintings Business promise? Possible and hopefully!

Tredecim: I have some more thoughts which I will keep unmentioned case they are right, so as to not ruin any surprises.

All in all, that was a phenomenal episode! Tons of shocking character appearances an fulfillments of fan wishes! No Jay, but he is so popular you know they will include him somewhere in the next fourteen episodes. Now all they have to do is marry Connie and Jeff.
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Arkán Dreamwalker wrote: Sex: Mathew's new voice! (The Riley actor?!) We will have to hear more, but this voice seems very down and quiet, as opposed to Mathew's sprightly, energetic voice. Horrible. But, as I said, we will have to see. No point kicking I guess.
The Riley actor was Gage Davenport. Matthew's new actor is Gunnar Sizemore
Arkán Dreamwalker wrote: Octo: A Wooton Relative! We are going to meet a Basset Hound!
Even though we already did 11 years ago?
Arkán Dreamwalker wrote: Novem : JULES?!?! Whatisshedoinghere?! Wow! Jules is back! I never thought we would see here again. She sounded just like herself. (But how? Shona was just a one time kid from somewhere, how could they get her back for as many episodes as are set up here? It must be a different voice.)
Tis Shona since she was in the studio. She does live in town after all.
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Pound Foolish wrote:Let's be glad this episode was so packed, instead of complaining about the new voice. It is unnecessary for every other poster (or rather, every single one thus far, oh so shockingly) to talk about Matthew's voice. Let this be a topic about the start the to new AIO season NOT a WAAAH MATTHEW HAS A NEW VOICE topic.
Point taken. ;) The voice does sound different, so of course we're going to comment on it and voice our opinions about it, but I do agree that this shouldn't be like the "A Most Intriguing Question/Surprising Answer/Extraordinary Conclusion" series, in which more people had something to say about Audrey Wasilewski replacing Pamela Hayden as Katrina's voice than about the actual content of the episodes.
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Bren wrote:
Arkán Dreamwalker wrote: Sex: Mathew's new voice! (The Riley actor?!) We will have to hear more, but this voice seems very down and quiet, as opposed to Mathew's sprightly, energetic voice. Horrible. But, as I said, we will have to see. No point kicking I guess.
The Riley actor was Gage Davenport. Matthew's new actor is Gunnar Sizemore
Thank goodness.
Arkán Dreamwalker wrote: Octo: A Wooton Relative! We are going to meet a Basset Hound!
Even though we already did 11 years ago?
Of course! That's what I'm saying, another Wooton Relative! I love meeting Wooton's family! Even Wellington is used humorously.
Arkán Dreamwalker wrote: Novem : JULES?!?! Whatisshedoinghere?! Wow! Jules is back! I never thought we would see here again. She sounded just like herself. (But how? Shona was just a one time kid from somewhere, how could they get her back for as many episodes as are set up here? It must be a different voice.)
Tis Shona since she was in the studio. She does live in town after all.
Ahah. Too cool! (In town? Wow.)
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I just finished it, and I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE REST. GIVING US JUST ONE EPISODE IS CRUEL AND UNUSUAL TREATMENT.
I really hope they do a bunch of spoofs of real TV shows and comic books in Comic-Connelsville. Like Doctor Who. Just sayin' :D
I also can't wait to hear Connie's reaction to Jules' being in Odyssey.
And I nearly started crying all over again where Connie said "too bad she (June) won't be around for that (Connie's children)... :cry:
Feels all over again. Thanks Odyssey.

JK
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I listened to this episode this morning. Here are my thoughts:
1). What is the matter with Whit in the beginning of the episode?
2). Buck has been in the local juvenile detention center for the last three years, Eugene and Katrina have been sending and receiving correspondence with him, but we haven't heard a single whisper of all this? :?
3). I thought the city of Odyssey was a lot more conservative and traditionally-grounded than that move. (Meaning the "Let's Get Together Festival")
4). Does Olivia believe that sodomy and other "alternative family" ideas are okay, since she ran out on Whit's inquiry?
5). Is Focus and the Odyssey team going to hit specifically on the topic of sodomy in this saga?
6). Why does Penny feel suspicious that Jules is in Connellsville?
On a not-spoilery note, this episode was incredible. This has the beginnings for an Adventures in Odyssey album that will have the "deep content" we haven't had since Pamela Has A Problem.
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The Old Judge wrote:
5). Is Focus and the Odyssey team going to hit specifically on the topic of sodomy in this saga?
I should hope that they don't address it in those terms, considering what sodomy specifically is...
The Old Judge wrote:
Buck has been in the local juvenile detention center for the last three years,
Did they say specifically three years? I thought it was unspecified...it may have been three years in real time, but probably not in Odyssey.
The Old Judge wrote:
Does Olivia believe that sodomy and other "alternative family" ideas are okay, since she ran out on Whit's inquiry?
She probably doesn't necessarily think they're A-okay, but remember that when her bio first came out, it mentioned that she was a bit of a social justice warrior in the making—she's passionate about her causes, which indicates a lot of empathy for people on her part. More than likely, she simply doesn't see what's wrong about tolerating and including other people who are different, so she doesn't see why the current societal definition of "tolerance" and "inclusivity" are a problem. The issue probably hasn't really come up in Odyssey before—I'm not talking about the show, I'm talking about the town itself—and she's something like twelve or thirteen, so she probably hasn't really had a lot of exposure to the great debate. More than likely, Olivia simply doesn't know what to think.

Or I'm just being a blathering blowhard as usual and Olivia is a hardened social justice warrior who thinks anything and everything is perfectly alright, but that up there is my shrewd guess. ;)
The Old Judge wrote:
6). Why does Penny feel suspicious that Jules is in Connellsville?
I can't remember from the episode itself, but I think she was mostly just concerned about the fact that Jules just randomly showed up with no prior knowledge on anyone's part in Odyssey, and not only that, but the fact that she had no guardians with her of whom to speak.
The Old Judge wrote:
3). I thought the city of Odyssey was a lot more conservative and traditionally-grounded than that move. (Meaning the "Let's Get Together Festival")
The thing to remember about Odyssey is that it has been expanding by a considerable amount—and I'm not talking about simply gradual population growth; even if Home and Country magazine isn't as widely read as, say, the New York Times, it's still an important enough magazine that winning a contest sponsored by them is a pretty big deal. As a finalist in the Best Small Town Contest, Odyssey gained national exposure, and people from all over were probably seriously attracted to the town. Its population growth has been not only in numbers, but probably also in viewpoints. And that aside, not everyone in Odyssey holds to traditional Christian, conservative values; with the advent of the Internet and the greater connectivity that people had with the rest of the country and the world, many people who were not very grounded in the Bible were exposed to the ideas celebrated in the "Let's Get Together" festival and came to like them and espouse them.
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I really enjoyed this episode. I need to listen to it again, though because I was kind of distracted while listening to it. I'm looking forward to finding out how it all turns out and how it will tie in with the album arc.

It's cool that Eugene and Katrina are considering becoming guardians(?) for Buck.
And Jules is back! :D
Comic-Connellsville is a fun concept I hope to see a lot more of. Like Ashley said, it would be cool to see Doctor Who or( a spoof of it at least).
One thing I caught was the "Pin Tweaks" reference--Twin Peaks was a show that Kimmy Robertson was in.
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Pound Foolish wrote:2. This episode was a pretty darn incredible pilot, so here's what we should treat ourselves too: a celebration. YAY! YAHOOQ! I was absolutely thrilled when I logged onto Whit's End and saw the new podcast! WOOHOO! I geeked out through the whole thing. Let's be glad this episode was so packed, instead of complaining about the new voice. It is unnecessary for every other poster (or rather, every single one thus far, oh so shockingly) to talk about Matthew's voice. Let this be a topic about the start the to new AIO season NOT a WAAAH MATTHEW HAS A NEW VOICE topic.
No. It is not a bad thing for the posters to talk about Matthew's voice. We're not complaining about his voice because waah it's so bad and i hate it so much luuulz matthew bla, we're expressing our negative opinion because that's what it is. Our opinion. It's not unnecessary, because that's a part of the show. In a show where the only medium of communication of the audience are voices, is it a bad thing for us to be a little put off when a character's voice that we all know and have become comfortable with has been changed so drastically? I don't think so.

By the way, I agree that the episode was awesome.
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I am SO EXCITED for this new album...there are a few questions running though my brain, though.
1. Wow. "Tolerance." Big topic. I'm glad that Focus is covering it as it is a problem in this country, but I agree that this is one of the deeper issues since Pamela Has a Problem.
2. Buck is coming back. Eugene and Katrina as parents? Oh my. I don't know what this will do to their characters...I just hope AIO has really thought it through. I'm a part of the OAC so can't wait to hear what happens soon. :)
3. Why did AIO bring back Jason (album 56) and Jeff (album 57)? And with the topics of this album being LOVE and MARRIAGE, you have to wonder. I think Connie should stay single, and Penny and Wooten remain "friends." If she has to marry, I hope it's not to Jeff. I don't know if Connie and Jason would work out, either, but I've always had a soft spot for them. :)
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Wodfamchocsod wrote: 3. Why did AIO bring back Jason (album 56) and Jeff (album 57)? And with the topics of this album being LOVE and MARRIAGE, you have to wonder. I think Connie should stay single, and Penny and Wooten remain "friends." If she has to marry, I hope it's not to Jeff. I don't know if Connie and Jason would work out, either, but I've always had a soft spot for them. :)
I wouldn't exactly say this season is about love and marriage. It's more about supporting traditional marriage, and family. Plus, everyone know's that Jason+Connie will never happen. *Hides*
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