SFTDP and SFTOLP (Sorry For The Obscenely Long Post) Ok, here it is:
To Dave Arnold and the rest of the Adventures in Odyssey team,
I apologize in advance for the length of this letter.
I have been a fan of Adventures in Odyssey (AIO) for six years now and have listened to nearly every episode ever made. AIO has been a major part of my life during that time, and my family shares my love of the show. However, I have noticed a downward trend in the quality of the recent shows. In this letter I will attempt to explain my opinion and offer possible options to fix these problems.
The first, and probably biggest, problem I will discuss is the lack of an engaging plot in recent episodes. For example, in episode #880 âGood Job!â the plot seems there only to get Jillian into interesting and comical situations, while also bringing her even closer to Jason. While the Calhoun plot thread works well in this episode, it fails at covering up the true point of the episode: Comic Relief. Those two words have, in my opinion, ruined many episodes plot and point.
The amount of jokes, gags, and other comedic situations in recent episodes has exceeded normal amounts, thus infringing on the plot. Certain episodes affected by this problem include #883 âBreaking Newsâ, #851 âThe Sandwich Initiativeâ, #856 âMuch Ado about Jealousyâ, etc. These episodes have humor that distract from the plot, cover up details, or are just plain cheesy. Fixing the problem of overbearing humor would allow the lack of an engaging plot to be noticed more, which would force the writers to fix their scripts.
Another problem deals directly with one of the families. The Parker family children are a conundrum. In episode #727-728 âYour Servant is Listeningâ we hear that the Parker family has devotions, and that the kids read the Bible on their own. However, in the same episode we hear that Camilla seemingly has never heard the story of Samuel before, a story which is taught in Sabbath School at a very young age! In other episodes such as #773 âHidden Gemsâ and #835-836 âDavid and Absalomâ we hear Matthew and Oliviaâs lack of basic Biblical knowledge. Unless the Parker parents were sheltering their kids from the violent/sexual parts of the Bible, it is ridiculous to think that they had never heard of David and Bathsheba. Also, the story of Balaam is one of the most told stories to younger children, and yet Olivia has never heard it?!?!?!?
One specific episode I have large problems with are the new B-TV episodes. Although #769 âB-TV: To Tell the Truthâ was a great episode, the rest of the new ones, #830, #858, and #869 have major issues. #830 âB-TV: Revengeâ has a lot of humorous takes on revenge and doesnât really show its serious side. #869 âB-TV: Idolatryâ has the exact same problem. #858 âB-TV Trinityâ deserves its own paragraph.
B-TV Trinity has an abundance of issues. It is yet another episode with a lot of humor, but the letter from Jacques Cusco fixes the lack of seriousness. However, the âproofâ for the Trinity that Harlow finds requires creative license to be real. Although John 1:1 does show that God is Jesus, Matthew 3:16-17 only shows that they were all there. PUTTING WORDS in Matthewâs mouth is just ridiculous. Why would you have to make Matthew say something that he never wrote down to prove the Trinity? Lastly, 2 Corinthians 13:14 only mentions all three at once, not proving anything. It NEVER says that they are one!
In conclusion, the previous problems have affected AIOâs quality and have lowered my opinion of the show. Thank you for reading my letter, and at least consider the things I have written.
