Who is the worst character on AIO?

[SirWhit]

Then what is it?

[John Henry]

It's a conclusion not rash.
You will not believe me, but it is true.

[Mickey]

I hate Barrett's trombone song. Eugene & Katrina are intellectuals - terrible ones. The rest are unrealistic and silly.

Ha I find myself singing that song!

[ArnoldtheRubberDucky]

I believe this debate should stop focusing on John Henry's statement regarding pride. He's obviously starting to get very defensive about it, and I don't think it'll go anywhere. Though, of course, I wasn't even involved in it, so who am I to question it. Still... Would you mind addressing my previous points, John Henry?

[Mickey]

I find myself not liking the knew child character.

[TigerShadow]

They're starting to grow on me. I think it just takes time to get used to having a completely new batch of characters in place of ones who got wiped from the show; from the reviews I've seen, the transition was much the same when we went from Lucy, Jack, Jimmy, Curt, Robyn, et al to Jared, Sarah, Dwayne, Julie, Liz, and Mandy. It just takes some time for characters to grow into their own—though the difficulty of swallowing the new pills tends to support the idea that the "old" kids need to be kept on the show and allowed to grow up so we don't have to essentially act like they never existed or affected the show's continuity.

I'm fine with new kids; I just wish we had the old kids with them so we didn't have the constant adult-kid dichotomy. It's just not realistic to have a world with no teenagers, especially since many in the target audience either have teenage siblings or are otherwise exposed to teenagers on a regular basis; it'd be nice to give them a perspective on adolescence that didn't come from the Disney Channel, if only to show them how to handle growing up responsibly.

I would like to see the new kids fleshed out a little overall; they're just not going to affect me if they don't feel like three-dimensional characters. We saw a little bit of that with Emily and her insecurities, but I'd like to see some further hidden depths with this group.

[John Henry]

Eugene: I do not really hate intellectuals. That was a very rash thread and post that I made concerning Eugene. It's all right to use big words. In Science, you have to use big words. I learn words like "Lepidoptera". Also, I believe that "Greetings and Salutations" is normal. However, Eugene uses hard words too much. He speaks so quickly Look, you say that there's nothing wrong in displaying his knowledge. But, if that is what he's doing, then he's bragging. He's so unrealistic as well. I'm not perfectly sure if there are people that exist that are like Eugene (Perhaps C.S. Lewis. Note: I don't hate C.S. Lewis. I tend to think positive of him even though I made a negative thread about him. His Narnia Books are great, enjoyable, and exciting. I haven't read his other books well). I listen to AIO for entertainment, but even if it is used for life-lessons, then it has to be realistic. Why? Because how can we use an unrealistic thing for real life?
Valerie Swanson: Horrible girl in Kidsboro! She acts like she's the boss of everything. Nuff Said.
Nelson Swanson: I used to like him very much till I found he was played by a girl.
Wooton Bassett: I don't like Wooton because he's too silly at times. Also, he's extremely unrealistic - probably twice as much as Eugene or even more. His jokes are almost if not fully non-sensical (e.g. "Hey, isn't it true that you can survive with one kidney?" - I believe this is a vulgar (or dirty joke). He can be annoying and talk too much. However, as time went by he improved more. In "Wooton Knows Best" I would give a thumbs-up. I like Wooton when he jokes enough, or when he's good and serious. Otherwise? No. True, a sense of humor is good, but it must not get out of hand - like me arresting Mr. Whits End.
Penny Wise: She doesn't stand to her name. She's not wise - that's why I called her Penny "Wise". She's rather too immature for her age. Her voice and her actions are more younger than she is. She sounds like a kid when she's supposed to be an adult. She can be annoying at times as well.
Sarah Pratchett: She's a mean brat especially at guys. Her actions are very nasty, mean, and like a brat. In fact, she is a brat.
Harlow Doyle: He can be hilarious at times. But sometimes, he's annoying as well. He's one of the most unrealistic characters I've heard. I never heard him solve any cases. In fact, he's only making them. Is he a real detective or a fake?
Tamika Washington: She's spoiled I daresay. She is so crazy about a cruise in "Something's gotta change". Then, she and Marvin act like spoiled children when they move.
Jules Kendall: So far, she's boring to me. And, why's she up to something with that villian called Vance King?
Hadley Bassett: So far, I believe he needs to be improved more.
Emily Jones: She's so nasty. True, she is good at mysteries. I never heard an AIO character who can solve more mysteries than her. However, she acts mean. I don't really mind her blackmailing people - she was afraid to lose Matthew because she was in love with him. And, I never heard the GRC, so I don't know what this love with Buck is. But, all I know is that Buck is a criminal in juvinele detention.
Barrett Jones: Simple. He's boring.
Camilla Parker: So far, I've heard only 1 episode with Camilla. If she's a middle schooler why does she sound like a elementary girl or even kindergartener? She also sounds like a spoiled girl. I have no settled conclusions on her, but I'm inclined to think negative.
Olivia Parker: 1. Boring 2. She's soooo obcessed with Melissa Cyphers. Screaming because she gets to meet her favorite singer? Oh no, Olivia! You made a terrible mistake! You shouldn't be obcessed with human beings just because they can sing well.

I'm surprised that I even said that Officer Harley, Wellington Bassett, or Katrina Meltsner stank. In fact, now I would rate Harley 8-9.5, Wellington 6-9, and Katrina 6-8.

[SirWhit]

OK, this is my last statement regarding John Henry's statement. So long words aren't bad. Good. At least that's one thing cleared up. Eugene is not displaying his knowledge. He is using it in his life so that he can be more precise and accurate in his speech. You may call it prideful, I call it being accurate.

[ArnoldtheRubberDucky]

Eugene: I do not really hate intellectuals. That was a very rash thread and post that I made concerning Eugene. It's all right to use big words. In Science, you have to use big words. I learn words like "Lepidoptera". Also, I believe that "Greetings and Salutations" is normal. However, Eugene uses hard words too much. He speaks so quickly Look, you say that there's nothing wrong in displaying his knowledge. But, if that is what he's doing, then he's bragging. He's so unrealistic as well. I'm not perfectly sure if there are people that exist that are like Eugene (Perhaps C.S. Lewis. Note: I don't hate C.S. Lewis. I tend to think positive of him even though I made a negative thread about him. His Narnia Books are great, enjoyable, and exciting. I haven't read his other books well). I listen to AIO for entertainment, but even if it is used for life-lessons, then it has to be realistic. Why? Because how can we use an unrealistic thing for real life?
Valerie Swanson: Horrible girl in Kidsboro! She acts like she's the boss of everything. Nuff Said.
Nelson Swanson: I used to like him very much till I found he was played by a girl.
Wooton Bassett: I don't like Wooton because he's too silly at times. Also, he's extremely unrealistic - probably twice as much as Eugene or even more. His jokes are almost if not fully non-sensical (e.g. "Hey, isn't it true that you can survive with one kidney?" - I believe this is a vulgar (or dirty joke). He can be annoying and talk too much. However, as time went by he improved more. In "Wooton Knows Best" I would give a thumbs-up. I like Wooton when he jokes enough, or when he's good and serious. Otherwise? No. True, a sense of humor is good, but it must not get out of hand - like me arresting Mr. Whits End.
Penny Wise: She doesn't stand to her name. She's not wise - that's why I called her Penny "Wise". She's rather too immature for her age. Her voice and her actions are more younger than she is. She sounds like a kid when she's supposed to be an adult. She can be annoying at times as well.
Sarah Pratchett: She's a mean brat especially at guys. Her actions are very nasty, mean, and like a brat. In fact, she is a brat.
Harlow Doyle: He can be hilarious at times. But sometimes, he's annoying as well. He's one of the most unrealistic characters I've heard. I never heard him solve any cases. In fact, he's only making them. Is he a real detective or a fake?
Tamika Washington: She's spoiled I daresay. She is so crazy about a cruise in "Something's gotta change". Then, she and Marvin act like spoiled children when they move.
Jules Kendall: So far, she's boring to me. And, why's she up to something with that villian called Vance King?
Hadley Bassett: So far, I believe he needs to be improved more.
Emily Jones: She's so nasty. True, she is good at mysteries. I never heard an AIO character who can solve more mysteries than her. However, she acts mean. I don't really mind her blackmailing people - she was afraid to lose Matthew because she was in love with him. And, I never heard the GRC, so I don't know what this love with Buck is. But, all I know is that Buck is a criminal in juvinele detention.
Barrett Jones: Simple. He's boring.
Camilla Parker: So far, I've heard only 1 episode with Camilla. If she's a middle schooler why does she sound like a elementary girl or even kindergartener? She also sounds like a spoiled girl. I have no settled conclusions on her, but I'm inclined to think negative.
Olivia Parker: 1. Boring 2. She's soooo obcessed with Melissa Cyphers. Screaming because she gets to meet her favorite singer? Oh no, Olivia! You made a terrible mistake! You shouldn't be obcessed with human beings just because they can sing well.

I'm surprised that I even said that Officer Harley, Wellington Bassett, or Katrina Meltsner stank. In fact, now I would rate Harley 8-9.5, Wellington 6-9, and Katrina 6-8.

I think you might be "missing the point" with quite a few of these characters. You seem to want AIO to be some sort of ultra-realistic environment where everyone behaves exactly as you and no one has any moral flaws. Well, sorry, JH, but that's, in general, a bad way to go about entertaining someone, and half of AIO's purpose is to entertain.

I get the sense that you don't seem to understand the point of some of these characters. You claim Harlow Doyle to be "unrealistic". Well, I hate to break it to you, buddy, but that's not exactly news. To call Harlow Doyle "unrealistic" is like calling Darth Vader "Luke's father" (I apologize if I just spoiled the entire Original Trilogy for you). In other words, you can't argue against a character by simply stating what they are.

Your assessment of Nelson Swanson is even more troubling. I personally don't think you're being fair to the actress who plays him. If you had disliked the character before you found about the actress, that would be one thing, but to base your entire assessment of his character based on the actor's gender is all wrong. I mean, if Georgina Cordova is the best person to play Nelson Swanson, (and she's obviously not the worst, based on the fact that you originally liked her) then why shouldn't she play him?

You make similar conclusions as you did with Harlow with the following characters: Penny Wise, Sarah Pratchett, Emily Jones, and Wooton Bassett (also, I was a bit confused about your statement that's Wooton's kidney line is a crude and vulgar joke. Could you please explain to me how exactly it would be classified into the "vulgar" category?)

[HomeschoolCowgirl]

Nelson Swanson: I used to like him very much till I found he was played by a girl.

WHAT?!?!?! I did not know this.

[John Henry]

If that is what he's doing, then I think that is OK. I still have doubts, yet at the present I'll keep them to myself.

Oh, hello Mr. Thinker. xD
1. The girl did play Nelson well. I was tricked till I saw Marvin D.'s post that Nelson is sooo wrong because he's played by a girl. However, I wasn't too happy. Actually, I like Nelson, not the way his voice was played though.
2. Who is Darth Vader? I never even heard that name.
3. Penny could improve, but her voice is childish. You and some others complained about Emily's voice.
4. Concerning Wooton's joke - do you think surviving with one kidney - is that a joke?
5. Sarah Pratchett? Good Character? I can almost hear "The Spy that Bugged Me" not to forget "The Pushover".
6. If Emily narrates something she can sound like one nasty girl. "Game for a Mystery", "Stage Fright", and "The Malted Milkball Faction".
7. Too me, Wooton is extremely silly to bear at times. Like the end of "The other side of the Glass III".
8. Concerning entertainment and being realistic. No, I don't want everyone to behave as me. People are different. Moral flaws can happen too. But, the characters I term "unrealistic" do almost nothing, but things that are very strange which nobody ever does. Also, Harlow is said to be a detective, but I never heard him solve a case. Is there such an episode? Also are you saying that being unrealistic to entertain is good? Sorry, but I don't think so. I enjoy Ranger Bill Warrior of the Woodland, and yet they try to make it "realistic and truthful". I mean, this is about a fictional, but not fantasy town.

Nelson Swanson: I used to like him very much till I found he was played by a girl.

WHAT?!?!?! I did not know this.

Surprise, but it's true.

I thought disliking Wooton was extremely unusual and almost unheard of. I'm surprised that some ToOers hate Wooton.

[Doll]

Penny Wise: She doesn't stand to her name. She's not wise - that's why I called her Penny "Wise". She's rather too immature for her age. Her voice and her actions are more younger than she is. She sounds like a kid when she's supposed to be an adult. She can be annoying at times as well.

I hate to break it to you kid, but some adults just naturally have young sounding voices, myself for example. I don't think my voice will get any deeper.

Also, I love Penny's character so much. She is a bit "childish" in ways, but reminds me of myself so much. I love how Focus is maturing her, one episode at a time, and helping her grow up, but retain her childlike imagination.

[TigerShadow]

However, I wasn't too happy.

You still haven't given a reason as to why you find Nelson being played by a girl to be a problem that makes you unhappy. What we don't get is why Nelson being played by a girl is such a game-changer for you.

Who is Darth Vader? I never even heard that name.

Darth Vader is the main antagonist in the original trilogy of the Star Wars film series, and is also the father of two of the main protagonists, Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa. (I don't regret telling you this as a "spoiler"; while it was huge news in 1980 when the movie first came out, the film series is so engrained into Western culture that it really no longer qualifies as anything drastically revealing.)

I don't really mind her blackmailing people

So you think her narrating makes her sound nasty, but you're perfectly okay with her committing an illegal act? (Yes, I know she's just a kid, but legally, blackmail can get you into a lot of trouble no matter how old you are. Obviously I'm not saying she should be in the juvenile detention center or anything; I'm just saying that blackmail is a nasty business no matter how you look at it.)

she was afraid to lose Matthew because she was in love with him.

(Or she was afraid to lose Matthew because he's her closest friend and she might be kind of insecure about the strength of their relationship because maybe she doesn't have all that many close friends. But yeah, eleven-year-olds being in love seems much more plausible.)

Also are you saying that being unrealistic to entertain is good?

No, he's saying that there comes a point where there's really no need to harp on realism. It's fiction. Not everything is going to be realistic. He's saying that something being unrealistic isn't bad. Whit being an obscenely wealthy government collaborator who invents virtual reality technology that surpasses what has been accomplished at highly advanced research centers isn't realistic, either, but I don't see you complaining about him. This is part of what entertainment does—it exaggerates, either slightly or drastically, in order to prove an overall point or convey an idea. Not all entertainment has to conform to one idea; most of the time, entertainment stretches the willing suspension of disbelief, and that's okay.

In the interest of full disclosure, I really do understand if you don't care for Harlow because he is unrealistic; the realism factor is the reason why Officer Harley was removed from the show. Personally, I don't care for Harlow as a person, but really, he's not meant to be taken seriously as a person; he's there to be funny. If you don't find him funny, that's okay; you don't have to, and on this specific subject, I don't blame you. But there really is no need to take the matter so seriously.

Sarah Pratchett? Good Character? I can almost hear "The Spy that Bugged Me" not to forget "The Pushover".

So Sarah is a sharp-tongued, fiery character who doesn't suffer fools gladly and is therefore a horrible person, but Bernard does the same thing and is somehow perfectly acceptable? Not to mention that in "The Spy Who Bugged Me", Jared is the one who's snooping around and throwing his best friend under the bus to do it, yet there are absolutely no problems with his character? (I don't dislike Bernard or Jared, though I do find Jared to be vastly overrated; I'm just pointing out that they are just as flawed as Sarah is and yet they come under no fire.)

Concerning Wooton's joke - do you think surviving with one kidney - is that a joke?

What's the context? It might have been just an offhand comment. To mock people who have to survive with one kidney is one thing, but to simply bring it up in conversation might be black comedy at worst, not vulgar or lewd.

[SirWhit]

How is that kidney statement a joke? It's not mocking at all, it just "Hey, isn't it true that you can survive with one kidney?" It's a question, not a joke.

[HomeschoolCowgirl]

He was under pressure to lose weight. Of course he wasn't going to actually DO it, but... Hey, the dude shaved his eyebrows for this episode.

[John Henry]

Penny Wise: She doesn't stand to her name. She's not wise - that's why I called her Penny "Wise". She's rather too immature for her age. Her voice and her actions are more younger than she is. She sounds like a kid when she's supposed to be an adult. She can be annoying at times as well.

I hate to break it to you kid, but some adults just naturally have young sounding voices, myself for example. I don't think my voice will get any deeper.

Also, I love Penny's character so much. She is a bit "childish" in ways, but reminds me of myself so much. I love how Focus is maturing her, one episode at a time, and helping her grow up, but retain her childlike imagination.

Really? I didn't know that. You don't have to be sorry. I'll reconsider my opinions on Penny.

-- Mon Sep 22, 2014 1:55 pm --

@Tiger
1. Girls playing boys is not as good as boys playing boys anymore than adults playing children are as good as children playing children. (I hope this was clear)
2. Oh, sorry I'm not interested in Star Craft.
3. Concerning Emily - Then why are you in the ERK? Basically, that is their defense of Emily.
4. Harlow not as a real person? :shock:
5. Have you listened to "The Pushover"? She's OK in "The YAK Problem" otherwise
6. Sorry, but I think that talking about body parts has to be handled well. If it's not vulgar, then it's not good at least.

[SirWhit]

OK, that's fair enough. Could you explain why you think girls playing boys is not good?

Darn, I just realized that I said I wouldn't post any more about this like two posts ago. Oh well.

[TigerShadow]

1. Girls playing boys is not as good as boys playing boys anymore than adults playing children are as good as children playing children. (I hope this was clear)

It wasn't clear. The question wasn't "do you find girls playing boys to be bad"; the question was "why?" You yourself said explicitly that you didn't even notice until someone pointed it out to you. Why is Georgina Cordova suddenly somehow inferior because she's a girl and Nelson's a boy?

2. Oh, sorry I'm not interested in Star Craft.

Star Wars. Even if you're not, Star Wars has been so engrained into Western culture that it's really inescapable. However, I don't blame you for not knowing it, given where you live.

3. Concerning Emily - Then why are you in the ERK? Basically, that is their defense of Emily.

I'm not in the ERK. I simply post there sometimes; that doesn't make me a member. So what is their defense of Emily? And at what point did I even defend Emily in the first place?

5. Have you listened to "The Pushover"? She's OK in "The YAK Problem" otherwise

Unfortunately, I actually haven't heard "The Pushover". :/ But regardless, you still haven't answered my question. How is Sarah, who gets much better at relating to people over the course of her episodes, a bad person for the things she says and does when characters like Bernard, who never changes in this regard, get away scot free? Additionally, given the episodes we were discussing, at no point do I see you criticizing Jared—who arguably devolves, or at least remains static—as a character, when he does just as many unsavory things as Sarah and gets much more of a pass for it.

6. Sorry, but I think that talking about body parts has to be handled well. If it's not vulgar, then it's not good at least.

As far as I can tell, it was handled well. It was a question, not a comedy routine. :/ What's the difference between a good and a bad discussion of body parts?

[Doll]

Penny Wise: She doesn't stand to her name. She's not wise - that's why I called her Penny "Wise". She's rather too immature for her age. Her voice and her actions are more younger than she is. She sounds like a kid when she's supposed to be an adult. She can be annoying at times as well.

I hate to break it to you kid, but some adults just naturally have young sounding voices, myself for example. I don't think my voice will get any deeper.

Also, I love Penny's character so much. She is a bit "childish" in ways, but reminds me of myself so much. I love how Focus is maturing her, one episode at a time, and helping her grow up, but retain her childlike imagination.

Really? I didn't know that. You don't have to be sorry. I'll reconsider my opinions on Penny.

@Tiger
1. Girls playing boys is not as good as boys playing boys anymore than adults playing children are as good as children playing children. (I hope this was clear)

*squints*

But you think Penny sounds too young, and should therefore be a kid...

I think plenty of adults can and do pull off kid voices, Katie Leigh, for one, and also the actor who played Nicky....

[The Old Judge]

I think plenty of adults can and do pull off kid voices, Katie Leigh, for one, and also the actor who played Nicky....

But, Belle, let us not forget that Dick Beals, Nicky's voice actor, was not just a young-sounding person. He was in his fifties when he played Nicky. That is not natural. In fact, he had a condition where certain aspects of his body never fully matured, his voice being one of them. As such, he is not the best example to use, since it wasn't just a natural man with a youthful voice. Will Ryan would be a good example of that, since he plays a man in his late twenties/early thirties and he's roughly 74.