Volume 57: A Call to Something More

[yelsew]

YES!! I finally got this album last night... and listened to them all, and am curently listening to it now! all in all I thought the album was pretty good. It seems to me that AIO has been going up & down hill since album 50.

I did like how "you know who" came back from like the first few albums and I wonder what they're going to do with that. some of the episodes I really like, others ehh... but I'm happy to have the album, and cant wait for the next one!

[JuniorMints]

I liked it, but it's not the best album.
As for Big Trouble Under the Big Top, Well, to put it VERY lightly, I don't like Emily.so..

[Doll]

I liked it, but it's not the best album.
As for Big Trouble Under the Big Top, Well, to put it VERY lightly, I don't like Emily.so..

*hands you a KRE pamphlet*

We don't like Emily either! Come join us!

ETA: After reading this, I see you've already posted there. xD

[HomeschoolCowgirl]

It was alright. I think so much wierdness
(circus, Connie's OLD LOVER returning for her mother's funeral (??), etc.)
just turns down the
"AWESOME ALBUM" factor for me.
I think Emily is kind of corny and more of the
"kid's morning cartoons" type than the
"educational Odyssey" type.
please don't try to make me join a "hate Emily" club! or
convert me and make me join a "love Emily" club, please!!

[The Old Judge]

You are entitled to your opinion, and that's fine. Don't get angered at what I'm about to say; I'm just a dry curmudgeon. But three things have sparked interest in me.

1). Connie's old love showing up for her funeral is not strange and shocking. Death can unite people like nothing can. That's very honorable on his part to support Connie during her grief, and ge just earned some major man points.

2). "Weirdness." More so than Blackgaard, Novacom, or the GRC?

3). At some point on this board, you will probably be made to join the ERK or KRE. Just an introductory tip. Welcome to the Soda Shop!

[HomeschoolCowgirl]

You're right. 1). isn't weird, just something I've never heard of.
I just thought it would be kind of odd for Connie when she's at her mom's funeral or reception or whatever, and she's trying to cope with all the sadness and grief, and then suddenly here shows up a guy whom she used to love but rejected because of his unbelief in Christ, and she's wondering "What in the world, I thought he'd never want to see me again after what happened, is he a christian, or is he trying again to get me to change my mind, or is he here to be respectful? etc..."
Well Blackgaard and Novacom were more CREEPY than wierd, to me!
I'll try my hardest not to be prejudiced...

[The Old Judge]

Guess what I finally got for Christmas! Though I was expecting it, that still didn't lessen the anticipation and excitement of receiving it, and I've already listened to the first two episodes.

[Pound Foolish]

Erm, I hope you listened to one or two online before now, OJ. Though if you haven't because you wanted to save that till you own them, I understand. I'm that way too. I got it for Christmas as well, or rather, gave it to my siblings although it was as much a gift to me as them. (Smart, huh?) And we saved The Pilot to listen once we owned the album.

As to my thoughts on the album...

Your Servant is listening was brilliant. As with The Perfect Church, it selected a lesser known Bible story, and one couldn't be certain which people they would show, what course of events the episode would follow, it was building its own story from the Bible. For example, the story of Noah always starts with Noah finding out he's building the arc, building it, they send the birds on a test-flight, and then he and his family leave the arc. In The Perfect Church, by contrast, they threw fictional characters into a lesser told Biblical stetting in which various things happened to various individuals, and there was no telling which events it would show or where the story would choose to leave off. It was much the same here. "This Imagination Station is... different." "It's a little less predictable."
Further, Lucia provided a unique brand of grandmotherly humor that other characters don't bring, "I'm not going to get one of the computer viruses, am I?" "This machine changes clothes? Can it change diapers too?" Like Christian, I appreciate they did all this without needing to make her a buffoon. However, as to Eva and David being "too loose" with their kids, your entirely mistaken. They are very firm with them, and Lucia was being over controlling about the children, saying Matthew's hair was too long even. Lucia even admits a moment later that Eva is firm with her kids after seeing how she handles Camilla's desire to skip church.
Anyhow, controversy aside, this was a funny and compelling episode that developed Camilla's personality beautifully, made us think about being Christian, handled a Bible story wonderfully, with good acting by all, the new Michaela Dean included.
------------------
The Friend Formula. What can I say? Those writers and directors have something very valuable in the character Jay and the acting of Whit Hertford. Together, they've done it again. (Random note that must be said: Okay, what's with the new kid being named Riley!?)
-------
No Chemistry Whatsoever was a very competent show, which took advantage of something that absolutely needed to be taken advantage of. Ben Warren remarked, "Now Eugene is working at Campbell College again, I wonder, if Connie will be Eugene's pupil one day? The opportunity seems too good to pass up." Well, it was.
----------
More Than A Feeling. This is absolutely stunning. It moved me so deeply. The amazing thing about AIO is that every so often, it hits you right on the heart. This show got me where I was, I sympathize so much with Camilla and Katrina. It was so inspiring and funny to hear Camilla's initial rejoicing. ("You get excited about sports, why can't I get excited about Jesus?"? It's been too long since we've heard lines like that. What's the point of a Christian kid's show if you can't have that sort of dialogue?) It's painful when emotional fervor for Christianity fades away, and that can lead us to act on our faith far less, even to doubt if Christianity is for us. And sometimes our relationships seem so empty. But we are Christians, and someday our fervor will come back, and Christianity and relationships is more than a feeling. This is by far my favorite episode in the album, and I will listen to it again often.
--------------
Repent After Me. So clever, and Jay was amusing as ever, Barrett for once was entertaining as the star of an episode, Olivia worked well in her part, and Emily. Oh, Emily. Unknowingly on the trail of her own brother. Ingenious. And she was wonderful as ever. "I won't rest until everyone involved in this scam has been put in jail! I mean, detention." Gold.
-------------------
Big Trouble Under the Big Top. Emily at her best, a clever kiddie mystery, John Campbell again conquering yet another music genre. What's not to like?
-----------------------------
Life Expectancy. Wow.
I was stunned. Just stunned. All us kids were sitting around, excited with... okay, I'm sorry, but i can't think of a word besides expectation. Anyhow, and then, all of a sudden...

Connie's mom is dead.

Just like that.
It was weird. It was sudden. It was awful.
That's the only time for me AIO crossed a line. I never realized till now the line was there. Before, I had been made sad by Odyssey, but it had been Odyssey. A show I turned on to have fun. I wanted my emotions played with. That's part of why we turn on AIO, or any show, or read a book. To feel things.
This was different. I didn't want this. This wasn't touching. This wasn't moving. This wasn't entertainment.
This was a tragedy.
Sure, it wore off much more quickly than a real one. I felt more or less like myself after ten minutes or so. But, initially, I was shocked. All we kids barely breathed. We just stared at each other. Connie wept. Not cried. Wept. It was crushing to hear her.

And June was gone.

Both Connie's mom and our friend. I didn't cry. It was much like when I found out my thirteen year old cousin had died. In permanence, long-term effect and genuine tragedy, there is of course no comparison, my cousin's actual death was far more terrible. But in terms of the initial sense of loss, there is certainly comparison. I was struck. Numbed. Sad. There weren't any tears, it was far beyond that. Just an awful numbness, a pain.

June Kendall.
Dead.

And after the shock of it, I was furious. Why? I said some time ago, jokingly, "June not only hasn't been around since the relaunch, she wasn't even in album fifty. They wouldn't reintroduce her just to kill her. "Hi, I', June, and I'm dead." But that's exactly what they did. No goodbye. No episode with at least a cameo for her. Nothing to raise her back to the front of our thoughts. Just the news she was dead. Dead and gone. Didn't the writers know we cared about their characters!? Isn't that the whole point of a story!? Didn't they care we loved their characters!? Why were they doing this to us!? Why were they doing this to Connie!? What right did they have to just kill her!?
And I felt so helpless. I so reliant on the other characters. On Whit, on Eugene, on Penny and Wooton. I thought, you guys better do your very best to help Connie, because I love her, and I can't really and truly be there for her.
Now, it did what it was supposed to do. The episode threw Connie, of course, into a fascinating character arc and back into the center of things where she belongs, just as expected. And, just like Something Old Something New, they knew they were being hard on us and really worked to make up for it. New characters came back, new characters interacted with old, geeky joy abounded. Mrs. Sutton got a mention, Connie's Dad returned at last, we got to see Penny and Wooton flirting in their astonishingly cute and innocent way, we saw Eugene being rarely tender to Connie, the characters all rose to the dark occasion with fascinating lines, and...

CONNIE GOT A SISTER played by the long awaited awesomeness of GITS winner, the one and only hugely talented Shona, and JEFF LEWIS CAME BACK! In the SAME THREE PARTER! ARE YOU FRIGGIN KIDDING ME!? AWESOME! YAY! *pant* Sorry. Okay, I'm not sorry at all. *squeal* I mean, who could help it?

So all in all, who couldn't love this deep and inspiring reflection on death?It hurt the first time listening to it. It hurt like crazy. But it turned out alright. Life happens. We can't keep the ones we love. Connie has had Whit an amazingly long time considering how old he is ,and likely shall for awhile yet. And he said some of his most incredible words ever.
And Connie moved on. Well, not truly. As this show reminded us, you never move on. It stays with you. You move, but it moves with you. But that's okay. The world is still beautiful. Our good friends like Eugene and Penny help us on. And we will see our loved ones again someday.

[Samantha14]

Subject: Volume 57: A Call to Something More

Life Expectancy. Wow.
I was stunned. Just stunned. All us kids were sitting around, excited with... okay, I'm sorry, but i can't think of a word besides expectation. Anyhow, and then, all of a sudden...

Connie's mom is dead.

Just like that.
It was weird. It was sudden. It was awful.
That's the only time for me AIO crossed a line. I never realized till now the line was there. Before, I had been made sad by Odyssey, but it had been Odyssey. A show I turned on to have fun. I wanted my emotions played with. That's part of why we turn on AIO, or any show, or read a book. To feel things.
This was different. I didn't want this. This wasn't touching. This wasn't moving. This wasn't entertainment.
This was a tragedy.
Sure, it wore off much more quickly than a real one. I felt more or less like myself after ten minutes or so. But, initially, I was shocked. All we kids barely breathed. We just stared at each other. Connie wept. Not cried. Wept. It was crushing to hear her.

And June was gone.

Both Connie's mom and our friend. I didn't cry. It was much like when I found out my thirteen year old cousin had died. In permanence, long-term effect and genuine tragedy, there is of course no comparison, my cousin's actual death was far more terrible. But in terms of the initial sense of loss, there is certainly comparison. I was struck. Numbed. Sad. There weren't any tears, it was far beyond that. Just an awful numbness, a pain.

June Kendall.
Dead.

And after the shock of it, I was furious. Why? I said some time ago, jokingly, "June not only hasn't been around since the relaunch, she wasn't even in album fifty. They wouldn't reintroduce her just to kill her. "Hi, I', June, and I'm dead." But that's exactly what they did. No goodbye. No episode with at least a cameo for her. Nothing to raise her back to the front of our thoughts. Just the news she was dead. Dead and gone. Didn't the writers no we cared about their characters!? Isn't that the whole point of a story!? Didn't they care we loved their characters!? Why were they doing this to us!? Why were they doing this to Connie!? What right did they have to just kill her!?
And I felt so helpless. I so reliant on the other characters. On Whit, on Eugene, on Penny and Wooton. I thought, you guys better do your very best to help Connie, because I love her, and I can't really and truly be there for her.
Now, it did what it was supposed to do. The episode threw Connie, of course, into a fascinating character arc and back into the center of things where she belongs, just as expected. And, just like Something Old Something New, they knew they were being hard on us and really worked to make up for it. New characters came back, new characters interacted with new, geeky joy abounded. Mrs. Sutton got a mention, Connie's Dad returned at last, we got to see Penny and Wooton flirting in their astonishingly cute and innocent way, we saw Eugene being rarely tender to Connie, the characters all rose to the dark occasion with fascinating lines, and...

CONNIE GOT A SISTER played by the long awaited awesomeness of GITS winner, the one and only hugely talented Shona, and JEFF LEWIS CAME BACK! In the SAME THREE PARTER! ARE YOU FRIGGIN KIDDING ME!? AWESOME! YAY! *pant* Sorry. Okay, I'm not sorry at all. *squeal* I mean, who could help it?

So all in all, who couldn't love this deep and inspiring reflection on death?It hurt the first time listening to it. It hurt like crazy. But it turned out alright. Life happens. We can't keep the ones we love. Connie has had Whit an amazingly long time considering how old he is ,and likely shall for awhile yet. And he said some of his most incredible words ever.
And Connie moved on. Well, not truly. As this show reminded us, you never move on. It stays with you. You move, but it moves with you. But that's okay. The world is still beautiful. Our good friends like Eugene and Penny help us on. And we will see our loved ones again someday.

^^^ This.
I really have to agree with you... I felt a lot of emotions from this episode. But, really, my main feeling was this one that I knew this far too well than I should. And then fear. Because of this aura of what if. I hated that feeling. It made me cry more than the actual episode. Relating to it all. That's what hurt me the most. Plus, it gave me nightmares because of that point , soooo. >.>

But, yeah. It was needed, but, also, it needed more. I don't know how to say it any simpler than that. If we'd gotten to know her longer... If they'd brought her back before this... without just bringing her back to kill her off... Then again, it might have made it worse that way. Or, maybe better? Would it have been better or worse to get reacquainted with her before... this? To fall in love with her all over again, only to have her taken from us forever? I don't know. I felt like such an arc starter was needed, but... I don't know. Again. I'm trying to sort out my emotions from this.

I have a love-hate relationship with it, I can say that much.

[shnoodlec.]

I'm pretty happy they mentioned us. Makes me feel special.

Wait--- what? Who do you mean by us?

[HomeschoolCowgirl]

Life Expectancy. Wow.
I was stunned. Just stunned. All us kids were sitting around, excited with... okay, I'm sorry, but i can't think of a word besides expectation. Anyhow, and then, all of a sudden...

Connie's mom is dead.

Just like that.
It was weird. It was sudden. It was awful.
That's the only time for me AIO crossed a line. I never realized till now the line was there. Before, I had been made sad by Odyssey, but it had been Odyssey. A show I turned on to have fun. I wanted my emotions played with. That's part of why we turn on AIO, or any show, or read a book. To feel things.
This was different. I didn't want this. This wasn't touching. This wasn't moving. This wasn't entertainment.
This was a tragedy.
Sure, it wore off much more quickly than a real one. I felt more or less like myself after ten minutes or so. But, initially, I was shocked. All we kids barely breathed. We just stared at each other. Connie wept. Not cried. Wept. It was crushing to hear her.

And June was gone.

Both Connie's mom and our friend. I didn't cry. It was much like when I found out my thirteen year old cousin had died. In permanence, long-term effect and genuine tragedy, there is of course no comparison, my cousin's actual death was far more terrible. But in terms of the initial sense of loss, there is certainly comparison. I was struck. Numbed. Sad. There weren't any tears, it was far beyond that. Just an awful numbness, a pain.

June Kendall.
Dead.

And after the shock of it, I was furious. Why? I said some time ago, jokingly, "June not only hasn't been around since the relaunch, she wasn't even in album fifty. They wouldn't reintroduce her just to kill her. "Hi, I', June, and I'm dead." But that's exactly what they did. No goodbye. No episode with at least a cameo for her. Nothing to raise her back to the front of our thoughts. Just the news she was dead. Dead and gone. Didn't the writers no we cared about their characters!? Isn't that the whole point of a story!? Didn't they care we loved their characters!? Why were they doing this to us!? Why were they doing this to Connie!? What right did they have to just kill her!?
And I felt so helpless. I so reliant on the other characters. On Whit, on Eugene, on Penny and Wooton. I thought, you guys better do your very best to help Connie, because I love her, and I can't really and truly be there for her.
Now, it did what it was supposed to do. The episode threw Connie, of course, into a fascinating character arc and back into the center of things where she belongs, just as expected. And, just like Something Old Something New, they knew they were being hard on us and really worked to make up for it. New characters came back, new characters interacted with new, geeky joy abounded. Mrs. Sutton got a mention, Connie's Dad returned at last, we got to see Penny and Wooton flirting in their astonishingly cute and innocent way, we saw Eugene being rarely tender to Connie, the characters all rose to the dark occasion with fascinating lines, and...

Oh. My. Goodness.
This is what I would have said if I could write!
PF, you should consider becoming a movie critic. This is a m a z i n g!
It sums up that episode perfectly.
About feeling like Connie was a real person,
(that is, I guess, the goal of the show, and they did a smashing job of it)
and you really wanted to go to wherever Odyssey is,
and find her to comfort her, but you couldn't
so you thought Wooton, Pennie, Eugene, Whit,
and the others had better be doing a good job because you can't.
And about

I felt more or less like myself after ten minutes or so. But, initially, I was shocked. All we kids barely breathed. We just stared at each other. Connie wept. Not cried. Wept. It was crushing to hear her.

It really was. You felt like crying yourself. We listened while we ate breakfast. We just sat there with food in our hands for like, 5 minutes until we realized we were, well, sitting there not eating. We put the food down and just listened.
(And trying to add a touch of lightness to this extremely depressing mood, I listen to the official podcast and heard one interview with Katie Leigh (a.k.a Connie) where she said
[one of the producers whose name escapes me, it may have been Phil Lollar] "...fed me lots of jellybeans when I had to record the really sad, emotional stuff, and that helped.")
:-)

[vickygreen48]

I can't believe nobody mentioned "no chemistry whatsoever"! that one was one of my favourite aio adventures ever! (not counting green ring, sounds like a mystery, top floor, plan b, secrets, love is in the air, thes earch for whit, and countless others that i cant remember at the moment)

i laughed and laughed on that one!! like when Penny made up her song on the periodic table, eugene putting connie's apology as his ringtone, barrett memorizing the shortest bible verses and reciting them to Olivia, and even when Connie accidentally almost dyes her hair blonde! I loved that episode!!

[HomeschoolCowgirl]

Yeah. Connie and hair color don't mix very well...

[Blitz]

No Chemistry what so ever was well..... Okay. Album 57 redeemed itself some what.