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 Episode
Reviewed: The Green
Ring Conspiracy
(679-690)
Writer: Paul McCusker
Director: Paul McCusker
Sound Designers:
Jonathan Crowe, Christopher Diehl, Nathan Jones
Music:
John Campbell
Theme: Recognizing Deception
Original
Airdate: 3/12/11 - 5/28/11
Review Written by:
Ben Warren, Staff Writer
Rating (out of 5):
Episode
Summary
Centered in the town of Odyssey, the story starts
when a backpack filled with money is found in Gower's Field.
Then a plane crashes outside town and a mysterious survivor is
discovered who may be an undercover agent or part of a
counterfeit ring—or something else altogether! Enter an
underworld errand-boy who has a cell-phone full of secrets. And
that's just the beginning of
The Green Ring
Conspiracy, a special adventure that
puts our favorite Odyssey characters at the center of intrigue,
suspense, and a scheme of international proportions. New friends
may not be who they seem. Old friends have secrets they must
keep. Deception and double-crosses are the order of the day.
Trust, loyalty, and faith are all put to the test.
The Review
By
Adventures in Odyssey standards,
The Green Ring Conspiracy
is a taut, engaging, and refreshingly complex audio dramatization. The story
drops us in a world that is always spiraling out of control; a world with
seemingly more questions than answers; one in which the more answers given,
the less we, and its characters, seem to know.
The
opening scene of the series hints at this tangled, cacophonous world the
characters are about to enter. As they travel through McAllister Park,
Matthew asks Emily the simple question, "fact or urban legend?" It seems
like an irrelevant question at first, but it serves to kick-start the show
in an appropriate way. It is
as if McCusker means to imply that the adventure we're about
to enter will be require some proper thinking and, more importantly, our own
discernment. Fact or Urban Legend? Truth or deception? Is it always one or
the other?
Let
me first say that
The Green Ring Conspiracy
isn't perfect. This isn't the show's "masterpiece". Still, I do think it is
a very strong episode/album. And though I preferred my experiences with "The
Blackgaard Saga" and "The Novacom Saga", I am far from disappointed with
The Green Ring Conspiracy.
However, is it really fair to compare all three sagas? Probably not. I liked
The Green Ring Conspiracy
because it was so different from The Blackgaard Saga and the Novacom Saga.
The differences are obvious. Firstly,
The Green Ring Conspiracy
was much more chronological in its storytelling. If "The Novacom Saga" was
constructed like the jumbled, mosaic TV-show "Lost", then the world of
The Green Ring Conspiracy
might be comparable to the more linear and more condensed "24". The
Blackgaard saga pieced together seemingly random moments, from Chicago to
Switzerland; different times, from early centuries in the Underground
Railroad to a futuristic journey in the Imagination Station; and different
characters, from the mysterious Richard Maxwell to the curmudgeon Bernard
Walton. Random pieces and people connected. Likewise, the Novacom Saga
enabled the listener to piece together seemingly random events, from Alaska
to Africa, and from large business meetings of CEOS in the past, to the
secret meetings of young Wonderworld members in the present. The world of
The Green Ring Conspiracy,
however, felt smaller in scale, creating an intimate, and more realistic,
setting. All of this to say, it tried to be its own thing, and succeeded.
Let's
also not forget that while the Blackgaard and Novacom sagas used characters
we had years to grow to love,
The Green Ring Conspiracy
had the difficult task of making its audience care quickly about characters
no one really knew about only two years ago. And, to my pleasant surprise,
they succeeded in doing so. What makes this album such a great addition to
the series was that it helped me care about characters such as Jay, Emily
Jones, Matthew Parker, Buck, Monty, Mr. Skint, Katrina, and others. And now
I'm itching to find out what happens to each of them in the near
future.
I
learned that, oftentimes, if the stories are good, fans are more likely to
forgive large character turnovers entirely. After listening to
The Green Ring Conspiracy,
I viewed the show's newest regulars in a different way. I automatically
accepted characters such as Jay, Emily, and Matthew as the show's usual
citizens and in my mind pretended they had always been around. I wonder if
the same will happen here as what happened with "The Novacom Saga", which
also came not long after another period of change, and brighten the shows
that came before it. Though I initially disliked the albums
Signed, Sealed, and Committed and
Twists and Turns, they eventually became
two of my favorite albums because their newer characters became so well
developed later on throughout the show. In the same way, I wonder whether
I'll one day look back at Take it From the
Top and Cause and Effect in a
different light, too.
This
is precisely the spark the show needed. Adventures in Odyssey
desperately needed a good story to rally all of its characters around. If
the producers want listeners to care about Barrett, then don't have him
angrily searching for his Vermanoids games for twenty minutes; don't have
Emily Jones acting as a stuck-up Cupid in
When You're Right, You're
Right;
don't have Olivia Parker be in a melancholic mood in
Finish What You...
These are all uninteresting story lines for any listener. In
The Green Ring Conspiracy,
I pretty much liked every character introduced since the recent
"reboot"—yes, even Emily Jones. Not only were these characters properly
used, but many were given rich storylines as well as a decent amount of
intelligent dialogue.
As
much as this season did a terrific job with its newest characters, I can't
quite say the same about its regular characters. Indeed, here are the
complaints— few as they may be—that you've been waiting for…
Firstly, although I adored Jason's return, I wonder how consistent
the writers have been with his character. Up until
Exit,
Jason was a missionary. Ever since then, he's been a "one-two-three": i.e: a
one note character, a two-dimensional super hero that shows up
whenever the story needs someone to do a fancy cartwheel, and a third-wheel
for nearly every other character. It's a shame. As most fans may remember,
what made Jason Whittaker such a strong, memorable character wasn't his
run-ins with villains, or his Indiana Jones-like persona, but his need to
suppress his inner recklessness. Jason needed to tame his inner recklessness
when he rashly attempted to install video-games, transform the Imagination
Station into a healing center, get duped by Monica Stone in Alaska, rashly
decide to elope with Tasha, attempt to baptize Malachi in Trickle Lake, or
miserably try to fix things in
Shining Armor.
And shown most strongly in
Shining Armor,
we see how Jason's inability to see straight when his own emotions got in
the way made him such a fascinating character. Whatever happened to his
missionary gig? Why has Jason returned to being Agent Ethan Hunt in
No Way Out,
The Top Floor,
and the atrocious
Accidental Dilemma?
More importantly, whatever happened to the conflicted Jason who once had to
wrestle with his inner demons?
I
didn't know whether this was a side of Jason that McCusker was referring to
in the show's final scene. In it, Whit cautions his son not to "get lost in
the labyrinth". I wish Whit had said more to his son, asking him, "What are
you doing with your life?", "When are you going to settle?", "How is your
relationship with God?". Although a long heart to heart talk between Whit
and Jason might have disrupted the show's momentum--the story needed to come
to a timely end, after all-- I would have preferred that the characters
vocalized some of these biblical themes instead of having Chris try to
awkwardly tack stuff on at the end of the episode. I am not suggesting the
characters weren't spiritual enough, but presenting more spiritual
discussions could have developed some of the show's overall themes, and its
characters, further. It would have been nice for some of these characters to
talk more, and therefore, to grow.
After
all, several moments in
The Green Ring Conspiracy
were surprisingly deep. Since there were so many characters, slightly more
interesting themes or ideas were downplayed, or underdeveloped. There were
several moments in which I wished one issue was explored further but which
was pushed aside for another. The show's subplot featuring Connie's art
courses, for instance, went over my head. I didn't really understand how it
fit in with the rest of the album, nor did I really understand the point
McCusker was trying to get across in those scenes.
Throughout my years in University I was taught the opposite of what was
taught in these episodes, I think. As I read the works of authors such as
Timothy Findley and Margaret Atwood, I wondered why I should be studying
some of their literature in a Christian University. Other students would
wonder the same, and there would always be that one who would raise their
hand and ask: "why are we learning these things?" The professors, often
annoyed by this question, would typically give an answer along these lines:
"Because, as St. Ambrose stated, 'all truth is God's truth', works of
literature that do not articulate specific Christian ideas can express ideas
that are congruent with our Christianity. The plays of Shakespeare seldom
reveal explicit Christian doctrine about nonetheless powerfully convey
important truths about human interactions in their narratives. We can learn
much about love from Romeo and Juliet, about revenge from Macbeth and about
forgiveness from King Lear. To read such works allows us to grow as
Christians." (Gallagher, "Literature through the Eyes of Faith", 131)
This
response sounds a bit like the one Dr. Trask gave to Connie, doesn't it? He
says, "We are dedicated to finding the beauty of God in nature, art, within
ourselves. And in doing that, we get to know Him better." Again, in a later
scene in which Connie seems uncomfortable with studying Salvador Dali's
Tarot cards, Trask's response is "As the creator of all, God is within all".
In other words, All Truth is God's Truth. The creepy music and
overall tense mood of the scene automatically paints Trask as some sort of
villain, but this is a very real sort of attitude several Christian
professors have, and a real issue many students will have to deal with once
they enter into a Liberal Arts School.
There
are many interesting questions raised throughout these scenes, but few
answers. To our surprise, Connie doesn't even seek out the council of Whit.
Confused, I had someone else listen to these scenes, and they too found them
incomplete. I was ultimately disappointed with the open-endedness of this
complex subject matter, even though I knew how difficult it would be to
explore completely. In my mind, this issue was too important—for both Connie
and the audience—to leave open ended, or to poorly resolve by having Dr.
Trask getting arrested. If this album meant to be about "recognizing
deception", then I would have enjoyed a better understanding of, as a
Christian, how and when I should appreciate an artist's work (in both
literature and art). Should Christians watch/read/listen/study everything as
long as they view it through a Christian lens? When should they and when
shouldn't they? Should they abstain from the non-religious works altogether?
Tough questions. No answers.
And
while Connie and Jason's journeys seem incomplete, there were so many other
little interesting relationships and storylines to care about. I wish I had
more time to write a lengthier analysis of each one: Buck and Mr. Skint's
complex relationship is certainly one of Adventures Odyssey's most
fascinating relationships to date; Audrey Wasilewski's Katrina suddenly
became more interesting by finding out she had a "history" of becoming
obsessed with her students; Jay's complex relationship with his
Uncle/father-figure Wally Haggler made both characters way more interesting
since their appearance in
A Thankstaking Story;
Detective Polehaus' sexist and pushy relationship with everyone he came into
contact with made him more interesting than your average Cop; Connie's odd
and offbeat friendship with Penny Wise created such an interesting
friendship to follow; Penny's even odder romance with Wooton Bassett, though
pointless, was often humorous. What's interesting is that McCusker uses all
these relationships and revolves them thematically around discernment—every
single one. Every character comes to a point where they learn that the other
may not be who they initially seem to be. I like the way
AIOwiki puts it: "New friends may not be who they seem. Old friends have
secrets they must keep. Deception and double-crosses are the order of the
day. Trust, loyalty, and faith are all put to the test." We are all complex
creations of Christ, after all. We are made even more complex with sin. It
was nice that Paul McCusker was able to bring out such complexity in these
characters.
I
understand how difficult it must have been for McCusker to keep track of
when and where each character was supposed to be. I also came to realize
that the show's large cast of characters was also the album's greatness
weakness. I thought that there were far too many scenes to simply remind us
who knew what and where so-and-so was going and why. This, at times,
affected the dialogue in a negative way. Characters had the habit of stating
the obvious: For instance:
[After
Buck destroys the cell phone]
Eugene: "I wonder why Buck tried to destroy it..."
Whit: "To keep us from seeing what's on it!"
Well, duh,
Mr. Whittaker. Ya think? On the whole, I think McCusker does a fairly
good job at having characters rephrase things in order to summarize what has
happened--this is especially helpful for younger listeners. For older
listeners, however, a few scenes and pieces of dialogue come across as
slightly redundant. Often, the audience knew what was happening, but the
characters felt the need to take that extra time to summarize what they were
doing. Though McCusker adequately maneuvers characters throughout this
labyrinth, because of the enormous cast of characters, the story never seems
progressed as quickly as I wanted it to.
Regardless, I'll admit many of the conversations were quite well-written,
and even sometimes brilliant: "No! You Call me as I snap out of this
mood!", "loudly exclaimed euphemisms escape me". (1: 10.15) "Now that's not
nice, not at all". I chuckled during each of these lines—which were all in
the first episode. For the most part, the characters had well written
conversations instead of stale punch-lines.
The
characters introduced in
The Green Ring Conspiracy
were, for me, either hit-or-miss. I liked Monty (a twenty year absence makes
him new, OK?) Out of all the newest characters, I thought he had the most
promise for future episodes. I hope he isn't restricted to this brief
appearance. Finding out that he had returned to Odyssey in part one was one
of the greatest surprises of Adventures, and I cannot be thankful
enough that he was played by the same actor he was 20 years ago. It is clear
that though show is about the many characters that frequent the town of
Odyssey, the show has also become mostly about the Whittaker dynasty. Many
episodes, from
A Member of the Family
and
Memories of Jerry
to
Chains
and
Silent Night
have explored this family's expansion, growth, and overall rich history.
Whit's absence to the Middle East have showed that the show was less about
the Whit himself, but how God has used the Whittaker name to help Odyssey. I
think if Whit ever had a reason to leave Odyssey (which seems unlikely),
many fans wouldn't object to welcoming younger generations of Whittakers,
Monty and Jason. If the character of Whit ever died, at least his influence,
and legacy, wouldn't.
Detective Tanner, who I found to be the show's weakest character, entered
the show simply to distract listeners from the real issues and mumble
something about having security clearance. Yup, she was boring. She grew
less and less important since her entrance onto the scene, and then
disappeared altogether. I still wonder how necessary she was. The same went
with Dirk Biggs. I first expected Paul McCusker to do a lot more with these
two characters, but both seemed written off a little early and/or were
simply underused.
Professor Trask, on the other hand, was ingenious casting. Here is a villain
who not only sounds like Mr. Whittaker (that is, Stojka's "Whittaker"), but
blends in perfectly as that realistic, trustworthy, and wise academic. The
villains throughout this album ranged from perfectly realistic (Dr. Trask),
to downright comical (Uncle Archy), to somewhere in between (Mr. Skint).
Although I prefer more realistic villains, I'll admit that I enjoyed how
McCusker created such a colorful cast of villainous characters in this
album. I'm glad that for an album that focuses on "recognizing deception",
there were characters who actually deceived both the characters and the
audience. Historically, the show typically portrayed Christians as the
"good-guys" and the non-Christians as villains. Aside from a few instances,
we never really had a self-proclaimed Christian and mentor who turned out to
be so "evil"...and that, to me, is what made the character of Professor
Trask so good.
And
while Professor Trask was certainly a highlight of the album, he doesn't
come close to being as fleshed out as the twisted relationship between Buck
Oliver and Mr. Skint. I'll admit, I didn't particularly like Mr. Skint at
the beginning. I thought the lines he was given, and his performance, was
strange. Many of you probably remember this one:
"Oh-oh-oh-oh! Oh, And you're my cat! Aren't you my lad? Meeee-OW! Soft and
quiet!"
"It isn't
quite Shakespeare's Henry's the Fifth", that's for sure. Honestly, it took
me a while to get used to Mr. Skint as a character, and it wasn't until my
second listen through that I really started to appreciate how his character
was behaving throughout the album. Sure, he may have seemed sometimes
oddball-ish, however, his performance really tricked me into believing that
he would be irrelevant to the series. His relationship with Buck Oliver was
extremely fascinating to follow throughout the course of the album; these
actors played off one another well. I wonder how many interesting future
storylines can be wrung out of Buck Oliver. Though he lacks a certain
likeability/charisma, I think he'll be a welcomed addition to the series.
Of
course, an entire article could be written about what will happen next on
Adventures in Odyssey; however, here are a few questions on my mind
right now: Will Buck Oliver make his way back into becoming an employee at
Whit's End? If so, can the writers continue to develop his character fully,
and not have him trail out of the show like Aubrey and Nick did? Should
Katrina and Eugene adopt Buck Oliver? Would this be a perfect way to keep
these two older characters interesting? Should Monty simply disappear or
become a vital part of the show? And, if he remained, would he be merely the
same character Jason was 15 years ago? Might he be a better fit for Connie
than Mitch was? Should there be an awesome action/adventure episode about
Jason Whittaker catching up with Mr. Skint sometime soon? More importantly,
will all of this eventually connect to the Chairman?
One
of the best decisions Paul McCusker made with
The Green Ring Conspiracy
was just leaving the album open ended, without resolving everything, or
giving every storyline closure. Ever since the hiatus, many fans have
wondered why—if the show has largely abandoned many of its story-lines and
characters—they still listen to the Adventures in Odyssey. However,
the success of
The Green Ring Conspiracy
is not only due to its fun story but also to the rich relationships between
fabulous characters. I cannot praise the season enough for this. There has
never been a better moment time to use Whit's famous line: "The Best is Yet
to Come".
Rating
Note: As one
more note, as much as I enjoyed my experience with
The Green Ring Conspiracy,
I was a little annoyed by how this series was promoted/advertised (or maybe
I feel stupid for being tricked). It's one thing for Paul McCusker and Dave
Arnold to mislead audiences by providing "fake hints", but it's another
thing if those hints are more exciting than what the real surprise turned
out to be: Jason and Monty's return. Yes, I was genuinely surprised by the
latter revelation, but many fans were led to believe that Richard Maxwell
would be returning in this album. And so, the listener's happiness relies
heavily on whether you prefer to be genuinely surprised or whether you would
rather be given what you want. There's a sad sense that Richard Maxwell is
still trudging down that—to use Hoobler's famous metaphor—"long, dark hall".
That said, I admire this album for pulling off one of the biggest surprises
in Adventure in Odyssey history (i.e. Monty's return) and, in a few
years, I'll admire it for pulling off one of the greatest deceptions, too.
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