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 Episode
Reviewed:
The Bible Network
(719)
Writer: Marshal
Younger
Director: Dave Arnold
Sound Designer:
Christopher Diehl
Music: John Campbell
Theme: Bible reading
Original
Airdate: 11/03/12
Review Written by:
Ben Warren, Staff Writer
Rating (out of 5):
 
Episode
Summary
Kids' Radio plays
out the value of reading Scripture in three acts
- a game show called "Who's the Real Sheep," a
crime drama "BSI: Bible Study Investigation,"
and an intensive training regime called "Bible
Boot Camp."
The Review
 KYDS
Radio enables Adventures in Odyssey to
teach biblical themes in interesting and unusual ways. I know I'm not
supposed to think too much into these sorts of episodes, but I can't
help but think about how they fit in the context of the Adventures in
Odyssey universe.
What exactly do I mean? Well, as
Love Is In the Air,
Unto Us a Child Is Born,
The Big Broadcast,
and
Kid's Radio
showed us, these wacky radio shows are really produced by Whit, Connie,
Bernard, Eugene, Wooton, etc. That means that―at
some point―these characters dropped what
they were doing to create this very episode:
The Bible Network.
It's amazing how Whit can both operate an Ice Cream shop and run a fully
functioning radio station at the same time. Not often do we hear people
going upstairs to work on the show; although, sometimes we hear Connie
recording her latest episode of "Candid Conversations with Connie" and
individuals working on the show's post-production, like in
Thy Kingdom Come.
But when exactly do the voice actors stop by Whit's End to record their
lines?
Does the voice of KYDS Radio regular
Pete Reneday belong to the
local grocer? Is the voice of
Brian Cummings the electrician across the street? And is the voice
of Corey Burton the local
garbage man? How wonderful it is that KYDS Radio can find all of
this local talent! Since Eugene and Connie sound like they play several
of the roles, we must assume that they too are really brilliant
voice actors. But, if that was case, why has no one on the show ever
mentioned their amazing abilities? And why is it we've never met these
wonderfully talented individuals that come to Whit's End to lend their
voices? Something doesn't quite make sense, here.
The truth is, KYDS Radio episodes defy logic. They're not
supposed to technically fit within the canon of Adventures in Odyssey
even though they're so often referenced throughout the show. Truth be
told, KYDS Radio really puts the attention on the cast and crew
rather than the characters; actors can feel liberated by not being
confined strictly to one character, and writers can take let loose
creatively by writing humorous, sometimes preposterous, scenes.
At first glance, The
Bible Network seems like an attempt to duplicate the success of
Hidden in My Heart.
Both are, after all, variety shows that feature humorous skits in
order to teach similar theme about preserving God's word in our
hearts. Do I mind? Not at all.
The Bible Network,
though similar, is dissimilar enough, and it offers a couple of new
skits children can perform on their own. If the format ain't broke,
why fix it?
The first skit, "Who's The Real Sheep?", is perhaps the less
imaginative of the bunch. We've seen the game show format used in
Here Am I
and
The Devil Made Me Do
It, and there wasn't much to enjoy aside
from listening to contestant spewing wrong answers about how to get
to heaven. The audience knew quite well what the right answer was
from the beginning and the whole skit consisted of the audience
waiting around for the girl to pick the correct answer. It certainly
lacks the poignancy and entertainment value of "Guilt-Trip
Jeopardy".
The second skit, "BSI: Danny's Apartment", was a step in the right
direction. A parody of "CSI: Miami" and its star David Caruso
starring a Danny Palusso felt almost outdated, but the neat CSI-ish
background music combined with a clever story that built towards an
unexpected ending made it feel fresh. Perhaps the funniest part
about the skit is that these "crimes" seemed so inconsequential―the
theft of rocky-road ice-cream, the destruction of a watch, the
knocking down of a shelf. I loved how Joe was repeatedly sent to
prison, only to appear seconds later in the next scene.
Although I loved "BSI", the final skit is the best out of the three.
This is a tough skit to write and
Marshal Younger nails
both the humor and lesson. I'll admit that, at first, I wasn't quite
sure where it was going. The overly-aggressive way the Sergeant
drilled the verses into the contestants made it sound like he was
going to be the one learning the lesson here. After all, shouldn't
learning the Bible be of one's free will? To any unbelievers tuning
in, this skit may have reaffirmed some negative Christian―a
la "Jesus Camp"―stereotypes. Regardless,
the skit works. And it's just so much fun, too! How
Marshal Younger found
all those insulting bible verses is beyond me.
All of these skits add up to an episode that is pleasant and
enjoyable to listen to. The humor here is never one-sided and will
make both adults and children chuckle along together. Adults will
certainly enjoy its wit, while younger listeners should its the
energy and hearing their favorite actors take one these unusual
roles. Wait, what am I saying? Everyone should love hearing
their favorite actors take on these unusual roles, and
The Bible Network
really let's them shine.
Rating
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