Reviews
for
"Wooton Knows Best"
[#691]
*All
ratings are based on a 5 star scale unless otherwise noted.
Review by Christian A.
Rating:
 
Wow. I actually loved this
episode--really loved it. I hope I can go into more episodes
this season with low expectations, because this one blew me
away. I can honestly say that I liked it more than any other
episode that has come out since The Jubilee Singers. It was
fully entertaining, and yet it had a very powerful moral
that was powerfully driven home without merely being
suggested or implied. You could tell that the writers truly
wrote this episode to bring across a point, rather than just
to entertain. This is the first episode since The
Inspiration Station that I actually felt really applied to
my life. I was greatly moved by the message, and it's the
first time in a very long while that an Odyssey episode
really convicted me and made me want to change.
Well now that I've got that
off my chest, I'll go review the episode the way I did back
in Albums 51 and 52. There isn't really any order to it, but
I'll do my best to make it interesting.
It was a pleasant surprise to
hear Olivia's new voice in this episode, since I had totally
forgotten that that was coming. She sounds like a mix
between Charlotte (after she's revealed to be Charlotte) in
An Agreeable Nanny and Jill from the Kidsboro episodes.
However, I actually think I could like this voice more than
I like Hope Levy's voice. As far as I know, she's still
played by an adult actress, and there's still a hint of that
in there. Oh, I just looked over at AIO Wiki, and not only
is she played by an adult, but that adult is Kelly Stables,
the same woman who voiced Jill in Kidsboro! I think this new
voice is a bit of an improvement, even though she does sound
a lot like Jill. Whereas when Hope Levy was Olivia's
actress, I complained about how old she made the character
sound, I actually like the older, slightly more mature,
feeling that Kelly Stables brings to the character. She
really brings out the dramatic side of Olivia, which I think
is what the writers originally expected Olivia's emphasis to
be when they created her. For once, I actually look forward
to hearing more of Olivia throughout the rest of the season.
I really enjoyed the sibling
rivalry in the episode. The new voice for Olivia fits
perfectly to be an arguing opponent against Matthew. Hope
Levy's Olivia always left me annoyed after she'd had a fight
with Matthew, but Kelly Stables' Olivia really fit well for
the role. Her fights with Matthew actually, for the first
time, really reminded me of how Jimmy and Donna Barclay
were. Could the Parker children finally be giving themselves
a good name in Odyssey history as a fictional family that we
non-fictional families can fully relate to? Anyway, I was
reminded of myself and my arguments with siblings a lot
throughout this episode. I once heard Sarah from the
Unofficial AIO Podcast say that whenever she encounters
families with siblings that almost never fight, she wonders
what's wrong with them. :D I agree with her. I think
bickering and fighting among siblings, though it is sinful
99% of the time, can bring us closer together and help us to
understand each other more. That's exactly what it seemed to
do in this episode for Matthew and Olivia. And I loved the
resolution scene; for the first time, I think, it really
sounded like the Parker siblings really loved each other.
:),,Is it just me, or has Wooton's voice changed a bit? He
seems to have a more raspy, less silly, edge to his voice
these days. But he is still silly. A little too silly. I
know he's supposed to be the stereotypical fun-loving,
somewhat absentminded, joke-telling, but good role-model
character, but I'd like to see the serious side of him once
in a while. We did see a little glimpse back into that old,
somber side of him when he was faced with a hard decision in
the episode, but then he was quickly back to silliness.
There was a perfect balance when we had Grady. But now
Wooton doesn't really have anybody that he's talking and
relating with on a regular basis (unless you want to count
Penny, but what kind of an influence on his character has
she been?), so we only see him as a flat, one-sided, silly,
barely-adult character who is merely there for laughs. Yes,
he had a fairly major part in this episode, and we did see a
side of him we haven't really seen before (Sunday School
teacher), but I was more than a little dissatisfied with
him.
The scene with Olivia and her
dad was really powerful. I think that's the first time since
Always with Ben Shepherd and Aubrey that there's been a
real, heart-to-heart, father-daughter talk, let alone one
that I felt emotionally connected with. And the music in
that scene was amazing; it really added to the poignant
atmosphere of the situation. I loved how Scripture was the
teaching factor, and not merely words of wisdom from Whit,
or worse, a brief lecture from Chris at the end of the show.
I honestly think this show had the best moral and the best
teaching moments of any show since the relaunch. I very much
hope that there will be many more episodes like this to
come.
So, that's my review. It was
certainly shorter than my GRC reviews, but it was one of my
longer ones. I enjoyed writing it, so I hope you enjoyed
reading it. Please tell me what you thought about the
review, and especially what your reaction to the episode
was. Did you like it as much as I did or not? What'd you
think about Olivia's new voice? Was Wooton a nice or
annoying addition to the heart of the episode?
Review by Margaret Daner
Rating:
Well, I liked this episode for
a few reasons. Wootons half-man, half-chicken story was not
entirely needed, but made a great sub-story. It really made
me laugh. Now, to focus on the more important features. I
felt Olivia was a bit rude to Matthew when she was telling
her parents about going as an assistant to Camp Whatanut.
But maybe she was supposed to? And Olivia also seemed a bit
to sure about going to camp. I mean, packing for camp? And
she screamed, um, quite loudly. But doesn't that develop her
character? And Matthew had a whole new side. He really cared
about the kids in the end. I was surprised when he got all
the questions right. He's beginning to mature. From a
mechanical, technical kid, to someone who really cares about
little kids. Big change, eh? My favorite part was when Mr.
Parker came up to talk to Olivia and calm her down. It was
beautiful. A work of art, I'd say. When she began to recite
1 Corinthians 13, I felt so peaceful. And the rest of the
scene was magic. Now when Olivia started screaming at the
appaerance of her favorite singer, I felt a little less
peacful. But I still find the episode fun and interesting.
And I can't get over how that scene with Olivia and her dad.
This is a cool episode and I like it quite a bit.
Well, I liked this episode for
a few reasons. Wootons half-man, half-chicken story was not
entirely needed, but made a great sub-story. It really made
me laugh. Now, to focus on the more important features. I
felt Olivia was a bit rude to Matthew when she was telling
her parents about going as an assistant to Camp Whatanut.
But maybe she was supposed to? And Olivia also seemed a bit
to sure about going to camp. I mean, packing for camp? And
she screamed, um, quite loudly. But doesn't that develop her
character? And Matthew had a whole new side. He really cared
about the kids in the end. I was surprised when he got all
the questions right. He's beginning to mature. From a
mechanical, technical kid, to someone who really cares about
little kids. Big change, eh? My favorite part was when Mr.
Parker came up to talk to Olivia and calm her down. It was
beautiful. A work of art, I'd say. When she began to recite
1 Corinthians 13, I felt so peaceful. And the rest of the
scene was magic. Now when Olivia started screaming at the
appearance of her favorite singer, I felt a little less
peacful. But I still find the episode fun and interesting.
And I can't get over how that scene with Olivia and her dad.
This is a cool episode and I like it quite a bit.
Review by Josiah King
Rating:
Wooton knows best was a very
cool episode. I enjoyed the plot, and found Olivia's
character more interesting then usual. So good work
Adventures In Odyssey Team, and keep up the good work!
Review by American Eagle
(Town of Odyssey)
The scene between Olivia and
Mr. Parker rocked! One of the best scenes since the relaunch.
Good episode. Full review when I have more time and can
re-listen.
Review by American Eagle
(Town of Odyssey)
The scene between Olivia and
Mr. Parker rocked! One of the best scenes since the relaunch.
Good episode. Full review wh
Review by Bren (Town of
Odyssey)
Yes, it totally does and the
music just adds to it. The discussion between Whit and
Wooton after Olivia and Matthew leave Whit's End is better
in the album version. I hate that they had to cut some of it
out.
jennifertwt (Town of
Odyssey)
I enjoyed this episode alot. I
am not usually a Wooten fan and did not really notice a new
Olivia though I did still find the character annoying. The
lesson was well taught and I love the way the Scripture was
used. Though I appreciate this album having actual titles
for the episodes as opposed to The Green Ring Conspiracy
1-12, I wish they had taken the title directly from I
Corinthians 13 as in On Earth as it is in Heaven. That would
have been cool. I look forward to hearing the rest of this
album. I have found a UK source for AIO which makes it
slightly more accessible to get to Sweden, but I would still
rather listen to the whole album before ordering. The
Blackgaard Chronicles, on the other hand, will be ordered
this week!
Jesus' Princess (Town of
Odyssey)
I really enjoyed this episode,
it seemed more like the older episodes in a way My parents
actually liked it as well, they haven't really been big fans
of albums 51 and beyond, with the exception of the GRC, but
they said they liked this one more. Did they get a new voice
for Olivia? she sounded different.
Review by Peachey Keen
(Town of Odyssey)
Rating:
The whole thing was a breath
of fresh air for me. The lesson was brought home very well.
It wasn't like the fluff we've been getting with a lot of
recent Odyssey episodes.
I've never been a big fan of Olivia, but I like it that
Kelly Stables is now voicing her now. Mind you, I don't like
adult females play young girls, but for some reason, I've
always liked Jill from Kidsboro. Olivia now sounds closer to
the characters age and is a little more likeable.
The father/daughter talk with Olivia and David was teriffic!
I'd say one of the best moments in AIO. Finally Odyssey is
putting the "family" back in the family show!
Review by Steve (Town of
Odyssey)
Rating:
Well, AIO is back for new
episodes, and I must admit, this one was better than both of
the past slice-of-life season openers.
Now, from the title you can be sure that I, along with many
other listeners, went, "Oh great, another dumb Wooton
episode." However, I was plesently surprised at how well
Wooton worked. When he was supposed to be funny, he came off
as legitematly funny. He never really got too corny or
immature in his jokes.
The other dominate character in the episode was Olivia
Parker, who's voice sounds like a real kid now! The voice
chage was much needed, and added some depth and
vaunerability to her character. Now, of course she whined a
lot in this episode. I think that's the purpose of female
characters on Odyssey. But her whining seemed more real this
time, as did her harsh comments about her brother. I have to
say though, the scene with her and her dad was mildly corny.
Joshua Meanie?! Oh, come on! Even though it was said that it
was the kid's real name, it seemed cheesy.
My only other complaint about the episode was the end with
Melissa Siefers. I cringed as soon as the music started. It
sounded like someone making fun of contemporary Christian
music. And then the cheesy, "Hey everybody, I'm Melissa
Siefers!" was lame. And of course, Olivia's incredibly
annoying shreeking. However all was not lost to the end with
the scene (after Chris' wrap-up) with Wooten and the little
kids around the campfire. "Is this supposed to be scary?"
All in all, it was a pretty good episode, though maybe not
the best season opener. 3 stars for me.
Review by Steve (Town of
Odyssey)
Rating:
When I first started
listening, I didn't think much of Olivia's new voice (not
that I liked the old one much.), but as it wore on I could
see that the new actress is a much better fit for the part.
Her anger towards Matthew was very realistic sounding. The
talk with her and her father was very good as well and
reminded me very much of talks I've had with my parents.
Negatives: It seemed a bit unrealistic to have it take her 2
weeks to do nothing but memorize a chapter of the Bible. It
seems a bit far-fetched that she wouldn't get the idea that
she was supposed to be interacting with the kids. I don't
think most middle-schoolers are that dense. Also, what
sounds like a whole concert set up behind a bus? Not very
likely.
All in all I'd give it a 3.5/5. Definitely much better than
the previous eps of the relaunch. (aside from tgrc of
course)
Review by Knight Fisher
(Town of Odyssey)
The episode starts with a
theme song. It's decent, but it doesn't feel John Campbelly.
The whole Scary stories thing was not funny. And then the
part that sealed the episode for me. WiFi keyboard. [Edited
out of this post is a two page rant on the ridiculousness of
the idea of a WiFi keyboard. The whole Matthew technology
thing I find very insulting.] Then the whole memorizing the
chapter thing was kind of ridiculous. The conversation
between Olivia and her dad was believable. But notice he
implied that everything she said in the other room was true.
And the singer behind the bus was completely predictable.
Overall even though it did have some good spots. It was not
entertaining. And was not funny. And the Focus on the Family
player was having problems. (again) So I didn't hear
anything past Olivia screaming as the bus moved.
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