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 Jimmy Barclay
Jimmy Barclay is typically adolescent in
his outlook of life. As expected, Jimmy had a difficult time with
growing up and dealing with the new realm of teenage problems. He is a
bit of a cynic, often directing wise-cracks and other comments at his
family—although he is deeply devoted to them and is a “Barclay” through
and through.
Jimmy
Barclay is an energetic young man who has lived in Odyssey all his life.
With a sister who keeps driving him crazy with her annoying girlish
ways, Jimmy often has an argument with Donna Barclay. Fortunately as the
two of them grew into their teen years, Jimmy and Donna stopped fighting
as much. Jimmy is the Barclay's eldest son, conniving, full of energy,
and very imaginative. He often plays Zapazoids in his spare time and
enjoys being with his family.
Throughout the series, Jimmy matures and
grows. He is the only boy in Odyssey who stayed with the series even
after his voice changed. For a short time, Jimmy had a small crush on
Connie Kendall, which, inevitably went away. Toward the end of his time
in Odyssey, Jimmy endured many changes in his family. His father, George
Barclay, felt the call to be a pastor. Obviously, this proved to be
rough on Jimmy as the family funds dwindled and the family had to come
up with creative ways to provide more income. As his father attended
seminary, Jimmy held a few jobs to help out. Later on, Jimmy saw the
birth of his first and only baby brother, Stewart Reed. This was during
a stressful time in which he attempted to host a live Christmas special
on Kids Radio.
The changes in Jimmy's family affected him
and helped him to grow into a wise young man. He had his times of
experimentation as well. At one point, he felt pressured to follow in
his dad's footsteps to become a pastor, but discovered that God's
calling doesn't always work as he expected. He even tried to be a Sunday
school teacher. Within several years of being a pastor's kid, God called
the Barclay family to move to a town in New England called Pokenberry
Falls. There, he realized that God had been preparing them in Odyssey
all those years for an even more difficult adventure.
Jimmy has certainly been a fan favorite.
His relationship with Lawrence Hodges was always an interesting twist.
His pre-adolescent crush on Connie is a funny memory. Most importantly,
his relationships with people helped him to be an authentic character on
the show.
In more recent days, we find that Jimmy
has moved to Washington D.C. and made unwise decisions. He worked with a
tabloid publication to make ends meet, and eventually humbled himself to
move back home with his family. The adventures of Jimmy Barclay are not
forgotten.
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