Head to Head: Bernard Walton Vs.Red & Kramer

 Atttteeeeention OOOOOOoooodyssssssey Fans! It's time for HEAD 2 HEAD! In todays segment we're going to pit two of Odyssey's beloved characters against each other. Wait what's that? We're pitting two against one? It seems we have a change of plans folks. Today is a special Head 2 Head. So fasten your seat belts and lean in. In this corner we have Bernard Walton (BW), and in this corner we have  Red Hollard and Mrs. Kramer (RK) Who will come out on top?

Occupation:
 BW: Bernard has his own business as a janitor for the fair citizens of Odyssey. Businesses especially love Bernard's skill at window washing as it saves time, and Bernard's low prices can't be beat. Bernard is also the host for a local TV show called B-TV.

RK: Red is a handyman and skilled with a hammer and a saw. Mrs. Kramer works for the Library and busies herself with all the available clubs in the community.

Winner:

GRC VS DBD: Beware of Spoilers for both albums

With summer almost being over I made a point in getting this done before school starts...


I'm gonna break this down into several categories which will also give points for the final talley of which wins in my opinion. The categories being: Characters, Quotes, Plot, Theme, and "Likeness". 
                                                          
Characters:
DBD:
The majority of the characters in Darkness Before Dawn , aren't specifically new to the album, with a few exceptions. We have many characters that play an important role to the story line and conflict of the plot. Knowing that we already know most of the characters at this point in the show, it's easy to portray a concern for the characters we've grown to love. Such as; Richard Maxwell almost dieing by flying out of the back of a moving car, Jason almost being put in jail, and Jack almost getting  caught in an explosion with Regis Blackgaard. The bad guys here are ones we've pretty much grown to loathe and love both at the same time.

GRC:
In The Green Ring Conspiracy, we're hit with a plethora of new characters, some of which were introduced in 51 and 52, such as Matthew and Emily whom we've had some time to grow attached to. But the "plethora" includes; Penny, Detective Polehaus, Agent Tanner, Derk Beggs, Dr. Graham, Archie Haggler, Buck Oliver, Mr. Skint, and maybe some I forgot. But as well as the norm recurring characters, it brought Katrina, and Jason whom we hadn't heard from since 50 or before. Another character that was brought back from way back when is Monty Whittaker, a huge surprise there.

Winner: DBD

Darkness Before Dawn has mostly characters that we already knew including the bad guys. The Green Ring Conspiracy has an overload of new characters, but counteracts this with action and intrigue. Though DBD wins in this category for it's usage of characters that we've had time to love and fear.

Quotes- For this section I have scanned through the quotes on aiowiki, picking the ones that stand out to me and compared them against each other.
DBD:


"Rodney Rathbone: Thanks Pop, you won't regret it.
Bart Rathbone: I already do regret it. I still don't like any of this. And don't call me--
Rodney Rathbone: Hey, I'm on the phone Pop." -Angels Unaware

"Bryan Dern: (on the radio) Ladies and Gentleman Dr. Regis Blackgaard!
Connie Kendall: WHAT!!
Jason Whittaker: No it can’t be!
Regis Blackgaard: (on the radio) Hello, Odyssey, I’ve come home.
Connie Kendall: I can’t believe it!
Jason Whittaker: This is impossible, he’s, he’s dead!" -The Return

"Bernard Walton: Well, stuff me with feathers and call me a pillow!" - The Time has Come


"Jack Allen: I'm not here to save the world Dr. I'm here to save Odyssey nor even Whit's End. I'm here for you. For you're soul. That's the only thing that matters right now. Not money or power or computer programs or viruses or world terrorism. It all comes down to your soul."


"Jack Allen: So, you're...taking over the Israelites.
Jason Whittaker: Yeah.
Jack Allen: Well, I can't stop you...any more than I've been able to stop you from anything you've done over the past few months.
Jason Whittaker: Well, you always said I was stubborn like Dad.
Jack Allen: (chuckles sadly) Stubborn, yes...but not like your dad.

GRC:
  "Emily Jones: That's not the only thing, Eugene. You have to see what's inside this back pack.
Eugene Meltsner: Now this isn't a trick I hope. I wouldn't want to be surprised by a spring loaded snake or a collection of badly played banjo music.
Emily Jones: No, it's [the backpack] full of money.
Eugene Meltsner: Allow me. <Gasps> Loudly exclaimed euphemisms escape me! This is... <whispers> This is a lot of money! ~ Part 1


"Don Polehaus: I once kidnapped a cow after hitting my head in a car accident, but that's another story for another time." ~Part 3

"Buck Oliver: What are you doing?
Jay Smouse: Ahh! Me? I was just admiring your truck.
Buck Oliver: This truck?
Jay Smouse: Yeah, it's ...um... big!
Buck Oliver: You have a thing about big trucks?
Jay Smouse: Oh yeah. Ever since I was a kid, you know, (makes truck noises)
Buck Oliver: If you want to make friends, don't ever do noises like that again, OK?
Jay Smouse: Yeah." ~ Part 5


"Wally Haggler: Did you write everything down?
Jay Smouse: I think so, but I had to scribble on [the front of this] receipt from the hardware store, so it's kind of mixed up.
Wally Haggler: Let's hear it.
Jay Smouse: They drove the big truck back to a very nice house in a 40 gallon trash can.
Wally Haggler: What?
Jay Smouse: Sorry. Brentwood Estates. Then, they took the sheets off the hex-head cap screws.
Wally Haggler: Jay!
Jay Smouse: Furniture! Furniture! I told you this was a mess. And then they drove the big truck down to a lot near Gower's Field where the Tub Shelf Utility Cart is set up.
Wally Haggler: Uncle Archie's Carnival
Jay Smouse: Yeah, that. Then they got into a PVC plastic fitting.
Wally Haggler: Pickup truck.
Jay Smouse: Pickup truck and drove here to an iron gate on chrome pike.
Wally Haggler: Gold Camp Road." ~Part 5"


"John Whittaker: So how long are you gonna wait?
The Stiletto: Wait?
John Whittaker: To take off that disguise.
The Stiletto: Disguise?
John Whittaker: You know what I'm talking about.
The Stiletto: Now that's very interesting. I'm afraid the beard won't come off without a razor. However the hat will and the sunglasses. How's that?
John Whittaker: That's much better. It's good to see you again." ~Part 8


"Wooton Bassett: You know, I've always found that running along the top of a train gives me inspiration.
The Stiletto: Good, then that's what I'll do." ~Part 12


Winner: GRC
 In GRC there are many more humorous quotes that stand out, rather than serious ones. But not only that, my favorite quote is the one where we find out that Jason is the Stiletto. Compared to DBD, the ones in GRC are sometimes more comical, and more ..the word escapes me...but you get the idea.


Plot
DBD:
This album starts with Odyssey getting hit by different acts of vandalism. It kinda hits home in a way, because Odyssey and different locations that listeners and fans have to know and love are being hit. But it goes much deeper than that. As it progresses, we also hear about the isrealites, and their battle against the Bones of Wrath, A.K.A good vs evil. One twist in the album is Regis returning to Odyssey. Glossman, Regis and a newcomer Jellyfish, thicken the plot by trying to take over Odyssey and Whit's End. Blackgaard runs for mayor, and Richard returns to town to try to stop his evil plans. This album is packed chalk full action and suspense, including Blackgaard blowing up Whit's End and Jack almost not getting out alive.

GRC:
The GRC takes a different angle. Around Odyssey, there is a counterfeit ring planning to transport a ton of counterfeit money across the country. Monty and Derk Beggs crash in an airplane which begins stirring up things in Odyssey. This album is full of suspense as well, but seems to work in more comedic moments. The biggest plot twist was when the Stiletto was revealed to be Jason Whittaker. My all time favorite character in AIO.

Winner: DBD
Both albums are great in their own way. But DBD has way more scary intense moments that GRC lacks. GRC is presented in a very suspenseful and quick paced way. Which it is easy to miss details that prove to be important later on. DBD has such an interesting plot that can easily fill everyone with distress and hatred towards the evil wreaking havoc on our favorite town. And our hatred doubles as it reveals our favorite villain Blackgaard is behind it all trying to become mayor and reign over Whit's End.

Themes:
DBD: 
The themes presented in DBD are: Stewardship, Salvation and Spiritual Warship.

GRC:
The themes presented in GRC include: Friendship, Lies, Trust, Honesty, Wisdom, Discernment, Deception, Loyalty, Redemption, Hope, Fraud, Change, Survival, Evil, Money, Good, Potential, Affection, Justice.

Winner: GRC

The GRC covers a more variety of themes,  and is presented in a very interesting way. DBD has good themes too, but in a different way. So with that, GRC ties it up. So we move on to the last match.

Likeness:
DBD: There are so many aspects to DBD that is liked by fans. The fact that it goes on from episodes before it adds to the "likeness" of this album. But besides this it also has lots of excitement, Jason, and an epic conclusion.

GRC: The GRC has alot to like as well. The action, the excitment, humorous lines/quotes, and of course Jason's return.

Winner: DBD

It was tough to call this one, but DBD beats GRC in Likeness by a just a bit. Some of the reason being that it's more intense for older listeners. GRC still is definitely a favorite in my book don't get me wrong, but DBD tops it by just a little. I can say that GRC tops Novacom though.

Overall Winner: DBD

By a score of 3-2 DBD tops GRC by such a small margin.

Head to Head 53 vs 25 : 2

Note: This comparison is from someone who has heard the entire album 53. I will do my best to only refer to info in this specific episode. But remember there is a lot of info packed into these episode and I may mention something you may or may not have caught before.

Overview:

Small Fires, Little Pools:
Episode starts with a report of vandalism at the odyssey
first church. I like Pastor Barclay's statement: It just doesn't make
sense. Why vandalize the church? Jack has weird dreams, that cause him
not to sleep, followed by a phone call telling him to go to Whits End.
Upon arrival, he sees that Whits End was vandalized, and it somehow
has to do with his dream. His dream was about little fires popping up
and pools of water appearing to douse them out. Sam and Lucy see Whits
End in disaster, on their way to go fishing at trickle lake. Connie
talks with Jack about the vandalism and mentions Sam's input about
'Super Sam'. Jack replies with "not a super hero, but little pools of
water." A reference to his dream. Tom then answers several questions
at a conference bout the vandalism. Sam and Lucy when done fishing,
went to get their bikes and they weren't there.
Sam and Lucy go back to Whits End where Sam gets a mysterious call
telling him to go to Wonder World. He then meets someone who will lead
him to their bikes. Upon getting to the bikes, Sam manages to get the
ski mask off the stranger and finds out that it's Butch. Butch leaves
and Sam is intercepted by Jack and someone else. The episode ends with
Jack saying we have lots to discuss.

The GRC, Part 2:
This part opens with two new characters, Mr. Skint and Buck talking. And by their conversation, we can tie Monty and Dirk to Skint. But what were they meeting about? Also we learn that the mysterious person that Dirk called in Part 1 was Skint. Are they somehow tied to the counterfeit money? Also, I meant to mention in part 1, the plane was leaving Odyssey when it crashed. So apparently they were in Odyssey to meet Skint. The next scene goes on Whit and Dr. Graham at the Hospital. Monty working for the secret service? This makes perfect sense. First Whit and Jason work for the NSA, then Monty for the secret service. Monty gets to carry on the family workstyle: adventure. Nelson returns as the same jumpy Nelson we saw in part one. And Matthew tries tinkering with the appleberry to try to find it's owner. Which we can assume that it's Dirk's phone. Skint calls the number of the phone that dirk had, of course Matthew has the phone now. Eugene discovers that the money in the back pack is counterfeit. Eugene's statement: A lie is supposed to look as much like the truth as possible, is a good thing to keep in mind. Detective Polehaus interviews Haggler as if he's the bad guy. That's unprofessional of him. He shouldn't base his opinion of Wally based on what he did in the past. Polehaus' statement "Stay close Haggler. We're not finished with this. Not by a long shot." is similar to line's that Both Blackgaard and Glossman have used. After Polehaus' conversation with Haggler, we find out that Buck had listened to the whole thing. Buck makes the comment that Polehaus thinks the entire Haggler family is up to no good. In reply Skint says well he's half right. Who could Polehaus be referring to?
Gasp, Skint would stoop to using Haggler to their advantage? Buck seems to know too much about Odyssey. But I spose he could be around longer than we've known. Episode ends with security saying that Monty has disappeared from the hospital.

Comments/Thoughts:

Small Fires, Little Pools:
This episode really builds the beginning of the album. It gets us asking all sorts of questions that will be answered later on. It grabs our attention by cutting into our hearts with the fact that the town that we hold so dear to our hearts is under vandalism attacks by some unknown group.

The GRC, Part 2:
This episode isn't as heavy as Small Fires, Little Pools. It answers a bunch of questions asked in the first part, such as who Dirk was talking to, and part of what Monty is doing in Odyssey. But a secret service agent? Great add-in. The remark from Eugene about how a lie is supposed to look as much like the truth as possible is a good one.

Winner:

Small Fires, Little Pools.

It was a close call, but somehow I like the approach to Small Fires, Little Pools over GRC, Part 2. Small Fires, Little Pools seems more serious. With it being pretty much the opener for the escapade, it definitely provides a good start. In GRC , Part 2 Buck is a good potential character and I'm looking forward to seeing if they bring him back in future albums.

Score

Album 25: 01
Album 53: 01

They have revealed the cover art for album 54. I sorta like it, but I'm not convinced that it's the final. Some spots on it appear more rough-draft like than final. Hmmm...it's been a long while since I've done an Odyssey connection... Perhaps I'll have one for next time.

Well that's all for now. This is Freddy Jay saying "Come back to see how this battle turns out."

Head to Head: 53 vs 25 Part 1

I realize I've gotten behind on the news lately... With being so busy I haven't been able to post. And I'll get back with latest news as it comes. Don't forget to listen to Part 1 of the Green Ring Conspiracy. Since Album 53 is a continuous story line like 25, I thought I'd do something interesting and do a head to head type of thingy/review, Each Saturday.

Album 25 Opener:
A Little Credit Please:

Although this isn't exactly part of the dbd saga, it's still part of the Album.
Connie receives a credit card and that in itself has a predictable
story line to it. This episodes counter story lines includes Simon a
one time character. Both story lines have a common theme of
responsibility. Eugene is in the process of handling Katrina's
departure. Connie begins spending on her credit card like crazy. Then
later realizes her bill will catch up to her. Simon , Bernard's
apprentice, really wants to use the power sprayer but Bernard feels
Simon needs more experience before given more responsibility. Connie
and Eugene have a heart to heart conversation about Katrina. Eugene
then decides to grow a mustache. Even though Bernard insists that
Simon not use the power sprayer, Simon decides to try it anyway
without Bernard's approval. And learns that Bernard was right in not
letting him right away. Connie ends up going over her credit limit, and learns the importance of responsibility.

     Album 53 Opener:

GRC, Part 1:

This episode has an interesting feel to it's beginning. The fact or urban legend game that Matthew attempts to play with Emily is a great way to start out the whole mess to come. The fact that a duck's quack does echo is very interesting and has been debated. (Also, a ducks quack does indeed echo. Snopes and mythbusters proves it.) Although Emily's slightly rudeness toward Matthew seems a little harsh, it's understandable considering she doesn't like being left out of the Square One Club. I like that they kept the Tinkerers group, and that they gave it such a fitting name. Jay's entrance saves this scene immensely. His style is funny in a Rodney Rathbone sort of way, yet he has his own uniqueness to it. The mention of a plane crash is perfect for this type of sequence, not only that. But a backpack full of money too? It seemed kinda odd to me that Emily would shout "It's full of money!" in the middle of the woods. Connie's going to college for art classes seems very fitting. And it connects with her Dreams by Constance endeavor. With the plane crash, someone saying Whit's name just adds to the intrigue. Who would say him by name? My first thought was Jason, or maybe Richard Maxwell, or maybe even Mitch... My favorite quote from this episode is "Loudly exclaimed euphemisms escape me!" I most certainly will use that phrase sometime. The little section with Dirk on the phone is intriguing. Who exactly is he talking to? Then it goes to Jay at the scene of the plane crash. Detective Polehaus is an interesting sort. Although, he seems to be the type to judge a whole family for who their related to. Why was Wally in prison? Dirk then proceeds to Haggler's Junkshop. Second best line of the episode: "You come into my shop and pull a gun on me? Where'd you learn your manners?" The scene with Nelson seems so... eh. I do like his comment that suddenly the world seems so fragile when a plane can just fall out of the sky. Matthew seems so practical while Nelson seems so jumpy about everything outdoors. Love the name of the smart phone: appleberry. I can say there are a lot of minor things in this album that if missed will throw you later on. Just warning you now. Eugene is smart. Loads of money in a bag? Not likely someone would just carry that much around. Bank robbery is a good place to start. What a way to end this episode. The mystery victim from the plane is Monty? Gasp! What a twist! Very clever too.


Theme: 4/5
Humor: 5/5
Music: 5/5
Interest level: 5/5
"Like" rating: 5/5
Total rating: 4.8/5 = 5/5

Winner:

GRC, Part 1.

The Green Conspiracy earns an early lead over DBD. Partly due to the fact that A little Credit Please has so little to do with the rest of album 25. And The Green Ring Conspiracy has so much excitement early on. A little Credit please includes great lessons, and has Eugene's battle with Katrina's departure, but little excitement. It is very humerous though.

Score:

Album 25: 00
Album 53: 01

And so begins the epic tale of the Green Ring Conspiracy and the battle between GRC and DBD. Who will win? What answers will we get to those hard hitting question? Be sure to listen to Green Ring Conspiracy, Part 2 this Saturday.

P.S. I have heard all of album 53, but am doing best to give my first impressions of the episodes. Also for another head to head 51vs01, watch my sub blog, Day in Odyssey.