Exceptional Circumstances

496: Exceptional Circumstances

Preview:

Airdate

June 15, 2002

Last Aired

Date Recorded

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Recorded at

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Album

38: Battle Lines
Novacom Saga

Cassette No.

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Length

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Theme

Truth

Genre

Novacom Saga

Scripture

Proverbs 16:25

Written By

John Fornof
Marshal Younger
Kathy Buchanan

Directed By

Kathy Buchanan
Marshal Younger

Produced By

Glenn Montjoy
Marshal Younger
Bob Hoose

Executive Producer

Paul McCusker

Post-Production

Glenn Montjoy

Engineer

Glenn Montjoy

Music By

John Campbell

Songs By

Unknown

Inventions Used

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Rating

Current user rating: 93% (33 votes)

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Family Store

The Unraveling

Exceptional Circumstances

Expect the Worst

Summary

Jason meets up with a man named Duncan Mathis, a former test subject for the RWS Research. Meanwhile, Whit tries to convince Tom that he must stop the Wave Therapy treatment that is being given to Agnes.

Plot

"Visiting his grave one day, e-mailing him the next," says Connie as she sits down to talk to Mitch on Instant Messenger. Mitch is happy to get in touch with her, but Agent Bourland is very angry that Mitch is contacting the outside world. Mitch insists that they need help, but Bourland won’t have it. He cuts off Mitch’s access to the outside world.

Back at Whit’s End, Alex, Cal, and Mandy arrive to tell Connie what they found about the Novabox and its relationship to the sale of birdhouses, chips, and soda. Connie has trouble getting through to Mitch with the information, but finally contacts him on a separate Instant Messenger name.

Meanwhile, Tom arrives back at home with Agnes. The two of them fondly remember old times and even take a walk up toward the tower site.

Meanwhile, Whit arrives home to tell Jason that he owns Whit's End in Connellsville again and finds that Jason has finally decoded some names from Eugene’s disk. Jason says he’s going to investigate one name - Duncan Mathis. Jason finds Duncan in a wheelchair at a rehabilitation center. Realizing he’s a Whittaker, Duncan tells Jason the whole story behind Eugene’s research. Duncan was the guinea pig for the Radio wave study. He used the technology to begin to operate machines with his mind. When Eugene left on a family emergency, scientists from Andromeda showed up asking how to reverse the process; Duncan believes they want to control minds. Not only that, Duncan has found that all the benefits reverse themselves. Suddenly, Duncan’s sister walks in...and it’s Monica Stone! Monica and Jason are shocked for a moment. Jason understands now that Duncan was the reason that Monica was working for Andromeda. She even tells him that Duncan’s condition is her fault. Jason pleads with Monica to stop helping Novacom. He says she should ask Mr. Charles about the Novabox’s real benefits.

That evening, Whit tries to tell Tom about how the benefits of the box will reverse themselves. Tom won’t listen. Soon after, however, Agnes has a relapse. Agnes begs Tom not to take her back to Hillingdale.

Discussion Questions

1. Why didn’t Tom and Monica want to believe that the Novabox’s effects reversed themselves?
2. Read Romans 2:7-8. Why is it best to accept the truth, even if it hurts for a while?
3. Was Monica right for wanting to help her brother?
4. Jason said she may have been doing things for the right reasons, but she was working on the wrong side. What did he mean?
5. Read Proverbs 16:25. What might Monica and Tom think of this verse?
6. What are some things kids do that may seem okay but are actually dangerous?

Cast

Characters	Actors
Agnes Riley	Susan Silo
Alex Jefferson (b)	Travis Tedford
AREM	Bob Luttrell
Cal Jordan	Adam Pavlakovich
Connie Kendall	Katie Leigh
Duncan Mathis	Luke Graham
Jason Whittaker	Townsend Coleman
John Whittaker	Paul Herlinger
Mandy Straussberg	Aria Curzon
Monica Stone	Melissa Disney
Nick Mulligan	Chris Castile
Peter Bourland	Keith Silverstein
Robert Mitchell	Steve Burns
Tom Riley	Walker Edmiston

Notes

• When Tom and Agnes are taking a run in the field and looking at the tower, a helicopter passes by. This was The Chairman going to install the upload hardware seen in #499: “Exit”.
• VERSION DIFFERENCE: In the album version, when Connie is testing AREM to see if it's really Mitch, she also asks him what he made her for dinner. Mitch tells her this was a trick question, as he never made her dinner and if he had it would have been macaroni and cheese.
• Apparently Monica was married at some time, or had one different parent than Duncan, because they have different last names. Also possibly, she changed her name due to her work.
• Starting with #496: "Exceptional Circumstances", the last episodes of The Novacom Saga all start with the letters "Ex..." as in, Exceptional, Expect, Exactly and Exit.

Reviews

• The Odyssey Scoop: Read

Quotes

Jason Whittaker: Wait a minute. I'm confused. If it worked, why aren't you using the technology now? Isn't the Novabox supposed to help the handicapped?
Duncan Mathis: I did use it. The benefits don't last.
Jason Whittaker: What?
Duncan Mathis: All of the benefits of the Novabox - they reverse themselves...to the extent that people are worse off than they were before. It happened to me. It will happen to everyone else.

---

Jason Whittaker: Please listen to me. Even if it's for the right reasons, you've been working for the wrong side. Everything I know about Amdromeda and this box of theirs is not the answer for your brother or any of us.
Monica Stone: Well it's the only answer I have.

---

Nick Mulligan: You got an instant message.
Connie Kendall: I did? How funny. I'm sure it's not from who it says it's from.
Nick Mulligan: Well it says its from, Sparky the Happy Girraffe?
Connie Kendall: It's not what you thin- Huh? Who's Sparky the Happy Girraffe?

---

Robert Mitchell: The man isn't exactly lucid these days.
Peter Bourland: Making him a slightly less reliable source than Mr. Potato Head.
Robert Mitchell: If Mr. Potato Head had information right now, I'd take it.

---

Connie Kendall: Uh,don't come in here!
Nick Mulligan: Why? Are you losing solitaire again?

Resources

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• This Page On
  • http://www.aiohq.com/2001.htm#496%7C AIOHQ
  • http://aiolib.com/episodes.php?season=16&epmode=detailed#episode496%7C Odyssey Library
  • http://www.aiosoda.com/episodes_view.php?episode=506%7C Soda Fountain
  • http://www.whitsend.org/vault/A000000529.cfm%7C Whits End

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