2010 Season

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The 2010 Season is the 24th regular season of Adventures in Odyssey. It started on March 6, 2010 with the airing of #655: “The Inspiration Station, Part 1”, and concluded with the airing of #678: “Grandma's Christmas Visit” on December 18, 2010.

The spring season was highly anticipated as the last episode to be aired and released in the regular series was #642: “The Imagination Station, Revisited, Part 2”, broadcast on May 17, 2008. Although The Truth Chronicles was released in 2008 and the Passages: Darien's Rise dramatization aired in the fall of 2009, it didn't pick up the "cliff-hanger ending" from the 2008 Season.

Spring Season

The 2010 Season contains 25 episodes that have an average rating of {{#w4grb_cat_rating:2010 Season Episodes}}%.

Episode Original Airdate Album Writer Director Rating Buy Preview “Welcome to Whit's End” Unaired Welcome to Whit’s End (sampler album) Nathan Hoobler Nathan Hoobler % Chris takes a tour around Odyssey, showing all of the different places and people. #655: “The Inspiration Station, Part 1” March 6, 2010 51: Take it From the Top Paul McCusker Paul McCusker % Connie loves spending time in Whit's newest invention, the Inspiration Station. But when a glitch shuts down the machine, her obsession may go too far. #656: “The Inspiration Station, Part 2” March 13, 2010 51: Take it From the Top Paul McCusker Paul McCusker % Whit is concerned about The Inspiration Station's strange effects on Connie, but hopes the invention could be just the thing to inspire young Matthew Parker. #657: “Clutter” March 20, 2010 51: Take it From the Top Bob Hoose Dave Arnold % After nearly being mauled by the junk in his own garage, David Parker declares that his family is going to have a yard sale. Will the entire Parker family survive parting with their treasures? #658: “Game for a Mystery” March 27, 2010 51: Take it From the Top Kirby Atkins Nathan Hoobler % Simon Jones just wants the hedge trimmed, but his son Barrett can’t tear himself away from his portable video game — until it disappears without a trace! #659: “Target of the Week” April 3, 2010 51: Take it From the Top Marshal Younger Dave Arnold % Matthew Parker is Vance King’s “Target of the Week” – which means certain humiliation at the hands of the bully! Matthew decides to take matters into his own hands by getting revenge on Vance during an Odyssey Coyotes baseball game. #660: “For the Birds” April 10, 2010 51: Take it From the Top Phil Walton Paul McCusker % Camilla Parker desperately wants a pet, but her family seems to suffer from the “Parker Family Pet Curse.” To prove her responsibility, Camilla takes care of a baby blue jay. #661: “When You're Right, You're Right” April 17, 2010 51: Take it From the Top Kirby Atkins Dave Arnold % Emily Jones is usually right about everything – from solving mysteries to cooking chili. But when she decides to try her hand at matchmaking for her brother Barrett, the singing card she creates may have disastrous consequences. #662: “Grandma's Visit” April 24, 2010 51: Take it From the Top Bob Hoose Bob Hoose % The Parker family is in for a bumpy ride. It all starts when their grandmother comes to tell them that their Aunt Rosalita has decided to elope next week – in Odyssey, at their house! #663: “Finish What You...” May 1, 2010 51: Take it From the Top Tim Hodge Bob Hoose % Doors are opening up for Olivia Parker – too many doors, actually! After signing up for guitar lessons with Eugene, she also agrees to star in Connie’s play. #664: “The Jubilee Singers, Part 1” May 8, 2010 51: Take it From the Top Dave Arnold Paul McCusker % A talking portrait of Frederick Douglass tells Olivia Parker the story of the famous Jubilee Singers of Fisk University. #665: “The Jubilee Singers, Part 2” May 15, 2010 51: Take it From the Top Dave Arnold Paul McCusker % Olivia continues to hear the story of the Jubilee Singers from a talking portrait of Frederick Douglass. #666: “The Jubilee Singers, Part 3” May 22, 2010 51: Take it From the Top Dave Arnold Paul McCusker % Olivia hears the conclusion of the story of the Jubilee Singers from a talking portrait of Frederick Douglass.

Fall Season

The 2010 Season contains 25 episodes that have an average rating of {{#w4grb_cat_rating:2010 Season Episodes}}%.

Episode Original Airdate Album Writer Director Rating Buy Preview #667: “The Mystery of the Clock Tower, Part 1” October 2, 2010 52: Cause and Effect Paul McCusker Paul McCusker % Eugene and Matthew investigate why the clock tower at City Hall seems to be stuck at 11:45. Could it have something to do with the anniversary of a lost love from twenty years ago? #668: “The Mystery of the Clock Tower, Part 2” October 9, 2010 52: Cause and Effect Paul McCusker Paul McCusker % Eugene and Matthew investigate why the clock tower at City Hall seems to be stuck at 11:45. Could it have something to do with the anniversary of a lost love from twenty years ago? #669: “Wooton's Broken Pencil Show” October 16, 2010 52: Cause and Effect Paul McCusker Paul McCusker % In a last-minute replacement, Wooton Bassett hosts his own Kids' Radio show and is forced to ad-lib for a half-hour. Will his show have a point? #670: “Stage Fright” October 23, 2010 52: Cause and Effect Kirby Atkins Dave Arnold % Barrett is excited about getting the lead role in the school play. But when his first practice is interrupted by a mysterious booming voice, Emily must investigate the “phantom of the school play.” #671: “Fast As I Can” October 30, 2010 52: Cause and Effect Marshal Younger Dave Arnold % Wooton, Eugene, Connie, and Matthew try to apply the discipline of fasting and, through their comedic antics, realize that it’s far more difficult than they imagined. #672: “Opposite Day” November 6, 2010 52: Cause and Effect Kathy Buchanan Nathan Hoobler % Odyssey Middle School’s “Opposite Day” inspires Olivia to become friends with a girl who is nothing like her. Meanwhile, Barrett becomes obsessed with getting as many online friends as possible. #673: “The Owlnapping” November 13, 2010 52: Cause and Effect Marshal Younger Nathan Hoobler % When the Odyssey Middle School basketball team’s mascot is stolen, they suddenly start losing all their games. The team considers drastic measures to get back their good luck charm. #674: “Square One” November 20, 2010 52: Cause and Effect Marshal Younger Paul McCusker % Matthew joins a mysterious new club and refuses to tell Emily about their activities. Emily decides that this is a mystery that she must solve. #675: “A Thankstaking Story” November 27, 2010 52: Cause and Effect Dave Arnold Dave Arnold % On a snowy Thanksgiving Day, Whit, Connie, Eugene, and a few of their friends end up stuck at Whit's End. To pass the time, they tell a zany story of the Scrunch and his plan for “Thankstaking.” #676: “An Agreeable Nanny” December 4, 2010 52: Cause and Effect Bob Hoose Dave Arnold % The Parker family kids are convinced that they are too grown-up for a babysitter. A parents’ night out, a nanny named Maria, and the neighbor’s dog Bruno may be their opportunity to prove themselves. #677: “The Malted Milkball Falcon” December 11, 2010 52: Cause and Effect Kirby Atkins Dave Arnold % A piñata filled with delicious chocolate goes missing from Whit's End. Only a few people were in the room at the scene of the crime, leading Emily Jones to investigate “whodunit!” #678: “Grandma's Christmas Visit” December 18, 2010 52: Cause and Effect Kirby Atkins Paul McCusker % The Parker’s grandma comes for a Christmas visit, in the middle of an elaborate Christmas celebration cooked up by Eugene and Connie. The Parker family parents wonder if it’s possible to have a Christmas without stress.

Three different albums encompass all of the episodes in the 2010 Season.

• The sampler album Welcome to Whit’s End, includes the 11-minute minute episode called “Welcome to Whit’s End”.

• Album 51, Take it From the Top, was released in March 2010. Much excitement was built up in the two years before its release.

• Album 52, Cause and Effect, was released in October 2010. According to the Official Podcast, album 52 was the longest album ever produced, until Album 58, The Ties that Bind in 2014.

The Relaunch

In 2008 and 2009, the AIO team took a long hiatus to reevaluate the direction that the show was taking, as they had done nearly 12 years earlier after the end of the 1996 Season (Album 28: Welcome Home!). During this time they wrote new episodes, created new characters, and decided to make changes on things such as the show's logo and the release of albums.

Since Album 50: The Best Small Town had wrapped up many previous storylines, the team considered “Welcome to Whit's End” and, subsequently, Album 51 to be a fresh starting point for the show, a place where new listeners could start without needing to know existing storylines from previous albums. As such, Album 51 was internally dubbed "The Relaunch" before its official title was chosen.

Several of the episodes of the season paralleled or borrowed from previous episodes of the series: #657: “Clutter” being similar to #219: “Treasures of the Heart”, #663: “Finish What You...” to #199: “The 'No' Factor”, #668: “The Mystery of the Clock Tower, Part 2” to #40: “The Case of the Secret Room, Part 2”, #676: “An Agreeable Nanny” to #109: “Two Sides to Every Story”, #677: “The Malted Milkball Falcon” to #467: “Broken Window”, etc.

Whit's Voice

Probably the most notable and noticeable change in the season is that the acting role of John Whittaker, who was voiced by Paul Herlinger from 1996 to 2008, was taken over by the actor Andre Stojka. When the switch was officially announced, it was stated that Herlinger retired because of health reasons. Sadly, one month before the premiere of the 2010 season, Herlinger passed away.

Album Release

In the past, albums were made available some time after all of the episodes in them were aired on the radio. Starting with the release of Passages: Darien's Rise, albums have been available before their episodes air, or shortly after the first few episodes air.

Logo

Around this time the AIO logo was redesigned, making its debut on the official site and then on the covers of the sampler album Welcome to Whit's End and Album 51.

Opening Theme

This season also marked the use of a new musical theme composed by John Campbell. An early version of the theme was released shortly before the season premiere on Official Podcast 88.

Character Art

Character art for Whit, Connie, and Eugene were updated with a new look. The first image of Wooton without his face covered was also released.

The Parker family

As was done after the first hiatus, many new families and characters were introduced in this season, primarily in spring.

New Characters

• Two new bully characters: Vance King, played by Jason Earles; and Jay Smouse, played by Whit Hertford.
• Wooton's Captain Absolutely comics, which replaced PowerBoy.

Captain Absolutely made his album debut two years earlier in the unaired Truth Chronicles episode The Truth Be Told but would make his radio debut this season.

• Red Hollard, a handyman from Tennessee.
• The Parker family, whose members include Eva (mother), David (father), Camilla (age 8), Matthew (age 10), Olivia (age 11), and their grandmother, Lucia.
• The Jones family, which consists of Simon (father), Dorothy (mother), Emily, and Barrett.

Character Changes

• With the exception of Whit, Connie, Eugene, Harlow and Wooton, every previously-heard Odyssey character went unheard after the hiatus. Various other legacy characters would make appearances in later seasons, however:
  • Katrina, Jason and Monty in 2011
  • Jack and Joanne Allen, Dale and Ann Jacobs and Mitch in 2012
  • Jeff Lewis in 2013
  • David Harley, Edwin Blackgaard and Bernard Walton (briefly, via archive clips) in 2015
  • Wellington Bassett in 2016
  • Marvin Washington in 2017
  • Ed Washington in 2018
  • Officer Stew Burke in 2022
• Ryan Cummings and Nelson Swanson, characters from Kidsboro, were integrated into normal Odyssey episodes this season, with Valerie Swanson, also from Kidsboro, being integrated into Odyssey episodes in 2011.
• Walker Edmiston, the voice actor who played Tom Riley, Bart Rathbone and others, died in 2007, so his characters left the show after 2008.

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  This image has clues for albums 51, 52, and 54.

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  This is a teaser for the cover of Album 52, released in a promo video for the FOTF Mother's Day contest.

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  A full quality screen-shot of the first teaser

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  Clearer than the previous Album 52 teaser, this artwork seems to have been modified a bit.

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  The printed second teaser was given to a fan at Focus on the Family and then eventually was scanned and uploaded here.

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  Including the second teaser for Album 52, this image may have had other clues about future episodes.

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  The back cover of Album 52, as seen in a picture on the 100th Official Podcast