The Return
“The Return” is episode #329 of the Adventures in Odyssey audio series. It was written and directed by Phil Lollar, and originally aired on August 26, 1995.
Summary
Dr. Blackgaard returns to Odyssey to challenge Tom Riley's position as mayor.
Plot
Things are getting even more strange in Odyssey. Jason approaches Jack about coming back to Whit’s End. Jack refuses. He is determined to spend his time exploring the spiritual nature of this battle, through prayer, instead of through violence, the way Jason has wanted to proceed.
Meanwhile, Edwin Blackgaard is terrified. He has just learned that his evil twin, Regis, is back in town. He decides to leave Odyssey immediately. As he and Shakespeare are packing, Regis arrives, and threatens his twin, telling Edwin he must help Regis with his plans or be made very miserable. Edwin begs to be able leave town, and Regis agrees. Edwin timidly skips town.
On Cryin’ Bryan Dern’s radio show, Dr. Blackgaard announces that he is running for mayor. He wants to prove he is innocent of the evil deeds attributed to him several years ago. Regis knows he can be the kind of mayor Odyssey needs. Jason is shocked to hear Blackgaard’s voice, he thought that Blackgaard had died in Switzerland (see #290: “A Name, Not a Number, Part 1” and #291: “A Name, Not a Number, Part 2”).
To make matters worse, the Bones of Rath are vandalizing the town again. Now they’re committing crimes while dressed up as the Israelites. Jason visits Dr. Blackgaard to talk to him about what is happening, but ends up playing into Blackgaard’s hands. He has recorded their conversation and plans to blackmail Jason later.
Finally, on Blackgaard’s orders, Philip Glossman leads the campaign to get the city council to agree to close down Whit’s End because of the mysterious mineral in the Underground Railroad tunnel. Glossman says the mineral is a public health hazard. The council agrees, and Glossman hangs up the sign announcing that Whit’s End is closed.
- This plot section is too short and should be expanded. »
Discussion Questions
- Why did Edwin and Shakespeare leave town so quickly?
- Should Jack have come back to work at Whit’s End?
- Why or why not?
- Should Jason have visited Blackgaard? Explain your answer.
Cast
Heard in episode
Mentioned in episode
| Character | Mentioned By |
|---|---|
| Bart Rathbone | Jason Whittaker |
| Richard Maxwell | Regis Blackgaard |
| Eugene Meltsner | Jason Whittaker |
| John Whittaker | Jason Whittaker |
Notes
Parents: This series, known as “Darkness Before Dawn” gets extremely intense in places, and is therefore not recommended for younger listeners.
- Trivia
- This episode features the only scene in which Edwin and Regis Blackgaard interact on the show. The dialogue is incredibly interesting and speaks volumes about the character of Regis.
- If you listen VERY carefully to the above scene, you can hear classical music being played in the background. This music is the overture from the opera Tannhäuser by Richard Wagner.
- This episode demonstrates several traits that both Regis and Edwin share as twins, such as a degree of moral ambiguity (less for Edwin, more for Regis), a reluctance from both to associate with the average person, and a taste for lemonade.
- Eugene's work on the Imagination Station that Jason mentions to Connie in this episode is most likely the historical research into the history of the tunnel under Whit's End that Eugene will be performing in the following episode.
- Goofs
- Land around Whit's End controversy.
- While speaking with Jason in this episode, Blackgaard says, "Your father deprived Europe and the United States of information that would have benefited both nations immeasurably." While it's true that Europe is not a nation, but a continent, it's quite possible that Blackgaard wasn't thinking about what he said and it's plausible that he made a mistake. (It is also possible that when he said "Europe" he was referring to the European Union.)
- The size of the Odyssey City Council seems to fluctuate periodically. In #77: “The Nemesis, Part 1”, there are five members. In #326: “Gathering Thunder”, there seems to be nine since the vote was 7-2. But just one episode later in #328: “Hard Losses”, Hank Bonsall says the council voted 4-3 in favor of a recall, implying seven members. The number of council members changes again in this episode to five.
- It is possible that certain council members abstain from voting on issues wherein they cannot make a firm decision. Congress does it frequently. This could mean that there are 9 council members, and that, on any given vote, one or more of them submitted a vote of abstinence.
- Note also that although only five council members vote on the motion in this episode, at least two other members (voiced by Alan Young and Walker Edmiston) can be heard in the background reacting to the deliberations. These two apparently abstained from the vote, implying a total of seven members on the council in this episode.
- Margaret Faye's later comments that the town was run by an "Old Boys' Network" comes into question when two of the voting members on the city council in this episode are women. However, with the above suggested nine total members, it's possible that they are the only two of the nine members, making Margaret's comments that the town was run by men not far from accurate.
Quotes
Bryan Dern: Ladies and gentlemen. Dr. Regis Blackgaard!
Connie Kendall: WHAT?!
Jason Whittaker: No! It can’t be!
Regis Blackgaard: Hello, Odyssey. I’ve come home.
Connie Kendall: I can’t believe it!
Jason Whittaker: This is impossible! He’s... he's dead!
Edwin Blackgaard: Just like me? Did you hear what he said, Shakespeare?
Shakespeare: Yes, sir. Uh, sir...
Edwin Blackgaard: My good man, I'll have you know there is no one just like me.
Shakespeare: Sir--
Edwin Blackgaard: Edwin Blackgaard is one of a kind!
Shakespeare: Sir--
Edwin Blackgaard: Edwin Blackgaard is incomparable!
Shakespeare: Sir--
Edwin Blackgaard: Edwin Blackgaard is...
Shakespeare: A twin!
Regis Blackgaard: Oh, and Edwin...
Edwin Blackgaard: Yes?
Regis Blackgaard: If you see Mumsy, give her my love. And tell her she still owes me for the hip operation!
Connie Kendall: More secrets. Nobody ever tells me anything!
Jason Whittaker: Who are you?
Jellyfish: Well, my friends all call me Jellyfish. But, eh, you can call me... Jellyfish.
Walter Shakespeare: (lifts a very heavy suitcase) What's in here?!
Edwin Blackgaard: My reviews!
Walter Shakespeare: But, sir, I thought we were packing light!
Regis Blackgaard: Why don't you pack really light and take only the good reviews?
Brian Dern: What do our illustrious mayor and a person who's been disconnected have in common? That's right...a recall!
Regis Blackgaard: You see, my dear Jason, it's not I, but you who don't know what you're getting into.
Philip Glossman: There we go. A fine-looking sign. By the order of Odyssey, until further notice, Whit's End is closed.
Resources
- Episodes aired 15 times
- Episodes in Album 25: Darkness Before Dawn
- 1995 Season Episodes
- Episodes sorted alphabetically
- Episodes sorted chronologically
- Episodes hosted by Chris Anthony
- Episodes written by Phil Lollar
- Episodes directed by Phil Lollar
- Episodes produced by Dave Arnold
- Episodes with sound design by Dave Arnold
- Episodes with music by John Campbell
- Episodes recorded at Unknown
- Episodes engineered by Dave Arnold
- Episodes executive produced by Chuck Bolte
- Episodes in The Blackgaard Chronicles: The Battle Between Good and Evil Comes Home
- Episodes with 5-Word intro
- Episodes with Narration wraps
- Episodes with Normal wraps
- Episodes with theme of Spiritual Warfare
- The Blackgaard Chronicles Episodes
- Episodes produced by Paul McCusker
- Episodes with promos
- Episodes with samples
- Episodes on CBD
- Episodes on iTunes
- Episodes on Amazon
- Episodes on AIOHQ
- Episodes on the Odyssey Library
- Episodes on the Odyssey Scoop
- Episodes on the Soda Fountain
- Episodes with Connie Kendall
- Episodes with Edwin Blackgaard
- Episodes with Jack Allen
- Episodes with Jason Whittaker
- Episodes with Philip Glossman
- Episodes with Tom Riley
- Episodes with Walter Shakespeare
- Episodes that mention Bart Rathbone
- Episodes that mention Richard Maxwell
- Episodes that mention Eugene Meltsner
- Episodes that mention John Whittaker