1988 Season

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The 1988 Season is the second regular season. It began on January 2 with #7: “Promises, Promises” and ended on December 31 with #55: “Auld Lang Syne”. The 1988 Season saw 49 new episodes, the most of any season. Six of these episodes were re-broadcasts of Family Portraits episodes and 43 were original episodes.

Broadcast promos

During the first Odyssey seasons, Chris would often provide a teaser for the next episode to air. A sampling of these promos can be heard below.

Episode	Promo
#11: “Addictions Can Be Habit-Forming‎”
#12: “The Tangled Web”
#13: “Bobby's Valentine”
#14: “Missed It By That Much‎”

Odyssey USA

The 1988 season began on January 2, 1988 with the broadcast of #7: “Promises, Promises”. The first 22 Odyssey episodes were broadcast under the name Odyssey USA. Twelve of the episode were included in an album called Odyssey USA.

The 1988 Season contains 49 episodes that have an average rating of 86.1%.

Episode	Original Airdate	Album	Writer	Director	Rating	Buy
#7: “Promises, Promises”	January 2, 1988	1: The Adventure Begins	Phil Lollar	Phil Lollar	90%
Connie makes a resolution to be more patient no matter what, which turns out to be far more difficult than she imagined.
#8: “Dental Dilemma”	January 9, 1988	The Lost Episodes	Susan McBride	Steve Harris	79%
A boy plants fear in the heart of his younger sister as she anticipates her first major dental appointment. Unfortunately for him, his plans backfire.
#9: “Doing Unto Others”	January 16, 1988	The Officer Harley Collection	Phil Lollar	Steve Harris	88%	N/A
Sixth-grader Johnny Bickle tries to figure out how to practice the Golden Rule.
#10: “Nothing to Fear”	January 23, 1988	1: The Adventure Begins	Paul McCusker	Phil Lollar	76%
Shirley Zigler seems to be afraid of everything! But when Shirley's courage is put to the test, she has to put her fears behind her.
#11: “Addictions Can Be Habit-Forming”	January 30, 1988	The Officer Harley Collection	Steve Harris	Steve Harris	77%	N/A
A young girl name Joey tries a variety of bizarre methods to get her friend Stefanie to go on a diet.
#12: “The Tangled Web”	February 6, 1988	1: The Adventure Begins	Phil Lollar	Phil Lollar	93%
In a story written by Whit, Connie learns about the consequences of telling little white lies and how they effect those we love.
#13: “Bobby's Valentine”	February 13, 1988	The Officer Harley Collection	Paul McCusker	Steve Harris	86%	N/A
Young Bobby gets a note from Amy, who thinks that he's the cutest boy in school. Bobby, however, wants to stay as far from Amy as possible.
#14: “Missed It By That Much”	February 20, 1988	The Officer Harley Collection	Paul McCusker	Phil Lollar	84%	N/A
Middle-schooler Rachel Weaver is late for everything. But when Connie threatens to kick her off the volleyball team, Rachel tries her very best to be on time.
#15: “My Brother's Keeper”	February 27, 1988	The Lost Episodes	Paul McCusker	Phil Lollar	81%
Phillip Callas gets angry during baseball practice and tells his younger brother Dean to go home. When Dean doesn't return home, the police get involved and try to track down the boy.
#16: “No Stupid Questions”	March 5, 1988	The Lost Episodes	Susan McBride	Steve Harris	77%
Chris Gottlieb, a man in a wheelchair, and Meg Stevens, a girl with a lot of questions, form an odd friendship when they help each other out.
#17: “A Member of the Family, Part 1”	March 12, 1988	1: The Adventure Begins	Susan McBride	Steve Harris	79%
Monty Whittaker-Dowd, Whit's grandson, comes to visit for the summer, and learns a few lessons along the way.
#18: “A Member of the Family, Part 2”	March 19, 1988	1: The Adventure Begins	Steve Harris	Steve Harris	83%
Whit, Jana, and Monty finally resolve their problems.
#19: “Recollections”	March 26, 1988	1: The Adventure Begins	Phil Lollar	Steve Harris	91%
Whit’s best friend, Tom Riley, tells Connie the story of how Whit's End was created amid tragic circumstances.
#20: “Mike Makes Right”	April 2, 1988	3: Heroes	Paul McCusker	Steve Harris	89%
Billy Barton, the bully of Odyssey Elementary, gets into a fight with Mike Caldwell. When Mike wins, he becomes arrogant and lets stardom go to his head.
#21: “The Case of the Missing Train Car”	April 9, 1988	The Officer Harley Collection	Phil Lollar	Phil Lollar	83%	N/A
When a model train car goes missing form Whit's End, many kids suspect Michelle Terry, a girl with a bad reputation.
#22: “A Simple Addition”	April 16, 1988	The Lost Episodes	Susan McBride	Paul McCusker	77%
In an effort to get attention, young Nicky does whatever he can to get his parents to stop thinking about their soon-to-be-born child.

Adventures in Odyssey

To appeal to listeners outside the United States, the show was renamed to Adventures in Odyssey. The changes came quickly: #23: “The Quality of Mercy” on April 23, 1988 was the first time the phrase "Adventures in Odyssey" was ever used in a broadcast. A few weeks later in #25: “Harley Takes the Case, Part 1”, the show itself was first called "Adventures in Odyssey" and it has remained that way ever since. One other modification came with #27: “A Change of Hart”, which introduced the episode "wraps" where Chris meet with someone from around Odyssey. These lasted for the next several years.

The 1988 Season contains 49 episodes that have an average rating of 86.1%.

Episode	Original Airdate	Album	Writer	Director	Rating	Buy
#23: “The Quality of Mercy”	April 23, 1988	The Officer Harley Collection	Paul McCusker	Phil Lollar	87%	N/A
Ten-year-old troublemaker Scott Williams is let off the hook when he is caught trying to steal apples from Tom Riley. Unfortunately, Scott doesn't extend the same mercy to others.
#24: “Gotcha!”	April 30, 1988	The Officer Harley Collection	Phil Lollar	Phil Lollar	90%	N/A
Middle-schooler Philo Sanderson loves pulling practical jokes, but Whit is disturbed when Philo says that his lucky rabbit's foot keeps him safe.
#25: “Harley Takes the Case, Part 1”	May 7, 1988	The Officer Harley Collection	Paul McCusker	Phil Lollar	83%	N/A
Officer David Harley tries to find a missing boy named Steve Larson.
#26: “Harley Takes the Case, Part 2”	May 14, 1988	The Officer Harley Collection	Paul McCusker	Phil Lollar	83%	N/A
Officer David Harley tries to find a missing boy named Steve Larson.
#27: “A Change of Hart”	May 21, 1988	1: The Adventure Begins	Paul McCusker	Phil Lollar	81%
Freddie Hart learns that it takes more than different surroundings to make him a different person.
#28: “The Price of Freedom”	May 28, 1988	6: Mission: Accomplished	Phil Lollar	Phil Lollar	88%
Mr. Altman teaches his class that the men who in the Vietnam war were killers. This doesn't sit well with Kirk McGinty, whose father died in the war fighting for his country.
#29: “Rumor Has It”	June 4, 1988	3: Heroes	Paul McCusker	Steve Harris	85%
Jack Davis and Lucy Cunningham-Schultz wonder about a strange family in town and Jack is convinced they are up to something.
#30: “Honor Thy Parents”	June 11, 1988	The Lost Episodes	Phil Lollar	Phil Lollar	88%
Laura-Jean Fremont is embarrassed by the things her parents do. Whit then tries to help her learn what great people they really are.
#31: “Family Vacation, Part 1”	June 18, 1988	2: The Wildest Summer Ever	Paul McCusker	Paul McCusker	85%
The Barclay family of four takes off for a Florida vacation, but they get stranded when the family car breaks down.
#32: “Family Vacation, Part 2”	June 25, 1988	2: The Wildest Summer Ever	Paul McCusker	Paul McCusker	86%
The Barclay family of four takes off for a Florida vacation, but they get stranded when the family car breaks down.
#33: “The Day Independence Came”	July 2, 1988	2: The Wildest Summer Ever	Phil Lollar	Phil Lollar	89%
Irwin Springer, a middle schooler interested in history, falls when trying to get a book and imagines that he visited the American Revolution and witnessed the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
#34: “Stormy Weather”	July 9, 1988	2: The Wildest Summer Ever	Paul McCusker	Phil Lollar	87%
Connie doesn't like Odyssey and feels she is being swamped by Christians. So she wants to go back to California. But when Whit gets hurt, she realizes how much he means to her.
#35: “V.B.S. Blues”	July 16, 1988	2: The Wildest Summer Ever	Phil Lollar	Phil Lollar	90%
Ned Lewis' V.B.S. class is a mess and he must perform a sketch in front of the entire church! If everything goes well, the church will consider starting up a Drama program, but things don't look too good for Ned.
#36: “Kids' Radio”	July 23, 1988	2: The Wildest Summer Ever	Paul McCusker	Paul McCusker	85%
Brad and Sherman hit the air waves with their very own radio station: 'Kids' Radio.' But without proper support, the project is headed for trouble.
#37: “Camp What-A-Nut, Part 1”	July 30, 1988	2: The Wildest Summer Ever	Phil Lollar	Phil Lollar	89%
In the first Camp What-A-Nut adventure, Donny McCoy learns about being short, Chas Wentworth is put in his place, and Ned Lewis deals with a crush.
#38: “Camp What-A-Nut, Part 2”	August 6, 1988	2: The Wildest Summer Ever	Phil Lollar	Phil Lollar	91%
Donny McCoy gives his account of what happened at Camp What-A-Nut. He describes his encounter with a bear, and the rest of the camp's encounter with a skunk.
#39: “The Case of the Secret Room, Part 1”	August 13, 1988	2: The Wildest Summer Ever	Paul McCusker	Paul McCusker	92%
Whit and Jami Martin solve a forty-year old mystery after finding a skeleton in a hidden room in the basement.
#40: “The Case of the Secret Room, Part 2”	August 20, 1988	2: The Wildest Summer Ever	Paul McCusker	Paul McCusker	94%
A secret room is discovered in Whit's End that holds the skeleton of an old janitor from The Fillmore Recreation Center. Whit and Jami Martin attempt to discover some answers.
#41: “Return to the Bible Room”	August 27, 1988	2: The Wildest Summer Ever	Paul McCusker	Phil Lollar	91%
Jack and Lucy use their imaginations to their fullest, when Whit tells them the story of Jonah and his encounter with a 'big fish'.
#42: “The Last Great Adventure of the Summer”	September 3, 1988	2: The Wildest Summer Ever	Phil Lollar	Phil Lollar	92%
Terry's boring summer takes a drastic turn when he and his father are ambushed by a terrorist.
#43: “Back to School”	September 10, 1988	3: Heroes	Paul McCusker	Phil Lollar	85%
Leslie seems to have trouble with telling the truth. "Over-Exaggeration" seems to be her middle name.
#44: “It Sure Seems Like It to Me”	September 17, 1988	The Lost Episodes	Phil Lollar	Phil Lollar	81%
Leslie still hasn't learned her lesson and continues to tell stories. However, this time one of the stories may actually be true!
#45: “What Are We Gonna Do About Halloween?”	October 22, 1988	The Lost Episodes	Paul McCusker	Paul McCusker	74%
A Halloween party at Whit's End strives to teach the children of Odyssey to celebrate Saints and not demons on October 31.
#46: “The Shepherd and the Giant”	October 29, 1988	3: Heroes	Phil Lollar	Phil Lollar	86%
Connie experiences the story of the Shepherd and the Giant using 'The Environment Enhancer', a new creation by Whit.
#47: “A Single Vote”	November 5, 1988	3: Heroes	Phil Lollar	Phil Lollar	92%
Connie learns from Whit about how every vote matters.
#48: “Heroes”	November 12, 1988	3: Heroes	Paul McCusker	Paul McCusker	91%
Jimmy Barclay looks up to Melvin (Lightning) Livingston, the star basketball player. When Lighting is accused of using drugs, Jimmy stands up for him but doesn't know what the truth is.
#49: “Thank You, God”	November 19, 1988	3: Heroes	Phil Lollar	Phil Lollar	90%
Whit tells a group of friends about how he became a Christian. When he was young, his stepmother was in a horrible accident which left her blind. Through God's love, she was able to cope and show Whit the meaning of faith.
#50: “Karen”	November 26, 1988	3: Heroes	Paul McCusker	Paul McCusker	89%
Donna Barclay tries to cope when her best friend, Karen Crosby, becomes ill with cancer.
#51: “Connie, Part 1”	December 3, 1988	3: Heroes	Paul McCusker	Paul McCusker	91%
Connie encounters old friends who remind her of how different she was before coming to Odyssey. Meanwhile, Eugene Meltsner starts working at Whit's End and promptly changes how the shop works.
#52: “Connie, Part 2”	December 10, 1988	3: Heroes	Paul McCusker	Paul McCusker	94%
In California, Connie must make a decision about Christianity. In Odyssey, Eugene is inadvertently causing problems at Whit's End.
#53: “The Sacred Trust”	December 17, 1988	3: Heroes	Phil Lollar	Phil Lollar	86%
Lucy promises Heather she will keep a dangerous promise, and Eugene and Connie try to prove who is the better worker.
#54: “Peace on Earth”	December 24, 1988	3: Heroes	Paul McCusker	Paul McCusker	89%
The Barclays forget the true meaning of Christmas.
#55: “Auld Lang Syne”	December 31, 1988	The Lost Episodes	Phil Lollar	Phil Lollar	81%
Tom and Whit reflect on the things that happened over the year.