Morrie Rydell
Personality
Morrie is shown to be incredibly brilliant, but he initially seemed to have some secret, unknown agenda in Odyssey. While most of the incidents he's pulled off have been harmless, he seems to have some malevolent reason for testing the intelligence of the citizens of Odyssey, Matthew Parker and Emily Jones being the primary targets thus far. Later it is revealed that he was putting the Christian values of the children of Odyssey to the test, as well as the detective skills of Emily and Matthew.
Family
- Main article: Rydell family
Morrie grew up in Japan with his family. He has an adopted sister named Suzu Rydell. His father, Raymond Rydell, works in the US embassy in Japan and his mother, Julianna Rydell, is deceased. His and Suzu's lifelong nanny is Mrs. Mado.
History
Before moving to Odyssey, Morrie went to an overseas school that posted their election results online. He was a campaign manager twice and got both of his candidates elected in landslide victories. His sister also mentioned an incident where things went "awry", which may have been the reason their family moved to Odyssey.
He makes his debut in #802: “Parker for President”, in which he turns the Parker siblings against each other, then secretly starts a write-in campaign for Emily which gets her elected as school president.
In #804: “The Key Suspect”, Suzu suspects that Morrie maybe behind the events in the episode and gotten Dion to take the fall for it by blackmailing him but she isn't able to prove it, clearing her of any involvement in the scheme.
#833: “The Secret of the Writer's Ruse” establishes that Morrie is capable of convincing Whit and Eugene into creating a mystery for Matthew and Emily to see if they can solve it and tests whether they can see past him. The episode also establishes that Morrie is either writing down his "scheme" for his personal documentation or is communicating with someone who he might be working with for his activities in Odyssey. Whit also suspects he has some agenda.
The episode #853: “The Good in People” sees Morrie testing Olivia Parker's promise to take the Drama Club to the State Drama Festival when he has a man named Jordan Winword call Olivia. Jordan told Olivia that he represented an organization called the Student Project Fund which would pay half of the entry fee into the Festival if the Drama Club could raise half of the entry fee. The club successfully did so but they never heard from Jordan again. Olivia ended up paying the other half of the entry fee from her college fund and resigning as president of the Drama Club. At the end of the episode, Morrie hinted to his sister Suzu that he set the whole thing up when he mentioned "that Jordan guy" despite Olivia never mentioning his name.
In the episode #885: “Further from the Truth”, Morrie seems to intentionally spill ice cream on Emily Jones. Emily went into the kitchen and spent most of the rest of an episode in an Imagination Station adventure in which she had to solve a mystery relating to the disappearance of the Parkers, assisted by simulated versions of Morrie and Suzu. The episode only ends when Emily admits she needs Matthew more then she was letting on. It is hinted that Emily believes Morrie not only set up that program but is also responsible for all the other events surrounding him and Odyssey as of late.
Everything finally comes to a head when Emily decides to investigate Morrie starting in #898: “The Rydell Revelations, Part 1”. Morrie comes to Whit with Emily's phone having found it in his house. The phone logs reveal that Emily found out that Morrie used Suzu for some of his plots like the note Emily got during the student council elections, the Writer's Ruse and that Morrie was involved in the escape room incident. At the end of reviewing the logs, Whit accuses Morrie of attempting to game him and many others around Odyssey, though Whit had suspected Morrie of malicious intentions long before that day.
#899: “The Rydell Revelations, Part 2” sees Whit expose everything that Morrie had done and how he did it. He did manipulate the elections, opened the lockers with Suzu's help, set up the writer's ruse mystery, paid an actor to portray Jordan Winword and Anya Popov and set up the escape room, and finally set up Emily's Imagination Station adventure. He revealed that he did it to test the Christian values of the children of Odyssey, test Emily and Matthew's detective skills, and to help both of them improve. It is also revealed by Whit that he knows Morrie and Suzu's father Raymond who sent Morrie, Suzu and their nanny Mrs. Mado so that Whit could watch over them and get Morrie away from bad habits. Whit also revealed that unlike Morrie's assumption that Raymond disliked him and Suzu, after their mother's death he just didn't feel like he was a good father.
Trivia
- His last name is a reconstruction of the word "riddle." (Official Podcast 305)
- His first name is a reference to Professor Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes' arch-nemesis. This goes hand in hand with Emily Jones being a reference to Sherlock Holmes with Matthew Parker being the equivalent to Doctor Watson.
Images
Morrie on the cover of Clubhouse Magazine
Morrie on the cover of Album 77
Quotes
“ | Morrie Rydell: But, on the bright side, the sense of peril did make the game more... exhilarating, don’t you agree? To face tall odds and come out the other side... And such a self-sacrificial choice, Emily! Surely that made you feel... good? No need to thank me. |
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“ | Morrie Rydell: So let me ask you: is everything the drama club did, and that Olivia did, and what she didn’t do; is all of that … good? Suzu Rydell: Well, I suppose … yes. Morrie Rydell: Then instead of being suspicious of your brother, why can’t you think of him as someone who brings out the good in people? Suzu Rydell: Then, the answer is “yes.” You did have something to do with this. Morrie Rydell: <beat> Good night, sis’. Suzu Rydell: Good night, Morrie. |
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“ | Olivia Parker: So what do the band members want? Morrie Rydell: Well, their number one concern is getting new uniforms. Olivia Parker: You mean those hats with the giant feather dusters in them? Morrie Rydell: I wouldn't refer to them as that, but yes. Olivia Parker: Oh. Okay, well, anything else? Morrie Rydell: They want more respect. Olivia Parker: Well, then, maybe they should rethink the giant feather dusters. |
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“ | Morrie Rydell: Natalie?! Tasha Forbes: Hi Morrie. John Whittaker: Okay, now I'm convinced this is not just a game. Natalie, eh? Tasha Forbes: Hello Whit, good to see you again. Morrie Rydell: Wait...you two know each other? Tasha Forbes: Yes, very well. John Whittaker: Only I know Natalie by a different name. Tasha. Tasha Forbes. |
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“ | Morrie Rydell: Hey! Great job on that locker mystery today, sis! You showed everybody how good of a detective you are. Suzu Rydell: Morrie, why do you suppose someone would open lockers for three nights but only steal on the third? Morrie Rydell: Uhh… hum. Beats me. Suzu Rydell: <exhales> And I heard someone left a poetic clue for Emily Jones. It’s too clever for Dion; who would do such a thing, and why? Morrie Rydell: Maybe… someone was trying to throw Emily and Matthew off the trail somehow. Suzu Rydell: Or onto one. I have been thinking: there seems to be a number of puppet strings here, strings left dangling. A great deal can be learned from examining a person’s possessions, don’t you think? But what could be done with such knowledge? Morrie Rydell: Well, people’s secrets are… powerful things. Suzu Rydell: Perhaps a secret is what kept Dion from protesting that he was accused unjustly. Morrie Rydell: What are you getting at, sis? Suzu Rydell: Morrie, please tell me you had nothing to do with the locker incident at school. Morrie Rydell: Alright. I’ll tell you that. Suzu Rydell: We don’t want things to… go awry again? I want to do what is right, for our new friends, for our family. Morrie Rydell: Don’t worry. Everything’s good. ’Night. Suzu Rydell: Good night, Morrie. |
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“ | John Whittaker: Alright, this has gone far enough! Morrie Rydell: I'll be the judge of that, thank you. |
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“ | Olivia Parker: Good grief, Morrie! Don't sneak around like that. Morrie Rydell: I wasn't sneaking! I just walked up. Olivia Parker: Well, walk louder! You scared me. |
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“ | Morrie Rydell: Are we good? Emily Jones: I don't know. Suzu Rydell: Can we...be friends? Emily Jones: I don't know. |
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“ | Morrie Rydell: Find and protect? |
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“ | Morrie Rydell: Come now, Mr. Whittaker, didn't you find the whole ruse rather ingenious? John Whittaker: You've trespassed, tampered with property, held people captive, and broken a few other laws, I'm sure. I don't call that ingenious, I call it foolish. Morrie Rydell: Foolish?! Well, this fool bested you in your own building. This fool can remotely open your basement door and turn your power back on or not. |
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“ | Morrie Rydell: Are you sure he wasn't just stringing you along? Olivia Parker: Mr. Whittaker wouldn't be so cruel...but someone is. |
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“ | Morrie Rydell: Japanese is such a beautiful written language. Wish I could read it. <hands notebook to Suzu> Here you go. |
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“ | Suzu Rydell: Thank you. Morrie Rydell: Maybe you could teach me one day, huh? Suzu Rydell: Perhaps... when you are ready to learn. |
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“ | Morrie Rydell: What is it your Bible says? 'Greater love hath no man than this than to lay down his life for his friends.' Let's see whether it's true, shall we? |
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“ | Morrie Rydell: Awesome! Your detective skills are just… awesome! |
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“ | Emily Jones: <reading> Questions are good when asked of the right people. People are good when making a truthful choice. The wrong questions to the wrong people can be a choice gone wrong. Morrie Rydell: Is that like a riddle? Suzu Rydell: Sounds like a warning. |
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“ | Morrie Rydell: And we're all going to play a little game of... hmmm, let's call it, "Search for Your Life". |
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“ | Morrie Rydell: What if someone’s helping us find proof of a wrong-doing — a mystery person helping us solve another mystery. |
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“ | Morrie Rydell: I’m good with numbers. |
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“ | Morrie Rydell: And it doesn’t matter anyway, since now we’ve hit a dead end. |
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Episodes
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Album Appearances
Morrie Rydell has appeared in the following albums:
- Family Portraits
- The Lost Episodes
- Album 01: The Adventure Begins
- Album 02: The Wildest Summer Ever
- Album 03: Heroes
- Album 04: FUN-damentals
- Album 05: Daring Deeds, Sinister Schemes
- Album 06: Mission: Accomplished
- Album 07: On Thin Ice
- Album 08: Beyond Expectations
- Album 09: Just in Time
- Album 10: Other Times, Other Places
- Album 11: It’s Another Fine Day...
- Album 12: At Home and Abroad
- Album 13: It All Started When...
- Album 14: Meanwhile, in Another Part of Town
- Album 15: A Place of Wonder
- Album 16: Flights of Imagination
- Album 17: On Earth as It Is in Heaven
- Album 18: A Time of Discovery
- Album 19: Passport to Adventure
- Album 20: A Journey of Choices
- Album 21: Wish You Were Here!
- Album 22: The Changing Times
- Album 23: Twists and Turns
- Album 24: Risks and Rewards
- Album 25: Darkness Before Dawn
- Album 26: Back on the Air
- Album 27: The Search for Whit
- Album 28: Welcome Home!
- Album 29: Signed, Sealed and Committed
- Album 30: Through Thick and Thin
- Album 31: Days to Remember
- Album 32: Hidden Treasures
- Album 33: Virtual Realities
- Album 34: In Your Wildest Dreams
- Album 35: The Big Picture
- Album 36: Danger Signals
- Album 37: Countermoves
- Album 38: Battle Lines
- Album 39: Friends, Family, and Countrymen
- Album 40: Out of Control
- Album 41: In Hot Pursuit
- Album 42: No Way Out
- Album 43: Along for the Ride
- Album 44: Eugene Returns!
- Album 45: Lost and Found
- Album 46: A Date with Dad (and Other Calamities)
- Album 47: Into the Light
- Album 48: Moment of Truth
- Album 49: The Sky’s the Limit
- Album 50: The Best Small Town
- The Truth Chronicles
- Passages: Darien’s Rise
- Album 51: Take it From the Top
- Album 52: Cause and Effect
- Album 53: The Green Ring Conspiracy
- Album 54: Clanging Cymbals...and the Meaning of God's Love
- Album 55: The Deep End
- Album 56: The Grand Design
- Album 57: A Call to Something More
- Album 58: The Ties That Bind
- Album 59: Taking the Plunge
- Album 60: Head Over Heels
- Album 61: Without a Hitch (2 episodes)
- Album 62: Let’s Put on a Show!
- Album 63: Up in the Air
- Album 64: Under the Surface (1 episode)
- Album 65: Expect the Unexpected (1 episode)
- Album 66: Trial by Fire
- Album 67: More Than Meets the Eye (1 episode)
- Album 68: Out of the Blue (1 episode)
- Album 69: Best Kept Secrets (3 episodes)
- Album 70: Finding a Way (1 episode)
- Album 71: A Slippery Slope (1 episode)
- Album 72: The Long Road Home
- Album 73: 28 Hours
- Album 74: Buckle Up! (1 episode)
- Album 75: The Best Is Yet to Come
- Album 76: Keep it Together (3 episodes)
- Album 77: A New Perspective
- Album 78: At Face Value
- Album 79
Morrie Rydell has appeared in the following club seasons:
- Odyssey Adventure Club: Season 1
- Odyssey Adventure Club: Season 2
- Odyssey Adventure Club: Season 3
- Adventures in Odyssey Club: Season 4
- Adventures in Odyssey Club: Season 5
- Adventures in Odyssey Club: Season 6
- 30th Birthday Live Show (album)
- Adventures in Odyssey Club: Season 10
- Adventures in Odyssey Club: Season 11
- Adventures in Odyssey Club: Season 12
- Adventures in Odyssey Club: Season 7
- Adventures in Odyssey Club: Season 8
- Adventures in Odyssey Club: Season 9
- Aventuras en Odisea: Volumen 1
- Aventuras en Odisea: Volumen 2
- Aventuras en Odisea: Volumen 3
- B-TV: The Collection
- Daily Bible Readings (album)
- Hope in Trying Times
- Odyssey Adventure Club: Season 1 Soundtrack
- Odyssey Adventure Club: Season 2 Soundtrack
- Odyssey Adventure Club: Season 3 Soundtrack
- Adventures in Odyssey Club: Season 4 Soundtrack
- Adventures in Odyssey Club: Season 5 Soundtrack
- Adventures in Odyssey Club: Season 6 Soundtrack
- The Leonard Meltsner Saga
- The Officer Harley Collection
Morrie Rydell has appeared on the front cover of the following albums:
Morrie Rydell has appeared on the back cover of the following albums:
Resources
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