Strange Boy in a Strange Land

From AIOWiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
#478: “Strange Boy in a Strange Land”
37front.jpg
Paired with
[[{{{split}}}|“{{{split}}}”]]
Original Release Date
{{{rel_date}}}
Date Recorded
{{{rec_date}}}
Recorded at
[[{{{rec_location}}}]]
Album
37: Countermoves
Cassette No.
{{{cassette}}}
Intro
Intros
Click to show or hide ↓
Wraps
Wraps
Click to show or hide ↓
Scripture

3 John 1:5-8

5Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you.

6They have told the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. 7It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans.

8We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth.

1 Thessalonians 5:11
11Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Proverbs 17:17
17A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Songs Included
[[{{{song}}}]]
Inventions Used
[[{{{invention}}}]]
Featured Charity
[[{{{charity}}}]]
[[{{{short}}}]]
Spanish Name
{{{spanish_name}}}
Spanish Airdate
Error: Invalid time.
Soundtrack length
{{{soundtrack}}}
Previous title
“{{{name2}}}”
Host
Written by
Directed by
Executive Producer
Post-Production by
Production Assistant
[[{{{production_assistant}}}]]
Engineered by
Music by
Songs by
Promo
Sample
Strange Boy in a Strange Land

“Strange Boy in a Strange Land” is episode #478 of the Adventures in Odyssey audio series. It was written and directed by Marshal Younger, and originally aired on December 8, 2001.

Summary

Mandy Straussberg and Sarah Prachett go camping far from Odyssey and run into an old friend--Jared DeWhite! But Jared's explanation of his disappearance from Odyssey makes them wonder whether or not to believe him.

Plot

Sarah and Mandy are enjoying their camping trip. Four hundred miles from Odyssey. No school work. No studying. Just the trees, the sky, and the...strange boy watching them from the trees? Who is it? He looked awfully familiar when he ran away. In fact, he looked like...Jared DeWhite. Mandy is sure that it was Jared, but Sarah says it's impossible until he shows up again. Then there's no doubt. He runs off again, but this time they follow him.

After a merry chase, he leads them to a secret cave. Jared is excited to see them and wants to know all about what's happening in Odyssey, but hesitates to them anything about himself or why he's here. Jared follows the two girls around for the next day-showing them all his favorite places, watching them braid hair, and talk about their favorite teachers. When they finally ask him why he's hanging around, he tells them his secret...and it's a doozy. His family is in the Witness Protection Program because his dad discovered some sensitive information about a company named Andromeda. His dad even found a hidden camera in a book in his office. Now he's living in a house in the woods with a big fence around it.

The girls, however, don't believe a word of it. It's just like a story that Jared would make up. The girls are eating marshmallows when Jared shows up again. Sarah tells him he should just go away when suddenly a mysterious man shows up. He takes Jared away. When the girls head to the hidden cave in the morning, all of Jared's secret equipment is gone. It's the same story when they find his house-everything is stripped clean, as if no one was ever there. But it's not completely empty. Jared left an encoded secret message hidden under the floorboards. The girls decide to decode it when they get back to Odyssey.

Back at Whit's End, Sarah is telling Whit all about their adventure when Mandy comes in to say she decoded the message. It said, "Moved Again. Beware Andromeda." Sarah thinks it's silly, but Whit becomes very interested when Sarah says that Jared's dad found a hidden camera in a book in his office. As the girls discuss the validity of Jared's claims, Whit slips back to call a friend who can get information about Andromeda.

Discussion Questions

  1. Why do you think Jared wanted to hang around the girls?
  2. Have you ever felt lonely?
  3. Was Sarah right for not believing Jared?
  4. Do you believe what Jared said?
    • Why or Why not?
  5. Read 3 John 1:5-8 in your Bible. What do you think John is telling the church to do for lonely people?

Cast

Heard in episode

Role Voice Actor
Jared DeWhite Brandon Gilberstadt
John Whittaker Paul Herlinger
Mandy Straussberg Aria Curzon
Sarah Prachett Scarlett Pomers
Witness Protection Agent Unknown

Mentioned in episode

Character Mentioned By
Dwayne Oswald Jared DeWhite
Mr. Hoobler Liz Horton
Stephen DeWhite Jared DeWhite


Notes

Trivia
  • Starting with this show, the AIO team decided to try some different things with the opening and closing of the show. For the opening, they had a brief "teaser scene" before the theme played. For the closing, they included a few clips of past shows.
  • This episode was the first one to feature Jared after an absence of nearly two years.
  • This episode takes place away from Odyssey: Episodes That Take Place Away from Odyssey
  • This episode is considered a milder episode in the Novacom Saga, although it included some suspense.
Allusions
  • The title for this episode is almost certainly an allusion to the science fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land, which itself is an allusion to Exodus 2:22
  • Jared’s line in this episode “of all the patches of woods in all the world, you just happen to walk into mine?” is probably a reference to Humphrey Bogart's line "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine" from the film Casablanca.
Reviews

Quotes

Mandy Straussberg: It wasn't a crazy person. It was Jared!
Sarah Prachett: Did you hear what you just said?


Jared DeWhite: This is the biggest thing since—quote, unquote—World War II!

Resources