Review of Crash Course

Warning. Contains spoilers. This is a “gut reaction” review for me, and Luke is reviewing too. Click the “Continue reading” button to continue.

Naomi and Luke are reviewing.

Naomi : All right. You guys, the fangirling is huge. Was this that great of an episode? Hm… because I love Buck and Eugene, yes, but there were some places where the plot could have been fleshed out more.

Luke : As for me there were some pars of the episode that weren’t so great but there were a few scenes and references that made it a lot better.

Naomi : So first we have Eugene teaching Buck how to drive. Buck is doing well, you know, and Eugene apologizes for the bad birthday party. OK, so Buck is wanting to go get his driver’s license, he’s already got an appointment for the driver’s test. Cool, right? Now, this first scene had some good sound effects and the neat chemistry between Eugene and Buck so it was a good opener.

Luke : For me, I thought the episode started on a great note. It seems like Eugene and Buck have grown closer and they don’t seem much as two friends but maybe brothers. I especially noticed the sound effects as for the driving, how the sound effects changed when they were turning and for the turning signal, I thought that was great.

Naomi : So the next scene is where the episode kind of gets cool but lame at the same time. Connie and Jules get in the car to learn to drive. Did they rip the script off of License To Drive? I mean there’s reference, and then there’s copy and paste. However, Connie says that it’s not like anyone is having a baby or anything, that was funny. I like the “wink, wink” references instead of copy-and-paste.

Luke : I like the scene because it kind of showed that Connie had a method to driving, because when they started, Connie was telling Jules “this is the key”, which is the same thing she told Eugene when he was supposed to start the car. Again, with the car sound effects, I noted that they were especially good, having a mix between outdoor sounds and the sounds of actually being in a car. Again, thumbs-up to sound effects.

Naomi: I would also like to add at some point here that it seems like Buck and Jules several times in the opening scenes were a bit overenthusiastic. I mean, really. Like they were being Camilla Parkers. And then Connie flips out in the car, which is my experience when I was learning to drive.

Luke : So now in this next scene, Connie is conversing with Jules and they are discussing why they can’t drive together. As they are conversing, Eugene comes in to announce the new latest driver, da da da da da! Buck! Also, as they are discussing, in the background I noticed that you can hear the old Imagination Station powering up and also the “WHOAAAAA!” Which is another huge thumbs-up to sound effects. I noticed that in the past episodes, the sound effects for Whit’s End were kind of choppy, it sounded like there were about ten kids in a closed area, there was always a kid coughing, literally in every old Odyssey episode. So, to make a long story short, the sound effects for Whit’s End have overall got a lot better. It actually seems like you’re in Whit’s End now.

Naomi: So I just have to note here, we didn’t get the last two hundred Odyssey episodes of Buck getting his hundred hours of drive time so he can get a license? Man. I could listen to them while I get mine. (I’m at 15 hours!) OK, though. The scene here is pretty good, the Connie and Jules chemistry sounds good but it’s missing something, like better flow. And then again, here, Buck sounds a little on the fake side. However, maybe that’s on purpose. And the Imagination Station sound effect! Luke pointed it out to me and I love it a lot. Good stuff.

Luke: And finally, we officially know that Buck is 16! The more you know.

Naomi: I DON’T WANT TO CRUSH ON BUCK DANGIT. Make him 12!
Ok, so now we go and Jules wants Buck to teach her how to drive. She swiped the keys from Connie’s purse, and gives some convoluted logic on how Connie can’t say no if she doesn’t know, and so they get in and naturally crash the car. Buck’s flip out was fantastic, Connie’s flip out was fantastic, Jules was less fantastic which means she was fantastic ish. Run, Jules, run, before Connie gets her shotgun! No seriously she runs away as Connie screams. Great stuff on Katie Leigh’s part.

Luke: As for me, I thought the scene was very excellent. Like I keep bringing up, the car sound effects were excellent, as the car crashed into Whit’s End. Also, the chemistry between Buck and Jules seemed very real. Connie’s scream and yell after she asks Buck and Jules if they are OK was the best!

Naomi: Now I can’t remember what happened. I think Eugene and Connie just go and start looking for Jules. Oh, and back before they crash the car. As it turns out, Eugene and Katrina are giving a surprise party for Buck. Now, we get a lot of good stuff in here, this conversation between Connie and Eugene about it. As it turns out, they threw a surprise party for Whit, and Jason, and for Baby Jesus at Christmastime, and EVERY SINGLE TIME Connie got it wrong and shouted it too early. That was funny. That was good. A reference to something we didn’t know about but it was really great.
OK yeah so Eugene is like, I am gonna talk to Buck later, we are going to go find Jules. They go check at the mall after checking everywhere else. Actually, Connie drops Eugene off home so he can talk to Buck and then she goes to the mall by herself. Way to go, Connie. Never go to the mall by yourself. Don’t give her that credit card. Be like Dave Ramsey and shred it up!

Luke: THIS SCENE WAS ONE OF THE BEST. They made again, another great reference that I was very surprised about. RENEE IS IN THE REAL WORLD! Yep. As Connie and Eugene are driving and searching for Jules, Connie says “Is that her?” and Eugene replies, “No. That’s Renee Carter on her bike.” This was a jaw dropping moment and a sigh of relief. Then later again, Connie asks “Is that her?” and Eugene replies, “No, that’s Mrs. Kramer.” Then Connie replies, “Nice wig.”

Naomi: So Eugene and Katrina talk to Buck about his disobedience, and they are going to suspend his license. You know, this was a really neat scene. They are arguing and Buck is mad, but while it doesn’t give off that feeling that the scene in Old Tricks did, it was still very neat. More like an argument and less like a lecture from Eugene. And the backtracking by Eugene after he says that it was an irresponsible move, and Buck nails him by saying that Eugene SAID he was responsible an hour ago as they were driving, so Eugene is like- whoa whoa whoa ok. Let me rephrase that. So the writing here was neat because it wasn’t just a total move forward like the scene from Old Tricks was. Good acting, and then of course Buck storms out of the house after announcing he already knew how to drive. I was waiting for him to burst into tears, he sounded a little on the edge there.

Luke: One of my favorite lines from this scene was when Buck announced “You don’t know anything. You didn’t even know that I’ve already been driving for five years now!” This was a very raw moment that made you feel the scene.

Naomi: So then Buck meets up with Jules behind the caboose in Whit’s End. It’s somewhere by the train set. Idk. They did not explain location well at all. We were sitting there, and I said it sounds like they are in a closet, and Luke said it sounds like they are in the control room, and then at some point Connie says caboose and we are sitting there like, ok….
EWWWWWWWWW! The Buck and Jules ship is back again! She mentions that Buck is cute, and Buck is like, uh? Did you just say I’m cute? OK, I’ll give Jules some leverage because she says cute and Buck assumed it was about him. Whatever. I was too busy barfing I couldn’t tell. Anyways, so Buck is like, well, Eugene and Katrina had out the card of the social worker, and I’m gonna have to leave even though I’m gonna get a whoopin’ already. Anyway, gross. Man. And ok, so here is the fangirl moment, Buck says that his argument caused Eugene to tear up. FANGIRL TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OK I should just let Luke talk.

Luke: Continuing from what Naomi said, then Jules says “Really? I didn’t even think he [Eugene] had tear ducts.” At the same moment, I’m asking the same question also. As for sound effects I thought the scene was good in the background, you could hear the trains in the background as Jules and Buck discussed. Also, Buck made a comment that made the theorizing part of me start up. Ending the conversation, he hands Jules an envelope, and tells her to give it to Connie, saying he knows that she wants to talk to her. Then Buck says that he needs to leave, and Jules asks where, and Buck replies by saying that he just needs to leave. Then he says “I’ll be seeing you”. And then Jules says, “Will you? Buck?”

Naomi: So then Connie comes back to Eugene and Katrina’s house and tells them she can’t find Jules. And then oh no Buck is gone too. Eugene is like, in a nutshell, Buck yelled at me, he must be beginning to trust me. However, the explanation in the script was way too long. The first like, four words out of Eugene’s mouth I’m like, oh yeah. Then he keeps talking, and I’m like, yeah I got it. Ok. I got it. OK! SHUT UP ALREADY! Holy cow man, we don’t need a psychological analysis! I know you want to get this across, which means it must be important, but seriously. Us fangirls already read between the lines it doesn’t take much to set us off. So THEN. We find out that Buck had got on a BUS. DUN DUN DUN!!! And so Eugene is like, well we can turn the party into a search party because the guests should arrive any minute now, but then Buck shows up with a puppy. Now, I didn’t mention that Katrina in an earlier scene is “getting Buck a puppy”, even though Eugene doesn’t really want a dog because he has enough on his mind, and Katrina really wants one so she is using Buck as an excuse to get the stupid dog. STUPID. DOG. Connie says that dogs really aren’t much of a hassle. I DISAGREE! So then Buck brings home the puppy that Katrina was going to get “for him”, and then we get the cheesiest line ever. Connie shouts “surprise” like, an hour and a half early. Seriously. It made me laugh in that idiotic sort of way. And so this is what Buck had to do.

Luke: To start off, I was greatly disappointed with this scene. Not because the acting, sound design, or the scores (which we have not discussed yet). It was mostly because of my expectations. I was expecting Buck to come in the door and announce that he was running away with Mr. Skint or something like that. I was imagining that the episode would end with Mr. Skint entering the door, saying “Well, hello there.” and everybody gasps, then Chris does her “wait, what?” Although I do have to admit the scene was good with acting and everything, it just didn’t reach my expectations as for Mr. Skint. But overall the scene was pretty good. I do have to admit, I was grinning ear to ear when I heard the puppy.

Naomi: I was waiting for somebody to pass the puppy off to Eugene and he’s like, begrudgingly holding the thing. Doesn’t want to admit that he likes it. That would have been fun but the episode like ended off pretty suddenly after we get a clear moral about Buck, you did something wrong, but we are throwing the party anyway. Kind of a prodigal son kind of thing.

Luke: So, for final comments, overall I’d say that in this episode that I like the sound design, they did good in a lot of parts, especially the puppy. He/she is my new favorite actor. As for acting, it was ok but as Naomi pointed out there were a few cheesy parts that didn’t seem very realistic. As for the scores, I didn’t notice them too much but I would have to go back to the episode to actually comment on them. They weren’t super noticeable but they could have been super awesome, as far as I know. Knowing John Campbell, they probably are.

Naomi: The final scene really could have had more space, almost. It felt too rushed. Some of the acting was too forced, but the drama was there and while I can latch on to the episode as a person who writes fanfictions about Eugene and Buck, there really isn’t a huge, huge thing going on here. More character development. I completely and absolutely love that aspect of it. And now the Meltsners have a dog. Don’t think that you can replace a baby (which the fans are still calling for) with a teenage boy and a dog. Just sayin’. Otherwise, Buck’s drama about going and getting the dog was a little too hyped because we were expecting something more amazing than that. Overall, this episode was done well if you don’t let your imagination run away with you.

Ratings:

Acting: 7.8. There were some rocky parts, but Connie made up for a lot of it. The arguing part was really good too.
Plot: 8.2. If you take it for what it is, there are some letdowns. If you fangirl yourself and let your fanfictions, imagination, and Album 64 theories run away, it was amazing. As for future changes of Odyssey, there have been quite a few.
Sound Design: 9.3. Done well, amazing, placed well, controlled well, how much more do we have to say?
Music: 8.2. It didn’t stand out a whole lot, there were a couple places where it jumped out. Knowing John Campbell, as a standalone score it is probably amazing.
Overall Rating: 8.5.

 

This is Naomi and Luke reminding you to stay POOOOOOOOOOSITIVELY nerdy at Odysseynerds! HA HA!