The Last Resort.

SpOileR WArNinG OoOoOOoo!

I went into The Rydell Realizations expecting gross disappointment. After two episodes, to the surprise of no one more than myself, I was not only not disappointed, but I was pleasantly engaged with what was a suspenseful bunch of episodes. This time is when the episode’s moral must hit home, as I mentioned in my last review, and if it does, this may well qualify as the best “Rydell” saga episode yet (more on that later). For now, join me as I finally listen to part three of The Rydell Realizations.

Music

Again, above and beyond, as the 2020s side of the Rydell Saga has proven to be. The Rydell Revelations leitmotifs veritably give me chills every time; the entire composition is simply stunning. Jared DePasquale just takes the ball out of the park as he has this entire series. Five stars.

Making

The plot and acting shine in this episode, but what shines the most is character development. There is a ton of it, even more than my pessimistic self expected. Emily telling Marian (which will remain her spelling in this review) not to hold grudges is immense after the struggle we’ve seen Emily go through. First with Whit in The Team, and eventually with Morrie here, is just beautiful. We haven’t just grown from 2019-2020 Emily, but Emily has grown since her introduction, period (more on this later). If Emily has had a leap forward in character development, Morrie has flown to the moon. We saw his emotions creep out in Value in the Process, and they show here greatly, solidifying him as ready to be a main character and a good one. His apologies first to Marian and eventually Emily had me in a proud moment every time the apology scenes came up. We also get some important backstory involving Morrie, which again displays his change in character. Some interesting notes I had included how weird it was that Morrie was straight-up attracted to an adult and just didn’t notice. Not to be uncomfortable, just pointing it out. Another Chekov’s Gun moment came up in the plot when six minutes before Emily mentioned that Marian took the money and was gone, I instantly didn’t believe her. And I was right, as Marian not only showed up again, but threatened a sequel OooOooOo. To my own surprise again, I’m very much looking forward to where this Marian-led part of the saga leads. All of these combined make this a five-star category.

Emotional Weight

This will end up going along the same lines as the previous section. As I’ve said, the music and plot were very emotion-driving. The most emotional moment, however, hits when Morrie tells his sister “I love you” and she responds in kind. This scene pulls on the heartstrings in a really heavy way; one that may affect me as much as the end of The Best is Yet to Come, making it a real contender for best scene of the season in my book. Emily and Morrie’s forgiveness scene is also a serious candidate for the Best Scene Award. Morrie addressing Emily as “Em” was such a bittersweet moment, inspired by their relationship but reminded of days gone by (the Emily-Matthew era). On the flip side, Emily complimenting Morrie’s computer skills gave me the same interesting fuzzy feeling I haven’t felt in a long time. Which come to think of it… no. Wait… nooo. And I actually wouldn’t mind… it’s too much to think about right now. Anyway, Morrie in a church “thinking” definitely slates a salvation scene for him eventually, which I’m all for, and one last thing. Whit calling Morrie “my boy” slung this home for me. If I could award the Emotional Weight category seven stars, I would. Amazing.

Moral

Yes. I gave Moral and every other category five stars. In my opinion, The Rydell Realizations, Part 3, and by extension, The Rydell Revelations, is a perfect episode. The Moral category is no exception, going above and beyond with not just the implied message but the literal one. Obviously, part of Morrie’s intense character growth is his apology to Emily, something I continually asked for since I started I began reviewing these episodes. Morrie’s apology after Emily forgives him is, intentional or not, is very well placed. Emily’s willingness to forgive Morrie before his asking for it shows incredible character growth and is a paramount moral lesson. The only questionable sliver that wasn’t enough to dock points was Morrie’s initial unwillingness to call Whit and Polehaus, which was ultimately resolved anyway.

The Bottom Line

In my mind, I’ve broken down Odyssey into eras. Within various eras there are a few sagas, and within each saga, there are stages, or chapters. One day, I’ll write on that in greater detail, but I want to explain just the Rydell Saga for now, a prime example of this phenomenon in my mind. In November, I mentioned in my podcast appearance with Daniel Roth that I refer to the pre-2020 part of the Rydell Saga “The Jones Saga”. I believe this is important to recognize as AIO fans. We began to get a glimpse of Emily’s relational insecurities and own flawed moral compass long before Rydell ever showed up in Square One. The beginning of the Rydell Saga, in my opinion, only challenged that aspect of her personality more strenuously. That saga did in fact meet its realization in The Rydell Revelations. However, combined with Emily trying to reconcile what had happened both literally and figuratively, Morrie was having his own bouts of recognizing his wrongs and realizing them, capped story-wise first with Value in the Process, effectively the first Emily-free Rydell Saga episode, and ultimately The Rydell Realizations. Since this saga began, the focus has switched from first Emily to Morrie Rydell. Now, with Marian as the focus and two well-established characters working side-by-side as protagonists, we can finally have the dramatic conclusion to a Rydell saga we believed we would have in the Rydell Revelations, only this time, we’re ready for it. I am excited for this new chapter of the Rydell Saga, one we’ll call The Marian Saga. When that exciting conclusion arrives, you can be sure my review will be just as extensive and thorough as these were. For now, expect a new, shorter review format to appear on AWB’s Instagram stories. I was so proud to create this kind of content again. And of course, we need a steady flow of content to grow a massive army of Odyssey fans. Thank you to those who’ve followed along, and again, the ball doesn’t stop here. From your own Donald Treply,

Keep up the fandom.