Well, that shook things up didn’t it?
Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve done one of these; and it feels good to get into it again. On today’s Let’s Talk About, we have a new edition: Families. Intro music! Oh, right. I really need to make a podcast.
The Perkins arrived in Odyssey when the father, Ron Perkins, was deployed and the family moved to Odyssey after he joined the reserves. We have been learning about different characters since their debut in 2019. First we hear—
Wyatt Perkins who is the first Perkins family to appear in The Sandwich Initiative. We learn that he lives next to the now forgone Parkers. In another episode, it was established that he had a father in the military. He sometimes annoys those around him with made-up facts and false information.
Carla Perkins- appears at the same time as Wyatt. She is the caring; and often concerned mother in the family.
Bridget Perkins- The oldest child in the Perkins family and a typical teenager. She might probably win the award for most relatable teenage character. On the surface, she seems to hate her younger brother but in reality loves him very much and will fight for him (and in some cases, drown).
Ron Perkins- We don’t hear much from him except that he loves his kids and wants to be with them as much as he can whenever he’s around. Also, he makes lots of dad jokes.
Here’s the thing about the Perkins. There are two new families in Odyssey, the Perkins and the Calhouns. They came around the same time in about the same way; an interaction with a Parker. Now the Perkins, in Marshal Younger’s terms, aren’t a perfect family. Their dad’s away most of the time, their daughter’s a real pain, and they don’t exactly have it all together. I hear there was a lot of dislike for them when they first appeared. But the nice thing about the Perkins is about they’re relatable. Not that I’m saying that the other main Odyssey families weren’t relatable, but it’s good to see families dealing with everyday problems. Personally, I liked episodes like “Bridget, Redefined”. Coming from a city where there are so many military families, it’s good to see how to deal with it. The Calhouns are the ideal Odyssey family, the Perkins are well, kind of the opposite.
Comparing them to the other families in Odyssey, for example the Barclays. The Barclays were Christians and usually had a plan for when trials came. George lost his job, prayed, became a pastor and left town to go to Pokenberry Falls. The Washingtons were also having job trouble come to think of it, and yet they still found a place at Whit’s End Connellsville. Also, none of the Perkins are Christians, which makes is just as important that their Christian neighbors and friends show love to them. Their relatability is what took the Straussbergs from side characters to having a full on arc. Just to be clear however, no one here likes divorce and I’m not saying you have to have bad stuff happen to a family to make it relatable. The Parkers are a different comparison however…
Having the Perkins live next to the Parkers is kind of a rub in the face that this is the family that’s replacing the one that’s been around for the last eleven years. Now I like the Parkers, however they’ve become a little irrelevant. The purpose of the Parkers was to bring fresh taste to Odyssey after 20 years and 50 albums. They had a bunch of funny stories and hijinks. But when the same family has the same type of story for ten-eleven years, it gets really boring and even somewhat annoying.
With the Perkins trying to achieve sort of the same goal as the Parkers, I hope to see more than just one burning house after another (figuratively speaking of course). I like the episodes that have come now, Bridget Redefined, Jumping Off, Jumping In, and others like that are the kind of episodes that make it a worthy family. Just staying a little too long and having pointless episodes are what made the Parkers repetitive. Hurricane Perkins (about a month and a half from right now) sounds like a really touching and funny episode, like most Perkins episodes have been.
And of course, in conclusion. I like the Perkins and their current trajectory. Sure they’re a little rough around the edges but all in all, they’re “decent human beings”. I also hold nothing against the Parkers, I just don’t want the same mistake made with the Perkins. It was good of the writers to segue them in one at a time alongside the Parkers. The military family thing is a nice touch. Those are my final words for now and until next time…
AIO Writer's Block 