Review:

Quality AIO episodes continue to flow with this series.  It provides constant entertainment, important messages, and compelling stories.  While not as many of the stories here deal with the "present storylines", a few still do.  We learn about how tough it is to be preacher's kids and about Butch and Sam, a very important pair later on.

However, the stories in this one are as good and varied as they come.  We start out with introducing a new concept to AIO: B-TV!  Some AIO fans don't like BTV and even call it "filler".  I personally love BTV, as long as it is used sparingly, which it is.  It gives creators a good place to place all their ideas that don't make a whole episode, but a still great stories.  It combines quick stories, Bible verses, and a whole lot of fun comedy into a program that stands on its own.   As long as the writers keep BTV entertaining and use it only every so often, I hope it remains a part of the series.

The album continues with The Truth About Zachery, the introduction of a good character and the attempt to tie up one of the loosest strings in AIO history (Lucy's name).   The Good, the Bad, and the Butch, important as it is, still has emotional punch.   All the Difference in the World is pretty good, but not quite up the level of the others in the album.  Although I have a few problems with the two St. Paul episodes, they are still excellent Bible stories which introduce a fascinating new twist on the imagination station.  They were the last AIO Bible episodes that focused on an Imagination Station adventure for a LONG time (until album 32, the Tower).

Then we come to the heart of the album.   A Victim of Circumstance and The Perfect Witness are my favorites here.  Victim deals with an important political issue and has a very proper ending.  The Perfect Witness is a marvel of technical skill, mystery story crafting, and excellent dialog on the the part of all involved.   The idea of playing and replaying the incident at the beginning of the first episode throughout the arc sounds repetitive, but it is a stroke of genius and allows us to solve the mystery along with the characters.

Overall, another wonderful album from the heart of the series.

Favorite Episode: The Perfect Witness

Rating: 4 stars

Read the Soda Fountain Review

Notes:

The first of two collections with the words of the same first letter coupled by "and".

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