Goof Alerts

Though it's rare, Odyssey writers will occasionally make a mistake in their writing or research. Here's a partial list.

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Radio Episode Goofs:

The Biggest Goofs

The Land Around Whit's End goof -- One of the most talked about Odyssey goofs, this one deals with conflicting reports about who owns the land around Whit's End. Let's take a look at the facts.
- 19: Recollections -- Quite obviously in this episode, Whit says he will buy the "Fillmore Recreation Center and its adjoining land..."
- 168: The Curse -- Whit himself tells Connie and Eugene "you both know that I don't own the land around Whit's End, [I only own] the building itself."
- 327: Moving Targets -- Glossman says "the land Whit's End sits is surrounded by the city. The building belongs to you, that's all." Some have argued that Glossman was lying (which would be very in-character for him), but this doesn't make much sense because the council confirms this "fact" in 329: The Return.
- 329: The Return -- Jason and Jack discuss their thoughts on Whit buying the place. Jason says he can't imagine why his dad didn't buy the land around the building. Jack says it was probably all he could manage. While this conversation is interesting, it probably isn't crucial since Jack and Jason weren't around at the time and may not know for certain either way about Whit's End.
- SOLUTION: If looking for plausible answer, there is perhaps an option. Maybe between the time that Fillmore Recreation Center was bought and the time of "The Curse", through some sort of legal wrangling, Whit had to give up ownership of the land. Perhaps he wanted to sell it back for some reason. The point, however, is that Whit said from his own mouth he did not own the land even though we know he bought it. Or do we? In this episode, we never actually hear the complete legal documents being read. Surely there is more to buying a piece of city property than simply saying you will buy it and the city council voting. It would be necessary for some paperwork to be signed, etc. Maybe when the actual deed was drawn up, Glossman did some changing of the deal and Whit decided not to fight it because he was only really interested in the building anyway. All in all, there is certainly a possible explanation of how Whit did not own the land in these episodes. However, this entire point may be rendered moot by Phil Lollar 's admission in The Complete Guide to Adventures in Odyssey that they goofed.
The Lucy Who? goof -- It's Lucy Cunningham, er, Lucy Shultz, er...Lucy Cunningham-Schultz. The Lucy Who? debate is probably the second biggest Odyssey goof. So what is Lucy's last name and how does it match up with her history? Find out below.
- 68: Choices -- Lucy talks to her dad. (This must be Hal Cunningham.)
- 79: Our Best Vacation Ever -- Mary Barclay says that Lucy's father "Hal Cunningham" (Lucy's father) works with George Barclay.
- 83: The Battle, Part 1 -- Doc Morton asks if Whit, Eugene, and Connie are here to see "the Cunningham girl."
- 114: The Big Broadcast -- Tom says that Lucy's last name is Schultz. Lucy confirms this.
- For episodes after this, Lucy was alternatively referred to as Lucy Schultz or Lucy Cunningham-Schultz. In fact in 233: Thy Will Be Done, Lucy tells Mr. Ginnsmore "Lucy Schultz" is fine. "What's with the Cunningham?" he asks. "It's a long story," she says. You're telling me!
- 234: Our Daily Bread -- George Barclay tries to get a job at the Odyssey Times after he loses his job elsewhere, but he's turned down.
- 299: The Truth About Zachary -- This is the episode where the writers tried to clear up this whole debate, but they actually made it an even bigger mess. Here are the goofs within the goof:
  - Lucy says her father (Hal Cunningham) was killed in a car accident when she was nine. It's possible that she was about nine in "Choices" and "Our Best Vacation Ever."
  - She then says that her mom married a man named Schultz, but that doesn't explain why she used Schultz and Cunningham-Schultz alternatively.
  - Finally, Lucy says that her father worked for the Odyssey Times. But if he worked for the Times, that means that George Barclay worked for newspaper, since Mary said he worked with Hal in "Our Best Vacation Ever." And if George worked for the Times, he wouldn't go looking for a job there just after her lost his job in "Our Daily Bread."
  - The writers did try to fix this goof and were only somewhat successful. (Her strange attraction to Richard Maxwell around the time of "The Battle" could have been nicely explained if her dad had just died. It also might have explained how depressed Lucy was around that period in Odyssey.) However, the Odyssey Times reference is still a goof. But I suppose it's just water under the proverbial bridge now. (A special thanks to Kit for clearing up this last point.

The Other Goofs

FP3: The New Kid in Town -- Shawn says that she could see all the way to the bottom of Crater Lake. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States and its bottom cannot be seen.
1: Whit's Flop -- Whit says that Davey knocking over the backstop was a coincidence. It's clear from later episodes (such as 47: A Single Vote and others) that Whit does not believe in coincidences. (Contributed by David)
34: Stormy Weather -- Near the end of this episode, when Mrs. Kendall comes into the shop, we don't hear the sound of the door bell.
40: The Case of the Secret Room, Part 2 -- In this episode, Whit says "I haven't done this much digging since I was in the army." However, as made clear in AIO93 and AIO94, Whit was in the navy.
Very slight possibilities:
- Whit "transferred from the army to the navy (quite unlikely and we've never heard about it).
- Whit used army collectively (i.e., "armed forces") to refer to the military in general (somewhat unlikely for someone in a specific branch of the military).
- Whit lied (which is simply not a possibility since Whit NEVER lies!).
49: Thank You, God -- In this episode, Whit says that when he was young, his family "moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, where my father...taught at Duke University," Duke University is in Durham, not Raleigh.
96: The Reluctant Rival -- In this episode, Whit tells Monty that he'll be staying in Uncle Jerry's old room. But in 18: A Member of the Family, Part 2 Whit says that the Whittaker family moved to Odyssey after Jerry died. (Contributed by Ian Chai)
115: An Act of Mercy -- Officer O'Ryan calls Bart Rathbone "Bill" in this episode. (Turn up the volume when O'Ryan and Bart/Bill are talking about teaching Rodney a lesson.) This is probably because the script was adapted from an earlier "Officer Harley" script (AIO23: The Quality of Mercy) and that father was named Bill.
117: The Trouble with Girls -- In this episode, Curt Stevens says "my mom packed his lunch." However, in 150: Home is Where the Hurt Is, Curt says that his mom left them when he was little.
125: All's Well with Boswell -- At the end of the episode, Robyn and Jesse are scolding themselves for leaving the door open, but this does not make sense. As they are leaving, earlier in the episode, there is a distinct sound effect of them closing the back door - so actually they DID close it! (Contributed by April)
139: Melanie's Diary -- In this episode Eugene states he doesn't keep a journal but simply memorizes everything. However, in 267: ...It Ended with a Handshake it's made clear Eugene keeps a diary on his computer and in 330: The Time Has Come he inputs into the Imagination Station his diary of his complete life in Odyssey, and sees parts of his life before and around this episode, when he searches his life using the Imagination Station. Therefore, he must have in fact been keeping a journal.
142: Train Ride -- Toward the end of this episode, Whit tells Inspector McGreavy, "You showed me your manuscript about the History of Reading Jael..." This references a line earlier in the episode in which the Inspector says, "What say...you look over the roughs of my book." However, before the two of them could look at the book manuscripts, they saw the "murder" on the back of the train. Whit never looked at the manuscript, and it's highly unlikely he would stop investigating a murder to read a book.
175: East Winds Raining -- The flashback story takes place on Dec. 5-7, 1941. At one point, the character Joe Finneman is listening to the radio and hears the song "Laura." This would have been impossible. "Laura" is the title song from a film made not made until three years later in 1944. (Contributed by Gideon Slife)
176: The Star, Part 1 -- Proclus says that the temple is nothing compared to the Colosseum in Rome. The story is taking place sometime between 4BC and 2BC or there about, during the reign of Caesar Augustus (whose reign was from 27BC to 14AD). But the Colosseum was not even ordered built until the reign of Vespasian, whose reign was from 69 to 79 AD. (Contributed by Paul Baser)
195: Father's Day -- At the end Connie says, ?I couldn?t get a seat on your flight.? But what about April? From what we hear, Connie presumably books their seats before her dad tells her he is married again. Where did April?s ticket come from? And wasn?t it a little silly of Bill to let Connie make the arrangements before telling her there will be one more person with them? So did Connie give up her seat to April before she came to see her dad the next morning? (Contributed by Liz)
197: The Midnight Ride -- After the "shot heard 'round the world," Major Pitcairn is heard ordering his men to fire. Historically we know that Major Pitcairn rode among his men ordering them not to fire and they disobeyed his orders. (Contributed by Tom.)
201: Fair-Weather Fans -- In this episode, Isaac's mother is Doc Morton, and Isaac even says that she works in a hospital. However, her voice sounds nothing like Isaac's mother in AIO86: Isaac the Insecure.
203: Double Trouble -- At the end of this episode, Whit said he got a newspaper in the mail last night that contained information about yesterday's events. Nothing coming by mail could contain information about an event the same day.
257: Aloha, Oy!, Part 2 -- When Jimmy, Lawrence, and Iowa are at Pearl Harbour, Jimmy and Lawrence look around and comment on "all the battleships." This is incorrect, since the United States Navy no longer fields battleships, rather frigates, destroyers, cruisers, and aircraft carriers. Although there is a campaign to bring the USS Missouri back to active service, this has not happened yet. While it is possible for a civilian to mistake other military boats for battleships, it seems unlikely for Lawrence, whose father is in the navy, and for Mr. Iowa, who is a tour guide. (Contributed by Paul)
258: Aloha, Oy!, Part 3 -- The boys and Iowa walk onto the USS Farragut, which Jimmy refers to as "a real live battleship!" In fact, the USS Farragut was the first Coontz Class Guided Missile Destroyer, commisioned on December 10, 1960, and finally decommisioned on October 31, 1989. Of further note, all battleships are named after U. S. states (with the exception of the Kearsarge). (Contributed by Paul)
265: War of the Words -- Eugene remarks that "just last week, I re-calibrated my barometer to study what the effect would be if the Earth's atmosphere were made up of three percent nitrogen instead of four." The earth's atmosphere is 78% nitrogen, not 4%. Surely Eugene should know that. (Contributed by Drew)
266: It Began with a Rabbit's Foot... -- In 260: Naturally, I Assumed, Whit explains, "See, I've always doubted the wisdom of two co-workers getting involved that way [referring to a romantic relationship, presumably between Connie and Eugene]." Yet in "...Rabbit's Foot," Whit quickly hires Katrina. Does he not realize Katrina and Eugene were in a 'special relationship'? 254: Truth, Trivia, and 'Trina seems to suggest somewhat otherwise. Whit does protect his innocence: "Maybe I should have talked to you about it before offering her a position. I guess I didn't realize that your relationship with her was so . . . advanced. In fact, I haven't had the slightest idea of what your relationship was." So perhaps there's no open-and-shut case against Whit; still, I've always viewed his quick hiring of Katrina suspiciously in light of his co-worker relationship comments. (Contributed by Drew)
290: A Name, Not a Number, Part 1 -- In the final scene of this episode, Mustafa injects Dr. Blackgaard with a syringe that (he thinks) contains the Ruku virus. Dr. Blackgaard falls to the floor and "dies" in a few seconds. Viruses simply do not work this way; it takes time for viruses to infiltrate the body and destroy it. The most deadly viruses that are known to exist take days to kill a person. It simply could not happen in a few seconds. Major poisons could kill a person that quickly, but a virus could not. Now the obvious explanation is that Blackgaard did not really die. However, there was at least one person there who should have realized that Blackgaard could not have been killed that quickly by a virus — Tasha Forbes. Tasha is a molecular biologist and had spent years working on the virus. She should have knowns that something was very fishy when Dr. Blackgaard died that fast.
293: A Code of Honor -- In 262: A Prayer for George Barclay, Whit says that George Barclay painted Emma Douglas's garage. However, in this show, Emma Douglas said that Billy McPherson was the last person to paint her garage. Billy painted it long before George could have. (Contributed by Grant)
309: The Perfect Witness, Part 1 -- Jenny's mother in this episode has a different voice in this episode than she has in AIO206: Pen Pal. In fact, her voice in Pen Pal is the same voice that Detective Ethan.
309: The Perfect Witness, Part 1 -- In episode 267: ...It Ended with a Handshake, Eugene mentions the AUTOEXEC.BAT file on Bernard's computer. A few other comments in this episode confirm that Bernard has a MS-DOS/Windows PC. When Eugene's computer acts up, it says, "Non-system disk. Replace and strike any key to continue." This is a MS-DOS PC message. However, in "The Perfect Witness, Eugene starts up his desktop computer (at 22:52), and the distinctive Apple Mac II chime plays. Apple users are often fiercely loyal and almost always stubbornly anti-Microsoft. Thus, it seems unreasonable that Eugene, a Mac user, would also have a laptop PC and advise Bernard to get a PC. Of course, there are several plausible explanations for this. Perhaps Eugene realized that (even in 1994, when this episode was created) PCs are more ubiquitous than Macs, and wanted Bernard to have the more commonplace machine. Certainly we'd expect a computer scientist such as Eugene to be familiar with both systems, so perhaps this is the case. (Contributed by Drew)
309: The Perfect Witness, Part 1 -- Captain Quinn introduces Detective Ethan "from the County Sheriff's office." This claim becomes troublesome when in the third episode, Quinn says, "If you ever want a job in a small town, think of us!" Shortly thereafter, Detective Ethan remarks, "I was told I couldn't come to Odyssey without having ice cream at a place called Whit's End." This implies that Ethan knows very little about Odyssey. If she's from the same county (where Odyssey is obviously a prominent town), can she really know so little about it? Odyssey is proven to be a prominent town by the existence of ten computer stores (275: Second Thoughts), the existence of multiple elementary schools (261: Afraid, Not!), the existence of a daily newpaper (in various episodes), the existence of a college, and the existence of a mall. (Contributed by Drew)
316: The Underground Railroad, Part 3 -- During the scene where the rectory catches fire when Nathan tries to "smoke out" William, Carl says "smoke filled the church". They weren't in the church; they were in the rectory. (Contributed by SCWoody.)
329: The Return -- Blackgaard says, "Your father deprived Europe and the United States of information that would have benefited both nations immeasurably." While it's true that Europe is not a nation, but a continent, it's quite possible that Blackgaard wasn't thinking about what he said and it's plausible that he made a mistake. (Contributed by Wooton's Warrior)
334: The Final Conflict -- Professor Bovril states that he could have made an "antidote to the virus" that could have saved Dr. Blackgaard. In fact, once a person has been infected with a virus, you cannot cure them of the virus. This can only be done by a vaccine before the person is infected.
344: Letting Go -- Zachary plays a video of his father's birthday party. In this video, Zachary's voice is changed. but when we first meet Zachary in 299: The Truth About Zachary and again in A Touch of Healing, his father is no longer living but his voice has not yet changed. (Contributed by Michael.)
347: St. Paul: An Appointment with Caesar -- Toward the end of this episode, Emperor Nero says, "He's my friend! Of course he'll make a good senator!" and in the background we hear a horse. This is probably implying the story of the emperor who put his horse in the senate, but that was Emperor Caligula, not Nero.
352: Memories of Jerry -- In this episode, Jason asks about the cabin on Lake Michigan and then asks if they can "go across the lake into Canada". Canada does not border Lake Michigan.
367: The Decision -- In this episode, Jack says that "Whit's wife and son are buried in a local cemetery", but according to Book 4: Behind the Locked Door, Jenny is buried in California.
372: For Whom the Wedding Bells Toll, Part 1 -- Bernard says the manager of Antique Emporium is Mr. Peterson. But when they meet the man in Part 2, his named is Mr. Gumley. (Contributed by Wooton's Warrier)
397: Tornado! -- Near the end of this episode, Mandy's mother says "I'm sure Mr. Allen would give you your money back." Mr. Allen didn't take money from Mandy. He gave her money in exchange for her doll.
398: A Case of Revenge -- Jared calls his RC airplane a "P-51 Mustang Spitfire". The North American P-51 Mustang was a completely different plane from the Supermarine Spitfire. (Contributed by Paul Baser)
406: Malachi's Message, Part 1 -- At the beginning of this episode, Eugene says that he began college when he was 14. In 405: The Graduate and 76: Eugene's Dilemma, he said he was 13.
417: Not-So-Trivial Pursuit -- Both Dwayne Oswald and Brian Brainard agree in this episode that Robert E. Lee led the raid on Harper's Ferry. However, the raid was actually led by John Brown.
421: Telemachus, Part 2 -- At the Colosseum scene toward the end of this episode, the crowd supposedly gives the gladiators "thumbs up" as the "let him live" sign and the "thumbs down" as the "kill him" sign. However, this is historically inaccurate. According to Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, "In the ancient Roman combats, when a gladiator was vanquished it rested with the spectators to decide whether he should be slain or not. If they wished him to live, they shut up their thumbs in their fists; if to be slain they turned out their thumbs."
425: Blackgaard's Revenge, Part 2
- Julius Caesar is seen by Aubrey and Blackgaard in the Colosseum. Caesar was murdered in 44BC, more than 100 years before Vespasian ordered the Colosseum to be built. (Contributed by Paul Baser)

Many have argued that the entire premise of this show is a goof. Eugene says that Blackgaard planted the virus in the Imagination Station when he and his minions took over Whit's End back in Darkness Before Dawn, around the episode of 331: Checkmate. But then in 334: The Final Conflict, Jellyfish says that Blackgaard is planning to blow up the tunnel and "it's been part of his plan the whole time." Why would Blackgaard plant a virus in a place that he was going to blow up days later? Others have pointed out that several Imagination Station trips (including 367: The Decision, 392: When In Doubt...Pray!, 406: Hide and Seek, and 416: The Tower) were taken after Blackgaard put the virus in the Station, but before this episode. Why didn't Blackgaard strike then? Finally, many highly doubt Blackgaard could have programmed himself into the Station considered that he said he was "illiterate" of computers back in 83: The Battle, Part 1.
While visiting ancient Greece, Aubrey and Blackgaard see Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle in the same room. Aristotle was born years after Socrates died.

433: The Treasure Room/Chain Reaction (Split) -- In 430: Blind Girl's Bluff, Lisa Mulligan is talking to Bart Rathbone and, while talking about a microphone/headset, says, "Sounds like something Jared would like," referring to Jared DeWhite. Aubrey asks "Who's Jared?" implying that he moved away before Aubrey could meet him. However, in "The Treasure Room", Aubrey has a lock-picking kit. Lisa asks where she got it and Aubrey replies, "Jared gave it to me before he left," which means that she did in fact know Jared. (Contributed by HD, PE)
435: A Look Back, Part 1 -- This episode says that Connie was Whit's first employee at Whit's End. However, it was established in 293: A Code of Honor and Book 1: Strange Journey Back that Emma Douglas worked at Whit's End long before Connie did.
???: Bethany's Flood -- In 425: Blackgaard's Revenge, Part 2, Blackgaard asks Aubrey if she would like to see scenes of history, she said yes, she likes history. Yet, in "Benthany's Flood," Aubrey calls history boring. Though this sounds more like Aubrey, it contradicts the earlier episode. (Contributed by Jonathan)
526: Seeing Red -- Liz says that Mandy has brown hair in this show. However, in 437: Sunset Bowlawater, Crackers said she was a blond. (Contributed by Joni Slade.)

Albums

18: A Time of Discovery -- This album’s cover refers to Edmund Blackgaard, a mistake on Edwin’s name.
28: Welcome Home -- The album cover shows Jason on the steps when Whit is getting the key to the city. Jason wasn't with Whit when this happened. (Contributed by Mark)
30: Through Thick and Thin -- On the right side of the CD album cover (the side that opens), instead of saying the album is called "Through Thick and Thin", it says "Through Thin and Thin." (Contributed by Josh)
31: Days to Remember -- The album cover shows George Barclay below Eugene as he's falling toward the water. However, in "It's a Pokenberry Christmas," Eugene clearly fell before George and George jumped in to save him. (Contributed by Mark)
30: Through Thick and Thin -- Also on this album, Whit is shown pulling the two kids up with his hands. In "A Case of Revenge," the show the cover is based on, he used his car. Also, the rope is around both of them, which conflicts with the show. (Contributed by Kit!)
35: The Big Picture -- The summary for "Best Laid Plans" uses the word "supercede." The word is actually spelled "superSede." (Contributed by Ben Lou)
36: Danger Signals
- The original release of the CD version of this album had several errors. Most notably, The Triangle, Part 2 came before The Triangle, Part 1 and it said "turn over the tape" on Part 1 of the show (even though it was a CD version). Green Eyes and Yellow Tulips also featured the old "pre-Malachi" AIO theme, rather than the new one. Focus recalled these CDs and is releasing new ones. The few copies that were not recalled may be collector's items in the future. (Contributed by various fans.)
- The cassette label for Welcoming Wooton contains a period after the title. (Contributed by Harlow Doyle.)
- The album cover shows a microphone stand sitting very near the edge of a step. Depending on how you look at it, it looks like the stand should have fallen over. However, it also looks like it could be just about to fall over, which is possible, considering the riot that was occuring when this picture took place. (Contributed by Harlow Doyle.)
37: Countermoves -- On the CDs for the album, each is labeled "DISC ONE" with a number. For example, "DISC ONE 2" and "DISC ONE 3." (Thanks to OdysseyFan for the information.)
41: In Hot Pursuit -- The back of this album says, "Featuring the voice talents of Hal Smith, Katie Leigh, Will Ryan and Walker Edmiston." Hal Smith and Will Ryan do not appear in this album.
A Maze of Mysteries (Classics 2) -- On the Cover of the 4-CD Album it reads: "A Special 6-Cassette Collection of Radio Drama Classics" (Contributed by OdysseyFan)
Drive Time (Classics 7) -- The back of this album says, "Featuring the voice talents of Paul Herlinger, Katie Leigh, Will Ryan, and Walker Edmiston." However, none of the episodes feature Paul Herlinger as Whit. All the episodes with the character in them feature Hal Smith, the old voice of Whit.

Books

The Complete Guide to Adventures in Odyssey -- There are more than thirty goofs in the Guide. Due to length, check out the page for a complete listing.
Book 8: Point of No Return -- In this book, Mary says Grandpa Barclay died when Jimmy was five, but he appeared in 60: And When You Pray..., which takes place after this book. (Thanks to Anthony Strand.)
Book 9: Dark Passage -- Reverend Andrew's last name is given as Ferguson. In the 316: The Underground Railroad, Part 3, it is given as Jamison.
Passages 2: Arin's Judgment -- On page 20 of this book, Wade Mullens's father is mentioned as Henry Mullens. However, in the Epilogue, it states his name as Ronald Mullens (page 165). Additionally, In Annison's Risk (Passages 3), Jack and Whit explore some more historical records and clearly state several times that Wade's father's name is Ronald Mullens. (Contributed by OdysseyFan)

Videos

Video 10: In Harm's Way -- Even though Elliot is "deaf", he sometimes responds to people talking behind his back or answers specific questions when he can't see people's lips. An example would be were Dylan tells him that he wants to be left alone at Whit's End. Elliot turns his back to walk away and Dylan calls to him. Elliot shouldn't "hear" him, but he turns around anyway.
Video 11: A Twist in Time -- After Dylan and Sal step out of the Room of Consequence in the "future," the door closes on them. We cut to a wide shot and Dylan says, "We're trapped!" However, we can clearly see in the background that the door is open again.
Video 13: Baby Daze -- Eugene's journal (with "Notes" on the cover) opens two different ways.
Video 14: The Last Days of Eugene Meltsner -- At the end of the video, it says the official website is www.whitsend.com when it should be www.whitsend.org. (Contributed by OdysseyFan)
Video 15: Escape from the Forbidden Matrix
- The Master Brain says, "Mr. Taylor, Mr. Martinez...welcome to my world." The pair wonders how he knew their names and he says, in part, "Your names are printed on your uniforms." But we can clearly see that their first names are printed on their uniforms and he calls them by their last names.
- Shortly after Dylan and Sal enter the Insectoids program, Dylan gets tangled in a vine. The picture then goes to a quick shot of his companion, Sal, but Sal's name tag says "Dylan" on it! In the next shot, and for the rest of the story, the name tag says "Sal." (Thanks to Gideon Slife.)
DVD 4: Electric Christmas, Once Upon an Avalanche -- The cover copy incorrectly indicates andthat this DVD includes 124: The Winning Edge & 205: Flash Flood. Menus on the DVD indicate that one audio episode is titled "Time Visitors," not "The Visitors." (Contributed by OdysseyFan)