The Odyssey

The Odyssey is not a well known sci-fi show but it still ranks up there with the twilight zone and the outer limits. This show takes place in the mind of a boy named ''JAY ZIEGLER'' who while trying to get his father's antique telescope back from some local bullies falls from a treehouse hits his head and goes into a coma. He then proceeds to descend to a world known as ''DOWNWORLD'', he can't see or hear what's going on in ''UPWORLD'' [reality] but his Odyssey in downworld seems to coincide with events going on around him in upworld. this show is far too complicated for me explain in one sitting so i will make it cut and dry. after he goes into downworld he finds out that his long lost father is there but he's only 16 and is the ruler of the world. he joins ''ALPHA'' a bookworm who turns into a smart and witty companion for his long trek to the tower which the equivalent to the white house. he also meets a bully named ''FLASH'' who decides to leave the thug life and turns out to be a very good friend and allie to JAY. along the way our trio meet assorted weirdos, have to solve mind boggling questions and mind mazes, monitors [ like the L.A. P.D. but only half as ruthless], and MEDEA who is played by the talented and beautiful young actress ANDREA NEMETH who will stop at nothing to destroy JAY whom she feels is the ''wrecker'' [the equivalent to the anti-christ] who will destroy their world and change everything. It also is good to note that ANDREA NEMETH also plays SIERRA JONES, a bright young teen show newscaster who has also fallen into a coma. they both reside in the same coma treatment facility in upworld, even though they have never met before they both exist in downworld. to wrap this up this is a terrific saga of a young man on his quest for the truth about his father his life, and his future. ILLYA WOLOSHYN brings a dynamic performance as JAY, ASHLEY ROGERS as ALPHA is awesome, TONY SAMPSON brings a great character to the show as FLASH, and the ultimate goddess [can you tell i'm partial to her?] ANDREA NEEMTH brings a ray of light to the show that is unmatched as MEDEA and SIERRA JONES.

I loved this show from the first moment I watched it. I had a hard time getting the chance to see it at first because I only had basic cable back then and it wasn't until YTV picked up the show that I was able to see it in its entirety.

This show focuses on a 13 year boy named Jay Ziegler who falls out of a tree house while trying to retrieve his father's telescope from Keith and a group of his friends that pretended to befriend him. As a result of the fall, he is knocked unconscious and ends up in a coma. This is only the start of Jay's problems, as he finds himself in an elevator that transports him into the "down world" a place where only kids exist and no one exceeds the age of 15. This world is comprised of Jay's subconscious and exaggerates a lot of the struggles that Jay eventually deals when he comes out of the coma. As the series goes on he tries to find ways to get back to his own world and eventually realizes that the key to doing so is to find his father who traumatized Jay by faking his own death and abandoning him.

The story overall was very original and well written. It was a shame that they didn't continue it because I think it would been interesting to see if his fathers past would have added on to the troubles that Jay already had trying to grow and adjust to the real world again. There was still enough meat on the bone that there was always new material that could have been found. You also have to give credit to the actors of the show as well, such as Tony Sampson, Ashleigh Moore, Andrea Nemeth, and of course Illya Woloshyn who played Jay to perfection. Considering that most of the cast members were kids they were very convincing in the roles they played.

Overall the show's theme was really good as it shows kids the consequences and challenges of growing up and how finding the truth can make you feel like a child.

Although this show is intended for kids/young adults, it can certainly be watched by the older crowd too. What I find so captivating about this show was the story. In it we follow a kid called Jay who falls down from his treehouse and goes into coma. His mind then decends into another state and counciousness, the eeire realm known as "Downworld", a world without adults. Jay eventually finds 2 followers Flash and Alpha, both of them resemple his real life friends, and together they set off on a odyssey to find Jay's vanished father. The 3 adventures encounters many odd and weird individuals as they go along, always finding themselves in hostile situations. Will they ever uncover the truth of Jay's father and Downworld?

Odyssey is a complete ride. Intricte as only a serialized TV show can be, with development of characters and growth. The plot is complex and has several overtones of quests, politics, etc. Jay's attempts to return to Upworld take him on a long road we get to join. This show is seriously weird

The first season was, as the subject line says: excellent. It was intriguing and rather unique as alternate world themes go. It made me want to watch season 2.

Season 2 was okay, but it started to become apparent that this was going somewhere that I didn't want to go, with a shift away from the first season concepts that made it so interesting to me. It was still worth watching though.

I watched season 3 to find out what the ending would be. I won't give it away, but it was very unsatisfying and disappointing in my opinion. This part of the series devolved into a teen drama that was more annoying than entertaining.

They should have tried to end this (with a different ending) in season 1 or season 2.