The Odyssey

When I was just a youngster I would always try to watch this show when it came on. I can't remember how many episodes I watched or which ones I watched exactly but I do remember the feeling of mystery, another world, the dream world. I remember I quite liked the show but was always sad that I hadn't seen all episodes. Well now I can finally sit down and watch it once for all. I'm actually a bit wowed that a few famous actors are in this show too.. such as Ryan Reynolds and Devon Sawa (who I actually remember from my neighbourhood - he was my classmates brother growing up in BBY North). So yeah, kind of fun to see this again. I certainly remember it a bit different, and back then I was so young many of the kids in this were older than I was. Now watching it feels a little bit different but at the same time I'm swept away and feel like a kid again when I watch it. The music too was just right for this show... sort of ethereal and magical. So yeah, a quirky weird little show but I think it was a hidden gem of a show.

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.

Probably one of the better examples of fantasy work, especially for television. A very deep, and well acted series, never really gets old. I really wish they'd release the series on tape and/or DVD so that I could buy it. Really well done.

'The Odyssey' is probably one of the most unique shows I've ever watched both because of it's quirky storyline and the fact it had a bit of everything from sci-fi to drama to romance to action/adventure.

The show revolved around thirteen-year-old Jay Ziegler, a troubled boy who stubbornly clings to the belief his dead father faked his death. He is left fighting for his life following a fall from a tree-house trying to escape bullies and while, in reality (the Upworld) his mother desperately tries to cajole her son into regaining consciousness, Jay's comatose mind travels to the Downworld, a strange place where only children exist. There, he is determined to find his father so both can return home and he is joined on his adventures by Flash, the alter-ego of one of the bullies, and Alpha, the alter-ego of Jay's best friend Donna.

The first and second seasons were very enjoyable and thought-provoking as they explored the idea of where the mind goes when one is in a coma and just how much of Jay's state was mental rather than because he was physically unwell. The third season dealt with Jay's life once he had emerged from his coma and was an interesting insight into how difficult it can be for a child to adjust after two years of being seriously ill. Jay still considered himself thirteen years old but all his friends were fifteen and had grown up so much in those two years he was unconscious.

This was a great show for teens who wanted a bit more than the usual drivel delivered in soaps and dumbed-down kiddie dramas. It's a shame it's not available on DVD or repeated again on telly because I imagine it has the potential to be as popular now as it was in the Nineties.

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?