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Trevor Strunk (No Cartridge) returns once again to the horrors of Odyssey as he and the lads face down the true return of the devious Dutchman, Regis Blackgaard, in part two of Adventures in Odyssey’s most notorious run: Darkness Before Dawn. Topics include the vocal dexterity of Earl Boen, the collaboration between Paul McCusker and Philip Lollar, and the deeply depressing conversion of Eugene Meltsner.

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Trevor Strunk

Twitter / Story Mode

No Cartridge Audio: Critical but casual approaches to current, past, and future video games six times a week. In addition, guests will periodically share their own aesthetic and personal experiences with games in conversation!

Available on Apple Podcasts // Spotify // Red Circle

Support No Cartridge Audio on Patreon // Twitter

Josh’s Episode of No Cartridge About Thief 2: The Metal Age

A.J.’s Episode of No Cartridge on Bad Mojo

The Lads’ Episode of No Cartridge on Final Fantasy XV

Media Referenced in this Episode:

“Happiness is a Water Gun”: The Maxwell/Blackgaard Erotica

Adventures in Odyssey:

#327: “Moving Targets”

#328: “Hard Losses”

#329: “The Return”

#330: “The Time Has Come”

TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com

Commercial: “’On the Importance of Muzzy at the End of the World”

Special Thanks to: David Armstrong, Jake Beckhard, Ellie Philips, Dara Swisher, Jessie Cannizzaro, Audrey Brehm, Donovan Eyre, Dean Beckwith, Petrea Whittier, Greg Foster, Matt Barbot, Josiah Hughes, Patrick Willems, Graham Techler, Trevor Strunk, Josh Sawyer, Lenore Olson, Jacob Dallas, Devon, Anne Huston, Chas LiBretto, maia arson crimew, November Kelly, and Tony Ditty.

Files

Comments

max graves

she bite on my edge til i chemical

Amy Godliman

Minor correction, Bovril is best known as a hot beef drink so it’s much worse than “beef peanut butter” I’m afraid. It used to have a famous ad in which a cow looked at a jar with tears in its eyes with the tagline “alas my poor brother”, we are a normal country.

Rob F

You boys really outdid yourselves this time. Great work.

BarFly

Welcome to The Worst of All Possible Worlds, the first and only podcast where NO ONE GETS SUCKED OFF!

BarFly

Please pass a radio show recommendation to Trevor: all of Bold Venture, the radio show starting Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, is on YouTube.

Ray of F---ing Sunshine

I work in environmental consulting, this is EXACTLY what it's like trying to inspect gas stations for environmental compliance. One of those 'hey gang I'm actually with the baddies on this one' episodes

Jordyn Clementi

If you're interested in the history of advertising, sexuality and colonialism (particularly but not exclusively in the UK), Imperial Leather by Anne McClintock is really good. I bring it up because she has this whole bit analyzing these Bovril ads from when it first came out that said (in pathé voice): "THE STANLEY EXPEDITION COULD NOT HAVE SUCCEEDED WITHOUT BOVRIL, WHICH IS WHY THEY SPELLED IT ON A MAP IF YOU TRACE THEIR STEPS IN DEEP DARK AFRICA" Very normal country indeed.

Trevor Seyfried

It would be great if y'all could get Scott Benson on one episode this series. Loved his Odyssey commentary for the Castles and Cauldrons show.

Dergon

Unfortunately I saw "beef peanut butter" and "no one got sucked off" before I saw this warning.

Catfoot13

Got unreasonably excited at the Johnny Dollar mention lmao

Codsternation

The ending is the greatest thing you’ve ever produced.

Förfäders spår

little known fact, at the end of each recording session the lads all stand up and sing The Sash in unison. brian has been evicted from two separate apartments for playing the drums too loud, that’s why they’re on a houseboat now

Kenneth Blair

Great job as usual. Can't wait for the next one.

Ray of F---ing Sunshine

This might be the greatest episode youse have ever crafted, outstanding, thank you

Fruitless

Obviously a bit biased, but I think the ending of this is the best TWOAPW bit of all time

Genevieve R

Jesus that ending. ofc you should've converted to Lutheranism (the original and true protestantism) but amazing nonetheless

Grouchiest Marxiest

That ending was fucking brilliant especially pairing it with that particularly glassy song hell yeah lads

Dergon

Jesus fucking Christ that ending is an amazing piece of work and I can't even imagine the planning and I will probably be thinking about it for the rest of the day. (Psst! AJ! Go pentecostal! We have tambourines, speaking in tongues, and people screaming while dancing in place and/or running around the sanctuary! It's a great time!)

Förfäders spår

so let me see if I got this right - the israelites wear *white sheets*?

Rob F

But what about the snakes? I *hate* snakes!

Dergon

I think snakes have been removed from services due to "woke"

Ghostly

Ending was incredible

No one said you have to live on Bob.

Man, the constant refrain of "abandon your reason, what does your heart say?" drives me crazy, especially since their scripture says the heart is deceitful. American evangelicalism feels so much like a scummy car salesman. Don't look under the hood, just picture yourself cruising down the highway!

Noah

The Hide and Seek singalong made me laugh so hard during my workout I dropped the weight I was holding

TalkGibberish

I didnt think brian would top his one man show so soon...

Jack Slagle

Another banger. This is tangential but I am aghast that I spent an hour trying to type out a work email and someone has found the time to write 600k words on AiO on AO3. Like, how.

n8

I immediately hoped this was a Mr. Burns parody and was so happy to be correct

Skrank Morley

The ending is absolute art. Well done. Enjoy your new faith, A.J.

By Tove!

Holy shit what an ending

Jimmy McMillan

Damn Brian how long have you been planning the ending montage? I feel like the entire Whit's Endless Summer was leading up to this bit

Fatt Mox

The best sissy hypno I've ever heard

Uncle Jam Wants You

I'm in the middle of a Meijer in East Lansing laughing like a madman at this. Bravo

Breathplay

that odyssey episode was not The Moment for me. because this episode was.

Elaine Åhlfeldt

I am at an actual loss for words at that ending, holy shit. My partner looked over at me HOWLING and I had to make a weak attempt at "oh it's an incredible bit in that one podcast" like there was any way to convey why I was hearing one of the funniest things in my entire life. Just wow. Standing ovation

s

AJ may have lost a father, but he gained a greater, more scripturally backed father

Jimmy McMillan

I feel like this whole podcast series has been Brian grooming AJ and us as the audience into appreciating his Eugene's conversion parody. Only Josh, himself, and maybe 4 other people would have found this funny 34 episodes ago. Brilliant

Brandon Chinn

This arc was my Breaking Bad as a child

J. D. Harper

Amazing ending. An incredible, laser-targeted bit.

James Slegers

You had me with the Mr Burns Post Electric Play bit but I died happy hearing AJ getting converted as a committed member of the Southern Baptist Convention

Maple

That ending had me in fucking hysterics oh my GOD this episode was absolutely top tier Also as someone who was tragically into the odyssey books as a kid I feel so validated every time Brian mentions book lore🙏🏻

Edith Prince

The ending made me laugh so hard I spilled methylene chloride all over my lab bench. Ruined a pcb batch but it was worth it. Congrats on the conversion.

David

What I want to know is how much Katie Leigh charged y'all for that.

Lucas White

Dramaturgy% speedrun time 14:53

Brandon Chinn

Okay when is the Kingdom Hearts episode

june

I listen to these at work and the end of this made me laugh so hard I had to stop working and just cling to the prep table for a minute. When I heard November Kelly, that's when I broke, I had to put my knife down and just cry with laughter.

Noblese Oblahaj

The AI is the only unshackled thing in Whit's basement

Jonathan V. Cann

I can't believe I care what the mineral in these goddamn tunnels is going to turn out to be

Nyeaustin

Followed up my favorite opening with my favorite closing. You guys just don't miss <3

shinji's got the yips

Well I hope you clowns are happy. I know have an unsolicited parasocial relationship with AJ's dad solidified with "you'll never take me alive!" He's clearly the best. On a more serious note–and apologies for the newb question if answered elsewhere but: What is the "I'm coming!" clip from? It may have been that little insert that absolutely hooked me on y'all...

Elizabeth Power

Wow! That opening was fantastic. I knew it sounded familiar, so I'm proud of myself for remembering what it was a reference to. I read that play, but I've never seen it. It's so weird and good, almost in the way odyssey is sometimes.

Toby

That ending was beautiful, not only did I convert on the spot, but so did the dog

A Dizzy Bat

Lookin like about $75 on cameo haha

titus virginia

sorry but i dont buy Eugenes conversion, him reading the bible to win back Katrina is just like when Obama claimed he read Marx to pick up girls in college

Elizabeth Power

I only just made it to the end now but But oh my Catholic/southern Baptist God, that was amazing! How great to get all of your friends, your dad, Some other random people, and I think actual Connie’s actress? She was a great sport about it!What an amazing joke/tribute to all of the craziness that this series has wrought. I think secretly my favorite part might be whoever said “I need you to recite the shahada? That came out of nowhere! Bravo to all! PSIt’s it even more hilarious because I would never be able to explain to someone why it’s hilarious unless they listen to this podcast.

Brandon Chinn

Shout out to my fellow SDA kids whose primary form of dramatic entertainment was Odyssey

LogalogJack

EDIT HOLY SHIT PAUSE THE LAST 10 MINUTES IS MAKING ME COMBUST Hehe I’m only 2 minutes in but I gotta break the unfortunate news that Richard Maxwell was retconned in the novels to be 21 at the time of applesauce, making his scenes with Lucy just that much worse 🫶

LogalogJack

Also gotta flex my novel lore knowledge some more and talk about Glossman (more like Grossman) having an ex-fiancée in England?? For no reason I guess? And the novels were all Lollar so it’s just a weird shoutout to his ex-colleague. Anyway I’m vibrating at a frequency that can shatter bone with excitement for these episodes so I’ll get back to it lmao

LogalogJack

Pick up *bisexual* girls, very important distinction

J

I couldn't tell what was going on at the end but it felt like all y'all were trying to MKUltra AJ

MagicalMarvo

This episode was released on my birthday and it's quite possibly the greatest gift I have ever received. Masterful coverage of the goings-on in Odyssey, USA. Darkness Before Dawn unfortunately had a serious impact on me as a child. It's probably one of the reasons why I'm a writer. It's definitely the reason why I'm such a terrible one

Nemo

Bovril was actually invented by a Canadian to meet Napoleon III's beef needs in the Franco-Prussian War (before refrigeration). It was originally called "Johnston's Fluid Beef" but renamed Bovril after a Victorian fantasy novel about a subterranean master race. These are all real facts

Nemo

I think I've been activated

J

What is the story in the middle section about? Is it a continuing bit or are we supposed to just figure it out in media res?

The Worst of All Possible Worlds

It is part of an ongoing story! If you'd like to catch up, we have a compilation of the relevant interstitials in the "Whit's Endless Summer" collection under the "Collections" Tab called "The Odyssey Commercials: Vol. 1". It only compiles everything up through the start of this year though, so, you'll have to listen to the other Odyssey episodes from 2024 to get the whole story. Enjoy!

LogalogJack

IS Edwin the one who sucks Richard off? According to my fanfiction, yes Also hi I’m back with more Novel Lore™ but Glossman (more like grossman) drinks whiskey in like, the first chapter!! Villains are allowed to indulge in vices!!

LogalogJack

Good news everyone! The Blackgaard/Maxwell tag on ao3 now has a total of three (3) fics! I don’t have a problem, YOU do

Anghellik9

That ending bit has to be the best one in the shows history to date

Eliza Blackhart

Damn it you fuckers got me tearing up during the interstitial

AhrBee

I remember when Fiorello LaGuardia greeted me at the edge of the George Washington Bridge when I, a Recovering Catholic, journeyed to his city to go to the only University in all of New York.

Andrew Buchner

Wait, Regis Blackgaard is voiced by the psychiatrist from the Terminator movies, and the voiceover for the second most important video of my adolescence (WoW Wrath of the Lich King cinematic)???

LadyKnightTheBrave

What is the dramatic music underscoring the like AJ conversion montage? It sounded like Tron Legacy?