18. Mistaken for Gandalf
Mr. Whittaker, Gandalf and The Lord of the Rings.
By David Hilder | June 14, 2014
Mr. Whittaker, Gandalf and The Lord of the Rings.
By David Hilder | June 14, 2014
Last October the Adventures in Odyssey Oddcast released a YouTube video explaining the top ten reasons why the character of Mr. Whittaker is actually a Time Lord who would fit comfortably into the television show Doctor Who. That got me thinking about Whit and his similarities to characters from all kinds of stories. So I’ve decided to write this editorial for fun. If Adventures in Odyssey ever devoted an entire episode or two to doing a spoof of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, I have little doubt that Whit would portray the character of Gandalf. When you think about it, you might even suspect that the character of Whit was partially inspired by Gandalf. In this editorial I will be explaining some of their similarities. If you want to avoid spoilers, read no further.
Let’s look at the beginning of The Hobbit when Bilbo meets the mysterious wizard by the name of Gandalf. Gandalf says, “I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it’s very difficult to find anyone.” Bilbo, of course, is very reluctant to go on an adventure. He doesn’t want to experience anything new or strange. He isn’t interested in whatever Gandalf has to offer. Similarly, Mr. Whittaker has a habit of trying to convince people to go on adventures. But while Gandalf approaches Hobbits, who are childlike in many ways, Whit befriends children themselves. During the theme music at the beginning of an AIO episode, Whit often tells the audience to come along for the adventure. His character is also very adamant about getting the kids of Odyssey involved in his adventures. In the episode The Imagination Station in Album 5, for example, he encounters a kid named Digger Digwillow. Digger, despite his name, does not live in a hole dug in the ground like Bilbo. But he is suspicious of Whit’s plans to send him on an Imagination Station ride. Gandalf and Whit send off Bilbo and Digger on a grand adventure, and in both cases they are transformed in the process. They are freed from the constraints of their usual everyday lives and gain valuable insight.
Besides being adventurous, Gandalf and Mr. Whittaker are both very old. When asked how old Whit is, writer Paul McCusker replied that he is “ageless.” He appears to be an elderly man but could be anywhere from “120 all the way down to in his mid-sixties.” People often joke about his advanced age and he takes it all in good fun. As an older person, Whit is a grandfather figure to the kids of Odyssey and also acts as a sort of father for Eugene, who for many years assumed his father died when he was young, and for Connie, whose father lives far away and rarely thinks about her. Gandalf’s age is also ambiguous, but he’s definitely older than Whit. Technically Gandalf is ageless and immortal because he was created before the creation of the world, but that information is only readily available to readers of the books, not to all the characters living in Middle-Earth. Many of the characters assume Gandalf is just an old man or even an elf, and he likes to keep it that way. He is also a grandfatherly figure, particularly to Frodo, whose parents died when he was young.
You don’t have to be aware of Gandalf’s mysterious origins to know that he is a bit odd. Eccentric is a better word. Ordinary people look at him as a bit of an outlandish fellow who seems to always be involved in extraordinary events. He has been known to befriend strange people, such as dwarves and elves, and the Hobbits of Hobbiton are quite interested in discussing his activities, especially when he visits them to display his fireworks. Mr. Whittaker is also slightly eccentric. He has on several occasions stayed up through the night working on inventions at his shop. Bernard Walton has called him a mad scientist and Tom Riley has accused him of messing with things he shouldn’t be messing with. Not to mention the fact that Whit’s End seems to be a focal point for strange visitors, such as government agents. Whit is usually involved in some secret project or another which the rest of us only find out about later. Whit, the tinkerer, must seem very strange to some people who hear about him dabbling in things like time travel and secret experiments.
Whit may appear slightly strange to outsiders but he has gained the trust of many kids in Odyssey through his wisdom and sage advice. People are always coming to Whit’s End looking for Whit so he can solve their problems. Being wise means Whit knows the limits of his knowledge. When someone assumes that Whit knows everything, he is the first to point out that he does not. Contrast this with Eugene Meltsner, who boasts that he knows almost everything there is to know. Besides being humble, having true wisdom also goes hand in hand with being merciful and forgiving. Whit shows mercy to everyone who needs it, even when it’s difficult, such as in the case of Richard Maxwell. Likewise, Gandalf is well-known for possessing wisdom. He is part of the White Council, or the Council of the Wise, and is frequently sought after for his advice. He also knows that he does not know everything and admits in The Fellowship of the Ring that “even the very wise cannot see all ends.” Gandalf is wise enough to know the value of mercy as well. He has mercy on the creature Gollum and tells Frodo not to be “too eager to deal out death in judgement.” And like Whit, Gandalf is wise enough not to believe in luck or coincidence. At the end of The Hobbit Gandalf says to Bilbo, “You don’t really suppose, do you, that all your adventures and escapes were managed by mere luck, just for your sole benefit?” He knows there is a purpose at work behind the scenes.
Gandalf’s position as one of the very wise allows him to be a capable leader. He leads people not simply on adventures but on important missions. In The Hobbit he acts as a guide for Bilbo and the dwarves on their quest to the Lonely Mountain and in The Lord of the Rings he helps to guide the Fellowship on their journey towards Mount Doom. His presence as a leader is very significant in The Lord of the Rings because soon after Gandalf dies, the Fellowship fractures and goes in different directions. He has the ability to unify people and lead them on the right path. But when he is absent, people are lost without his leadership. Whit is also a leader of sorts. He is a strong Christian and teaches others to follow God as well. He encourages people and guides them on their spiritual journeys. Connie and Eugene both accept Christ partially as the result of Whit’s influence. He leads both kids and adults to better understand God’s message to humanity as it is written in the Bible. Like Gandalf, Whit keeps people hopeful for the future and insists that “the best is yet to come.” Whit’s leadership strengthens and inspires others to try and live faithfully to God.
Whit is also a brave leader on the battlefield. As a war veteran of World War II, Whit served in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific. He shows immense courage in battle. He takes the initiative and risks his life to ensure the safe landing of soldiers trapped inside a transport with a door that has jammed. Whit then sacrifices himself to protect Lieutenant Reginald Duffield from an enemy shell that strikes close to them. As a result, Whit is knocked unconscious by the blast and forever has a piece missing from his right ear. Gandalf is also a war veteran. He fights in countless skirmishes and battles, including the Battle of the Five Armies, the Battle of Helm’s Deep, the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, and the Battle of the Black Gate. In each one of these Gandalf acts to inspire the soldiers on his side to fight together and boldly resist the enemy. Gandalf is also self-sacrificial. As he is leading the Fellowship through the Mines of Moria they encounter a Balrog of Morgoth. Gandalf allows his companions to escape as he singlehandedly fights the Balrog on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm. Both he and his enemy are killed, but the members of the Fellowship are saved as a result.
Gandalf falls in Moria as he battles the Balrog and he dies at the end. His absence has a huge effect on the other characters. Suddenly their safety net is gone and they are on their own. After this, Boromir tries to take the Ring for himself, causing Frodo to flee. The Fellowship goes out looking for Frodo and they are caught off-guard by a group of Orcs. Merry and Pippin are captured and are pursued by Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas. Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam continue the quest to Mordor. Gandalf’s death is a turning point. But he doesn’t stay away forever. He dies as Gandalf the Grey, but comes back as Gandalf the White. Mr. Whittaker also has a period of time in the wilderness. In Album 21 he disappears and travels to an archaeological dig in the Middle East. His sudden departure is a turning point in Odyssey. After Hal Smith’s death, the AIO team was planning to end the series. So in Album 22 they began laying down the framework that would lead up to Dr. Blackgaard’s return and the final showdown in Album 25. In Album 22 Tom runs for mayor, Philip Glossman returns along with the Edgebiter scandal, the Ruku virus is introduced, Jason Whittaker moves to Odyssey, and Jack and Jason discover that a secret gang once existed called the “Israelites.” The Underground Railroad in Album 24 furthers the plot about a mysterious mineral in the tunnels under Whit’s End. Eugene’s relationship with Katrina strains until she breaks it off in The Turning Point, leaving Eugene alone. This forces Eugene to confront questions of faith and accept Christianity in The Time Has Come. Album 25 was meant to bring AIO to a natural stopping point and wrap up the show’s major plotlines. And it was all triggered by Hal Smith’s passing, and the disappearance of the character of Whit from Odyssey. And yet, the show didn’t end and Whit eventually returned, just like Gandalf. Both characters have a departure and a return. And because both are central characters, their departures have a massive impact on their surroundings.
Part of the reason why they have such a huge effect is because both Whit and Gandalf are such powerful characters. Whit has his fingers in a lot of pies. He has a great deal of wealth and he has connections to every area in the world, including to many powerful players. He founded and still controls the Universal Press Foundation, which has significant resources. He has connections to government agencies, including the Department of Defense. Whit also has incredible power through his inventions. The Environment Enhancer, the Imagination Station, the Room of Consequences, the Transmuter, and others are all innovative and ground-breaking technologies which in the wrong hands would have terrible consequences. Similarly, Gandalf wields incredible power and is sent to Middle-Earth to oppose Sauron. Gandalf is technically one of the Maiar, spiritual beings similar to angels, and among them all he is the wisest. In The Fellowship of the Ring Gandalf says, “Those who have dwelt in the Blessed Realm live at once in both worlds, and against both the Seen and the Unseen they have great power.” Gandalf’s spiritual vision gives him increased power to impact both the physical and the spiritual world. He also has the ear of earthly kings and in The Lord of the Rings he influences many characters to resist the evil of the Dark Lord Sauron.
And yet, Gandalf seems to value the simple life. He looks at the simplicity of the Hobbits and admires their courage and resilience. He may have power, but he shuns the thought of using the One Ring to increase his power. When Frodo offers to give him the Ring, Gandalf strongly resists the temptation to accept it. He says, “With that power I should have power too great and terrible. And over me the Ring would gain a power still greater and more deadly.” The power of the Ring has a corrupting influence which destroys those who give in to it. Gandalf’s goal is not to amass more power for himself but to transform others into good stewards of the responsibilities they have been given. Whit lives the simple life in the small town of Odyssey. Yes, he may occasionally travel to remote places or skydive out of planes, but he always comes back to his humble abode in Odyssey. In the episode Tales of Moderation, Connie Kendall wonders why Whit doesn’t choose to live in luxury. This is because Whit doesn’t want his possessions to own him. That’s why he doesn’t even own a television. Watching too much TV is one of Whit’s great temptations and so he cannot allow himself to have one. Whit and Gandalf both practice moderation.
There are definitely comparisons to be made between the Ring of Power and the powerful computer program called Applesauce, which Whit destroys. But I would rather compare Novacom’s mind control technology to the One Ring, which seems to be more powerful than Applesauce. First of all, the Novabox is work of deception. When you use it you think you are enhancing your abilities, but you are in fact hurting them and putting yourself under the power of Novacom. Novacom’s ultimate goal is world domination through mind control. They always intended their technology to benefit themselves by enslaving the wills of others. Now, what about the Ring? Does its power lie in its ability to turn its wearer invisible, or is there more behind it? In the hands of Bilbo or Frodo, we never witness what the Ring is capable of. But it was designed for a very similar purpose to that of the Novabox. The One Ring, known as the Master Ring, was created by Sauron in secret to have control over the other rings possessed by the dwarves, elves and men. The One Ring is a powerful mind control device which maintains its allegiance to its Master, Sauron, thereby harming anyone else who tries to use it. Its power is found in its domination over others. It is at its core an attack on others’ freedom and free will. The same goes for Novacom. Both Gandalf and Whit work to ensure that the enslavement of the world is thwarted and that freedom is maintained.
I’ve left out many of the obvious differences between Gandalf and Whit. They are of course not the same character. They exist in different worlds and totally different genres. I just thought it would be interesting to look at the similarities between a central character of a Christian audio drama and a central character created by the Christian author J.R.R. Tolkien. Altogether, I think this was a fun exercise and I hope the readers who stuck around to the end enjoyed it as well.
Let’s look at the beginning of The Hobbit when Bilbo meets the mysterious wizard by the name of Gandalf. Gandalf says, “I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it’s very difficult to find anyone.” Bilbo, of course, is very reluctant to go on an adventure. He doesn’t want to experience anything new or strange. He isn’t interested in whatever Gandalf has to offer. Similarly, Mr. Whittaker has a habit of trying to convince people to go on adventures. But while Gandalf approaches Hobbits, who are childlike in many ways, Whit befriends children themselves. During the theme music at the beginning of an AIO episode, Whit often tells the audience to come along for the adventure. His character is also very adamant about getting the kids of Odyssey involved in his adventures. In the episode The Imagination Station in Album 5, for example, he encounters a kid named Digger Digwillow. Digger, despite his name, does not live in a hole dug in the ground like Bilbo. But he is suspicious of Whit’s plans to send him on an Imagination Station ride. Gandalf and Whit send off Bilbo and Digger on a grand adventure, and in both cases they are transformed in the process. They are freed from the constraints of their usual everyday lives and gain valuable insight.
Besides being adventurous, Gandalf and Mr. Whittaker are both very old. When asked how old Whit is, writer Paul McCusker replied that he is “ageless.” He appears to be an elderly man but could be anywhere from “120 all the way down to in his mid-sixties.” People often joke about his advanced age and he takes it all in good fun. As an older person, Whit is a grandfather figure to the kids of Odyssey and also acts as a sort of father for Eugene, who for many years assumed his father died when he was young, and for Connie, whose father lives far away and rarely thinks about her. Gandalf’s age is also ambiguous, but he’s definitely older than Whit. Technically Gandalf is ageless and immortal because he was created before the creation of the world, but that information is only readily available to readers of the books, not to all the characters living in Middle-Earth. Many of the characters assume Gandalf is just an old man or even an elf, and he likes to keep it that way. He is also a grandfatherly figure, particularly to Frodo, whose parents died when he was young.
You don’t have to be aware of Gandalf’s mysterious origins to know that he is a bit odd. Eccentric is a better word. Ordinary people look at him as a bit of an outlandish fellow who seems to always be involved in extraordinary events. He has been known to befriend strange people, such as dwarves and elves, and the Hobbits of Hobbiton are quite interested in discussing his activities, especially when he visits them to display his fireworks. Mr. Whittaker is also slightly eccentric. He has on several occasions stayed up through the night working on inventions at his shop. Bernard Walton has called him a mad scientist and Tom Riley has accused him of messing with things he shouldn’t be messing with. Not to mention the fact that Whit’s End seems to be a focal point for strange visitors, such as government agents. Whit is usually involved in some secret project or another which the rest of us only find out about later. Whit, the tinkerer, must seem very strange to some people who hear about him dabbling in things like time travel and secret experiments.
Whit may appear slightly strange to outsiders but he has gained the trust of many kids in Odyssey through his wisdom and sage advice. People are always coming to Whit’s End looking for Whit so he can solve their problems. Being wise means Whit knows the limits of his knowledge. When someone assumes that Whit knows everything, he is the first to point out that he does not. Contrast this with Eugene Meltsner, who boasts that he knows almost everything there is to know. Besides being humble, having true wisdom also goes hand in hand with being merciful and forgiving. Whit shows mercy to everyone who needs it, even when it’s difficult, such as in the case of Richard Maxwell. Likewise, Gandalf is well-known for possessing wisdom. He is part of the White Council, or the Council of the Wise, and is frequently sought after for his advice. He also knows that he does not know everything and admits in The Fellowship of the Ring that “even the very wise cannot see all ends.” Gandalf is wise enough to know the value of mercy as well. He has mercy on the creature Gollum and tells Frodo not to be “too eager to deal out death in judgement.” And like Whit, Gandalf is wise enough not to believe in luck or coincidence. At the end of The Hobbit Gandalf says to Bilbo, “You don’t really suppose, do you, that all your adventures and escapes were managed by mere luck, just for your sole benefit?” He knows there is a purpose at work behind the scenes.
Gandalf’s position as one of the very wise allows him to be a capable leader. He leads people not simply on adventures but on important missions. In The Hobbit he acts as a guide for Bilbo and the dwarves on their quest to the Lonely Mountain and in The Lord of the Rings he helps to guide the Fellowship on their journey towards Mount Doom. His presence as a leader is very significant in The Lord of the Rings because soon after Gandalf dies, the Fellowship fractures and goes in different directions. He has the ability to unify people and lead them on the right path. But when he is absent, people are lost without his leadership. Whit is also a leader of sorts. He is a strong Christian and teaches others to follow God as well. He encourages people and guides them on their spiritual journeys. Connie and Eugene both accept Christ partially as the result of Whit’s influence. He leads both kids and adults to better understand God’s message to humanity as it is written in the Bible. Like Gandalf, Whit keeps people hopeful for the future and insists that “the best is yet to come.” Whit’s leadership strengthens and inspires others to try and live faithfully to God.
Whit is also a brave leader on the battlefield. As a war veteran of World War II, Whit served in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific. He shows immense courage in battle. He takes the initiative and risks his life to ensure the safe landing of soldiers trapped inside a transport with a door that has jammed. Whit then sacrifices himself to protect Lieutenant Reginald Duffield from an enemy shell that strikes close to them. As a result, Whit is knocked unconscious by the blast and forever has a piece missing from his right ear. Gandalf is also a war veteran. He fights in countless skirmishes and battles, including the Battle of the Five Armies, the Battle of Helm’s Deep, the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, and the Battle of the Black Gate. In each one of these Gandalf acts to inspire the soldiers on his side to fight together and boldly resist the enemy. Gandalf is also self-sacrificial. As he is leading the Fellowship through the Mines of Moria they encounter a Balrog of Morgoth. Gandalf allows his companions to escape as he singlehandedly fights the Balrog on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm. Both he and his enemy are killed, but the members of the Fellowship are saved as a result.
Gandalf falls in Moria as he battles the Balrog and he dies at the end. His absence has a huge effect on the other characters. Suddenly their safety net is gone and they are on their own. After this, Boromir tries to take the Ring for himself, causing Frodo to flee. The Fellowship goes out looking for Frodo and they are caught off-guard by a group of Orcs. Merry and Pippin are captured and are pursued by Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas. Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam continue the quest to Mordor. Gandalf’s death is a turning point. But he doesn’t stay away forever. He dies as Gandalf the Grey, but comes back as Gandalf the White. Mr. Whittaker also has a period of time in the wilderness. In Album 21 he disappears and travels to an archaeological dig in the Middle East. His sudden departure is a turning point in Odyssey. After Hal Smith’s death, the AIO team was planning to end the series. So in Album 22 they began laying down the framework that would lead up to Dr. Blackgaard’s return and the final showdown in Album 25. In Album 22 Tom runs for mayor, Philip Glossman returns along with the Edgebiter scandal, the Ruku virus is introduced, Jason Whittaker moves to Odyssey, and Jack and Jason discover that a secret gang once existed called the “Israelites.” The Underground Railroad in Album 24 furthers the plot about a mysterious mineral in the tunnels under Whit’s End. Eugene’s relationship with Katrina strains until she breaks it off in The Turning Point, leaving Eugene alone. This forces Eugene to confront questions of faith and accept Christianity in The Time Has Come. Album 25 was meant to bring AIO to a natural stopping point and wrap up the show’s major plotlines. And it was all triggered by Hal Smith’s passing, and the disappearance of the character of Whit from Odyssey. And yet, the show didn’t end and Whit eventually returned, just like Gandalf. Both characters have a departure and a return. And because both are central characters, their departures have a massive impact on their surroundings.
Part of the reason why they have such a huge effect is because both Whit and Gandalf are such powerful characters. Whit has his fingers in a lot of pies. He has a great deal of wealth and he has connections to every area in the world, including to many powerful players. He founded and still controls the Universal Press Foundation, which has significant resources. He has connections to government agencies, including the Department of Defense. Whit also has incredible power through his inventions. The Environment Enhancer, the Imagination Station, the Room of Consequences, the Transmuter, and others are all innovative and ground-breaking technologies which in the wrong hands would have terrible consequences. Similarly, Gandalf wields incredible power and is sent to Middle-Earth to oppose Sauron. Gandalf is technically one of the Maiar, spiritual beings similar to angels, and among them all he is the wisest. In The Fellowship of the Ring Gandalf says, “Those who have dwelt in the Blessed Realm live at once in both worlds, and against both the Seen and the Unseen they have great power.” Gandalf’s spiritual vision gives him increased power to impact both the physical and the spiritual world. He also has the ear of earthly kings and in The Lord of the Rings he influences many characters to resist the evil of the Dark Lord Sauron.
And yet, Gandalf seems to value the simple life. He looks at the simplicity of the Hobbits and admires their courage and resilience. He may have power, but he shuns the thought of using the One Ring to increase his power. When Frodo offers to give him the Ring, Gandalf strongly resists the temptation to accept it. He says, “With that power I should have power too great and terrible. And over me the Ring would gain a power still greater and more deadly.” The power of the Ring has a corrupting influence which destroys those who give in to it. Gandalf’s goal is not to amass more power for himself but to transform others into good stewards of the responsibilities they have been given. Whit lives the simple life in the small town of Odyssey. Yes, he may occasionally travel to remote places or skydive out of planes, but he always comes back to his humble abode in Odyssey. In the episode Tales of Moderation, Connie Kendall wonders why Whit doesn’t choose to live in luxury. This is because Whit doesn’t want his possessions to own him. That’s why he doesn’t even own a television. Watching too much TV is one of Whit’s great temptations and so he cannot allow himself to have one. Whit and Gandalf both practice moderation.
There are definitely comparisons to be made between the Ring of Power and the powerful computer program called Applesauce, which Whit destroys. But I would rather compare Novacom’s mind control technology to the One Ring, which seems to be more powerful than Applesauce. First of all, the Novabox is work of deception. When you use it you think you are enhancing your abilities, but you are in fact hurting them and putting yourself under the power of Novacom. Novacom’s ultimate goal is world domination through mind control. They always intended their technology to benefit themselves by enslaving the wills of others. Now, what about the Ring? Does its power lie in its ability to turn its wearer invisible, or is there more behind it? In the hands of Bilbo or Frodo, we never witness what the Ring is capable of. But it was designed for a very similar purpose to that of the Novabox. The One Ring, known as the Master Ring, was created by Sauron in secret to have control over the other rings possessed by the dwarves, elves and men. The One Ring is a powerful mind control device which maintains its allegiance to its Master, Sauron, thereby harming anyone else who tries to use it. Its power is found in its domination over others. It is at its core an attack on others’ freedom and free will. The same goes for Novacom. Both Gandalf and Whit work to ensure that the enslavement of the world is thwarted and that freedom is maintained.
I’ve left out many of the obvious differences between Gandalf and Whit. They are of course not the same character. They exist in different worlds and totally different genres. I just thought it would be interesting to look at the similarities between a central character of a Christian audio drama and a central character created by the Christian author J.R.R. Tolkien. Altogether, I think this was a fun exercise and I hope the readers who stuck around to the end enjoyed it as well.
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