53. A Couple Comes to Town
Buck and Jules' dating relationship.
By David Hilder | April 24, 2023
Buck and Jules' dating relationship.
By David Hilder | April 24, 2023
The final scene of Album 74 has a moment we’ve seen coming for quite a while. Buck and Jules are now boyfriend and girlfriend. No spaces. It’s an incredibly sweet episode which the host Chris celebrates, saying, “Aren’t they cute?” Of course they are. Buck and Jules are adorable. With their budding relationship, the AIO team has managed to pull off something I didn’t think was possible. This is a show for kids ages 8 to 12, right? Before Buck and Jules, I didn’t think the show would ever introduce a teenage dating arc. Now it seems like the most natural thing in the world.
It's not like this came out of nowhere. Writer Paul McCusker created both Buck and Jules, in Albums 53 and 57 respectively, and then skillfully brought them together in Album 58. It’s all the way back in The Ties That Bind that Buck first notices Jules as someone he should protect. He tries to save Jules from the influence of the bully and manipulator Vance, which leads to him getting attacked by Vance’s gang. Jules then stands up to Vance on Buck’s behalf. Buck and Jules’ connection doesn’t feel forced either. It makes sense that these two outsiders would gravitate towards each other.
Over the years we get hints and more hints about their developing relationship. They bond over shooting fireworks from the top of the town water tower in Connie the Counselor (Album 62). At the beginning of Legacy (Album 62), before their musical performance, they go out bike riding together. In The Long End (Album 66) Buck forgets about their movie date, so he makes it up to Jules by taking her out for milkshakes. He even walks her home. Listen to a Buck and Jules episode and you’ll notice that chivalry is alive and well.
Buck acts as a true gentleman—and the Southern charm certainly helps. Their relationship often involves Jules getting into trouble and Buck getting her out of it. Buck takes it upon himself to save Jules from her credit card debt in Friend or Foe (Album 63). Buck flies all the way to California to rescue Jules from a mixed up and messed up life of showbiz in California Dreams (Album 69). They even sing together on stage. It’s kind of romantic. In Auto Response (Album 70) Buck covers up for Jules’ irresponsibility and gets blamed for stealing Connie’s car. But Jules isn’t always off being irresponsible. As time has gone by, she’s grown to be more supportive of others. In As Buck Would Have It (Album 72), Jules supports Buck on each step of his journey to discover the truth about his father. Buck and Jules are a good team, even if they make some mistakes along the way. It feels right that they would become a couple.
But before we get too swept away with Buck and Jules’ romance, let’s remind ourselves where this is heading. This is a drama, after all. Without conflict, you don’t have a story. At some point Buck and Jules are probably going to break up, and it’s going to hurt a lot worse than First Love (Album 7). As Connie hints in King of My Heart (Album 74), and Chris repeats in the wrap-up, things are not going to be smooth sailing for Odyssey’s new couple. We need to put God first in our relationships. And neither Buck nor Jules can do that because they’re not Christians. But before long one of them will probably become a Christian. That’s seems likely in a place like Odyssey, and when you consider their journeys so far. And then the heartbreak will come—the hurt, the confusion, the mixed emotions, the feeling of being misunderstood. And the offended party won’t be able to disappear into the blue like Jeff Lewis. Both Buck and Jules will be around still, and it won’t be pretty.
Buck and Jules’ relationship is a huge opportunity for drama. Many of us fans want to experience every high and low of this relationship. We want all the sweetness and all the tears. We want every detail. But I would urge caution. The biggest temptation (for both writers and fans) will be to focus on all the drama possible, to draw it out, to wring out every drop of emotion during this arc. And honestly, if that’s the direction this goes, that’s going to feel kind of exploitative of Buck and Jules. I know Buck and Jules aren’t real people. But even so, they deserve some space. AIO isn’t a soap opera after all.
This arc could do some good, if done in the right way. Odyssey has largely avoided teenage romance, even though the topic has always been relevant to a good portion of listeners. It’s true that the target demographic of kids 8-12 aren’t teenagers yet, but that fact is that they’re already thinking about crushes and relationships and dating.
So in theory, teenage dating would be a relevant topic. But Buck and Jules’ lack of faith complicates matters. One question I have is this: Is the topic of two non-Christians dating relatable to AIO listeners?
This point is harder to justify. How many people in the listening audience are non-Christian teens dating other non-Christian teens? I hope the show does have a lot of non-Christian listeners. But I doubt it’s a high percentage of the audience. The way this arc is currently set up, it won’t be relevant to the vast majority of listeners.
The best way to change that would be to introduce a faith arc (for either Buck or Jules) around the same time that they start dating. One of the characters could begin searching for truth and for God, and they could start sharing their thoughts and questions with the other person. Questions about the Christian faith could be discussed in the context of dating in a way that AIO has never done before. Eventually, either Buck or Jules would become a Christian. That is the point when this arc suddenly becomes potentially relevant and relatable to fans, unfortunately just in time for the inevitable breakup.
Ideally, a conversion would happen sooner rather than later. We might be tempted to want to draw out every stage of this arc as long as possible, but the sooner this arc turns towards God, the better.
The problem is that Buck and Jules never do anything quickly. That’s both their strength and their weakness as characters. Both have been solid new additions to the show since the 2010 relaunch. Unlike other relaunch characters who are starting to fade away (ie. the Parkers), I think Buck and Jules are here for the long term. They’re too important to Odyssey’s central characters to just disappear. And they play an important role, filling in the gap that Connie left when she outgrew her role as the rebellious teenager of the show.
And Buck and Jules have come a long way too. Just compare them now to their first appearances. When we first met Jules she was a troubled teen with trust issues who believed life had little meaning beyond an evolutionary food chain. Buck was raised by a con artist and committed to a life of crime. Buck and Jules have grown so much in the past ten years. But don’t forget that it took them ten years to do it. Just compare that to Kelly, the bad girl with an attitude to cover up for her feelings of deep hurt. She actually shares a lot of similarities with both Buck and Jules. But Kelly only appears in seven episodes. She first appears in Album 47 and is immediately fostered by the Washington family. There’s plenty of conflict along the way, but by License to Deprive (Album 50) she’s pretty comfortable with her new circumstances. And in The Imagination Station, Revisited (Album 50) Kelly becomes a Christian. In the space of one and a half years Kelly makes more progress than Buck and Jules in ten years.
But that’s not such a bad thing if we consider Buck and Jules as long-term characters. It took Eugene nearly seven years to become a Christian. It took Connie almost ten years to graduate from high school. But I’m not on board for five or ten years of non-Christian dating. If Buck and Jules aren’t going to progress quickly because they’re trapped in Odyssey time, then I’d much rather have their dating relationship be in the background. It shouldn’t be the focus of episode after episode. Did we ever go with Eugene and Katrina on their dates? The only time we hear them go to lunch is to meet Katrina’s father in The Turning Point (Album 24), an episode that ends in their break-up. Then Katrina and Eugene go to a restaurant together in Love is in the Air (Album 26), but it’s not even a date because Katrina still doesn’t know how she feels about Eugene. We do hear Connie and Mitch go on a number of dates, from picnics, to bowling, to tennis, to Frank’s Breakfast Inn, though none of them end up being very romantic. The occasional Buck and Jules date would be fine, but I’d be much more interested if that was in the background, while their faith arc is pushed to the foreground.
Buck and Jules have been through so much together already. And they seem like they’re committed to each other. In a way, King of My Heart (Album 74) has a similar ending to As Buck Would Have It (Album 72), in which Buck officially chooses Eugene and Katrina as his parents. In Album 74, Jules chooses Buck as her boyfriend. She admits that she can’t end up with Ryan, despite him being the perfect guy, because he simply isn’t Buck. It’s a very revealing moment and shows just how close they’ve gotten. But it’s that same sense of deep commitment which is going to be the source of conflict and pain in upcoming episodes.
We’re all rooting for Buck and Jules. They’re great characters and I hope they’re around for years to come. Jules came at the perfect time for Connie, and Buck came at the perfect time for Eugene and Katrina. Buck and Jules each have a lot of potential for future growth. My hope is that whatever romance is in store for their future is balanced out by their search for a relationship with God. They’ve been in a Christian environment for a while, but up until now they haven’t had to engage with the truth of Christianity very much. It’s time for the story to take a turn. It’s time to make their faith journey a priority.
It's not like this came out of nowhere. Writer Paul McCusker created both Buck and Jules, in Albums 53 and 57 respectively, and then skillfully brought them together in Album 58. It’s all the way back in The Ties That Bind that Buck first notices Jules as someone he should protect. He tries to save Jules from the influence of the bully and manipulator Vance, which leads to him getting attacked by Vance’s gang. Jules then stands up to Vance on Buck’s behalf. Buck and Jules’ connection doesn’t feel forced either. It makes sense that these two outsiders would gravitate towards each other.
Over the years we get hints and more hints about their developing relationship. They bond over shooting fireworks from the top of the town water tower in Connie the Counselor (Album 62). At the beginning of Legacy (Album 62), before their musical performance, they go out bike riding together. In The Long End (Album 66) Buck forgets about their movie date, so he makes it up to Jules by taking her out for milkshakes. He even walks her home. Listen to a Buck and Jules episode and you’ll notice that chivalry is alive and well.
Buck acts as a true gentleman—and the Southern charm certainly helps. Their relationship often involves Jules getting into trouble and Buck getting her out of it. Buck takes it upon himself to save Jules from her credit card debt in Friend or Foe (Album 63). Buck flies all the way to California to rescue Jules from a mixed up and messed up life of showbiz in California Dreams (Album 69). They even sing together on stage. It’s kind of romantic. In Auto Response (Album 70) Buck covers up for Jules’ irresponsibility and gets blamed for stealing Connie’s car. But Jules isn’t always off being irresponsible. As time has gone by, she’s grown to be more supportive of others. In As Buck Would Have It (Album 72), Jules supports Buck on each step of his journey to discover the truth about his father. Buck and Jules are a good team, even if they make some mistakes along the way. It feels right that they would become a couple.
But before we get too swept away with Buck and Jules’ romance, let’s remind ourselves where this is heading. This is a drama, after all. Without conflict, you don’t have a story. At some point Buck and Jules are probably going to break up, and it’s going to hurt a lot worse than First Love (Album 7). As Connie hints in King of My Heart (Album 74), and Chris repeats in the wrap-up, things are not going to be smooth sailing for Odyssey’s new couple. We need to put God first in our relationships. And neither Buck nor Jules can do that because they’re not Christians. But before long one of them will probably become a Christian. That’s seems likely in a place like Odyssey, and when you consider their journeys so far. And then the heartbreak will come—the hurt, the confusion, the mixed emotions, the feeling of being misunderstood. And the offended party won’t be able to disappear into the blue like Jeff Lewis. Both Buck and Jules will be around still, and it won’t be pretty.
Buck and Jules’ relationship is a huge opportunity for drama. Many of us fans want to experience every high and low of this relationship. We want all the sweetness and all the tears. We want every detail. But I would urge caution. The biggest temptation (for both writers and fans) will be to focus on all the drama possible, to draw it out, to wring out every drop of emotion during this arc. And honestly, if that’s the direction this goes, that’s going to feel kind of exploitative of Buck and Jules. I know Buck and Jules aren’t real people. But even so, they deserve some space. AIO isn’t a soap opera after all.
This arc could do some good, if done in the right way. Odyssey has largely avoided teenage romance, even though the topic has always been relevant to a good portion of listeners. It’s true that the target demographic of kids 8-12 aren’t teenagers yet, but that fact is that they’re already thinking about crushes and relationships and dating.
So in theory, teenage dating would be a relevant topic. But Buck and Jules’ lack of faith complicates matters. One question I have is this: Is the topic of two non-Christians dating relatable to AIO listeners?
This point is harder to justify. How many people in the listening audience are non-Christian teens dating other non-Christian teens? I hope the show does have a lot of non-Christian listeners. But I doubt it’s a high percentage of the audience. The way this arc is currently set up, it won’t be relevant to the vast majority of listeners.
The best way to change that would be to introduce a faith arc (for either Buck or Jules) around the same time that they start dating. One of the characters could begin searching for truth and for God, and they could start sharing their thoughts and questions with the other person. Questions about the Christian faith could be discussed in the context of dating in a way that AIO has never done before. Eventually, either Buck or Jules would become a Christian. That is the point when this arc suddenly becomes potentially relevant and relatable to fans, unfortunately just in time for the inevitable breakup.
Ideally, a conversion would happen sooner rather than later. We might be tempted to want to draw out every stage of this arc as long as possible, but the sooner this arc turns towards God, the better.
The problem is that Buck and Jules never do anything quickly. That’s both their strength and their weakness as characters. Both have been solid new additions to the show since the 2010 relaunch. Unlike other relaunch characters who are starting to fade away (ie. the Parkers), I think Buck and Jules are here for the long term. They’re too important to Odyssey’s central characters to just disappear. And they play an important role, filling in the gap that Connie left when she outgrew her role as the rebellious teenager of the show.
And Buck and Jules have come a long way too. Just compare them now to their first appearances. When we first met Jules she was a troubled teen with trust issues who believed life had little meaning beyond an evolutionary food chain. Buck was raised by a con artist and committed to a life of crime. Buck and Jules have grown so much in the past ten years. But don’t forget that it took them ten years to do it. Just compare that to Kelly, the bad girl with an attitude to cover up for her feelings of deep hurt. She actually shares a lot of similarities with both Buck and Jules. But Kelly only appears in seven episodes. She first appears in Album 47 and is immediately fostered by the Washington family. There’s plenty of conflict along the way, but by License to Deprive (Album 50) she’s pretty comfortable with her new circumstances. And in The Imagination Station, Revisited (Album 50) Kelly becomes a Christian. In the space of one and a half years Kelly makes more progress than Buck and Jules in ten years.
But that’s not such a bad thing if we consider Buck and Jules as long-term characters. It took Eugene nearly seven years to become a Christian. It took Connie almost ten years to graduate from high school. But I’m not on board for five or ten years of non-Christian dating. If Buck and Jules aren’t going to progress quickly because they’re trapped in Odyssey time, then I’d much rather have their dating relationship be in the background. It shouldn’t be the focus of episode after episode. Did we ever go with Eugene and Katrina on their dates? The only time we hear them go to lunch is to meet Katrina’s father in The Turning Point (Album 24), an episode that ends in their break-up. Then Katrina and Eugene go to a restaurant together in Love is in the Air (Album 26), but it’s not even a date because Katrina still doesn’t know how she feels about Eugene. We do hear Connie and Mitch go on a number of dates, from picnics, to bowling, to tennis, to Frank’s Breakfast Inn, though none of them end up being very romantic. The occasional Buck and Jules date would be fine, but I’d be much more interested if that was in the background, while their faith arc is pushed to the foreground.
Buck and Jules have been through so much together already. And they seem like they’re committed to each other. In a way, King of My Heart (Album 74) has a similar ending to As Buck Would Have It (Album 72), in which Buck officially chooses Eugene and Katrina as his parents. In Album 74, Jules chooses Buck as her boyfriend. She admits that she can’t end up with Ryan, despite him being the perfect guy, because he simply isn’t Buck. It’s a very revealing moment and shows just how close they’ve gotten. But it’s that same sense of deep commitment which is going to be the source of conflict and pain in upcoming episodes.
We’re all rooting for Buck and Jules. They’re great characters and I hope they’re around for years to come. Jules came at the perfect time for Connie, and Buck came at the perfect time for Eugene and Katrina. Buck and Jules each have a lot of potential for future growth. My hope is that whatever romance is in store for their future is balanced out by their search for a relationship with God. They’ve been in a Christian environment for a while, but up until now they haven’t had to engage with the truth of Christianity very much. It’s time for the story to take a turn. It’s time to make their faith journey a priority.
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