AIO Character Analysis: Constance “Connie” Kendall

Today we are going to discuss Connie Kendall – Odyssey’s favorite soda jerk, author, radio show host, wedding planner, and (seemingly) eternally single resident.

Throughout the years we have all grown to love and treasure her as a character. Connie has continued to bring a sense of excitement, joy, and energy to Odyssey and its residents through her bubbly personality, kind heart, and curious nature. Additionally she is a wonderful mentor and role model to the kids that come to Whit’s End, is a great friend to such characters as Eugene, Jason, Katrina, and Penny to name a few, and has also become like a second daughter to Whit.

We thought that it would a be a wonderful idea to take a look back on Connie’s past storylines and see the way she has grown and developed into the person she is today. We also thought it would give us a chance to discuss future stories which we would like to see happen to her character.

When she first came to town she was a 15 year old still dealing with the pain of her parents divorce and very determined to go back to California to live with her Dad. However, her life would forever be changed when she walked through the doors of Whit’s End to ask for directions to North Front street as she was hired by Whit. Immediately we could the effect that Whit, Tom, and the rest of Odyssey’s residents were having on her as was becoming a better person, making better choices, and was slowly yet surely becoming more open to the idea of faith and Christianity. Eventually, in the episode “Connie” (Amazing show which you should DEFINITELY listen to if you haven’t already done so) giving her heart to the Lord and accepting Christ as her savior.

In spite of her conversion to Christianity there were still areas of her life where she struggled. One that comes to mind was her relationship with Eugene as the two argued and bickered almost constantly, Eugene’s reliance on reason and logic clashing with Connie’s curiosity and impulsiveness. However their bickering provided us with great comedic moments and episodes which are now considered iconic. Speaking of Connie’s curiosity this is something that she would often let get the best of her which in few instances had serious consequences for herself and others (i.e A bite of Applesauce). As she and Eugene were fired from Whit’s end and were only hired back some time later when they demonstrated to Whit that they had learned from the experience. She also on my occasions had to make very hard decisions over issues that conflicted with her faith. The one which most often comes to mind being her relationship with Jeff Lewis, as she sadly had to break up with him since he wasn’t a Christian. However this painful experience, along with many others, served to deepen her faith and bring her closer to God.

The next major event of Connie’s life was her relationship with Mitch and their involvement in the Novacom saga. Long story short their relationship with a very dramatic and tumultuous one as in their 1 year of being together – Mitch presumably died and was placed in the witness protection program, Mitch rescued Connie after she kidnapped by Charles, Mitch was offered a job by the FBI, He proposed to Connie, Mitch was kidnapped himself by Charles, Mitch accepted the job offer and Moved to D.C, He then got into the anti terrorism branch and had to move to Budapest, Mitch proposed to Connie again and this time she accepted, but then they called off the wedding the day before, Mitch moved to Budapest and Connie went back to Odyssey, and finally Mitch showed up back in Odyssey a few years later with a new fiancée named Maureen. In spite of how their relationship ended Connie learned a lot about herself by dating Mitch and now has a very clear idea of the type of guy she wants to be with.

Another painful moment that has shaped Connie’s life is the unexpected death of her mother. It was so sad hearing her trying to come to terms with her death and realize the major events of her life that she would never get to see. In addition to the passing of her mom in this episode Connie’s life would forever be changed by meeting her younger half-sister. To Connie and us listeners this revelation was a complete shock yet instead of being angry at Jules or her father Connie opened her heart up to Jules and accepted her as a sister.

Flash forward to today and Connie is busy helping run Whit’s end, attending classes at Campbell County Community College, and raising Jules who, along with Jillian (or J*llian as we like to call her), is living with her now. She has grown so much in her faith and is now a mature adult who is kind, thoughtful, and loving. Yes, she is still curious but she has learned how to control that curiosity and give into it when it’s appropriate. It’s so beautiful seeing how far Connie has come and we can’t wait to see the rest of her story unfold.

Which brings us to to our next topic. What storylines would we like to see for Connie’s character in the future. First, we hope to see her go a mission trip. She would be amazing helping out with humanitarian efforts and interacting with the local people, especially the kids as she has such a caring, generous, and kind heart. Also it would give us a chance to see her outside of Odyssey as the most distance place she’s ever gone is Chicago which compared to other characters such as Eugene, who has gone to Israel and Mexico, doesn’t really count as traveling “abroad.” But most importantly it would allow us to see her sharing her faith and help bring others to Christ.

Another cool thing for her to do would be to start a charity organization. Whit has UPF, Eugene and Katrina have Hand Up (or well should if the writers actually remember it) so it only makes sense the Connie would try to even more a difference in her community by serving those in need. We can just see her organizing a toy drive or starting a donation center to help feed and clothe those less fortunate. It would be so heartwarming to hear and be a perfect expression of Connie’s generosity and kindness.

We also hope to see her graduate from college and work outside Whit’s End at least part time. Like what happened to her dream of being a teacher, it’d be the perfect job for her as she’d still get to interact with kids and prepare them for the future.

Finally, we need, we repeat, NEED to see Connie in a relationship. Now we understand that there is a need for AIO to portray single characters who are content with their friends, family, and faith. However, Connie has been that person way too LONG, it’s time for the writers to find someone else to fill that void, and let Connie be with someone. She has said repeatedly that she would love to meet the right man and it would give the writers to show a good example of a healthy Christian relationship. We would love to see her get married and eventually become a mom. Connie would be an incredible mother as she is amazing with the children at Whit’s End, not to mention is raising Jules. She also has a loving and kind spirit, is nurturing, supportive and encouraging of others. She also, due to her Father’s actions, knows what it’s like to have a terrible parent and as a result would do everything possible to make sure that she was the best parent she could possibly be.

But in the meantime we will just have to wait and see what the future holds for this beloved character.