"The Knight Travellers" is the first episode of the Adventures in Odyssey video series, released in August 1991.
One stormy night in Odyssey, an unknown man and his two henchmen descend upon Whit's End and make off with the Imagination Station. As the man leaves with Whit's invention, the two henchman are discovered and chased away by a dog named Sherman living at Whit's End.
The next morning finds Dylan Taylor and his sister Jesse flipping through a toy magazine in their living room. Their good natured book browsing escalates into a sibling brawl, when they begin arguing the things they want in it. Their dad comes in and breaks up the fight. Mr. Taylor takes the opportunity to discuss with Dylan the importance of things that truly matter such as family and faith, not just material possessions, before being sent outside to think about this. As Dylan walks through Odyssey, he stumbles upon the two henchmen of the man who stole the Imagination Station, Niles and Edgar, attempting to drown Sherman so he can't lead the authorities to them. Dylan manages to rescue the dog, and they both run Niles and Edgar off. Dylan follows Sherman back to Whit's End, where he meets Mr. Whitaker and Eugene.
Dylan gets to know them, and eventually learns from Whit about how the Imagination Station was stolen and how Whit and Eugene have traced the theft to an unscruplous man named Fred J. Faustus who lives in a mansion outside Odyssey and runs a car dealership. Whit and Eugene are going to take Whit's recently completed flying machine, called the Strata-flyer, to Faustus's residence to see how they can get the Imagination Station back before Faustus can use the machine for his own ends. Whit, somewhat reluctantly, lets Dylan tag-along and they reach the mansion. Whit and Sherman enter the building to find out where the Station is so Eugene can activate a special claw-grabber to get the Station back out. Shortly after they leave, though, Dylan also leaves the Strata-flyer on the ship's anchor to see what he can do.
In the meantime, Whit and Sherman eventually find the Imagination Station, which has now been rechristened the "Manipulation Station". However, Whit and Sherman fall into a trap by Faustus before they can do anything. Faustus reveals his intentions to make the Imagination Station into a device that will make people into his slaves via brainwashing used through a helmet that Faustus has invented and prepares to use it on both Whit and Sherman. At that moment, though, Dylan rushes in and attempts to stop Faustus, but in the commotion sends Faustus and himself into the Manipulation Station along with Whit and Sherman. They all end up in a medieval kingdom in the Dark Ages, and Faustus quickly takes the opportunity to make himself a knight. At this moment, they are all stuck there unless they can get the helmet that controls the altered Station away from Faustus, who challenges Whit to a medieval era joust to get it back.
Disaster strikes when Dylan inadvertently knocks Whit unconscious before he can start the fight. Alone with no one but Sherman, Dylan is offered a chance to join Faustus and get everything he had ever dreamed of. While briefly tempted to join Faustus, Dylan remembers his father's words about the things in life that truly matter (such as friends like Whit) and refuses. Faustus then challenges Dylan to replace Whit in the joust instead, and Dylan accepts. Despite the odds seeming to be against him, Dylan is ultimately able to separate the helmet from Faustus. Whit regains consciousness and gets the helmet before Faustus can, ending the trip to the Dark Ages and defeating Faustus in the process.
In the aftermath, Niles and Edgar are detained and the Imagination Station is returned to normal. Faustus, however, escapes before he can be detained as well. Whit rewards Dylan for his courage and loyalty by allowing Dylan to have Sherman as his pet. At home with his family that night, Dylan has a renewed appreciation for the things and treasures in life that truly matter.
This episode provides examples of the following:
- As the Good Book Says...: Matthew 6:19-21 is mentioned several times and is the Biblical passage that the moral is centered around.
- Big Eater: This trait of Eugene's in the video series is established quickly. Even as they're flying the Strata-flyer to Faustus's mansion, Eugene is still eating.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Essentially what the Manipulation Station is built to do, namely brainwash people and make them subservient to Faustus.
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Cargo Ship: Faustus's pet python mistakes the machine being used to take the Imagination Station back to Whit's End for another snake and falls in love with it. (To be fair, it does look like another (albeit mechanical) snake.) - David vs. Goliath: The battle between Dylan and Faustus at the end gives off this vibe, complete with Dylan emerging victorious.
- Deadpan Snarker: Whit during the denouement:Faustus: I'll be back, Whitaker! I'll be (drops through trapdoor) baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...
Whit: My, that was original. -
Descended Creator: Writer for the radio series Phil Lollar as Dylan's dad. - Expy: Faustus comes off a lot like Dr. Regis Blackgaard from the radio series, right down to having megalomaniacal motives and stealing things of Whit's to achieve this. Their voices are even remarkably similar. (Faustus being voiced by Tony Jay and Blackgaard being voiced by Earl Boen.)
- Honest John's Dealership: Faustus's dealership that serves as a cover for his other operations.
- Karma Houdini: Faustus escapes before he can face justice for his actions.
- Leeroy Jenkins: Both times when Dylan comes to someone's rescue during the episode (first when rescuing Sherman from drowning and then attempting to rescue Whit and Sherman after they get caught by Faustus), he rushes in headlong while giving some sort of battle cry. He's successful in his first attempt at this, but he has to work towards his (as well as Whit's) victory the second time.
- Protagonist-Centered Morality: Faustus broke into Whit's End and stole the Imagination Station out from under Whit's nose. It seems odd that Whit would decide that the best course of action to get the Station back would be to do the same exact thing in reverse.
- Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Faustus has both a pet alligator and a pet python, though the alligator is the only one that really gives the protagonists any sort of trouble. (The python is more content to try and snack on Faustus's two henchmen.)
- Time Travel Episode: Whit, Dylan, Sherman, and Faustus get transported to the Dark Ages.
- Tyop on the Cover: "Travellers" is actually spelled with one "l".
- We Can Rule Together: Before the climax, Faustus tempts Dylan with giving him everything he's ever wanted if he joins him. Dylan ultimately rejects the offer.
- We Will Meet Again: Faustus escapes at the end of the episode, claiming that he'll be back to face off with Whit and the others again another time.
- Would Hurt a Child: Niles and Edgar quickly prove they have no qualms about getting rid of Dylan after he's seen too much. Fortunately Sherman is having none of that.
