All the Difference in the World

Danny's parents have one rule about movies: ask first. But when a sleepover at Jeff Marsden's house turns into a late night with Slime Creatures from Sludge City, the nightmares - and a new phone-home rule - leave Danny convinced he's the only kid in Odyssey who can't do anything fun. Soon he's sneaking forbidden music, refusing to pray at dinner, and grumbling to Jack at Whit's End that being different means being deprived. Then, on a night when the parents are out together, Danny talks Jeff into pulling a locked-away horror video from the closet... just as the adults walk in. Caught in the act, Danny learns his parents have spent the evening telling the troubled Marsdens how Jesus changes lives - and that his choice showed them something very different. Danny owns up and takes his punishment, and by Sunday the Marsdens are sitting in church, their home already changing.

Found on Twists and Turns Album 23 · 12 episodes

The run See every episode

0297 Blackbeard's Treasure Two boys exploring a coastal cave at low tide stumble onto pirate gold - and something that guards it.

0298 I Want My B-TV! When Odyssey's TV station loses its children's show, an unlikely janitor rallies the town's kids to build a homegrown program of their own.

0299 The Truth about Zachary A school reporter's assignment to profile Odyssey's newest student becomes a battle of wills with a boy determined to keep his past a secret.

0300 Preacher's Kid When her father becomes the church's interim pastor, teenager Donna Barclay struggles under the congregation's watchful eyes - until one forbidden night out with friends puts everything her family has to the test.

0301 The Good, the Bad, and the Butch When his estranged childhood best friend suddenly wants to reconnect, Sam must decide whether the friendship is real or a setup by the gang his friend now runs with.

0302 Share & Share Alike When Kids Radio's first Share-a-thon puts a homeless shelter's big bonus on the line, the Whit's End team spins stories of sharing - while the toughest lesson may land closest to home.

0303 All the Difference in the World Danny discovers that being the only kid with rules might matter more than he ever imagined.

0304 St. Paul: The Man from Tarsus A test run of the upgraded Imagination Station drops two very different Odyssey kids into first-century Jerusalem, where one befriends the early church and the other falls in with its fiercest persecutor.

0305 St. Paul: Set Apart by God A blinded persecutor waits in Damascus, and the one man sent to help him is a follower of the very faith he came to destroy.

0306 A Victim of Circumstance A prank gone wrong lands Whit's End in court when an opportunistic lawyer convinces the Rathbones that Rodney is the real victim.

0307 Poetry in Slow Motion A struggling student who can't make sense of his class's poetry unit will try almost anything to avoid admitting he needs help.

0308 Subject Yourself While young Lawrence chafes under his orthodontist's strict rules, his mother must decide whether to challenge a flawed new school curriculum - even if it costs her career.

1 of 3 0309 The Perfect Witness When a bookstore robbery goes wrong, the thieves take a blind girl as the "perfect" hostage - never suspecting how much a witness can learn without seeing.

Featured characters

Jack Allen Alan Young

Minor characters & crew 9 more roles

9 supporting roles

Brooke Myers Amber Arnold Laura Schmidt Mimi Monaco Danny Schmidt Danny Schmittler Steven Schmidt Bill Pomeroy Kelley Actor Unknown Rick (a) Actor Unknown Anne Marsden Ann Ault Jeff Marsden Jeff Ellison Ron Marsden Bill Myers

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Paul McCusker Writer · Director · Producer Dave Arnold Sound Designer · Producer Chuck Bolte Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 3 min

Danny spends the night with his new friend Jeff Marsden. Jeff’s parents, Ron and Anne, argue loudly about Ron’s job while the boys sit surrounded by pizza and video games. Jeff says he usually escapes their fighting by watching a movie. His parents do not care what he sees as long as he stays out of their way. Danny knows his own parents forbid horror films, but he agrees to watch Slime Creatures from Sludge City rather than listen to the quarrel.

The movie gives Danny nightmares. When he returns home tired, his parents uncover what he watched and establish a new rule: he must telephone for permission before seeing a movie at someone else’s house. Danny begs them not to speak with the Marsdens because he fears Jeff will think he is strange.

At Whit’s End, Danny complains to Jack that every other child can watch any movie, hear any music, and do anything fun. Jack doubts that all other families are so permissive and explains that Danny’s parents love him enough to protect his mind. Their Christian standards may make the family different, but different does not mean deprived. Jeff arrives with the newest DemonRacer game, which his parents would never let Danny own, making Jack’s lesson harder for him to accept.

Danny grows bitter whenever another child mentions a program or game he cannot use. He tries listening to forbidden music, refuses to pray at dinner because other children do not, and demands to watch a violent police show. His parents say that following Jesus requires guarding against spiritually harmful influences and that they must make those decisions until he is mature enough to choose responsibly. Danny explodes that he wants to do whatever everyone else does and is sent to his room.

Despite Danny’s plea, his parents visit Ron and Anne. The conversation about the movie is calm. Ron admits that he bought it without realizing how different modern horror films are from the ones he remembers, and Anne agrees that they should screen Jeff’s entertainment more carefully. The two families also talk about the Marsdens’ stressful move and troubled home. Anne is interested in visiting church, and Danny’s parents explain that faith offers far more than a way to meet pleasant people.

Danny is angry when he learns of the visit, but his father arranges another evening with Jeff while the adults go to dinner together. Ron has locked away the troubling movies. When their babysitter becomes absorbed in a telephone call, Danny urges Jeff to take Attack of the Mushroom People from the closet. Jeff even reminds him that his Christian parents object, but Danny insists on watching it. The adults return during a revolting scene. Danny admits that the choice was his, and both boys face punishment.

On the ride home, Danny’s parents explain that they have spent dinner talking to the Marsdens about Jesus. Ron and Anne are facing serious problems, and Danny’s parents have told them that Christ changes lives. By deliberately disobeying, persuading Jeff to disobey, and choosing something all four adults rejected, Danny has given them a very different picture of a Christian. Living differently is not merely sensible; it can show others the difference Jesus makes. Danny understands, apologizes, and prepares to accept his punishment.

The following Sunday, Jeff and his parents attend church. Ron removes the frightening videos, the adults stop arguing for the weekend, and the family dusts off its Bible to read together. Jeff thinks Danny’s parents have turned his parents into Christians. Jack corrects him gently - people do not accomplish that change - but welcomes what is happening. Danny’s failure has had consequences, yet God is already making a visible difference in the Marsden home.