Chain Reaction

David Straussberg promises to mow Bernard Walton's lawn while Bernard is away for two weeks - twenty dollars for two mowings - then puts it off until the grass grows wild. Two burglars spot the shaggy yard, figure the owner is gone, and clean out the whole house, answering machine and all. With it goes an urgent message about a building's flickering electricity, which stops Harlow Doyle's clock and leaves him snoring until noon. Harlow wakes in a panic, mistakes the midday sun for an eclipse, crashes his bicycle into developer George Paxson's car... and handcuffs Paxson to keep him from leaving, only to admit the key is back at the office. Paxson misses his big meeting, the bid falls through, and Odyssey's dreamed-of water park is gone for good. When Bernard comes home, David collects his twenty dollars and grumbles about people who don't keep their promises - never guessing the whole chain of disasters started with his own unmowed lawn.

Found on Virtual Realities Album 33 · 15 episodes

The run See every episode

0429 The YAK Problem When a strict former principal is scheduled to speak at a mysterious school assembly, Nathaniel's wild speculation about a program called YAK sends the kids of Odyssey into a fun-hoarding frenzy.

0430 Blind Girl's Bluff A lonely new girl in town teams up with a quick-witted blind friend on a "mind-reading" act that becomes more popular - and more complicated - than either of them expected.

0431a Where There's Smoke A boy's new hero at Whit's End discovers that being admired means every habit - good or bad - gets copied.

0431b The Virtual Kid A boy becomes so obsessed with running the website he built for Whit's End that he risks missing out on the real place - and the real life - right in front of him.

0432 You Win Some, You Lose Some A discouraged camp counselor spends a week trying to reach three difficult middle-school girls, convinced that nothing she does is making a difference.

0433a The Treasure Room When rumors spread that Whit is hiding a fortune behind a closed door at Whit's End, a girl weary of hand-me-downs decides she has to see the treasure for herself.

0433b Chain Reaction A boy's decision to cut corners on a simple lawn-mowing job quietly sets off a string of mishaps that ripples through the entire town of Odyssey.

0434 B-TV: Redeeming the Season A live holiday broadcast from the Odyssey Mall asks whether Christmas customs with tangled pagan and commercial roots can be given back to Christ - weaving in the imaginative tale of a young man named Nicholas who tries to run from wealth and position to find a humble life of faith.

1 of 2 0435 A Look Back As the millennium draws to a close, a nostalgic tour of Whit's End revisits the beloved characters and moments that made Odyssey feel like home.

2 of 2 0436 A Look Back Phil Lollar's retrospective tour of Odyssey revisits its funniest names, the Imagination Station's greatest journeys, and the quiet moments that changed lives forever.

0437a Sunset Bowlawater When a little girl's beloved goldfish turns up dead, a bumbling detective takes the case - but the fish himself has been telling the story all along.

0437b The Long Way Home Desperate to escape her family's new home for a day of fun, a girl works odd jobs all week to earn her way onto a church youth group trip.

0438a The Lyin' Tale A trip to the dumpster leaves Aubrey with a scratch, a crowd of curious kids, and a story that keeps getting bigger every time she tells it.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 3 more roles

3 supporting roles

Nathaniel Graham Blake Ewing David Straussberg Jeff Ellison Leonard (d) Jerry Houser

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Marshal Younger Writer Phil Lollar Director · Producer Duane Harms Sound Designer · Producer Al Janssen Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 2 min

David Straussberg eagerly discusses rumors about an enormous water park planned for Odyssey. While passing Bernard Walton’s house, he offers to earn extra money by mowing Bernard’s lawn during a two-week trip. Bernard agrees to pay twenty dollars for two mowings and makes it clear that he expects the work to be done properly.

David procrastinates until only two days remain. When Mandy reminds him of his promise, he claims he can mow the lawn twice in one day and that Bernard will never know the difference. The overgrown grass does reveal the difference, however. Two burglars see the neglected lawn, correctly conclude that the owner is away, and empty Bernard’s house.

Among the stolen property is Bernard’s answering machine. A landlord has left an urgent message on it because the electricity in his building keeps cutting in and out, but Bernard never receives the request for help. The faulty electricity causes Harlow Doyle’s clock to stop at midnight, so he sleeps far past the time when he is supposed to report for work.

Harlow wakes at noon, mistakes the bright sky for a strange eclipse, and races away on his bicycle. His frantic ride ends in a collision with developer George Paxson’s car. When Paxson tries to leave for an important meeting, Harlow handcuffs him to prevent him from leaving the scene of the accident - then admits that the key is back at his office.

Paxson consequently misses the final opportunity to bid on the property intended for the water park. The owners accept another offer, and the entire project collapses. Neither Paxson nor anyone else realizes that the disaster began with an unmowed lawn.

When Bernard returns, he pays David for what appears to be a satisfactory mowing and mentions that his home was burglarized. David later hears that the water park will not be built and angrily complains about people who fail to keep promises or do their jobs. Still unaware of his own responsibility, he immediately asks Whit to break the twenty-dollar bill he received for the work he neglected.