Chip off the Shoulder

Trouble is brewing at Whit's End when Kelly's blue school folder vanishes - and all fingers point to Connie, who's still stinging over the book Kelly accidentally erased. Rumors fly, kids back out of Connie's "Candid Conversations" interviews, and even Tamika wonders if Connie tossed the folder for revenge. Meanwhile Kelly keeps slipping away from the Washington house without a word, sure that Elaine's rules mean nobody trusts her. But when Elaine searches eight places to find her, and Connie climbs into a filthy dumpster hunting for the missing folder... Kelly starts to see what real love looks like. The folder turns up in another girl's backpack, apologies flow both ways, and Kelly's project earns an A. Now Connie's recording about Odyssey has the honest ending it was missing all along.

Found on The Sky's the Limit Album 49 · 12 episodes

The run See every episode

0624 Wooing Wooton When Wooton's estranged father suddenly invites him back into the family fold, meeting a woman who shares his quirky passions forces him to weigh what he wants most against what he believes.

0625 Something Significant When Trent balks at being assigned to set up chairs instead of acting in a church play, Whit sends him on an Imagination Station journey to discover what makes a task truly important.

1 of 2 0626 Life, in the Third Person Feeling invisible in her fractured family, Mandy tries to outrun her parents' separation on her bicycle - but some things can't be escaped.

2 of 2 0627 Life, in the Third Person While a broken leg lands Mandy in the hospital, her fractured family is forced to stop hiding from the hard conversations they've been avoiding.

1 of 2 0628 The Highest Stakes After six months away, a father returns to Odyssey believing his debts are paid and hoping to win back the family his gambling destroyed.

2 of 2 0629 The Highest Stakes When his estranged father comes back into his life, a boy who shares a treasured secret must decide whether trust and forgiveness are worth the risk of being hurt again.

0630 Chip off the Shoulder New foster kid Kelly and a still-simmering Connie collide when a school project goes missing at Whit's End, forcing both to face what it really takes to trust and forgive.

0631 A Capsule Comes to Town When a national radio program asks whether Odyssey is stuck in the past, the search for a century-old time capsule puts the town's memory - and its heart - to the test.

0632 Suspicious Finds When a magazine nomination for Best Small Town in America sends Odyssey scrambling to impress a secret inspector, the townspeople's frantic makeovers threaten to undo the very charm that earned the honor.

0633 License to Deprive the Washington family signs on to portray frontier settlers at a restored historic homestead, only to learn that living history is far harder than performing it

1 of 2 0634 Accidental Dilemma When a blog post blows Jason Whittaker's cover as a government agent, an old enemy with a score to settle sets a trap in Odyssey.

2 of 2 0635 Accidental Dilemma When the trail of a shadowy criminal leads straight back to Odyssey, Whit and his friends must outwit the Whisperer on their own home ground - where the price of victory may be higher than anyone expects.

0636 A Class Reenactment A pompous theater impresario is hired to dramatize Odyssey's founding for radio, but his flair for spectacle keeps colliding with the town's true story.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 9 more roles

9 supporting roles

Leon Wankel Bob Hoose Kristyn Grace Rolek Stanley (b) Matt Levin Boy on Candid Conversations (a) Actor Unknown Customer at Wankel Automotive (a) Actor Unknown Librarian (a) Actor Unknown Little Girl on Candid Conversations (a) Actor Unknown Woman on Candid Conversations (a) Actor Unknown Little Girl on Candid Conversations (b) Actor Unknown

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Marshal Younger Writer · Director · Producer Jonathan Crowe Sound Designer Bob Hoose Producer Dave Arnold Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 2 min

Visitors drawn by Rusty Gordon's mocking description of Odyssey begin treating Whit's End like a roadside curiosity. Connie wants to correct the town's reputation by writing her own book, but Kelly has accidentally erased her earlier work, and resentment leaves Connie unable to begin again. Whit suggests that she dictate her thoughts instead of staring at a blank screen.

Speaking into a recorder frees Connie's imagination. She decides to collect children's thoughts for “Candid Conversations with Connie” and create a glowing portrait of Odyssey. Yet she avoids interviewing Kelly, and Whit points out that their months-long quarrel must end before Connie can honestly celebrate the community around her.

Kelly is also struggling to belong in the Washington household. Accustomed to going wherever she pleased, she leaves vague notes and disappears without telling Elaine where she is. Elaine insists that the family's rules are meant to keep Kelly safe, but Kelly interprets the concern as distrust and control.

After working at Whit's End on a school project, Kelly discovers that her blue folder has vanished. Since Connie cleaned the table and still resents her for the lost book, Kelly accuses her of stealing and throwing it away. Connie denies seeing the folder, but even Tamika begins to wonder whether anger has driven her to revenge. Rumors spread, and other children refuse to participate in Connie's interviews.

Kelly leaves home again to reconstruct the missing project at the library. Elaine searches eight different places before finding her. Kelly is startled that anyone has worried so persistently. Elaine assures her that she is loved, that she remains under the Washingtons' care, and that their commitment will not disappear. Kelly finally says she trusts her.

Back at Whit's End, Elaine explains that betrayal by Kelly's mother and her mother's boyfriends has made trust difficult. Whit tells Connie that she cannot force Kelly to trust her, but forgiving her would be a beginning. Connie remembers putting empty pizza boxes directly into the outdoor dumpster during cleanup and realizes the folder might have been carried out with them.

Connie climbs into the filthy dumpster to search. Before she finds anything, another girl named Kristen produces the folder; she accidentally put it in her own backpack during the party. Kelly sees that Connie was willing to dive through garbage to help her despite being falsely accused.

Both Connie and Kelly apologize. Connie cannot forget the erased writing, but she can treat Kelly as though the offense no longer stands between them. Kelly completes her project and earns an A, while the renewed friendship gives Connie's Odyssey recording the honest conclusion it lacked.

Whit edits Connie's interviews into an audio documentary she can submit to a national program. Its final voice is Kelly's: she is still adjusting to Odyssey's many rules, but at Whit's End people know her name, serve good ice cream, and include kind employees she is learning to trust.