My Favorite Thing

Ed Washington has planned the perfect birthday surprise for his wife Elaine - a blindfolded "kidnapping," a corsage, dinner at the fancy La Chalet, and pearl earrings hidden in her oysters. But a reservation mix-up leaves the family without a table, and the only open seats are with Bart Rathbone, who is scheming to make Ed pay for his dinner. Soon everything goes wrong: the hidden pearl turns up in the wrong mouth, young Tamika sets a lobster loose to save it from the pot, and the furious maître d' throws the whole party out... free of charge. On the drive home a deflated Ed apologizes, but Elaine takes the wheel, blindfolds everyone else, and delivers her own surprise: popcorn, cheese doodles, and Pictionary in the living room. After twenty-four years of marriage, she reminds him, her favorite thing isn't oysters or fancy restaurants - it's her family.

Found on Into the Light Album 47 · 12 episodes

The run See every episode

0592 Now More than Ever When her best friend suddenly turns cold and secretive, Liz sets out to uncover what's really troubling the Straussberg household - and to learn what it means to stay a faithful friend.

0593 Around the Block While Connie struggles to write her own book about Odyssey, she discovers that helping others may be the key to helping herself.

1 of 2 0594 A Time for Action A singed guidebook among his late parents' belongings sends Eugene and Whit chasing a mysterious train ticket to Africa, while young Grady learns what it really means to help someone in need.

2 of 2 0595 A Time for Action While tracing a mysterious fax to its true source, Eugene follows a trail of clues through a gas station, a homeless shelter, and a cemetery in his desperate search for his long-lost father.

0596 Cover of Darkness Twenty years after a tragedy tore them apart, Eugene Meltsner reunites with the father who believed him dead - but a shadow from their past forces their reunion into secrecy.

0597 Out of Our Hands When their parents' separation upends everything, a sister stakes her hopes on a play meant to reunite the family - while her brother plots a very different kind of response.

0598 My Favorite Thing A family's meticulously planned birthday surprise built around Mom's favorite things collides with a scheming couple, an overdue school report, and a lobster liberation at a fancy restaurant.

0599 Blood, Sweat, and Fears When a hospital blood drive comes to Whit's End, its most confident organizers and promoters must confront the hidden fears that threaten to derail it.

0600 The Nudge A middle schooler's hard-won fundraising prize becomes a test of conscience when a quiet nudge during a lesson on prayer suggests it may not be meant for him.

0601 Bernard and Jeremiah When Marvin gives up on evangelism because no one listens, Bernard takes him back in time to meet a prophet who spent forty years delivering a message nobody wanted to hear.

0602 Mum's the Word A well-meant secret about an anonymous valentine snowballs into a web of promises, plagiarism, and blackmail that threatens to spill out over Odyssey's airwaves.

0603 The Family Next Door Feeling invisible in her own quiet house, Mandy finds warmth next door with the Washington family - until her constant presence starts to strain the very household she's leaning on.

0604 Like Father, Like Wooton A fatherless boy's carnival lie and Connie's undercover hunt for a dramatic story both collide with the truth in Odyssey.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 6 more roles

6 supporting roles

Francis Bob Hoose Henri Wally Wingert Jack Wally Wingert Waiter (c) Actor Unknown La Chalet Guest Marshal Younger Ms. Watson Actor Unknown

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Mary Fritson Writer Marshal Younger Director · Producer Glenn Montjoy Sound Designer Bob Hoose Producer Dave Arnold Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 3 min

Ed, Tamika, and Marvin decide to “kidnap” Elaine for an early birthday celebration built around all her favorite things. They blindfold her, present a corsage, and promise a perfect evening. Marvin would rather finish the three-page career report he has postponed for two and a half months, but Ed insists that the whole family take part.

At the expensive La Chalet restaurant, Bart and Doris Rathbone are waiting for potential business suppliers, the Hornberry family, who are expected to pay for dinner. When the Hornberry children develop chicken pox and the family cancels, Bart refuses to buy a meal he cannot afford. Doris is crushed because she rarely has a chance to dress up and visit a fine restaurant.

The Washingtons arrive and discover that Ed accidentally made their reservation for six o’clock two days earlier. The restaurant has no available table. Spotting a chance for someone else to buy his dinner, Bart invites the Washingtons to fill the empty seats at his table. Elaine is surprised that the Rathbones have become part of her family celebration, but Ed accepts rather than disappoint her.

Ed is determined to order everything he remembers Elaine liking, even when she says she wants something else. He insists on oysters rather than the salad she chooses because he has arranged for pearl earrings to be hidden in the appetizer. Elaine becomes increasingly puzzled by a birthday evening designed around old favorites instead of what she actually wants.

Marvin uses the restaurant for his overdue career assignment. He interviews the grand and easily offended maître d’, then tries doing the man’s job and nearly leads guests to the wrong table. In the restroom, he meets an attendant named Jack, who takes great pride in towels, cologne, and rescuing guests from social disasters. Marvin’s interest inspires Jack to pursue his dream of becoming a restroom attendant at Carnegie Hall.

Tamika is horrified to learn that customers select live lobsters from a tank to be boiled for dinner. She warns diners about the animals’ imagined terror and secretly removes one from the tank. Her attempted rescue sends a lobster loose through the dining room.

Bart tries to trick Ed into buying the Rathbones’ food by offering to pay for everyone, expecting Ed to insist on covering the entire bill. Ed does counter the offer, and Bart and Doris immediately order huge steaks, multiple lobsters, and unfamiliar expensive dishes. Their triumph vanishes when Ed clarifies that he will pay only for his own family’s meal, though he generously offers to cover the tip.

The birthday surprise becomes complete chaos when Doris helps herself to one of Elaine’s oysters and bites down on a pearl earring. As everyone tries to recover the gift, Tamika’s freed lobster races through the restaurant. The furious maître d’ orders the entire group to leave and promises the meal will be free if they disappear within ten seconds. Bart considers the disaster an excellent bargain.

In the car, Ed apologizes for failing to create a good birthday. Elaine asks him to pull over, takes the driver’s seat, and blindfolds the rest of the family for a surprise of her own. She drives them straight home, where they settle in for popcorn, cheese doodles, and a wildly unsuccessful game of Pictionary. Bart and Doris join the family fun as well.

Ed still worries that a simple evening in the living room cannot be what Elaine imagined. She reminds him that after twenty-four years of marriage, he should know her favorite thing is not a food, restaurant, or grand event. Her family is what she loves most, and spending an ordinary evening laughing with them gives her the birthday she truly wants.