Room Enough for Two

Mark Horton comes home from the Army with big news: he's engaged to Natalie, a girl his little sister Liz has never met. Suddenly the camping trips, the water-skiing, the whole reunion Liz planned has a stranger in the middle of it - and Liz decides the wedding must be stopped. She spins an old story about Mark's temper into a scary lie, and just as the truth comes out, Mark is called to active duty overseas. When an attack on his camp cuts off all word for two days, Liz and Natalie are left waiting by a silent telephone, fighting over who has the right to worry about him. With a little help from Whit, the two discover they share the very same fear... that Mark doesn't have room in his heart for them both. By the time the phone finally rings with news that Mark is safe, Liz has found room for a new sister - and a spot for her in the boat on the next water-skiing trip.

Found on Out of Control Album 40 · 12 episodes

The run See every episode

1 of 2 0508 The American Revelation When Marvin dismisses the American Revolution as history that has nothing to do with him, Whit's rebuilt Imagination Station drops him into 1775 to see for himself.

2 of 2 0509 The American Revelation When Marvin joins the exhausted defenders of Bunker Hill, he must find his own courage while discovering the forgotten Black patriots who fought for a freedom not yet their own.

0510 For the Fun of It A wealthy teenager, forced to spend a week with her eccentric mailman uncle to escape etiquette school, sets out to prove her father can't control her - and finds far more than a way to rebel.

1 of 2 0511 The Pact At Hillingdale Haven, an elderly woman with a failing memory becomes convinced she made a long-forgotten promise that must be kept on a fast-approaching date - if only she can remember what it was.

2 of 2 0512 The Pact When Agnes vanishes on the anniversary of a secret childhood promise, Tom and his friends race to decode her journals and paintings before six o'clock.

0513 Do or Diet When Connie's shot at a personal training scholarship depends on coaching Whit, Bernard, and Wooton to each lose ten pounds in five weeks, her biggest obstacle isn't the diet plan - it's her clients.

0514 Room Enough for Two When Liz's beloved older brother returns from the Army with a surprise fiancée in tow, she sets out to protect her place in his life - until a crisis forces the two women who love him most to face what they have in common.

0515 B-TV: Behind the Scenes A behind-the-scenes look at a live TV broadcast about unity that threatens to fall apart because the crew can't stop fighting long enough to save their own struggling station.

0516 Bassett Hounds A grieving-support trip to Alaska turns out to be something else entirely, as Bernard discovers Wooton's family is far more - and far wealthier - than he ever imagined.

0517 It's All About Me When Connie casts Mitch as the host of a Kids' Radio advice show, the credit for its success lands in exactly the wrong place - while a mysterious "Prank Man" turns the school upside down.

0518 The Case of the Disappearing Hortons When a classmate's family vanishes overnight, a pair of kids and two elderly ex-magicians launch an investigation that leads somewhere none of them expected.

0519 The Defining Moment After a costly error in right field, a young ballplayer chases the perfect comeback moment - only to learn that redemption rarely looks the way we imagine it.

0520 The Mystery at Tin Flat A family's free getaway to a historic ghost town turns into a night of century-old secrets, pointing boots, and a mystery that tests where one boy truly belongs.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 5 more roles

5 supporting roles

Mrs. Horton Kristy Munden Mark Horton Mikey Kelley Mr. Horton John Cox Dale Horton John Cox Natalie Horton K.C. Colligan

Made by

Chris Anthony Host April Higgins Writer Marshal Younger Director · Producer Bob Luttrell Sound Designer · Producer Bob Hoose Producer Paul McCusker Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 3 min

The Horton family eagerly welcomes Mark home from the Army, but he brings an unexpected guest from the bus: Natalie, the young woman he has mentioned only briefly. The greater surprise follows immediately. Mark and Natalie became engaged the previous weekend.

Liz has planned a long list of favorite activities to share with the older brother she has missed, including camping, water-skiing, and visits around Odyssey. Mark cheerfully includes Natalie in everything. When Natalie admits that water-skiing frightens her, he removes it from the plans. Liz feels that a stranger has taken over her reunion before it has begun.

Natalie cooks Belgian waffles and easily joins the family’s conversation. Liz, who has gone out to buy Mark’s favorite bagels, resents every sign that the others like her. She tells Whit that Natalie’s compliments are fake, her nervousness is bossiness, and her discomfort with skiing proves that she is changing Mark. Convinced that her brother is too much in love to recognize the danger, Liz decides to prevent the marriage.

While the three are rollerblading, Liz gets Natalie alone and invents a frightening version of Mark’s past. Mark once broke another boy’s nose after losing a game, but the incident happened before Liz was born and his anger problem has long since been addressed. Liz makes it sound current and dangerous, advising Natalie to leave the house whenever Mark loses his temper and to hide the conversation from him.

Natalie tells Mark what she has heard. He confronts Liz for turning ancient history into a lie intended to frighten his fiancée. Liz finally admits that she dislikes Natalie and does not want them to marry. She accuses Natalie of controlling Mark and taking away the brother she knows.

Their argument is interrupted by a military call. Mark’s unit has been ordered to active service in Rakistan, and he must report within twenty-four hours. There is no longer time for an ordinary visit, much less a family argument.

Natalie decides to stay with the Hortons instead of returning alone to her apartment. At the airport, Mark reassures her that the mission may be routine, but she knows he cannot promise to return safely. She asks him to call every day if possible, even if he can say only that he is all right. Mark asks both Natalie and Liz to pray for him.

News later reports rising casualties and an attack on the American camp where Mark is stationed. Communication stops for two days. Natalie waits beside the telephone and cries, while Liz insists that Natalie has not earned the right to grieve like a family member. To Liz, thirteen years as Mark’s sister should matter more than Natalie’s brief place in his life.

Whit helps Liz name the real fear beneath her anger: she believes Natalie is replacing her as Mark’s closest friend. Whit remembers fearing that the birth of his daughter, Jana, would divide the love he already felt for his son, Jerry. Instead, his love grew. If Mark truly loves both his sister and his future wife, his heart has room for both relationships.

When Natalie comes to Whit’s End to escape the silent telephone, Whit awkwardly tries to find interests the girls share. They both like chocolate ice cream and writing, but his efforts only make the distance between them more obvious. Liz then invites Natalie to help play a trick. Together they stage a wildly cruel argument until Whit is horrified, then burst out laughing. Their shared joke becomes the first easy moment between them.

Later, as they wait together, Natalie admits that she has also been afraid. Mark has told her about his camping trips, bicycle rides, water-skiing, and lifelong friendship with Liz. Natalie worries that she can never measure up and that Mark has no room for another best friend. Liz recognizes her own fear in Natalie’s words. They decide to give Mark more credit and trust that he can love them both.

The telephone finally rings. Mark is safe. Fighting has stopped after a new government took control, communications have been restored, and he may return home soon. Liz apologizes to Mark for misjudging Natalie and says she looks forward to the wedding. When Mark suggests a water-skiing trip for just the two of them, Liz asks to include Natalie so they can teach her together. Instead of guarding her place in Mark’s life, she makes room for the new sister who may join their family.