Square One

Matthew has finally found kids just like him - Ryan, Pete, and Nelson, a secret club in Hagler's Junkyard that takes apart machines to see how they work, including a rare Turbo X300 pinball machine. But when Emily follows Matthew to the hideout and tumbles into a booby trap, the boys learn he's spilled their secret, and he lands on probation. Desperate to win back their trust, Matthew tries compliments, gifts, and even a big speech on forgiveness... and every shortcut only makes things worse. Whit tells him the truth: a broken promise can't be patched with clever tricks, only proven trustworthy day after day. Then Emily, jealous and afraid of losing her best friend, tries to blackmail the club into taking him back - an invitation Matthew flatly refuses. Instead he leaves the boys a parting gift, expecting nothing in return, and discovers their test: the pinball machine was never gone at all. Matthew is back at square one, but this time he's rebuilding on the truth.

Found on Cause and Effect Album 52 · 12 episodes

The run See every episode

2 of 2 0668 The Mystery of the Clock Tower When a mysterious countdown on Odyssey's clock tower grips the whole town, Whit and Eugene must untangle black roses, a buried family secret, and a trail of clues that all point somewhere a little too neatly.

0669 Wooton's Broken Pencil Show When Connie steps away from her Kids' Radio show to deal with a blaring car alarm, Wooton takes the microphone and improvises his way toward answering whether entertainment really needs a point.

0670 Stage Fright When an eerie voice haunts the theater during rehearsals for their middle school musical, Emily and Matthew must unmask the phantom before fear shuts down the show.

0671 Fast As I Can When Whit explains the spiritual discipline of fasting, the Whit's End gang each give up something they love for a week - and discover their sacrifices are far harder, and stranger, than expected.

0672 Opposite Day On school Spirit Week's Opposite Day, Olivia's game of doing everything backward lands her in a friendship she never meant to start - while Barrett discovers his five hundred online friends may not add up to much.

0673 The Owlnapping When the Odyssey Owls' beloved mascot vanishes before a critical stretch of games, team captain Ryan must decide whether to chase a ransom-demanding kidnapper or convince his superstitious teammates that their luck was never in a stuffed bird.

0674 Square One When Matthew is invited into a secret club of boys who take machines apart to see how they work, one broken promise puts his new friendships - and a rare pinball machine - on the line.

0675 A Thankstaking Story When an ice storm strands Whit and his friends at Whit's End on Thanksgiving, they pass the time by inventing a tale about villains scheming to steal the holiday from a cheerful town.

0676 An Agreeable Nanny A polished new babysitter seems to agree with everything the Parker kids want - which turns out to be exactly the problem.

0677 The Malted Milkball Falcon A church fundraiser turns into an all-night mystery when the candy prize at the center of a rock-a-thon vanishes without a trace.

0678 Grandma's Christmas Visit A grandmother's holiday visit turns a hoped-for quiet Christmas into Odyssey's biggest, messiest celebration yet.

1 of 12 0679 The Green Ring Conspiracy A plane crash outside Odyssey scatters a fortune in cash, a dangerous smartphone, and a fugitive with a gun - and the town's young detectives are already picking up the pieces.

2 of 12 0680 The Green Ring Conspiracy When a suspicious phone call and a hospital X-ray reveal hidden identities, the kids of Odyssey find themselves holding the one device a dangerous conspiracy will do anything to recover.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 3 more roles

3 supporting roles

Ryan Cummings Adam Wylie Nelson Swanson Georgina Cordova Pete Robin Knight

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Paul McCusker Writer · Director Marshal Younger Writer Christopher Diehl Sound Designer Bob Hoose Producer Dave Arnold Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 2 min

Matthew takes apart Emily's four-color pen simply to understand it. Ryan, Pete, and Nelson notice his curiosity and invite him to a secret meeting at Hagler's Junkyard. In a hidden shed filled with broken machinery, they reveal a rare Turbo X300 Laser Blaster pinball machine. Their club dismantles complicated devices to learn how they work, and Matthew finally meets other boys who share his fascination with mechanisms.

The club exists with Mr. Hagler's limited permission, so its members protect its location and choose only people they trust. Matthew promises to tell no one. He has already revealed enough to make Emily suspicious, however. She follows him despite his warning and demands more information, even threatening to reveal his private crush if he refuses.

Emily spies through the shed window and falls into a booby-trapped garbage can. The boys catch her with binoculars and learn that Matthew disclosed their secret. Though Emily accepts blame for following him, Matthew has still broken his promise. The club places him on a week's probation, which means he will miss the pinball machine before it is removed.

Emily apologizes and offers a quick plan to regain the boys' trust. Matthew tries compliments, gifts, helpful acts, and a passionate speech about forgiveness. The gestures seem calculated, especially when the club says the Turbo X300 has already been taken away. Ryan and Pete conclude that Matthew only wants access to the machine.

Whit helps Matthew recognize that trust cannot be repaired with a clever shortcut. Matthew broke his word, and only dependable behavior over time can prove that he means his apology. Emily refuses to accept such a slow answer. She secretly photographs the clubhouse and threatens to post the pictures unless the boys readmit Matthew.

The club reluctantly invites Matthew back, but he refuses. Returning through Emily's blackmail would make genuine trust impossible. He confronts Emily for meddling. She admits that she has been jealous of his new friends and afraid he will leave her behind, as another friend once did. Matthew assures her that joining the club never meant ending their friendship, and she apologizes again.

Matthew later leaves the club a set of Turbo X300 schematics he has found through his contacts. He expects nothing in return and calls it a parting gift. Ryan then reveals that the pinball machine was returned because its owner still could not repair it. The boys had pretended it was gone to discover whether Matthew cared about them or only the machine.

Matthew's gift and honest refusal to accept a forced invitation prove his motives. Ryan asks him to return the next day and bring the schematics. Matthew has gone back to square one, but this time he begins rebuilding friendship on truth rather than shortcuts.