The Friend Formula

Shy newcomer Riley just wants a friend in Odyssey - and Jay says he has a formula, for the price of a rare Elvis record. The lessons turn out to be spying, crying, plying, and lying: hiding in bushes to dig up secrets, faking tears with onion juice so kind-hearted Barrett buys him a soda, and flattering Olivia into offering him a spot in her band. Then Jay reveals the real plan... Riley is supposed to join the band as his secret informant against Barrett. Riley refuses, deciding he'd rather be lonely than trick people into liking him. With Whit's help, he flips the formula into a true one - listening, sharing, trusting, and caring - and picks the person who needs a real friend most: Jay himself, who's left holding Riley's whole Elvis collection and wondering if honest friendship might be worth a try.

Found on A Call to Something More Album 57 · 12 episodes

The run See every episode

1 of 2 0724 Home Again Jason returns to Odyssey seeking secret solitude, but a well-meaning secret-keeper, a jewelry scam warning, and Eugene's uncanny resemblance to a wanted thief set everyone on a collision course.

2 of 2 0725 Home Again While Jason wrestles with an unexpected struggle back in Odyssey, a case of mistaken identity lands Eugene in dangerous company at a jewelry store.

0726 Push the Red Button (Live) When Eugene's new master computer program links every invention at Whit's End, one untested red button threatens to blur the line between imagination and reality.

1 of 2 0727 Your Servant is Listening A doubting girl travels back to ancient Israel, where a childless woman's desperate prayer teaches her what it means to hear God's voice.

2 of 2 0728 Your Servant is Listening When the Imagination Station drops Camilla into the tabernacle of ancient Israel, she befriends young Samuel and discovers what it truly means to listen for God's voice.

0729 No Chemistry Whatsoever When a demanding new professor takes over their easy chemistry class, Connie must figure out why she's really struggling while a Sunday-school memorization contest tempts Barrett to cut corners.

0730 The Friend Formula A lonely newcomer to Odyssey trades a rare Elvis record for lessons in a scheming boy's four-step formula for making friends - only to discover what friendship really costs.

0731 More Than a Feeling A new believer's overflowing excitement collides with a string of disappointments, while Connie pushes a long-married couple to prove their romance isn't dead.

0732 Repent After Me With opening night days away and his grades on the brink, a desperate student's shortcut on a science test pulls him into unmasking the anonymous scammer behind it - before the trail leads back to him.

0733 Big Trouble Under the Big Top When a string of suspicious accidents threatens her uncle's circus, Emily and her friend Matthew go undercover among the performers to unmask a saboteur before someone gets seriously hurt.

1 of 3 0734 Life Expectancy When a sudden loss upends Connie's world, the people of Odyssey gather around her - until an unexpected arrival brings a secret she never saw coming.

2 of 3 0735 Life Expectancy As Connie prepares to lay her mother to rest, her estranged father arrives with a surprise that upends an already heartbreaking week.

3 of 3 0736 Life Expectancy As Connie sorts through her mother's belongings, she and her friends in Odyssey wrestle with how faith makes sense of grief and suffering.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 1 more roles

1 supporting role

Riley Gage Davenport

Made by

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

The story

Read the full synopsis 2 min

Riley, a shy newcomer to Odyssey, visits Whit’s End carrying a dulcimer. He tells Jay that other people consider him strange because of his hobbies, clothes, and awkward conversation. When Riley mentions his collection of Elvis Presley records, Jay offers to teach him how to make friends in exchange for a rare album. Lonely enough to accept, Riley hands it over and meets Jay at McAlister Park for his lessons.

Jay calls his formula the four “I-ings”: spying, crying, plying, and lying. First he teaches Riley to hide in bushes and gather useful information about possible friends. They spy on Barrett and learn that he loves video games and has money to buy a new one. Jay treats friendship as a hunt for personal weaknesses and advantages.

For the second lesson, Jay puts onion juice beneath Riley’s eyes so that he can manipulate Barrett with fake tears. Riley admits that Jay upset him, and Barrett kindly gives up his video-game purchase to buy the newcomer a soda. Riley appreciates Barrett’s generosity but feels guilty because the friendship began through deception.

Jay next supplies four flattering replies Riley must use in every conversation: agreement, praise for the other person’s intelligence, admiration for an idea, and a request for the other person’s opinion. Riley tries the phrases on Olivia. Despite the unnatural conversation, she recognizes him as the new dulcimer player and considers inviting him to join the band she has started with Barrett and Priscilla.

Riley protests that these tricks create fake friendships. Jay introduces lying as the final safeguard, arguing that a convincing story can hide any selfish act. He then reveals his real aim: Riley should join the band, become close to its members, and secretly report information Jay can use against Barrett. Riley recognizes that Jay has been manipulating him from the beginning. He refuses to participate, choosing to remain lonely rather than deceive people into liking him.

Whit confirms that Jay’s formula is built on lies, but he shows Riley how several ideas can be turned toward genuine friendship. Instead of spying, a friend listens and learns about others openly. Instead of inventing tears, friends honestly share their emotions. Instead of empty flattery, they sincerely care for others and put their needs first. Trust replaces lying. Riley summarizes the better formula as listening, sharing, trusting, and caring.

Riley decides that Jay is the person who most needs a real friend. Because Riley now knows every trick Jay uses, he believes he can care for him without being fooled. He lends Jay his entire collection of Elvis albums as an act of trust and asks him to share his opinions after listening. Jay cannot decide whether the kindness is another scheme, but Riley leaves him holding the records and facing the possibility of an honest friendship.