Triple-Decker Sundae

Olivia Parker has a secret companion no one else can see: Leonid Sepanov, a witty Russian philosopher from her research paper who lives in her imagination - and keeps asking why she believes in God at all. When her friend Zoe asks the simple question "What do you believe and why do you believe it?", Olivia opens her mouth and finds nothing there. With testimony night looming at church, Olivia plans to fake her way through, but Zoe steps onto the stage in her place and tells everyone what she believes instead. Frightened by how little her friend seems to care about lying, Zoe breaks her promise of silence and goes to Pastor Knox, who warns that Olivia is caught in a spiritual battle. Olivia overhears... and storms out, furious at the betrayal. The story ends with Olivia defiantly ordering the triple-decker sundae Leonid dared her to try - and agreeing with him that it's a great choice.

Found on A Slippery Slope Album 71 · 6 episodes

The run See every episode

0919 Sew on and Snow Forth When a church sewing club's squabbling threatens a kids' retreat, Whit bets an old friend that even the most stubborn adults can learn to work together - just as a winter storm bears down on the farm.

0920 Snow 'Em Who's Boss Stranded in a blizzard aboard a ditched bus, four kids must figure out what real leadership means before the cold decides for them.

0921 Make Snow Mistake Snowed in overnight at their empty high school during a blizzard, two teens discover their unsupervised adventure can turn dangerous in a heartbeat.

0922 The Team A blackmailed high school athlete turns to a reluctant young detective and two reformed schemers, who must outwit an unseen tormentor without breaking any rules themselves.

0923 Please Adjust Your Frequency Three classmates recording a radio detective drama for English class discover that solving the mystery on tape is nothing compared to solving their creative differences off it.

0924 Higher than Our Ways When a pastor believes God has warned him that "one of three will fall," a class ski trip becomes a test of faith no one saw coming.

0925 Triple-Decker Sundae A star student's harmless research project takes an unsettling turn when the philosopher she's studying starts talking back - and asking questions about her faith she can't answer.

0926 Set a Watchman When her best friend starts doubting God, a determined girl schemes to make a church winter camp the miracle that fixes everything.

0927 Worth It Struggling with why a good God allows pain, Olivia steps into the Imagination Station and befriends a blind beggar in Jerusalem whose stubborn hope his bitter mother calls his worst enemy.

1 of 2 0928 The Lost One When a school prank hands her the perfect story, a doubting Olivia must choose between protecting her secrets and preserving her fraying friendship with Zoe.

2 of 2 0929 The Lost One With her faith shaken and her best friend gone, Olivia must decide whether to keep listening to the mocking voice in her head or face the secret guilt that's pulling her away from everyone who loves her.

0930 Judge Me Tender A new girl in Odyssey finally makes a friend, only to become convinced that everyone at her friend's house is quietly judging her.

1 of 3 0931 As Buck Would Have It When the Meltsners finally get the chance to adopt their foster son Buck, a mysterious text and an unexpected stranger threaten to unravel everything.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 2 more roles

2 supporting roles

Leonid Sepanov Mike Shapiro JT's Employee Actor Unknown

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Marshal Younger Writer · Director Nathan Jones Sound Designer Nathan Hoobler Producer Dave Arnold Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 3 min

At an ice cream shop, Zoe Grant finds her friend Olivia Parker hunched over a school research paper that isn't due for six weeks. Olivia has chosen to write about Leonid Sepanov, a nineteenth-century Russian philosopher who wasn't even on the approved list - she simply found one of his books on her teacher's shelf. When Pastor Knox stops by their table, Olivia is startled to realize she has completely forgotten that she agreed to give her testimony at church on Sunday night. That's not like her at all, and Zoe notices. Olivia usually loves being on stage.

What Zoe doesn't know is that Olivia has an imaginary companion: Sepanov himself, a chatty, funny Russian who shows up in her head, samples her food, and complains about his black-and-white photograph. But beneath the jokes, Leonid keeps planting doubts. He asks why Olivia believes in God when she has never seen or heard him, and presses, "But whose faith is it, really? Yours or your parents'?" When Olivia answers that she can see God's power in the mountains and oceans and has felt his presence herself, Leonid strikes at something deeper: if God is so powerful and good, why didn't he move the tree that her teacher Mr. Norton skied into, so that Mr. Norton's son would still have a father?

Worried about her friend, Zoe talks with Pastor Knox. He recognizes Sepanov's name at once - a renowned atheist who attacked Christianity - and murmurs a cryptic warning to himself: "One of three will fall." Meanwhile, when Zoe reads Olivia's draft testimony, it feels generic, like anyone could have written it. She suggests starting with a question from Connie's Bible study: "What do you believe and why do you believe it?" Olivia opens her mouth to answer and discovers she doesn't know. She admits she has been asking questions about God she has never asked before, but she refuses to talk to Whit or Pastor Knox, and she makes Zoe promise to tell no one.

Leonid keeps invading - even while Olivia washes dishes - arguing that religion is just a tool to control people, from the Crusades to TV preachers, and that nothing will actually happen if she breaks the rules. He teases that gluttony is supposedly a sin, but ordering a triple-decker ice cream sundae would bring no punishment at all. Rattled, Olivia insists she will tell the truth in her testimony, then realizes she doesn't know what the truth is anymore. She confesses the real reason she started researching Leonid: she feels like something is wrong with her.

On testimony night, Olivia plans to fake her way through it. Backstage, Zoe declares that faking it is wrong and she can't let it happen. As Pastor Knox introduces Olivia, Zoe steps out instead, saying Olivia isn't feeling up to it, and gives her own testimony - telling everyone what she believes and why she believes it. Afterward, Olivia thanks her for covering, but admits she lied to Pastor Knox about being sick - and when Zoe asks whether she feels bad about the lie, Olivia says no. That frightens Zoe. Remembering that the Holy Spirit convicts believers when they sin, she goes back to Pastor Knox, breaking her promise: Olivia isn't just asking questions; she has lost something important.

Pastor Knox, who already suspected Olivia's doubts, tells Zoe about a college philosophy professor who out-argued him in every debate, driving him to study until he truly understood his faith - only to reveal at semester's end that he was a Christian all along, challenging Knox on purpose. Knox gives Zoe two tasks: pray, because Olivia is in a spiritual battle, and stay grounded in her own faith so she can answer hard questions before they're even asked. But Olivia returns, overhears them, and explodes at Zoe's betrayal - a good friend, she says, doesn't blab in barely a day. She storms out, deaf to their pleas.

The story ends at JT's Ice Cream and Bakery, where Olivia defiantly orders the triple-decker sundae - the very act Leonid dared her to try. "Great choice, Olivia," her imaginary philosopher purrs, and Olivia agrees with him.