Unbecoming Jay

Jay would rather do anything than spend the day with his visiting cousin Cindy - he's already put crickets in her sleeping bag - so he tricks Barrett into showing her around instead. To everyone's surprise, the two strangers hit it off, bonding over jazz, a school musical, and coloring the children's menus at Hal's Diner. But Jay can't believe the friendship is real, so he stirs up trouble... telling Priscilla that Barrett has found a new favorite girl, and making Cindy think Barrett was paid to spend the day with her. Suddenly Barrett has two hurt friends and a tangled mess he never made. With a little encouragement from Whit, he tells both girls the truth, and the friendships come out stronger than before. As for Jay, his scheme collapses when Cindy reveals she knows all about his action figures, matching pajamas, and Elvis jumpsuits - and the schemer finally meets his match.

Found on Clanging Cymbals...and the Meaning of God's Love Album 54 · 12 episodes

The run See every episode

0695 Forgiving More...or Less When a school recording project goes sideways and a broken machine goes unconfessed, young Camilla discovers that forgiving others is a lot trickier than it sounds.

0696 You're Two Kind A student's offer to help a struggling classmate is tested when kindness, secrets, and hurt feelings collide over a class project.

0697 A Penny Earned When free-spirited artist Penny can't find a job in Odyssey, her friends scramble to help her find work before she's forced to move back home.

0698 Never for Nothing When Matthew questions why anyone should keep showing kindness to people who don't deserve it, his grandmother-in-town Lucia's story of a childhood friend who believed love is never wasted begins to reveal an unexpected answer.

0699 Emily the Genius When a school aptitude test labels Emily a genius, her family's newfound pride sets her on a path she'll do anything to stay on.

0700 How to Sink a Sub When Katrina takes over a middle school literature class, her high standards spark a student rebellion - and Olivia must decide whether to trust her friend or follow the crowd.

0701 Unbecoming Jay When a scheming Jay pawns off his visiting cousin on an unsuspecting friend, an unlikely friendship blooms - and Jay can't leave well enough alone.

0702 Childish Things Burned by a past betrayal, Penny turns to a body-language book to instantly judge who she can trust - and starts seeing deception in everyone around her.

1 of 3 0703 The Labyrinth An undercover agent's sting goes sideways in London, leaving him framed, hunted on all sides, and saddled with a streetwise young orphan who knows too much.

2 of 3 0704 The Labyrinth Framed as a traitor and hunted in London, Jason races to uncover what his enemy has planned for a gathering of world leaders at the British Museum.

3 of 3 0705 The Labyrinth Held captive by criminals with a deadly bioweapon hidden inside museum antiques, Jason must find a way to stop an attack on visiting heads of state before the exhibition opens.

0706 To Mend or Repair When fixing things is all you know, Eugene must learn that a grieving heart isn't a machine to repair.

0707 Mistaken for Good A reluctant errand to a retirement home turns complicated when a lonely resident mistakes Jay for her grandson - and the money starts flowing.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 2 more roles

2 supporting roles

Priscilla Peterson Gatlin Green Cindy Abigail Revasch

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Bob Hoose Writer · Director · Producer Jonathan Crowe Sound Designer Dave Arnold Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 2 min

Jay has been ordered to show his visiting cousin Cindy around Odyssey, but he wants to escape her company after putting crickets in her sleeping bag. He persuades Barrett to keep her company instead, pretending he will cancel a debt even though the dollar in question is money Jay borrowed from Barrett. Then he slips away and leaves the two awkward strangers together at Whit's End.

Barrett finds Cindy quiet and difficult at first, but honest conversation reveals that they both love jazz and play instruments. He invites her to a school musical and takes her to Hal's Diner. When Cindy admits that she still colors children's menus because it reminds her of her father, who died when she was young, Barrett joins her rather than make fun of her. Their day becomes an unexpectedly happy one.

Jay cannot believe Cindy and Barrett genuinely enjoy each other's company. Convinced that Barrett must be plotting some kind of revenge, he decides to create trouble first. He tells Priscilla how impressed Barrett is with Cindy and emphasizes that the two are attending the musical alone. Priscilla grows jealous, especially because Barrett had shown little interest in attending with her.

Jay then arranges for both girls to bring Barrett breakfast at the same time. His hints make Priscilla think Barrett has replaced her, while his badly timed repayment makes Cindy believe Barrett accepted money to spend the day with her. Both girls leave hurt, and Barrett is left to untangle a misunderstanding he did not create.

Whit assures Barrett that welcoming a lonely visitor was thoughtful and right. A good deed can expose other people's fears or be misinterpreted, but that does not make the deed a mistake. Priscilla fears losing an important friendship, and Cindy fears she is too difficult to like. Barrett must keep doing what is right and speak honestly to both of them.

Barrett explains to Cindy that Jay did not pay him and gives her a coloring book as a reminder of their day. When Jay summons Priscilla to witness the meeting, Barrett recognizes his manipulation and brings everyone together. He tells Priscilla that she matters to him, and Cindy confirms that Barrett spoke warmly about her throughout their outing. The girls start over on friendly terms.

Jay tries one last time to embarrass Barrett over the coloring book, but Cindy reveals that she knows about Jay's own collections of action figures, matching pajamas, and Elvis jumpsuits. Faced with someone who can outmaneuver him, Jay retreats. His scheme has failed, while Barrett's kindness leaves him with two friendships strengthened by the truth.

Around the story

The host segments that opened and closed the broadcast.

Closing

Chris begins by pointing to First Corinthians 13:5, which says that love is not rude, and observes that today's episode showed one way that verse works: a little extra effort at politeness led to good things, and for Barrett and Priscilla it led to a new friend they might never have made if they had simply gone about their lives. Just as Chris starts to compare that with Jay's behavior, a coworker announces a phone call on line one - it is Jay himself. Jay complains that Chris is about to make him look like the bad guy again, which he says is rude no matter how true, and he refuses to be an "objective lesson," a phrase Chris corrects to "object lesson." Jay then takes over the show, rattling off the closing announcements in his own careless way - mangling the show's name, muttering about the episode's title, and reading through the cast and crew - before asking whether Chris actually gets paid for this. Chris thanks him for his "unique effort," the line suddenly goes dead, and Chris signs off, inviting listeners to join in next time. The scene playfully proves the lesson of the story: rudeness like Jay's stands in the way, while kindness and good manners open the door to friendship.