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The Mystery at Tin Flat

Album: 40: Out of Control

Episode: 520

Lesson/Theme: Fitting in

Bible Verse: 1 Corinthians 12

Characters: Ed, Elaine, Marvin, Tamika

Writer: John Fornof

Sound Designer:

Original Air Date: June 7, 2003

Last Air Date: June 27, 2009

Description:
The Washington family receives an almost paid for trip to the city Tin Flat. While they’ve never heard of the town, they’re all excited about going except for Xavier. He says he’d rather stay home and watch his favorite television show. Regardless,they all pack up and head off to Tin Flat. After arriving, they find that it’s an abandoned ghost town. They figure they’ve been scammed and decide to head for home. But when they try to leave, the car won’t start. They’re too far out to get a signal for their cell phone, so they can’t call a tow truck. Ed says that they’ll sleep in the van and he’ll walk to the next town in the morning. About that time, Tamika notices some gold-toed cowboy boots sitting next to the fence. She gets excited when she recalls the story on the back of the brochure. She reads the story about a man they call Gold Toe Jake. He was accused of robbing the bank and stealing all of the gold. When he was sentenced to death, he claimed his spirit wouldn’t rest until justice was found. An old legend says that the boots of Gold Toe Jake appear now and then to point the way to justice. The boots were pointing towards the Tin Flat Gazette. They enter the building, where they discover that Gold Toe Jake was the editor of the paper. In the meantime, Xavier is still acting uninterested and unhappy. Ed asks him about it and Xavier tells him that he feels like he oddball since he’s not part of their immediate family. Ed tells him that he’s definitely a part of their family and they want him there. While walking around, they hear an old piano playing. They discover that it’s an upright player piano that can play on it’s own. When the pieces continue to fall into place they find a note inside the piano written by Gold Toe Jake. It said that if he’s killed in his pursuit to find the bank robber, to know that he suspected the sheriff was the culprit. The Washingtons continue their own investigation. Ed, Elaine, Marvin, and Tamika all manage to get locked in the jail cell. Xavier is the only one who can try to get them out. In his search for a key, he discovers they’re actually on his favorite reality show, The Challenge. The producers have staged everything, but tell him not to rescue his family. They’re going to see if they will win a vacation on their own. Xavier weighs his options and decides that his family’s safety is more important. He rescues his family and they win the vacation anyway because they found the gold on their own.

Questions:
What was Gold Toe Jake accused of? Was he guilty? Have you ever felt like Xavier, like you just don’t belong? In the end, Xavier feels loved by his family. In what ways has your family made you feel loved? How can you make other members of your family feel loved.