The Great MacGrady

Summary
When Mrs. McGrady is diagnosed with cancer, Arthur and his friends all act differently to the news - Arthur and D.W. rush to her side with heaps of chicken soup and stuffed animals, Muffy tries to pretend that nothing in her life has changed, and Francine is so upset she can't even bring herself to visit Mrs. MacGrady.

Plot
Everyone loves Mrs. MacGrady, the school's cook for the cafeteria. One day, she doesn't show up for school, and her nephew is substitute lunch person, but he is not a good cook. After a week without Mrs. MacGrady, Mr. Ratburn announces that she won't be returning for a while, because she has cancer.

Later that day, Francine and Muffy are at the Mill Creek Mall looking for a birthday present for Muffy's father Ed Crosswire. While looking at ties, Muffy asks Francine which tie she should get her dad, but Francine ignores Muffy, and sadly sits in a chair. Muffy asks why Francine is being like that. Francine says she doesn't feel like shopping as she's still thinking about Mrs. McGrady having cancer, and informs Muffy that some people don't recover from the illness as her grandfather died from cancer. Francine returns home, feeling too scared to go visit Mrs. MacGrady.

Meanwhile, Arthur and D.W. make a house visit to Mrs. MacGrady, and bring her a stuffed animal and some soup. D.W. asks why Mrs. MacGrady why she has a bandanna over her head. Mrs. MacGrady tells her it's a scarf, and due to treatment, she has no hair, and must keep a special scarf on her head. She also assures a worried D.W. that cancer is not contagious. Arthur and D.W. stop by everyday and bring too much stuff for Mrs. MacGrady.

On her father's birthday, Muffy gives him a card and tie. She tells him it would've been from Francine too, but she was too sad to help. Mr. Crosswire tells Muffy that Francine is just upset due to Mrs. MacGrady's illness. He also tells her that maybe she should go help Mrs. MacGrady around the house and bring her fruit.

When Muffy arrives at Mrs. MacGrady's house, she notices Arthur and D.W. are there and they tell her Mrs. MacGrady is at her treatments, and they are just dropping off a few things. Muffy tells them that they are giving Mrs. MacGrady too many things. D.W. says that they're just trying to help. Muffy tells them that there is a different way they can help. The three clean Mrs. MacGrady's house and dishes. By the time they finish, Mrs. MacGrady comes home, thanks them, and introduces them to her sister, Martha.

Francine, still too scared to visit Mrs. MacGrady, emails Lance Armstrong, which was Binky's idea. Lance Armstrong and Francine ride bikes and talk about how people are looking for a cure to cancer. After that, Francine and everyone have a bike race to help save money for research of cancer. Francine rides her bike really fast, down the race track, to the finish line, where Mrs. MacGrady is waiting for her. Francine apologizes for not coming to see her, and Mrs. MacGrady accepts her apology, has Francine wash her hands, and gives her a big hug.

A week later at school, the lunch is still unpleasant to the children, even Buster complains. Mrs. MacGrady shows up and announces she still has cancer, but she's still getting treatment and feels better enough to return to work.

Major Roles

 * Leah MacGrady
 * Arthur Read
 * D.W. Read
 * Buster Baxter
 * Francine Frensky
 * Muffy Crosswire
 * Binky Barnes
 * Lance Armstrong

Minor Roles

 * Skip Bitterman
 * Martha
 * James MacDonald
 * Nigel Ratburn
 * Ed Crosswire
 * Alan Powers
 * Katherine Frensky
 * Oliver Frensky

Background

 * George Lundgren
 * 3rd Grade Male Rat
 * Laverne Frensky
 * Mary
 * Millicent Crosswire
 * Bailey
 * Mr. Haney
 * 3rd Grade Male Dog (Number 3)
 * Fern Walters
 * Jenna Morgan
 * Sue Ellen Armstrong
 * Alex
 * Maria
 * 3rd Grade Male Aardvark
 * 3rd Grade Male Rabbit (Number 3)
 * Nemo

Flashbacks

 * Molly MacDonald
 * The Backstreet Boys

Trivia

 * D.W. is wearing a surgical mask in this episode. Her brother Arthur wore one in "My Dad, a Garbage Man," "Hic or Treat," and "Vomitrocious" and her father wore one in "Operation D.W."
 * In the beginning of the intro, a doppelganger of Mrs. Powers is seen walking in the hallway.
 * This episode has rarely re-aired due to the uncovering Lance Armstrong's doping activities.

Episode Connections

 * There was a couple flashbacks from Arthur, It's Only Rock 'n' Roll.

Errors

 * In the soccer game, Francine was goalie, although she is the star forward of the team.
 * When D.W. is shoving the supposedly stuffed polar bear toy, Chilly Billy, through the doorway and drops him on the floor, he winces and closes his eyes as though he were alive.
 * For a brief moment near the beginning of the second half of the episode, Marina is seen at a lunch table in the background. This is the second time that she appears due to an error, the other time also being in Season 13 in MacFrensky.

Production notes

 * In Francine's dream, Mrs. MacGrady was going to walk into light at the end of the hallway. This was decided to be "too much" for kids, so a green wall was placed over the light effects.

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