| "Bugged" | |
| Season/Series: | 8 |
|---|---|
| Number in season: | 3b |
| Original airdate: |  September 17, 2003[1] December 3, 2003[2] December 19, 2007[3] |
| Credits | |
| Written by: | Jonathan Greenberg |
| Storyboard by: | Robert Yap |
| Episodes | |
| Previous "Arthur's Snow Biz" |
Next "Fernkenstein's Monster" |
| Read transcript |
"Bugged" is the second half of the third episode in the eighth season of Arthur.
Summary[]
After overhearing his being called a pest for correcting people, Brain dreams he is a bug. Then he tries to not bug his friends by not speaking.
Plot[]
Arthur is shown as others see him. In D.W.’s eyes, he is a giant; in his mom’s eyes, he is a baby; and in Pal’s eyes, he is a waiter.
Brain and Binky watch an episode of Bionic Bunny in which the hero is strapped to a machine by evil Dr. Fowl. Brain points out the stereotypical logical flaws, such as the villain using an overly complicated method to kill Bionic Bunny and explaining his evil plan to him. Brain bugs Binky.
At school, Brain corrects Francine when she answers that Pluto is the outermost planet since Pluto’s orbit intersects Neptune’s. There is some controversy about whether Pluto is a planet. The class is bored, and Mr. Ratburn eventually cuts Brain short.
When playing “Capture the Flag” at recess, Brain makes a complicated plan while Muffy sneaks up and captures his team's flag. When Brain returns after the game to get his personal organizer, he overhears Francine calling him “a real pest.”
That night, Brain asks his mother whether he is annoying. When she denies it, he corrects her grammar.
The next morning, Brain wakes up as a giant bug, and his mother acts as if this is normal.
At school, Mr. Ratburn tells him to “stop bugging” the others and gives him an F on a quiz that Brain could not complete because he is unable to hold a pencil in his claws.
Mr. Haney does not let Brain into the cafeteria because of health regulations but offers him garbage.
When a class picture is taken, Brain is freaked out by the flash photography and runs off.
When Francine has a flat tire, Brain makes a suggestion that causes the others to call him a pest and threaten to squash him. He flees and hides in a cave. The others catch him and strap him to a machine similar to the one used on Bionic Bunny earlier. As they start the machine, Brain wakes up as his usual self.
Brain consults Prunella about his dream. She offers three stock interpretations (coming into sudden wealth, meeting a stranger who will change his life, and getting a promotion), but Brain points out that these have nothing to do with his dream. Instead, he suggests that he is a bug in that he annoys people when he corrects them. Prunella is annoyed, and Brain sees this as evidence of his theory. Brain makes a vow of silence.
At school, Mr. Ratburn offers the class an early recess if one can answer a question. Brain knows the answer but keeps his vow of silence with difficulty. When Arthur asks for his advice while playing marbles, Brain makes a gesture Arthur does not understand but does not speak. When playing “Capture the Flag,” Brain sees George sneaking up on his team's flag. He hesitates but then gives commands that win the game. He expects the others to be mad, but they are happy to have won. He asks whether he is annoying, and Arthur tells him that everybody bugs people sometimes.
The episode finishes with Francine dreaming that she has grown a pelican's bill after Buster called her a bigmouth.
Characters[]
Major[]
Minor[]
Cameo[]
- Sue Ellen Armstrong
- Fern Walters
- Jenna Morgan
- Maria Pappas
- Rattles
- Helen
- Nancy
- Jack Weasel
- Norman Hedgehog
- 3rd Grade Male Rabbit
- Otis
- Patrick (4th grader)
- 3rd Grade Male Dog (Number 2)
- Luke
- Cora
- Photographer
- George Lundgren
- Beulah McInnerny
- Mary (3rd grader)
- Steve Pappas
- 3rd Grade Female Cat (Number 2)
- John
Mentioned[]
Trivia[]
Episode connections[]
- Like Sue Ellen in "Popular Girls," Brain hides his knowledge in order to be more likable and ends up letting his friends down, because they were counting on his expertise.
- Arthur is seen participating in a marble game, which Grandma Thora introduced him to in "Arthur Loses His Marbles."
- Cora, from "D.W. Thinks Big," makes a cameo appearance in the cafeteria line.
- In “Buster's Back”, Prunella prophesized that Arthur would change jobs. Now she prophesizes that Brain will get a promotion and gets exactly the same answer: “I don’t have a job”.
Cultural references[]
- A few years after this episode came out, the International Astronomical Union officially changed the definition of "planet", making Pluto a "dwarf planet."
- Brain's dream where he is turned into a bug is a parody of Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis."
- The Battle of Agincourt (1415) is mentioned twice. It was a major strategic victory of the English against the French.
Errors[]
- When Brain avoids Binky's tackle, Binky is still in the foreground where Brain should be.
- Brain's comment to not end sentences in prepositions is archaic; ending in a preposition is perfectly fine in modern English.
- The video description refers to Bionic Bunny as "Atomic Bunny".
Gallery[]
Screenshots
References[]