"Buster's Second Chance" | |
Season/Series: | 20 (US) |
---|---|
Number in season: | 1a[1] |
Original Airdate: | October 10, 2016[1] November 12, 2018[2] |
Credits | |
Written by: | Ken Scarborough |
Storyboard by: | Cilbur Rocha |
Episodes | |
Previous "The Last Day" |
Next "Arthur and the Whole Truth" |
Read transcript |
"Buster's Second Chance" is the first half of the first episode in the twentieth season of Arthur.
Summary[]
Buster turns back the clock to see what life would be like if he were a genius.
Plot[]
Arthur explains that Buster has always been his best friend, ever since they first met, in addition to a montage of Arthur and Buster hanging out. He continues, "until this week..." as Buster's seat is empty.
Brain wins a state-wide science contest, and Buster tells Arthur that he previously made Brain's observation that the school's water fountain has bacteria in it. Buster complains that he did not win an award, to which Arthur points out that Brain did science and was able to prove it. Buster explains why he did not study; as a toddler, his mother took him to a special preschool and he was given an intelligence test in which he had to sort a marble into the correct jar. However, Buster instead stuck it up his nose, claiming the answer seemed too obvious.
Buster thinks that his life would have been different if he had passed the test, and that he would have been as smart as Brain. Arthur says, "If only you could go back in time." Buster gets an idea and is about to ask Brain, who answers that it is impossible to change the past.
That night, Buster reads a Professor Timekeeper comic about time vortexes. He sees such a vortex appear in his room, is sucked in, and then wakes up back in the preschool. He does a magic trick with the marble, impressing his mother and the teacher, and then gets sucked back in to the vortex and wakes up.
Buster finds that he is now a genius, and has won the science contest instead of Brain. He wants to show Arthur the ribbon he won, but learns that he goes to advanced placement classes in the morning and then Lakewood Elementary. He passes Arthur on the bus, who does not react to Buster.
Buster enters the classroom and is greeted and congratulated by Mr. Ratburn. He leaves the class to go to Algebra, showing Arthur his ribbon first. Buster goes to The Sugar Bowl, finding that it is now a hangout for the Tough Customers. Unknowingly to Buster, Arthur is now the leader of the Tough Customers, with Binky following his orders.
Buster asks various people where Arthur is, and finally finds him in Meteor Comix. Arthur denies liking Love Ducks (although he acts like he does like them) and says that he was never friends with Buster; in a flashback, it is shown that after Buster left, Arthur met Binky. Arthur tells Buster that if he (Arthur) had met someone who liked "uncool" things, he may have had a different life. Buster shouts, "Arthur needs me!" and is sucked back into the time vortex.
Buster visits Arthur and is glad that they are still friends. Buster decides to compare his locker's smell to goats, and they go to the zoo. D.W. says that she is glad she is not a genius as the episode finishes.
Characters[]
Major[]
Minor[]
- Binky Barnes
- Brain
- Mr. Ratburn
- Bitzi Baxter
- D.W. Read
- Testing Woman
- Brainy Girl
- Brainy Boy
Cameo[]
- Maria Pappas
- Alex Davidson
- Jenna Morgan
- George Lundgren
- Ladonna Compson
- Francine Frensky
- Sue Ellen Armstrong
- Muffy Crosswire
- Molly MacDonald
- Rattles
- Steve Pappas
- Helen
- 3rd Grade Female Aardvark
- Brian
- Jessica
- John
- Lisa
- Kyle
- Liam
- Maryann
- Lucy
- Big Kid 2
- Los Dedos
- Big Kid 1
- Fletcher
- 4th Grade Male Rabbit
- Amanda Hulser
- Kiefer
- Jack
- James MacDonald
- Rafi
- 4th Grade Female Aardvark
Mentioned[]
Trivia[]
- This episode and Arthur and the Whole Truth aired exactly 20 years after "D.W.'s Imaginary Friend" / "Arthur's Lost Library Book"
Episode connections[]
- Arthur and Buster's first meeting was first shown in "Team Trouble" and later in "The Ballad of Buster Baxter," though the scene was redrawn and the boys' clothes were changed to resemble those that they wear as eight-year-olds. The photograph in "Besties" is of the redrawn scene.
- The masks Arthur and Buster wear in the intro also appear in "Staycation."
- Love Ducks was first shown in "That's a Baby Show!"
- In "Buster's Growing Grudge", Buster also wants to change the past and is told, first by Arthur and then by Brain, that that is impossible.
- Arthur had previously been a Tough Customer (for real or in fantasies) in "Arthur, World's Greatest Gleeper" and "Arthur Makes Waves."
- The kids in The Sugar Bowl include the current Tough Customers Binky, Rattles, Molly and Slink, former Tough Customers Kiefer, Fletcher and the burly rabbit boy, the two bullies from the introduction of "The Last Tough Customer" and Los Dedos.
- In the parallel timeline, Buster talks to Amanda just after James bullied her in "The Last Tough Customer." She is sitting on the play tower while James and Molly stand by the water fountain.
- "Tough Customer Arthur" not wanting to be seen liking "Love Ducks" is reminiscent of how Binky does not want it known that he likes to read books.
Cultural references[]
- Brain's line "I stand on the shoulders of giants" refers to a quote commonly attributed to Isaac Newton.
Production notes[]
- This is the first episode to air that was produced at Oasis Animation.
- This is the first episode in which Jacob Ursomarzo voices Arthur.
- This is also the first episode in which Christian Distefano voices D.W.
- This was Ken Scarborough's last episode of Arthur before moving over to Sesame Street.
Gallery[]
- Main article: Buster's Second Chance/Gallery
References[]
External links[]
- Transcript: Buster's Second Chance / Arthur and the Whole Truth. TVOKids. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020.
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