| This article is about the episode. You may be looking for the book. |
| "Double Dare" | |
| Season/Series: | 5 |
|---|---|
| Number in season: | 1b |
| Original airdate: |  September 25, 2000[1][2] January 8, 2001[3] |
| Credits | |
| Written by: | Kathy Waugh |
| Storyboard by: | Guylaine Seguin Lyndon Ruddy Greg Huculak |
| Episodes | |
| Previous "Arthur and the Big Riddle" |
Next "Kids are from Earth, Parents are from Pluto" |
| Read transcript |
"Double Dare" is the second half of the first episode in the fifth season of Arthur. It was later adapted into the book Arthur and the Double Dare.
Summary[]
Arthur bends to a "Double Dare".
Plot[]
The intro begins with Arthur and Buster in the school bathroom. Arthur is leaning out of the window, and Buster is struggling to hold him by his belt. Arthur asks the viewers if they knew how something big can start from something small and proceeds to show instances of this. D.W. is playing "Crazy Bus" and Arthur tells her to stop before he goes wild and eats the cushions that he is covering his ears with. We then transition to D.W. having a huff over sunshine and crying out for rain. Back at the bathroom, Arthur explains that this mess started over less than nothing. Just then, his belt comes off, and Buster falls back to the floor.
Arthur, Buster, Francine, and Brain resent the large amount of homework they are assigned by Mr. Ratburn, which they believe will prevent them from watching a new Dark Bunny TV special. When Arthur states that he will one day not complete his homework and skip school, Francine dares him to prove his point. An anxious Arthur immediately dares her back, with Francine consequently daring Buster, and Buster daring Brain.
Realizing that they need a plan, the four friends devise a simple route they will walk the next morning instead of their usual route to school. After his friends leave, D.W. becomes wary of Arthur's behavior, with Arthur repeatedly denying his shame, topping off in a humorous accidental outburst at their mother in the living room when she questions if he has homework to finish ("I told you already, I am not guilty, so leave me alone already!").
That night, Arthur has a nightmare. In his dream, he and Buster had taken a bad turn while trying to avoid school, and they are now trapped inside of a giant clam, which begins to digest them (much like what happens to Dark Bunny in the TV special).
The next morning, Arthur talks on the phone to Buster. It turns out he had the same dream as Arthur, and they both decide not to follow through with the dare after all. Arthur and Buster's discussion is cut short when D.W. interrupts Arthur. He gives Buster the job of letting Brain and Francine know about the cancellation of their technique. Brain receives Buster's message (though he is baffled by Buster's referring to the giant clam in his and Arthur's dreams), but Francine flunks to accept the message on the Frenskys' answering device as she is busy listening to her music while preparing. As a result, she carries on with the dare.
Arthur and Buster are worried when Francine doesn't show up to class while Mr. Ratburn is doing the roll call. Meanwhile, Francine swears the boys for not coming and looks at her watch to see that it's 9 o’clock and runs up to the school's entrance. Unfortunately, the doors are already locked, and Francine discovers that she's stuck outside.
Francine attracts Arthur and Buster's awareness through the classroom window, and further recognizes that she didn't receive Buster's message. However, she is forced to hide when Mr. Ratburn (who is discussing last night's TV with Mr. Marco) looks in the friends' direction.
After a failed attempt to get Francine into the school unnoticed through the boys' bathroom, Binky agrees to draw away Mr. Ratburn by pretending that something is wrong with his shoe. However, Arthur, Buster, and Francine discover that Binky's technique was miscalculated due to the three friends being in the incorrect location at the bad time (Arthur and Buster at the school entrance, and Francine at a side entrance). When Binky's distraction fails, Francine is caught arriving into the school late by Mr. Ratburn.
Right then and there, Mr. Ratburn wants explanations. Arthur, Buster, and Francine all begin speaking at once. Then Mr. Haney appears, opens the other door of the double front doors, and asks them what all the fuss is about. He sees Francine and asks her why she is not in school. Mr. Haney turns to both Arthur and Buster and says that the whole group better come to his office this instant.
Arthur, Buster, Binky, and Francine are waiting outside the principal's office. Inside, Mr. Haney and Mr. Ratburn are conversing to Francine’s dad about what happened earlier. Francine feels terrible about maybe being expelled and blames Arthur for getting her into trouble.
Just then, Oliver, Mr. Ratburn, and Mr. Haney came out, and Oliver was very disappointed in Francine for what she had done. He asked her how she could have even gotten the idea about skipping school. Francine attempted to reprimand Arthur again, but she finally admitted it was her own idea. Mr. Haney informed her that she would have to stay after school for the next week as a consequence for what she did and to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Feeling sorry for Francine, Arthur and Buster stepped up and confessed to Mr. Ratburn, Mr. Haney, and Oliver that they had dared Francine to skip school and that they wanted to be punished. Binky also wanted to be punished but changed his mind when Arthur reminded him he wasn't involved in the dare. Mr. Ratburn commended Arthur and Buster for their truthfulness in explaining their missed homework but decided not to punish them since they were in school the whole day. Instead, he assigned them an extra assignment regarding their missed homework. To Arthur and Buster's relief, they accepted the extra assignment with enthusiasm. However, Mr. Haney and Oliver shook their heads in disapproval of Francine’s behavior.
Mr. Marco was pouring coffee in the teachers' lounge when Mr. Ratburn entered, looking tired out. As they talked, Mr. Ratburn mentioned needing a videotape. Mr. Marco handed it over, and Mr. Ratburn conveyed his frustration with students skipping school and ignoring their homework. However, when he switched on the TV to watch the tape, the screen showed a preview for a cartoon movie, "Dark Bunny." A relaxed smile spread across Mr. Ratburn's face as he sat back to enjoy the animated adventure. Mr. Marco exuberantly explained the film's highlights, mainly an especially gruesome scene pertaining to a giant clam.
Characters[]
Major[]
Minor[]
Cameo[]
- Kate Read
- Paul Jacobs
- Maria Pappas
- 3rd Grade Male Rabbit
- Jenna Morgan
- George Lundgren
- Alex Davidson
- Ms. Tingley
- Prunella Deegan
- Muffy Crosswire
- Fern Walters
- 3rd Grade Male Dog
- Luke
- Steve Pappas
- 3rd Grade Male Rat
- 3rd Grade Male Dog (Number 3)
- Brian
- Jack Weasel
Trivia[]
- The jacket Francine is wearing (which she also wears in The Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club is similar to George's in "George Blows His Top."
- This is one of the few Arthur episodes to show urinals.
- Moral: Being dared to do something wrong doesn’t mean you should go through with it. Also, just because someone dares you to do something doesn’t mean you should dare someone else back. It’s crucial to think carefully before acting on a dare.
Episode connections[]
- The subject of taking dares too seriously was also the focus of "Buster and the Daredevils." In that episode, Buster and Arthur both learn why they should not accept dares for any reason, and yet in this episode they (also Francine and Brain) initially accept the dare and still believe that they're obliged to go through with it until they are met with the consequences of it.
- Crazy Bus is heard in a flashback.
- As in "That's a Baby Show!," D.W. does not want to be in the room when Dark Bunny is on.
- Mr. Marco's Dark Bunny tape is of the episode seen in "The Last of Mary Moo Cow."
Cultural references[]
- Mr. Ratburn mentions watching a film about English novelist and playwright John Galsworthy.
- Mr. Ratburn mentions that something is indebted to German Expressionism. He is apparently talking about Dark Bunny, which is true regarding the backdrops.
- On the Dark Bunny video, a character resembling the Riddler is briefly seen.
Errors[]
- When Buster says "Uh-oh" in the bathroom for the second time, the back of his left shoe flashes red for a frame.
- When Binky pretends his shoe is too tight, he mostly holds up his left shoe but when Mr. Ratburn walks over to Binky concerned, he's holding up his right but then it changes back to the left when Binky explains his pretend problem to Mr. Ratburn.
Production Notes[]
- This is the first episode to use the Hot Air Balloon as a title card.
Home Media[]
VHS[]
DVD[]
Gallery[]
References[]