Falafelosophy

"Falafelosophy"
Main image Title card Title card 2
Season/Series:	14
Number in season:	4a
Original airdate:	October 25, 2010 November 10, 2010 January 24, 2011 March 4, 2013
Credits
Written by:	David Steven Cohen Peter K. Hirsch
Storyboard by:	Elise Benoit François Brisson
Episodes
Previous "The Play's the Thing"	Next "The Great Lint Rush"

Read transcript

"Falafelosophy" is the first half of the fourth episode in the fourteenth season of Arthur.

Neil Gaiman makes a special appearance as himself.

Summary

At the urging of author Neil Gaiman, Sue Ellen tries her hand at writing and illustrating a graphic novel. When Sue Ellen needs inspiration and encouragement, she turns to Neil - who pops up in unexpected places - and to the philosophy lessons of her local falafel vendor!

Plot

In the introduction, Arthur gives examples of people whose work was not immediately appreciated: Galileo Galilei and Ludwig van Beethoven. D.W. gives him half a star for the opening and tells him to start the show.

Falafelosophy

Sue Ellen attends a reading and book signing by Neil Gaiman. When Neil learns that she likes writing and drawing, he suggests she write a graphic novel. He gives her the graphic novel version of Coraline as a gift.

Sue Ellen reads Coraline in bed and decides to write her own graphic novel.

The next day, Sue Ellen buys a falafel from Mr. Contabulous' falafel truck. Mr. Contabulous philosophizes about people being either like round pita or like pointy pizza. This gives Sue Ellen the idea to write about a world inhabited by circles and triangles. She is about to dismiss it as too silly, when a small Neil Gaiman, her "Inner Neil," appears in her falafel and tells her to trust herself and her story.

In Sue Ellen's story, the circles live happily while the triangles keep arguing, until they eventually agree that circles are pointless. Sue Ellen's friends at school do not understand the story. Muffy does not think it is marketable and Francine is angry when Sue Ellen describes her as triangular. At the Sugar Bowl, Sue Ellen has another vision of her Inner Neil, who tells her that writing is not just about pleasing others, and that it may take a while for people to like something new.

Sue Ellen continues her story. The triangles capture the circles' leader, the Great Contabulous. While being held captive, the Great Contabulous is reminded by the moon that many triangles can form a circle. Circles and triangles start a battle.

Sue Ellen meets Neil Gaiman at the falafel truck, at first mistaking him for her Inner Neil. She asks him for advice. They sit on a park bench when Sue Ellen realizes she left the book at the truck. Meanwhile, Mr. Contabulous has given the book to Francine, Muffy and Brain. Sue Ellen is worried that they will not like the story, but when she catches up with them, they discuss the story and wonder what happens next.

Sue Ellen finishes her story with the triangles and circles living in harmony. The triangles need the circles to remind them of wholeness, while the circles need the triangles to remind them of pointiness.

Characters

Special Appearance by Neil Gaiman

Major

• Neil Gaiman
• Sue Ellen Armstrong

Minor

• D.W. Read
• Brain
• Francine Frensky
• Muffy Crosswire
• Binky Barnes
• Mr. Contabulous
• Arthur Read (Intro only)
• Timmy and Tommy Tibble (fantasy)

Cameo

• Mr. Armstrong
• Thora Read
• Jane Read
• Kate Read
• 3rd Grade Male Dog (Number 3)
• David Read
• Billy
• Rattles
• Catherine Frensky
• Mrs. Fink
• Rubella Deegan
• Mr. Powers
• 3rd Grade Female Cat (Number 2)
• 3rd Grade Female Aardvark
• Mary Perchanok
• 3rd Grade Male Dog
• 3rd Grade Male Rabbit
• Lisa
• 3rd Grade Male Rat
• Paul Jacobs
• Mrs. Wood

Mentioned

• Buster Baxter

Trivia

• Arthur is absent in this episode, except for the opening and the title card in the US.
• This was said to be one of Jessica Kardos' favorite episodes that she worked on.

Cultural references

• Sue Ellen's story bears much resemblance to Harry Nilsson's The Point!
• The introduction refers to Galileo Galilei's conflict with the inquisition.
• Arthur as Beethoven plays the first notes of the 5th Symphony.
• In the bookstore, Neil Gaiman reads from Instructions. He gives Sue Ellen the graphic novel edition of Coraline with drawings by P. Craig Russell.
• Neil Gaiman's joke about people being "squares" refers to a slightly dated term for conventional people.

Errors

• When the flashback with Beethoven ends during the cold open, the starting imagination music plays.
• In Sue Ellen's story, she starts a chapter by saying "On a night with no moon...," then later in the chapter, she says "The moon reminded him that much in the world is circular...," even though she just wrote that there was no moon.

Gallery

Main article: Falafelosophy/Gallery