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"The Last King of Lambland"
Season/Series: 15
Number in season: 3b
Original Airdate: United States October 12, 2011[1]
Canada May 13, 2013[3]
United Kingdom January 17, 2011[2]
Australia October 11, 2010
Germany January 1, 2013[4]
Credits
Written by: Tolon Brown
Storyboard by: Robert Yap
Episodes
Previous
"Buster's Secret Admirer"
Next
"Cents-less"
Read transcript

"The Last King of Lambland" is the second half of the third episode in the fifteenth season of Arthur.

Summary[]

James receives a gift from his uncle in Scotland - a toy lamb that will supposedly give its owner the powers of the legendary King James the Squinty, leader of the Clan MacDoogal-Donalds!

Plot[]

James and Molly's Uncle Myles sends them a package from Scotland with a letter telling about Myles' visit to the family's ancestral castle and learning about its history. Long ago, after a succession of terrible rulers, a shepherd boy, who could talk to animals and make rain, made the kingdom prosperous again. He was crowned King James. The package includes a CD for Molly and a toy lamb for James, which is said to grant the power and wisdom of the shepherd boy.

The Last King of Lambland

In preschool, James plays with Liam, who has the hiccups. The Tibbles try to cure Liam by scaring him, so he accidentally steps on James' lunch. The Tibbles make fun of James' lamb and the idea that it is magical.

At lunch, D.W. recounts events from "Hic or Treat" and concludes that a "Boo" is not enough to cure hiccups. Emily and Liam share their lunch with James. James decides to share his ruined one with some birds and a squirrel. The Tibbles see him and wonder if he can really talk to animals. When they examine the lamb, a thunderstorm comes up.

Later, the Tibbles see James take a coin out of the lamb's mouth at The Sugar Bowl and are finally convinced. They hail James as king.

The next day, Tommy takes D.W.'s crayon in preschool and gives it to James.

At the Read house, D.W. tells Emily that James is getting mad with power, like Arthur when their parents put him in charge. In her imagination, James is king and has confiscated all crayons. When Emily tells him that the people are starving, he says they should eat cake, then orders the Tibbles to step on all cakes. D.W. tries to stop him and is sentenced to cleaning out unicorn stables.

D.W. visits James, who is now dressed as a king and guarded by the Tibbles. Molly believes they are reenacting fairy tales. D.W. asks James to stop playing king, but James orders Timmy to show her out.

The next day at preschool, James and the Tibbles steal juice from Maryann and bully Emily and D.W. off the swings. Emily calls James out on being mean and he looks guilty for a moment. When the Tibbles suggest stomping on Liam's toy bulldozer, James sees Liam cry and finally comes to his senses. He gives Liam back his toy and throws the crown away.

James wants Molly to take the lamb, because it made him miserable. She tells him that legends are not real and that the legendary shepherd boy was kind and generous.

James fires the Tibbles and offers the lamb to Liam. The idea scares Liam so much that it cures his hiccups. D.W. and Emily welcome James back. James asks them never to call him "Your Highness" again.

Characters[]

Major[]

Minor[]

Cameo[]

Mentioned[]

Trivia[]

  • Moral: As a ruler, you have to be nice and fair to your subjects instead of being a tyrant. Also, you should not be mean to your friends.
  • Liam's name is revealed in this episode (although it had already been used in the books).
  • Arthur is absent from this episode, except for the title card in the US and a cameo appearance in a flashback.
  • It is revealed that the MacDonald family is of Scottish heritage and belong to a Scottish clan.

Episode connections[]

  • At the preschool, the Good Behavior of the Week Award is seen in the background with what appears to be a picture of D.W., meaning this episode could take place during the same time period as "My Fair Tommy," when D.W. wins the award for the week.

Cultural references[]

  • The episode title refers to "The Last King of Scotland," a title most famously associated with Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, who saw himself as a conqueror of the English. There is also a book and a movie about Amin by that name.
  • There have been seven Kings of Scotland named James; the last two were Kings of England as well.
  • Myles' story mentions the feast of St. Ninian. It used to be held on September 16th and commemorates a 5th-century missionary in what is now Scotland. All other characters from the story are fictional.
  • There is a Clan MacDougall and a Clan Donald (also called MacDonald). Both clans share a common descent from the Irish-Norse-Gaelic lord Somerled (Clan MacDougall from one son, Dugald; Clan Donald from another son, Ranald). The name of Clan MacDoogal-Donald appears to allude to this history.
  • Madeleines are traditional small cakes from France.
  • In D.W.'s fantasy, James has a fleur-de-lis on his shirt, a symbol mostly associated with French royalty.
  • James' line "Let them eat madeleines" references Marie Antoinette’s apocryphal phrase "Let them eat cake."
  • When D.W. confronts the king, she is wearing a feathered cap usually associated with Robin Hood.

Errors[]

  • Liam's nose color constantly changes between black and pink in this episode.
  • D.W.'s memory of Arthur's "Frankentist" Halloween costume had her turn on a flashlight and Arthur was standing right in front of her, but in "Hic or Treat," he was walking down the stairs with Jane's flashlight shining on him.
    • Also, D.W. was wearing her normal clothes in "Hic or Treat," while her memory of it depicts her wearing a green and orange dress.
The pupil of D.W.'s left eye miscolored brown.
  • In D.W.'s imagination sequence, the pupil of her left eye turns brown when she looks shocked after James orders her to clean out all the unicorn stables in the land.
The legs of D.W.'s pantyhose are missing.
  • In one shot when D.W. is talking with Tommy when he's guarding James' room, the legs of her pantyhose are missing.

Production notes[]

  • This is the first episode to be written by Tolon Brown, who is the son of Arthur creator Marc Brown.
  • This is the last time the "D.W. Chases Toady" title card is used in the US.

Gallery[]

Main article: The Last King of Lambland/Gallery

References[]


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