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"The Last Tough Customer"
Season/Series: 16
Number in season: 6a
Original Airdate: United States May 6, 2013[1]
United Kingdom April 15, 2013[2]
Australia December 17, 2012[3]
Credits
Written by: P. Kevin Strader
Peter K. Hirsch
Storyboard by: Cilbur Rocha
Episodes
Previous
"Read and Flumberghast"
Next
"Brain's Chess Mess"
Read transcript

"The Last Tough Customer" is the first half of the sixth episode in the sixteenth season of Arthur.

Summary[]

The Tough Customers realize that it is time to quit bullying, but can Molly ever truly change her ways?[4]

Plot[]

A girl is playing in the sandbox at the playground when two big kids come up to her and call her “Muffin Head” because she ties her hair in a bun right on top of her head. After some more insults, the older boy stomps on the girl's sand castle, and the bullies walk off. Another boy runs to the girl and asks if she is okay, but she yells at him to get lost. She unties her hair, climbs up the jungle gym, and begins to cry. The girl turns out to be Molly when she was younger.

The Last Tough Customer

Binky tries to take Fern's pudding in the cafeteria at school, but Mrs. MacGrady tells Binky to get his own pudding, since they are free. Later, in the school hallway, Rattles calls Arthur “Four-Eyes” and asks if he is going to class, but Buster says that "Four-Eyes" was old in first grade. Then Rattles tries to come up with a new insult, “Big Glasses Molasses Kid”, but Arthur says that insult does not even make sense, and adds, “Come back when you have some new material” and walks away with Buster. The Tough Customers look surprised and confused. At recess, Slink threatens to throw a water balloon at George, but George uses reverse psychology and tricks Slink into hitting himself with the water balloon.

At the Ice Cream Shop, the Tough Customers eat frozen treats while Binky has called an "emergency meeting". Binky tells them that ever since their school became “bully-proofed”, kids are no longer afraid of them; it seems like they do not even exist. So Binky proposes that they change, and adds, "From now on, no more bullying!" This shocks the others, especially Molly, who states how they called themselves the Tough Customers for a reason: because they are tough. Slink also adds in that they are also customers. Binky tells Molly that bullying is not working anymore; as an example, Binky threatens to twist Brain into a pretzel if he does not get a free scoop of ice cream, but Brain just laughs, saying that that is physically impossible. Realizing that Binky is right about the fact that bullying is not working anymore, Rattles suggests that they need to re-brand and make a new image for themselves. Then Slink asks what their new image should be, and Binky comes up with an idea.

They start exercising at the park, and call themselves the “Buff Customers.” After George laughs at Rattles for being unable to break a stick, Molly tells him he looks like a coat rack and that he can not read, and a hurt George runs off in tears. Binky tells Molly that she was a little harsh to George, but she just says that she calls it like she sees it, also stating that she told them the "Buff Customers" was a bad idea. Rattles agrees, stating that they are not cut out to be body builders and that he thinks he pulled his latissimus.

Realizing that they need professional help, they go to see Muffy, who requires that she receive 75% of any profits that the new, re-branded Tough Customers will make. After failing to find the right outfits at Care to Ware, Muffy has Bailey custom tailor them at home. They have a photo-shoot in the Crosswire Mansion's library, and use the picture on a poster.

Outside the Ice Cream Shop, "MCTC" ("Muffy Crosswire's Tough Customers") perform a song, except for Molly. Afterwards, Molly throws her costume on the ground and tells Muffy that she wants the old club back. Pushing Muffy out of her way, Molly walks off with James as Slink thinks of a new idea.

At the library, the "Shush Customers" demonstrate for Ms. Turner what they plan to do: shush anyone who makes too much noise in the library. However, they go overboard and shush anyone who even turns a page too loudly. They even do this in the story area, where Arthur says that talking is allowed. Molly tells Binky, Rattles, and Slink that their idea is even worse than Muffy's. Binky says to Molly that at least they are trying to change and asks her why she is stuck on bullying. Molly tells Binky the reason: because she wants respect. Molly then leaves with James, calling everyone “losers” on her way out, making them sad.

At the playground, James tells Molly that he wants a drink of water. He goes to the water fountain and pushes Amanda out of the way, calling her a loser. Shocked at James’ behavior, Molly asks James why he did that. James says he is just doing what he sees her do, leaving Molly even more shocked as James picked up her bullying habits. Molly tries to apologize to Amanda, but she angrily looks back, climbs the jungle gym, and begins to cry, just like Molly had done when she was younger. Molly tells James that it's wrong to behave that way and doesn't want him to become a bully himself. Molly tells him to apologize to Amanda, and he agrees and asked if she's going to apologize to all of the kids she had bullied, which she says "Yes".

Molly writes apology letters to George, Muffy, and Binky explaining that the reason she became a bully was because it happened to her but it's no excuse she had been mean and has hurt everyone and is really really sorry so she decides to try and be better and she now wants to not just be respected, but liked as well.

The Tough Customers reunite outside a Chickin Lickin'. Calling themselves the "Tough Consumers", they inform a customer about how unhealthy and overpriced the food is, and how they underpay their employees, finishing the episode.

Characters[]

Major[]

Minor[]

Cameo[]

Song[]

Trivia[]

  • In the Four Open Hearts song, they sing, "...a preteen's dream!" Though a preteen can be anyone below the age 13, it especially refers to one between the ages of 9 and 12.
  • Moral: Bullying is wrong.
  • 4th Wall break: The car license plate outside the ice-cream shop reads 9STORY, referring to the Arthur production company for seasons 16-19.
  • It is revealed that Molly ultimately became a bully because she herself was bullied when she was little.
  • Big Kid 2 is voiced by Michael Yarmush, who was the original voice actor for Arthur from "Arthur's Eyes" to "Muffy Gets Mature", and the voice of Slink since "The Law of the Jungle Gym".
  • This is Mrs. MacGrady's first 9 Story Media Group appearance.
  • George shares his voice actress with the girl who bullies young Molly, so each voice actress bullies the other in this episode.

Episode connections[]

  • The events of "Arthur's Eyes" are mentioned in this episode.
  • The bullies tease Molly about her hair. This is also what the Tibbles do to D.W. in "D.W., Queen of the Comeback."
  • In "The Play's the Thing," George also thwarts the Tough Customers when they throw water balloons off the jungle gym. He has an umbrella ready and just acts bored.
  • Muffy dresses the Tough Customers in Sgt. Pepper outfits. She did the same to the Backstreet Boys when she imagined being their manager in "Arthur - It's Only Rock 'n' Roll".
  • The Tough Customers meet somewhere other than the Tower of Pain to hold a meeting for change, like they did in "The Law of the Jungle Gym."
  • Like at the end of "Arthur's Big Hit," Binky decides to rebuild the club with a new goal. Instead of merely not hitting anyone like last time, Binky plans to stop their bullying altogether.
  • Molly's character arc is similar to Killer's character arc in "It Came From Beyond." Both Molly and Killer had rough backgrounds which led them to be bullies to other individuals/pets. Killer received a second chance in her episode and had to work very hard to earn a better reputation, much like Molly acknowledges at the end of this episode with her own arc.

Cultural references[]

Errors[]

  • Maryann can be seen in Molly's flashback, though she should be a baby or not yet born.
  • Muffy's gasping sound clip is used when Molly gasps as her sand castle is being destroyed.
  • Buster tells Rattles that the Four-Eyes insult has been old since First Grade, but Arthur did not get glasses until 2nd grade.
  • When Molly was building her sandcastle in the very first screen time, it is no where to be seen (she is seen just scooping sand into her pail before the castle suddenly appears.
  • When Arthur said that talking was allowed in the story area, he was wrong.

Production notes[]

  • The song in this episode was recorded on January 25, 2012.[5]
  • A special preview broadcast of this episode and "So Funny I Forgot to Laugh" was aired for North America on May 3, 2013, on Ovee.[6]

Storyline analysis[]

Home Video[]

DVD:

Gallery[]

Main article: The Last Tough Customer/Gallery

References[]


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