History Recap / ArthurS8E9FleaToBeYouAndMeKissAndTell

* AnAesop: You should listen to the whole story before you judge the person telling it. If Amigo had squished Pepe before like he was going to before Kate stopped him, Amigo, Kate, and Pal would never have learned that he didn't truly mean any harm and he would have died before being reunited with his brother.

* AnAesop: You can't fully appreciate grown-up things like kissing until you're older, as D.W. learns when she does get kissed and realizes it wasn't as amazing as she thought it would be.

'''Airdate: December 25, 2003'''

* ChristmasEpisode: {{Averted}}. Despite the airdate, neither story has anything to do with Christmas.

Kate and Pal meet an [[UsefulNotes/{{Italy}} Italian]] circus flea named Pepe who has been separated from his brother and co-star Sale and tells them the story of his travels around the world.

* AnAesop: You should listen to the whole story before you judge the person telling it.

* BilingualBonus: The name of The Amazing Flea Circus' ringmaster, Dottore Pulce, is [[UsefulNotes/{{Italy}} Italian]] for "[[MeaningfulName Doctor Flea]]."
* CallBack: Pepe is transported to the Read house inside a bottle of rice vinegar sent to Mr. Read by [[Recap/ArthurS8E1DearAdilBitzisBreakUp Tatsuya Matsumoto]].

* FleaEpisode: Pal picks up Pepe, an Italian flea who tells him the story of how he ended up on his fur. After hearing his story, Pal helps reunite him with his brother and circus partner, Sale.

** Pepe peppers his speech with [[UsefulNotes/{{Italy}} Italian]] words and phrases. A {{Justified}} case, since he actually hails from Italy.
** Tourists in Tanzania are also heard speaking Italian in Pepe's story. Presumably, they hail from Italy as well.

* MeaningfulName: The ringmaster of Pepe and Sale's flea circus is named Dottore Pulce, which is [[UsefulNotes/{{Italy}} Italian]] for "Doctor Flea."

* YouDirtyRat: {{Averted}} with Alessio, the non-anthropomorphic rat who saves Pepe from being stepped on and then goes out for dinner with him.

* AnAesop: You can't fully appreciate grown-up things like kissing until you're older.

* AscendedExtra: James has been a part of the ''Arthur'' franchise since [[Literature/{{Arthur}} the original book version of ''D.W. Flips'']], but this is the first time he is given a name and a plot-relevant role.
* TheBardOnBoard: TheTeaser is a recreation of the infamous balcony scene from ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' with D.W. playing Juliet and her ImaginaryFriend Nadine playing the Nurse. Mr. Ratburn has also assigned Arthur to read the actual ''Romeo and Juliet'' {{novelization}} for homework.

* CoyGirlishFlirtPose: D.W. holds her hands behind her back when she approaches James as "Nora."

* GirlsHaveCooties: {{Discussed}}. Timmy and Tommy overhear D.W. talking to Nadine about kissing a boy, and Tommy assumes she wants to do so to get rid of hers.

* IKissYourHand: Emily tells D.W. that on a trip to UsefulNotes/{{France}}, she was kissed on the hand by a boy named Pierre, which is what kickstarts the plot of the episode when D.W. gets jealous of her. D.W. tries to [[InvokedTrope Invoke]] this with James as "Nora" but fails.

* MorphicResonance: When D.W. transforms into a frog after kissing James in her ImagineSpot, her frog form retains her BoyishShortHair.
* NoHuggingNoKissing: One of the few {{Aversion}}s in the series, with Emily having been kissed [[IKissYourHand on the hand]] by a boy offscreen, and James later kissing D.W. on the cheek ''on''screen. Mr. and Mrs. Read are also shown kissing at one point, as are a man and woman on TV [[RescueRomance when the man rescues her from being hit by a train]].

* PoorCommunicationKills: D.W. could have avoided all of these shenanigans if she had just ''asked'' James for a kiss in the first place.
* PostKissCatatonia: D.W. is left stunned for a few seconds after James kisses her.

* PromotedToLoveInterest: James to D.W.'s in this episode. In the [[Literature/{{Arthur}} books]], he was just another random kid in her class, and the same went for the cartoon until this episode.

* YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe: In TheTeaser, D.W. directly borrows the line "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?"[[labelnote:Modern English translation]]"Why are you Romeo?"[[/labelnote]] from ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'', but uses it in the wrong context; she's asking where her PrinceCharming is, while in the play, Juliet uses the line when she finds out that Romeo, the boy she fell for, is her family's archenemy's son.

->''"D.W., I haven't even told you the best part yet. On my last night in France, Pierre kissed me. ('''D.W.:''' [[AffectionHatingKid Ew! That's disgust...]] Oh, I get it! You dared him!) No, no, no - we were at the Luxembourg Gardens watching a marionette show. Just when the baker was about to hit the thief with a rolling pin, Pierre grabbed my hand, and then it just happened. (sighs) It was the most magical moment in my whole life. ('''D.W.:''' The most magical moment in your whole life?! Come on! It was more magical than ''Elves on Ice''?) Oh, yes! It was even more magical than ''Unicorns on Ice''. I'm telling you, D.W., for that moment, I was a princess in a fairytale."''

* IKissYourHand: Emily tells D.W. that on a trip to France, she was kissed on the hand by a boy named Pierre, which is what kickstarts the plot of the episode when D.W. gets jealous of her. D.W. tries to [[InvokedTrope Invoke]] this with James as "Nora" but fails.

* TheFourLoves: Both stories focus on a certain kind: the first one is about a circus flea searching for his lost brother (''Storge''), while the second one is about [[PuppyLove D.W. wanting to be kissed by a boy]] (''Eros'').

[[caption-width-right:350:[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxGTdpgGvCw Gonna make you, make you, make you notice]][[labelnote:Fun fact]] D.W.'s cover of this song was released two years ''before'' this episode aired.[[/labelnote]]]]

* PrinceCharming: One appears in the ColdOpen, climbing D.W.'s tower thinking it belongs to Literature/{{Rapunzel}}.

** The ColdOpen is a reference to both ''Literature/{{Rapunzel}}'' and ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'', with a PrinceCharming climbing D.W. (playing Juliet) and Nadine's (playing the Nurse) tower thinking it belongs to Rapunzel, and D.W.'s line "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?"[[labelnote:Translation]]"Why are you Romeo?"[[/labelnote]], is taken directly from ''Romeo and Juliet'', although [[YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe it is used in the wrong context here]]. Mr. Ratburn has also assigned Arthur to read the actual ''Romeo and Juliet'' book for homework.

* UncertainDoom: When the PrinceCharming in the ColdOpen attempts to climb down from D.W.'s tower, the vine he's climbing on snaps and he falls all the way to the ground. Obviously, we never see his corpse, but it certainly doesn't look good for him, especially since his scream cuts off the moment the thud of him hitting the ground is heard.
* YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe: In the ColdOpen, D.W. directly borrows the line "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?"[[labelnote:Modern English translation]]"Why are you Romeo?"[[/labelnote]] from ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'', but uses it in the wrong context; she's asking where her PrinceCharming is, while in the play, Juliet uses the line when she finds out that Romeo, the boy she fell for, is her family's archenemy's son.

** Pepe peppers his speech with Italian words and phrases. A {{Justified}} case, since he actually hails from Italy.

* PaperThinDisguise: {{Subverted}} with D.W.'s disguise as "Nora." It consists of only a Victorian mask and an orange scarf and does nothing to hide her [[IconicOutfit iconic pink jumper]] and BoyishShortHair, but James ''does'' see through it, and assumes D.W. just dressed up for show and tell.

* PoorCommunicationKills: D.W. could have [[CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot avoided all of these shenanigans]] if she had just ''asked'' James for a kiss in the first place.

* PlayingHouse: In "[[Recap/ArthurS8E9FleaToBeYouAndMeKissAndTell Kiss and Tell]]", she tries to get [[ImpliedLoveInterest James]] to kiss her by playing a mother carrying "groceries" (cookies and milk from her preschool) and a "baby" (her Princess Sneeze-and-Wet doll), inspired by seeing her father kiss her mother when she came home from the grocery store with Kate.

* GreenEyedMonster: D.W.'s initial motive for wanting to find her own prince is to upstage Emily, who bragged to her about being kissed by a boy while on a trip to France.

* IKissYourHand: At the end of the episode, Emily tells D.W. that Pierre's kiss was on her hand. Before that, D.W. tries to [[InvokedTrope Invoke]] this with James as "Nora" but fails.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxGTdpgGvCw 🎶Gonna make you, make you, make you notice🎶]][[labelnote:Fun fact]] D.W.'s cover of this song was released two years ''before'' this episode aired.[[/labelnote]]]]

* NoHuggingNoKissing: The [[Recap/ArthurS2E3DWThePickyEaterBusterAndTheDaredevils thi]][[Recap/ArthurS5E10ArthursFamilyFeudMuffyGetsMature rd]] {{Aversion}} in the series, with Emily having been kissed [[IKissYourHand on the hand]] by a boy offscreen, and James later kissing D.W. on the cheek ''on''screen. Mr. and Mrs. Read are shown kissing at one point as well, as are a man and woman on TV [[RescueRomance when the man rescues her from being hit by a train]].

* ShipTease: The episode seems to tease the possibility of D.W. and James being in PuppyLove, with D.W. choosing him as the "prince" who will kiss her so she can become a fairytale princess, and James actually giving her a kiss on the cheek simply because she asked for one.

* TwinBanter: Between Timmy and Tommy as usual, this time over whether D.W. wants to be kissed by a boy is because of a dare or to get rid of her [[GirlsHaveCooties cooties]].

* CentralTheme: Both stories focus on a [[TheFourLoves certain kind of love]]: the first one is about a circus flea searching for his lost brother (''Storge''), while the second one is about [[PuppyLove D.W. wanting to be kissed by a boy]] (''Eros'').

[[caption-width-right:350:[[MemeticMutation Notice me, James!]]]]

* ADayInTheLimelight: James has been a part of the ''Arthur'' franchise since [[Literature/{{Arthur}} the original book version of ''D.W. Flips'']], but this is the first time he is given a name and a plot-relevant role.

* BewitchedAmphibians: At naptime in preschool, Emily tells D.W. that she has to be kissed by a boy instead of the other way around, and she has an ImagineSpot where she kisses James on the cheek, which turns him into a frog. Ms. Morgan then picks up Frog James and places him in a terrarium filled with ''D.W.'s classmates who were also turned into frogs after kissing or being kissed by the boys, after which D.W. herself transforms into a frog and is placed into the terrarium too!'' Thank goodness this wasn't real.

* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: As it turns out, all D.W. had to do to get a kiss from James was ''ask'' him for one. All of her HintDropping was unnecessary.

** When Ms. Morgan asks her students for their votes on what song is going to be played at naptime, Emily votes for ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alouette_(song) Alouette]]'', a popular JustForFun/RealLife French nursery rhyme.