Arthur Makes a Movie
Arthur wants to see a James Hound movie, but he's too little. He and his friends decide they can make a James Hound movie using Muffy's new camera. Hilarity Ensues, as a result.
Tropes for this episode include:
- Actually Pretty Funny: Some of the stunts that go wrong prompt this response from the kids. Prunella finds them sidesplitting in the Hilarious Outtakes.
- Amateur Film-Making Plot: In this episode, Arthur and his friends are too young to see the latest James Hound film, so they decide to make their own using Muffy's new camcorder. They make a model supersonic jet for their villain (which gets eaten by Arthur's dog, Pal), they use D.W.'s inflatable shark, Sharky, as part of a Bond villain-esque peril scene (Arthur defeats it by deflating it), and Brain accidentally hacks into the library's electrical power and turns it off while simulating trying to hack a nuclear missile. Prunella (who has seen the real film despite being only a year older) thinks the result is better than the actual film.
- Bowdlerise: On the 2002 VHS and 2005 DVD releases of this episode, the shot in the Brain's Imagine Spot with a missile stopping in mid-air before destroying The White House is
removed
. When the Brain (as "I.Q.") pushes the console's "1" button, the video freeze-frames and either Arthur or the Brain says "We did it!" (clearly recorded by a different voice actor). Then it goes to "I.Q."'s Tickertape Parade scene. - Damsel in Distress: Francine pushes for a scene in which James Hound saves a beautiful woman from the bad guy.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: Seeing Francine, of all people, favor filming the movie's romantic scene, when in any other episode she could never be bothered with anything of the like.
- Epic Fail:
- While filming a scene in which James Hound's assistant IQ stops a missile, the Brain accidentally hacks into the library's computer system and shuts the power off.
- After filming the pool scene, Muffy admits she doesn't actually know if she recorded anything. She presses the buttons until she hits eject, sending the tape into the pool.
- Eyepatch of Power: Buster wears one while playing the film's villain.
- Expy: James Hound is clearly one for James Bond.
- Hilarious Outtakes: The movie ends with these:
- Arthur and Buster are laughing after the baby powder stunt goes wrong.
- Buster snarks at Brain that it's "too dark to tell" if he's gotten the library lights working.
- The kids chase after Pal to get their paper spaceship back.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: While filming the pool scene, D.W. serves as clapper loader and says "Arthur. I mean, James Hound saves the pretty lady, Take 1."
- Movie-Making Mess: A more realistic example: Arthur and his friends try to shoot a James Hound movie. It turns out Muffy doesn't know how to work the camera, Pal steals one of their special effects, they turn the lights off at the library, and Arthur's baby-powder stunt makes him crash his bike.
- Never Work with Children or Animals: In-universe, this is shown.
- Pal photobombs the flying scene to steal the paper rocket ship that Brain made, since Arthur forgot Pal was outside. The Hilarious Outtakes show the kids chasing after the dog for the ship.
- Subverted with D.W., who makes a good gaffer and lends Sharky for a stunt.
- No Plans, No Prototype, No Backup: Subverted; Brain says he can make another paper spaceship easily.
- The Unreveal: We ultimately don't see how the movie went, apart from a few shots; we only see the Hilarious Outtakes. D.W. says they did get footage of Sharky in the pool.
- Who Writes This Crap?!: Arthur has this reaction after filming a romantic scene with Francine. However, his friends assure him it was the only thing like a James Hound film.
- You Just Ruined the Shot: Pal does this when Brain makes a paper spaceship for a flying scene. He jumps into frame, steals the ship, and starts playing with it. Everyone stares in disbelief and disappointment.
Go To Your Room, D.W.!
D.W. is playing when Kate accidentally pulls off her doll Tiffany's head. Angry that her mother is "taking sides" after fixing the doll, D.W. threatens to pinch Kate for touching her toys. Jane overhears and sends D.W. for a time-out in her room for ten minutes. D.W. immediately goes Drama Queen and blaming Kate.
Tropes for this episode include:
- Abusive Parents: In D.W.'s imagination.
- Call-Back: D.W. immediately thinks of running away to Grandma Thora's house, the way she did in "D.W.'s Baby". This time around, however, her parents have enforced a rule that she can't cross the street by herself; it's implied her running away the first time led them to enforce this.
- Everybody Cries: DW does this to all the people at the taxi company in an Imagine Spot.
- Insistent Terminology: D.W. reminds her mother she's a "little girl" and not a big girl. Which, she's technically right on that count.
- Jerkass Realization: After a flashback where D.W. selfishly claims every toy Kate wants to play with, Kate innocently gives her big sister her rattle, the only toy she has on her. D.W. is taken aback to realize that compared to her sweet baby sister, she herself has been a selfish sister to her and asks forgiveness.D.W.: I'm the meanest sister in the whole world. Can you ever forgive me?
- Off with His Head!: Kate "killed Tiffany" in D.W.'s words by playing tug-of-war with her. Fortunately, Jane pops the head back on and reassures D.W. that Tiffany is as good as new.
- Rage Breaking Point: In the Cold Open, Jane is patient when telling D.W. to be nice to Kate since Kate is only a baby. Then she hears them fighting again, and D.W. threatens to pinch Kate. Jane gets mad and sends D.W. to her room for threatening her little sister.
- Self-Serving Memory: D.W. claims that her family made her clean up after them and left her behind to go to Aunt Lucy's wedding. Nadine reminds her that she did go to the wedding. D.W. retorts if Nadine is on her side or not.
- Sweet and Sour Grapes: Jane comes up when D.W.'s ten minutes are up and say she is free to play in the living room. D.W. decides to play with Kate in her room and nearly misses dinner while Kate is napping.
- Time Stands Still: When D.W. sees that the time on her clock hasn't changed, she thinks that time is standing still. When she comes downstairs, she sees Arthur sitting still on the couch, and finds out she was right. She then takes Pal, who is suspended in the air from trying to jump over his ball, and sets him down in the Tibbles' front yard. After she calls Tommy and Timmy, who are suspended on their bicycles "Booby-faced baloney heads", it is then revealed to be an Imagine Spot and D.W. got caught sneaking out of her room by David. When she gets back to her room, it is revealed that the whole ordeal only took two minutes.
