Lost
"Lost?" That's the first line of the episode. Jane then reveals to David that she got a call from Arthur's swimming teacher; he's not at the pool and never showed up to his lesson! A few hours later, Arthur arrives home, and his parents ask what happened. He recounts how one little bus trip went awry thanks to a nap at the worst time.
Tropes for this episode include:
- "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: David does ask why Arthur didn't just tell the bus driver what happened after he woke up before the last stop on the route. Arthur says he was worried the driver would get mad at him for messing up. He finds out from the waitress that Sam is a Nice Guy, who lets Arthur ride the bus without a fare and goes the extra mile to call his parents and the bus company, knowing his "folks" must be worried.
- Framing Device: Most of the episode is told in flashback after Arthur manages to get back home. Most likely this is because telling the story chronologically and having Arthur remain lost for most of the episode would have been a little too unnerving.
- Gut Punch: In the present, Jane starts tearing up when D.W. recounts how Arthur's swimming instructor dialed them and said Arthur never showed up for his lessons. D.W. pauses her story to comfort her, reassuring her that Arthur is okay and in front of them. Jane says that she knows, while wiping her eyes, but it was still the "worst phone call" that she has ever received because she was terrified something had happened to her son.
- How We Got Here: The main episode starts with Arthur getting home. He then recounts to his family what happened.
- Idiot Ball: As D.W. puts it, "You fell asleep on the bus?" Arthur tries to justify he was doing important reading, but he was up past his bedtime giggling over a comic.
- Missing Child: The whole premise, really, of Arthur getting lost during a random afternoon:
- Jane and David frantically talk when Jane finds out from Arthur's swimming teacher that he never made it to his lesson. They try not to consider the possibility that D.W. brings up, that their son ran away.
- D.W. has some little sister fear. She tries to take charge and go ask the neighbors for help, but Jane orders her to stay at the house; "I don't need two lost children!" Despite herself, D.W. is worried sick and crying out for her big brother. Later, she checks to make sure he's in bed, admitting she was worried he would get lost again. Arthur lets her tuck in, knowing that it's not like D.W. to be this worried.
- Mood Whiplash: D.W.'s story starts off as funny when she explains that she was still in her mashed potatoes costume from the school play when Jane told her to answer the home phone. (Jane needed to change Kate's diapers, so her hands were full.) Then after D.W. rudely addressed the caller, she listens for a few seconds and asks Jane, "Did we lose Arthur somewhere?" As Jane says Arthur should be at his swimming lessons, D.W. replies that Arthur's instructor called and said he wasn't there. Cue a Big "WHAT?!" from Jane and an Oh, Crap!.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: D.W. normally is purely angry when Arthur gets lost or in trouble. While there is some of that, she tearfully calls out for him in the Cold Open when Jane orders her to stay at the house and not leave to get help from their neighbors. Later, she comforts Jane when her mother tears up on the memory of finding out that Arthur was missing. At night, she checks on Arthur in bed to make sure that he didn't get lost again.
- Reasonable Authority Figure:
- Arthur's swimming instructor is this. Offscreen, he realized that Arthur never showed up and that something must be wrong. Then he called Jane to explain the circumstances.
- Sam the bus driver. When a kid runs to catch the bus and explains he got lost and doesn't have fare for another trip or the route home, it at first seems Sam doesn't want to listen. Then he says, "It happens all the time" and introduces himself to Arthur. He says that he'll help Arthur call his parents, who must be worried sick, and drops him off at the Read house.
- Stating the Simple Solution: The waitress at the diner surmises that Arthur is lost, given he asks to use a phone and had found out earlier that he had missed his stop at the swimming pool. When realizing he's hungry, she gets him some milk and burgers. She offers to lend him the bus fare, but Arthur says his dad told him to never take money from strangers. The waitress then advises him to talk to Sam. She reassures Arthur that his meal is on the house, and hurry or he'll miss the evening bus!
The Short, Quick SummerSummer seems to have gone by in a flash. On another bright day, Arthur reaches for his to-do list. He then realizes that he can't find it. As Arthur searches around the house and throughout town, he finds out what his friends have been doing all summer when not hanging out with him.
Tropes for this episode include:
- Accidental Hero: D.W. accidentally cheers Arthur up by asking him to read his list after he found it. On doing so, he realizes that he did do everything on it— have adventures (by reading books), pretending to go to space, and learn to fly— and he thanks her. She lampshades she was trying to rub it in that he wasted his summer and was a failure as a pesky sister.
- Comically Missing the Point: Arthur searches in the trash can for the list. He knocks it over and rolls with the can by accident; fortunately, his dad catches him. David assumes, however, that Arthur was playing and tells him that it's dangerous. Arthur snarks, "Who's playing? I'm not having any fun at all."
- Cool, but Stupid: Some of the kid's summer plans amount to this:
- Francine and Prunella want to dig a hole all the way to the Earth's core. They say they've been doing a little work every day and seem to be close. Brain points out to Arthur that it's a scientifically impossible task with only two shovels and they are nowhere near the depth required.
- Binky attempted to build a sled that would work in the mud. He found it a cool idea. The kids watched to humor him but it ended up not working.
- Epic Fail: Not that Binky sees it as one; he tried inventing a "mud sled" to play around in the rain. He splattered himself in mud instead. Arthur points out that the sled didn't work, but Binky said that he had fun doing it, along with taking apart his bike.
- Hero of Another Story: Buster recalls how he and Arthur staged a protest when Mr. Crosswire tried to remove a beloved carousel in favor of building grease pits for his motor business. Arthur corrects him that Buster was the actual hero during that for spearheading the protest.
- Hidden Depths:
- Arthur spent his summer reading literary classic adventure stories like The Three Musketeers, Treasure Island and Gulliver's Travels. He must like the heroes and villains.
- Mr. Ratburn keeps a summer job at the local magic shop. He encourages Sue Ellen to learn card tricks, rather than stick with a basic kit.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: Subverted. Arthur finds his list on the last day of summer and laments that he must have wasted the little time he had. Then D.W. asks him to read the list. Arthur does and realizes that he accomplished everything on it, so his summer wasn't a waste at all.
- This Is Reality: Prunella and Francine want to dig a hole in the Earth's core. When Arthur tells Brain, the latter says that even if two ordinary shovels could dig that far, the blades would melt from the heat, rendering the task useless.
