Helen and her classmates are telling stories, but Alice's one makes no sense at all: she was apparently eating pizza during a hockey game at the shelter just before closing time, and an envelope of money disappeared, and then she wanted to adopt Nelson as a kitten even though he was mean, and all because she got a B+ at math. She sits back down and starts to add to the story, but Mrs. Clusky stops her and points out that the classmates don't understand. She tells her to think it over (perhaps with Helen's help) and retell it the next day.
After school, Alice doesn't want to retell her story because it would be too embarrassing — it concerns Nelson's adoption, when the other stories involve things that are funnier or more exciting. Helen, Alice, T.D., and the Lorraine dogs go over to Alice's grandmother's house and ask her to tell the story, but when she does, they can't make heads or tails of it either.
Outside the grandma's house, Alice is discouraged, but Helen thinks all they need to do is find out what order the events happened in. She has Alice write every event on separate pieces of paper, put them in order, and read the story. She does, and the story ends up like this: Alice's grades in math had been bad, then her grandma offered to give her money that she could spend on anything if they improved. Alice had decided that what she wanted was a kitten. At this point, however, her friends think she spent too long listing the kittens.
Alice reluctantly decides that's true and goes back to her story: she saw Nelson, who was already an adult at the time, and he was looking a bit unkempt. Alice felt sorry for him even though he was mean because she thought he looked like he'd given up hope, but Kazuo didn't understand.
She studied hard and got a B+, then her grandma gave her the money, but she had to go to a hockey game before going to the shelter. Then, she won, so they went out for pizza, but the pizza was dripping, so she put it on her money envelope while she went to get a napkin. While she was away, a bulldog stole the pizza slice and the envelope, and when she came back, she heard Martha (who was also fully-grown at the time but couldn't speak yet) barking.
Martha had pointed in the direction the other dog had gone, so Alice ran off (bumping into the pizza man by mistake) with Martha running in front of her, and a pack of dogs tailing her. She ran into the shelter, just as Kazuo was closing up, and all the dogs licked the spilled pizza off her. Then, she adopted Nelson, and she tells the story to the class.
This episode provides examples of
- Aesop Amnesia: Martha, despite learning not to be anti-cat in "There Goes the Neighbourhood", complains that there are cats in Alice's story.
- Animal Jingoism: Martha complains about Alice's story concerning cats.
- Bratty Half-Pint: An animal version; Alice's story mentions a mean kitten (apparently Nelson).
- Continuity Nod:
- Helen references the time Mr. Blaine the school counsellor found the pizza man stuck in the doggie door, which happened in "Martha in Charge".
- T.D. again tells the story he first told in "Martha Gives Advice", concerning the time he wore a suit made of cotton candy.
- Cute Kitten: In the past, Alice fawns over some kittens at the shelter.
- Faux Horrific: Martha hates Nelson so much that she considers his adoption story a "horror story".
- Fingore: In the flashback, Nelson bites Alice's finger.
- Flashback: We see Alice adopting Nelson as she's telling her story.
- Food and Animal Attraction: Implied. Alice doesn't know why the dogs chased her, but it's implied to be because she was covered in pizza, since they lick it off her when she stops.
- Jerkass Woobie: In-Universe — Nelson was mean even back when he and Alice first met, but she felt sorry for him because he looked like he'd given up hope of being adopted.
- Long List: Alice's story includes a long, rambling list of all the kittens that were on offer in the shelter at the time of Nelson's adoption.
- Mondegreen Gag: T.D. mishears "tangent" as "tangerine".
- Nap-Inducing Speak: Martha almost falls asleep during Alice's story, then later it happens again, and Skits actually falls asleep.
- Needlework Is for Old People: Alice's grandmother is seen knitting.
- Non-Nude Bathing: Discussed when Alice, due to being bad at arranging events, accidentally claims she put on her shoes and then took a shower.
- Playing Sick: Discussed when Alice considers pretending she's sick so she won't have to tell her story the next day.
- Shared Family Quirks: Since both Alice and her grandmother sound nonsensical when they tell stories, T.D. wonders if it runs in the family.
- Slapstick: The dogs knock over Kazuo in the flashback.
- Speak in Unison: When Alice says that she didn't adopt a new kitten who was mean but was instead referring to Nelson, her classmates say, "Oh!".
- Writers Cannot Do Math: Among the dogs seen chasing Alice in the flashback are the puppy triplets, despite the flashback taking place a year ago before they were born (unless it's actually three similar-looking dogs).
