D.W.'s Deer Friend

Summary
On a camping trip, D.W. befriends a wild deer and decides to try to take him home with her.

Plot
When Jane calls for another weekend trip, Arthur knows the destination is going to be Ponyland because it is D.W.'s turn to choose. D.W. is still thinking.

D.W.'s Deer Friend

Finally, D.W. chooses camping, much to Arthur's surprise. Jane and David are so happy because it proves that their limiting her T.V. time to educational channels has helped her learn to think for herself and not just repeat what the T.V. says, until they hear D.W. and the T.V. say "It's time to experience the wonders of nature in the great outdoors". But Mom admits that it's still a good idea.

Jane and David pack the bags in the car. Arthur is disappointed because he's going to be trapped in the tent all weekend with D.W, to which David tells him he's implying D.W. is difficult. She presses a car horn many times to make everyone ready to go. Upon arriving at the campsite, D.W. is so excited that she can't stop playing wild animal explorer. While Arthur and David are fishing, they catch a fish, but D.W. is upset that the fish is dead and they give an impromptu funeral for the fish D.W. dubs "Bucky".

Early the next morning, D.W. notices a deer. She runs out and says, "Hi!" but the deer runs away. Jane tells D.W. that deer are easily frightened and she needs to keep very still or she'll scare them. D.W. waits very long for the deer to come back, imagining a deer named Walter bringing her to the deer herd. They even leap over a log, flying in the sky and looking at the sunset.

D.W. wakes up, finds the deer, and goes to bring it a box of cereal. David wonders where she is taking the cereal. She replies that she will bring it to Walter the deer so he can come close to her. David says it's not safe and it's not allowed, but that she can look at the deer. D.W. would rather watch T.V. at home if all she can do is look at the deer. David says this is the deer's home. Then, D.W. imagines herself bringing a deer home and doing some fun activities with it.

D.W. tells her parents that they'll bring Walter home with them. When her parents say they couldn't bring a wild deer home, D.W. is sad. Jane explains that Walter wouldn't be happy with them because he would miss his family. She soon asks how would D.W. feel if she was taken away from her family beside just Arthur. She soon imagines Walter in her room crying, saying how much he misses his family. D.W. asked why he never told her, until Walter pointed out that she never asked him and she just took him away from his family and she feels guilty about it. This makes D.W. realize Jane is right and chooses that it's just better if she looks at the deer and visits him. She goes to take one last look at the deer before the Read family leave the campsite.

After the Read family have left, Walter tells his father that a girl had watched him all weekend behind the bushes. He wishes that he could've brought her to live with them, but his father says she'll never fit in this family, as those animals "never last long" and live in cars. He agrees with his father.

Major

 * D.W. Read
 * Walter
 * Arthur Read
 * David Read
 * Jane Read

Minor

 * Bucky

Fantasy

 * Edwin
 * Kyle
 * Amanda Hulser
 * Lucy
 * Maryann
 * Emily
 * Lisa
 * Sarah
 * Liam
 * Timmy and Tommy Tibble
 * Thora Read
 * Mary Moo Cow

Trivia

 * Walter's sister, Mary Alice, might be named after Muffy's real name.
 * This episode and the next episode premiered on the same day Teletubbies premiered in the US.
 * At the end of the 2000 rerun intro on PBS Kids before this episode, Arthur’s crashing sound changes to a big splash of water.
 * It's possible (though not certain) that the family visited Whale Lake.
 * Walter's voice actor is Michael Caloz, who was also the voice actor of D.W. Read.
 * Timeline: Arthur thinks D.W. wants to visit Ponyland, like in "D.W. Goes to Washington". Additionally, in that episode, David promises D.W. that she can choose the next weekend trip.
 * Irony: As D.W. is leaving the camping grounds, her new deer friend bemoans to his father about how he wanted to keep her as a pet. His father says something similar to what Jane does, that a human wouldn't be happy in these woods.
 * Cartoon physics: Walter and his father are talking.
 * 4th Wall Break: Walter's sister, Sheilarae, is named after Arthur writer Sheilarae Carpentier Lau.
 * Moral:
 * Animals deserve to live free in their environment. If they're perfectly happy where they belong, there's no sense for you to ruin it for them.
 * Don't force people to do what you want such as reading books.

Errors

 * At one point when Arthur is fishing with his father, his hat is briefly shown as being yellow instead of orange.
 * When Jane responded "Everybody", her mouth didn't move while the scene changes to flashback.
 * Possible: D.W. is unable to read, but her mother says "I should buy her more books".

Episode connections

 * Walter returns in "Francine Redecorates" and "D.W.'s Name Game".

Cultural references

 * Walter having brothers named Petey and Paul might be a reference to the musical group.
 * During D.W.'s imagine spot of hanging out with Walter, she confronts another dear whose nose flashes red, like Rudolph from the 1964 Rankin/Bass TV special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Home Video
DVD: VHS:
 * Arthur's Best Friends
 * Arthur: The Complete Series 3
 * Arthur's Best Friends