Brain Sees Stars

Summary
Brain plans to see a meteor shower for the first time.

Plot
Arthur, Buster, and Brain take off in a rocket. Brain starts explaining that he likes astrophysics because it is predictable. He aims his rocket for where Mars will be in eight months, and Buster asks what they are supposed to be doing until then; Brain gets a chessboard.

When the eight months have passed and the rocket is heading to Mars, Buster accuses Arthur of having cheated at chess and accidentally kicks a lever, causing the rocket to fly off-course. Brain says that science is predictable, but people are not.

Brain Sees Stars

Brain wakes up and hears about a meteor shower happening later that day, which he is determined to watch. His mother asks him for help with an ice cream order, and Brain says that he asked Arthur to substitute for him, in preparation for the meteor shower.

At school, Brain recounts missing previous meteor showers; he missed the Perseids when his grandma visited, the Draconids when he had to clean up the ice cream show, and the Quadrantids when he had to change Mr. Crosswire's tire.

Buster thinks that Brain is cursed, and Brain replies that he has made sure that nothing can go wrong this time. Arthur enters, sick with a fever and unable to work in the shop. Brain hesitantly hires Buster to work in the store instead.

Leaving class, Brain is stopped by Mr. Ratburn, who wants him to read the paper he wrote at an open house tonight. Brain quickly gets Fern to do it instead, who argues that she needs time to write a paper. Brain offers to be Fern's editor and read her paper when she is finished.

Buster and Brain think that Brain will get to see the meteor shower now, but Francine says that it is Brain's turn to clean the soccer equipment after practice. When practice is over, Brain and Francine go to see Mr. Ratburn; Mr. Ratburn likes Fern's work, and when Brain compliments it, she interprets it as that she will have to start over again.

Brain reads his paper and runs to the ice cream shop. Buster has gotten sick, and Brain's mother orders him to leave, telling Brain that she can handle running the shop by herself. Brain goes to cross the street, but is stalled by an old lady who needs help crossing and then tips him in coins.

Brain arrives right before the meteor shower, only to see a bright light; it turns out to be Mr. Crosswire's drive-in movie theater. Arthur and Buster tell Brain about the theater, and Brain finally gives up on seeing the meteor shower.

Arthur feels bad for Brain and asks Mr. Crosswire to turn off the projector; he does, and everyone instead watches the meteor shower. Arthur tells Brain that there is another thing he can count on besides the meteor shower: his friends.

Major

 * Brain
 * Arthur Read
 * Buster Baxter
 * Mrs. Powers

Minor

 * Ed Crosswire
 * Nigel Ratburn
 * Fern Walters
 * Francine Frensky
 * Francis Haney

Cameo

 * Molly MacDonald
 * Rattles
 * Slink
 * Binky Barnes
 * Muffy Crosswire
 * Ladonna Compson
 * Bud Compson
 * Cisely Compson
 * Cheikh
 * Maria Pappas
 * Steve
 * Dry cleaners worker

Trivia

 * This episode is dedicated to the memory of Walter Massey, the voice of Mr. Haney.
 * This is also Mr. Haney's final speaking appearance.
 * The meteor shower was named after astronomer Carl Sagan, host of the 1980s PBS series Cosmos.