Maria Speaks

Summary
In this episode, Mr. Ratburn's class hosts a school news TV broadcast, forcing silent Maria to be the lead anchor.

Plot
Arthur talks about how quiet Maria is. She is impossible to find at hide and seek, writes answers in class down instead of saying them, and goes trick-or-treating as a mime. Arthur realizes that he has never heard her speak. When he wants to talk to her, she hides.

Maria Speaks

Mr. Ratburn announces that it is his class’ turn to do the weekly school news show. He assigns the roles and makes Francine the director, Buster is in charge of the weather, Muffy of arts and culture, George of sports, and Maria is the lead reporter.

In the girls’ room, Maria tells her friend Jenna that she is afraid that everyone will now find out that she stutters. Jenna encourages her, saying that it might be the start of a career as a journalist. Maria likes that idea.

When the kids prepare the show, Maria appears dressed like a journalist and lets Jenna do the talking for her. Maria wants to do an interview, but cannot say with whom. Jenna pretends to arrange an interview with the president.

Maria and Jenna talk in Jenna’s room. Maria decides to interview someone who will do all the talking.

At the final rehearsal, Maria decides to interview Muffy. Muffy is happy to talk about herself, but she misinterprets Maria’s silence and ends up confessing that she is selfish, but does care about people. Francine is annoyed and tells that its a news show, and that Maria needs to find someone else to interview.

In the school corridor, Maria overhears Mr. Ratburn talking and decides to interview him.

That night, Maria dreams that she can only make animal noises and the other kids wondering what is wrong with her. Francine and the kids laugh, because she has a stutter. She then wakes up from her dream.

Maria is nervous on the day of the show and stutters so bad that Francine cuts to Buster. Maria admits that she stutters and runs into the woodshop room, where she talks freely to the school hamster. Mr. Ratburn follows her and offers to help her practice for the next school news show.

Over the next weeks, Maria practices with her speech therapist, with Jenna and in front of a mirror.

When Mr. Ratburn’s class is doing the news show again, Maria does a report on stuttering and interviews Mr. Ratburn, who used to stutter himself. Maria draws out some initial letters, but avoids actual stuttering. After the show, the others congratulate her and she is eager for the next show.

Major

 * Maria Pappas
 * Jenna Morgan
 * Arthur Read
 * Muffy Crosswire
 * Buster Baxter
 * Nigel Ratburn
 * Francine Frensky
 * George Lundgren
 * Wally
 * An adult rabbit woman
 * Mrs. Morgan
 * Ms. Roberts

Cameo

 * Big Kid 1
 * Otis
 * Cheikh
 * The Brain
 * Binky Barnes
 * Timmy and Tommy Tibble
 * Fletcher
 * Jane Read
 * David Read
 * A camel
 * Ladonna Compson
 * Fern Walters
 * Francis Haney
 * Goldy
 * Nancy
 * Jack Weasel
 * Alberto Molina
 * Molly MacDonald
 * Slink
 * Mrs. Fink
 * A gerbil

Mentioned or pictured

 * A referee
 * The president
 * Michelle Kwan
 * The Plutonians
 * Hoprah Linseed
 * Thoreau

Trivia

 * Maria's first speaking role.
 * Muffy claims to be heir to the Crosswire Motors dynasty.
 * Timeline:
 * Muffy likes opera. She first tries it in "Lights, Camera... Opera!"
 * George reports on sports. He becomes a sports commentator in "Baseball Blues."
 * Francine mentions Hoping with Hoprah from "Three's a Crowd."
 * Jenna has her Athlete of the Year award from "The Good Sport" and "Jenna's Bedtime Blues."

Cultural references

 * The title of the episode is a reference to the PBS Kids show .
 * Mr. Ratburn is in a play based on Don Quixote at the community center.
 * Maria mentions that Lewis Carroll, Winston Churchill, and Marilyn Monroe were all stutterers.
 * Mr. Ratburn was in the play H.M.S. Pinafore, as the role of Captain Corcoran, in 7th grade.

Episode connections

 * Buster wears a tin foil hat similar to his foil ears from "Phony Fern."
 * Like in this episode, Maria has a supporting role in "Binky Can't Always Get What He Wants."

Animation errors

 * When Maria is seen from behind at the news desk, her shoes are pink. These shoes are gray in all other scenes.
 * Alberto is seen at Lakewood, even though he is a teenager.