The Pageant Pickle

Summary
School is almost out and Arthur can hardly wait for those lazy summer days by Muffy's pool. Nothing could ruin such a happy time of year... except maybe-D.W.'s Spring Pageant!

Plot
Arthur begins a perfect day. Summer vacation is only a month away and Muffy is planning a pool party. Then his mother announces that D.W.'s spring pageant is coming up.

The Pageant Pickle

Arthur wants to skip the pageant, which is on the same day as the party. D.W. lists things that she does for him, like giving advice. Mrs. Read insists on Arthur attending the pageant, but Arthur believes it will be boring.

Arthur's friends do not believe that the pageant can be so bad, until he tells them about the fall pageant. The preschoolers performed a song called Autumn Leaves, which caused him to count the tiles on the ceiling twice.

The preschoolers rehearse a song called Springtime Flowers, which is fairly similar to Autumn Leaves. D.W. finds it boring as well and suggests spicing it up with a spider, but Emily is afraid of them. D.W. scares her by pretending to see a spider behind her.

At dinner, Mr. Read tells D.W. off for scaring Emily and tells her how boring his own preschool pageant was. He embarrasses himself when it turns out they were in fact doing Springtime Flowers. D.W. resolves to fix the pageant.

Arthur tries to eavesdrop on D.W. He tells her that he is worried that she might embarrass him. She in turn tells him that not everything is about him. Then she has an idea.

The next day, D.W. tells her family that she is going to say a poem with Emily. Arthur is sure that she is up to something.

Muffy tells Arthur that her party will start after the pageant and Francine says she will pick him up.

After performing Springtime Flowers at the pageant, Ms. Morgan announces D.W.'s poem, but D.W. decides to drop out. At first, Arthur is happy because he can leave early, but then he sees how sad D.W. looks. She tells him that no preschooler wanted to do the poem with her, so Arthur offers to do it.

Francine not only stays, but calls Binky and Buster to watch Arthur and D.W.'s performance. Arthur wants to chicken out, once he learns what he has to do. D.W. recites a poem about a chimp, and Arthur is supposed to play the chimp. He starts reluctantly, but eventually enjoys himself. He is a great hit with the preschoolers.

After the pageant, several preschoolers ask Arthur for his autograph. Arthur learns that D.W. had not actually asked anyone else to do the chimp, and realizes that he had been fooled.

On the way to the party, Arthur vows to get D.W. back, though Francine tells him that she is too smart. Arthur refuses to do the chimp again, but when his friends start doing it, he eventually joins them.

Major

 * Arthur Read
 * Muffy Crosswire
 * D.W. Read
 * Francine Frensky
 * Buster Baxter
 * Binky Barnes
 * David Read
 * Jane Read
 * Ms. Morgan
 * Bud Compson
 * James MacDonald
 * Amanda Hulser
 * Cheikh
 * Emily
 * Timmy and Tommy Tibble

Minor

 * Nadine Flumberghast

Cameo

 * Thora Read
 * Cisley Compson
 * Madison Compson
 * Mrs. Tibble
 * Emily's mother
 * Cheikh's father
 * Cheikh's mother
 * Molly MacDonald
 * Maria Pappas
 * Alex
 * Ladonna Compson
 * Fern Walters

Trivia

 * Timeline: It was near the end of the school year in the beginning of "The Short, Quick Summer."
 * Moral:
 * Dont overreact for your own benefits.
 * Dont trick people for your own benefits.
 * This Episode aired 2 days before the hosted by  &  & airing on  &  crowning her succesor  at the end of the two-hour nationally televised event in Atlantic City, New Jersey celebrating it's 95th anniversary. According to Miss America's website the pageant got around 7.9 million views.

Episode connections

 * D.W. also had a school play in "Lost!"

Error

 * Maria is shown at the fall pageant, though she does not have a preschool-age sibling.

Home Video
DVD:
 * Arthur: Brothers and Sisters