D.W. Aims High

"Who knows? Maybe you kids will see someone walk on Mars" - David Read  D.W. Aims High is the first half of the 5th episode of Season 10;. It first aired on May 19th, 2006 along with Flaw and Order.

Summary
D.W. wants to be the first person to land on Mars but she needs a bit of knowledge about it first.

Plot
The introduction starts off at the Elwood City Science Museum. Arthur and D.W. are standing next to an Einstein exhibit. Arthur says that Einstein was once just a kid who asked lots of questions. D.W. interrupts, wanting to ask a question herself but Arthur ignores her. He goes on talking about Einsteins childhood until D.W. interrupts again. Her question turns out to be: When's the show going to start?

D.W. Aims High

The episode begins at Elwood City Preschool. The class is lining up and D.W. pushes her way to the front. Miss Morgan asks her go to the back since she usually always is the line leader. Later the class is given an assignment: think about what you want to be when you grow up. Emily wants to be a ballerina, the Tibbles want to be cowboy policemen, but D.W. says she just wants to be first.

At the Read's house later that day, Arthur and D.W. argue over TV time, but their Dad is already at the TV, watching a space exploration program. The two think the show is boring at first, but get interested when it shows Neil Armstrong taking his first steps on the moon. Mr. Read talks about watching this moon landing as a kid. "Maybe when you're older," he says, "you two will be able to see the first person on Mars." D.W. immediately decides she wants to be that first astronaut. Arthur laughs, but dad says she can if she wants to.

Eager to get practicing, D.W. makes a pretend spaceship out of pillow cushions. Nadine and her go on an imaginary trip to Mars, where they jump around in the low gravity. Suddenly, massive footsteps shake the planet. A huge version of Pal rips off the spaceship hatch. The regular Pal also rips off the top cushion of the pillow spaceship, and D.W. knocks the whole thing over in anger.

The next scene is at the Tibbles's house. Tommy and Timmy are practicing to be cowboy policemen by lassoing a toy bear. D.W. walks up to them and asks for a box to make a better spaceship. She tells them of her plan to be the first one on Mars and the Tibbles gasp. They tell a story of Mars where giant lizards run around attacking each other. They continue, saying that Mars is red from all the Martian blood. D.W. gets scared and says she doesn't want a box any more.

Mr. Read decides to go star gazing that night. D.W. is still scared but decides to go. When she spots Mars through the telescope, she screams because it really does look red. D.W. tells Arthur about the story she heard of Mars. He explains that the Tibbles were just describing a made up movie. At D.W.'s bedtime, her dad shows her another fictional Mars story: War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells. He explains that she isn't the first to be afraid of Mars and martians. Mr. Read then tells D.W. that they can learn more about the real Mars with a trip to the Science Museum.

They go to the Museum the next day. It has a lot of info on Mars, including several light displays and even a remote control rover. D.W. leaves with a Mars model set and decides she wants to be an astronaut again.

D.W. is the first to present her future job in front of her classmates. The Tibbles interrupt her with their same story, scaring more students. D.W. blows a whistle to get the class's attention back. She shows them her new model and talks more about the real Mars. She ends by saying how no one really knows if there is life on Mars. She plans to be the first to find out. Miss Morgan is impressed and even the Tibbles consider becoming astronauts.

Goofs

 * When D.W. says she needs a co-pilot, and Nadine appears, and Nadine closes the door to the fort, even though she is imagined by D.W., which would be impossible unless D.W. has mind powers.

Home Video
DVD:
 * Arthur: Season 10