Lost!

Summary
Arthur falls asleep on a bus and wakes up in a strange — and scary — part of town.

Plot
One day, Jane receives a call, with someone telling her that Arthur is lost, prompting her to say "Lost?" D.W. and Pal both say "Lost?" one after another, with Pal's in words since he can't speak. D.W. and Jane tell David, and while Jane tells him Arthur never made it to his swimming lesson, D.W. gets emotional. Once D.W. calms down, they all wonder where he is. David says he'll drive to the school, and Jane says she'll call the bus company. D.W. tries to help (by saying that she'll go tell everyone), but Jane forces her to stay at home for now; she doesn't want two  lost children. D.W. knows Arthur is out there somewhere. She begins to cry before screaming, "Oh, Arthur, where are you?"

TITLE CARD

Arthur arrives home to his worried parents, relieved that he arrived home. D.W. then thinks that this was for nothing, when she thinks he was at the bus station. The family then sit down in the living room, asking him to tell everyone what happened, but D.W. thinks her side of the story is much better, saying that she answered the phone and get worried sick! When Jane says that her part will come later, Arthur begins explaining to his family about what happened to him:


 * In the present, Arthur states that he couldn't help it. He was up all night doing some reading, which turns out to be a comic, way, WAY past his bedtime, but continues to read. David then states that he was reading and was exhausted, making him fall asleep, and then Arthur claims it got quite scary. Back in the flashback, he wakes up to be in a town he never knew, before realizing he's near the city limits of Elwood City. He asks the same woman on the bus where he is, and she answers that they're near the edge of town, before asking if he's all right. He says he's fine before it hits him: He missed the pool, and now he's lost! D.W, back in the present, gets awed by this and asks him if he was scared, which he claims he wasn't. David asks why he couldn't say anything, but Arthur said he thought about it, but didn't reach his mind to say anything in time before the bus left the town. He mumbles why he had to take swimming lessons anyway and says he'll walk home, but doesn't know where he's going. He doesn't even have enough money to take the bus back! He begins to cry before, in the present, D.W. asks if he cried, which he admits that he cried a little. D.W. then says he should've seen how much she cried, but Jane stops her before she gets ahead of herself.


 * In a flashback at school, the classes are dismissed, and Buster and Francine ask Arthur if he wants to go bike riding, but turns down the offer because he has to take the bus to the public pool for swimming lessons. His mom couldn't drive him because shes attending D.W's school play, where D.W. plays the mashed potatoes in the pageant of foods. Francine and Buster stare at Arthur in horror, but Arthur says it'll be fine, after they say stuff about the bus that terrifies Arthur. Buster claims he heard of a story of a man who got on a bus, but it kept going and going and going. In one of Arthur's daydreams, he thinks he's on the same bus and tells the bus driver when is the next stop and that he is supposed to be at his swimming lesson and the driver said they don't make any stops but Arthur says it's impossible, and everyone turns into squid people, catching Arthur! Francine says she heard that story turn into a movie last week, and then she agrees with Arthur, but warns him about a kid who couldn't leave the bus because he didn't have the money, and this happens in another daydream from Arthur, where he's at least 40, and his clothes are wrecked. The bus then arrives, and Buster and Francine give their last goodbyes before it leaves. As Arthur takes a seat, a woman a row of seats down winks at him, and Arthur begins to read a book about Squids. He begins to get exhausted and sleeps, before sleeping to the point he couldn't wake up until later, and the bus pulls in at a bus stop, before leaving again. That bus stop was the one that was across the street from the Public Pool, the one that Arthur had to take.


 * Back in the past, he found a payphone in a Diner, and he knew that, even with Mom and Dad at work, Grandma Thora would pick him up. He has a daydream where she would go through anything to pick him up, like jumping over an open piece of road, astonishing the construction workers. She picks him up, but when he tries to use the payphone, it doesn't work. He asks someone for help, and the same woman from the bus, who works for the diner, notices him. She notice he looks hungry and offers him a drink. He orders milk while he waits. Back in the present, D.W.'s story comes. The phone rings when D.W. and Jane are busy. D.W. answers the phone, and asks Mom if they lost Arthur somewhere, but Jane says that Arthur is at his swimming lesson, and they'll need to pick him up soon. When she asks who it is, D.W. explains that was a man from the pool who says Arthur isn't there, much to Jane's shock, horror and dismay. Jane begins to cry, but D.W. says that Arthur is home. Jane claims that that was the worst telephone call in her life and that she doesn't want another call like that to happen again. D.W. says that they called the bus company, and they would've called the police, but they received another call, but David stops her there. They then returned to Arthur's story.


 * At the diner, the woman makes him a burger and fries. She tells him that she notices that he goes to Lakewood Elementary School and she lives near there! When he asks her what she does if she has no money, she offers some cash, but Arthur says he should never take money from strangers, and the waitress compliments on the great advice. When she has no money, she talks to the bus driver, Sam, and he won't get mad or charge you extra. When it turns 6:00 P.M, she says the bus heads back to town soon, and says that the meal is free, on her. Arthur head to the Bus Stop, right when a bus zooms by. He catches up and the bus driver stops and opens the door. The two have a talk, with Arthur saying so much that he thinks he showed the driver some disrespect and begins to leave. However, the driver says that happens all the time. The two introduce each other, and Arthur realizes that he's Sam, the bus driver. Sam gives him a ride home, and when he stops, everyone in the bus, including Sam, say goodbye to Arthur as he walks home.

Back in the present, Arthur's in bed. David and Jane are happy that their son's okay and tell Arthur that they're proud of him for what he did: asking someone for help when he doesn't know where he is. Arthur and his parents say goodnight to each other and Arthur goes to sleep. However, D.W. soon comes into her brother's room, waking him up. D.W. admits that she was honestly really scared/concerned for Arthur when he was lost. Arthur seems touched by this and allows D.W. to sleep with him for the night, promising her that he'll never get lost like that again.

Major

 * Arthur Read
 * D.W. Read
 * Manny's Diner worker
 * Sam

Minor

 * Buster Baxter
 * Francine Frensky
 * Thora Read (in Arthur's imagination only)
 * David Read
 * Jane Read

Cameo

 * Pal
 * Alex
 * Maria Pappas
 * Jenna Morgan
 * Prunella Deegan
 * The Brain
 * Binky Barnes
 * 3rd Grade Male Dog

Trivia

 * This is one of the few times Arthur is shown to cry.
 * Lost! became adapted into a book in the Arthur Adventure series and re-titled as Arthur Lost and Found.
 * It is interesting that Arthur's parents say not to accept money from strangers, but Arthur is fine with eating food from a stranger. (It is possible that it's because it's a restaurant that Arthur can do that.)
 * In the intro, Jane answers the phone. When D.W. tells her story, D.W. answers the phone.
 * This is one of the many times where Arthur does not introduce the episode, therefore where he does not even appear during the introduction.
 * The bus Arthur travels on is based off the Flxible New Look transit buses. Coincidentally, Marc Brown's home town of Erie had several of these type of buses built between 1967-1973. Some of which, might still have been operating around the time this episode was created.

Goofs/Errors

 * The Photographer can be seen sitting next to Arthur on the bus, but when the Manny's Diner worker is shown, he is also seen sitting next to her.
 * During the time Arthur is on the bus, the bus goes past the same buildings multiple times. This is likely because backgrounds were reused.
 * The truck that can be seen at the beginning of the episode was pink, but at the end of the episode when Sam drops Arthur off at his house, it is purple.

Differences between the book and the T.V. episode

 * In the book, Arthur went for the bus ride and spent the evening with Buster, and they got lost together. In the T.V. episode, Arthur went and got lost all by himself the entire time.
 * In the book Arthur and Buster had more money when they came to the diner, but they spent it without thinking on chocolate winkies and strawberry soda. In the T.V. episode, Arthur went into the diner with no money left, and was given a free meal.
 * In the book, Arthur thought up the idea of talking to the bus driver himself. In the the T.V. episode, the waitress suggested it to him.
 * In the book, Sam is shown wearing glasses, but in the T.V. episode, he didn't.

Production Notes

 * This is the first episode to use Pal Howling as a title card, and is the first title card in the series that does not feature Arthur. It is also one of two post-first season title cards to have the circle edge vibrate ala the first season title cards (the other is the Fairy D.W. title card.)

Home Video
DVD: VHS:
 * Arthur Gets Lost (DVD)
 * Arthur Gets Lost (VHS)