Binky Goes Nuts

Summary
When Binky discovers that he's allergic to peanuts, he has so many questions: Will he be forced to live without Chinese food? Will he ever again be able to eat with his friends? And most importantly, will his Mom ever calm down? Binky learns that the best way not to go nuts is to be well informed, and to understand his allergy.

Plot
At the beginning of the episode, Muffy is suntanning on the grass next to the school, talking about getting stuff for the summer. Then the scene goes to Binky and Molly, who are blowing out spitballs again; then a mysterious butterfly swoops down on Binky’s arm. Shortly after, Molly sees it and wants to hit it but Binky stops her and explains that it’s one thing to hit kids with spitballs. He then adds that butterflies are “harmless, beautiful creatures that—”, but stops at seeing red bumps on his arm. Molly suggests going to the nurse to check it out. Brain and Buster hear this, and Buster remarks that he didn’t know butterflies could bite; Brain disagrees, and tells him that butterflies cannot bite.

Binky Goes Nuts

In the hospital, the doctor tells Binky that the butterfly wasn’t the cause of his allergy (despite what Binky had initially thought), and that he isn’t allergic to tree pollen or pet dander either, much to Binky’s relief.

However, the doctor adds that Binky’s blood did test positive for an allergy to peanuts. Binky’s mom is surprised, but Binky tells her to relax, as he doesn’t even like peanuts anyway. His mother replies that peanut allergies can be quite serious; she’s a nurse, and has seen anaphylaxis before. When Binky asks what that is (thinking his mother said Anna Phylaxis), the doctor explains that it’s a reaction would happen if he ate peanuts again and it can be more dangerous implying that instead of a rash, it could be hard to swallow or breathe, before giving Binky a brochure on peanut allergies.

At the store, Binky’s mom puts away some canned chili because it has peanut oil in it and reminds Binky to read the labels on all the foods. Binky then picks out some beef jerky, but gets disgusted when he finds ‘beef lips’ in the ingredients list. At dinner, Binky’s mom gives him a chicken cutlet, which surprises Binky, because they usually get Chinese food every Friday night; his mother explains that most Chinese food has peanut oil in it, and he can’t eat it anymore. Binky is upset, but he eats the cutlet anyway. He then gets angry when his mother suggests he sits at a peanut-free table separate from his friends.

That night, Binky has a dream that all the school lunch somehow has peanuts in it, for ridiculous reasons. The dream continues, with Mrs MacGrady putting him at a table just for kids with allergies and showing him the other kids there: Adam, who has to wear a space suit because of his allergy to Formica, and Ron and Don, who are allergic to their hands and utensils, so they have to eat from a wooden trough. She then serves Binky some brussel sprouts, saying he will be eating them every day for the rest of his life. Binky, who doesn’t like brussels sprouts, screams “No!”, and the dream ends. The next day, Binky’s mom gives him his very own phone in case of emergencies.

At the store, Binky is trying to make up his mind while telling his mother on the phone he won’t get peanut-related food. Jenna arrives and suggests Gummy Slugs because there aren’t any peanuts in there. Binky asks Jenna how she knows about his allergy, and Jenna explains that his mother sent an email to the school about his allergy. Binky is embarrassed by this, but Jenna reassures him, telling him that her mother did the same thing about her milk allergy. Binky feels sorry for her because he thinks milk is in everything, but Jenna says she got used to it after a while by finding dairy-free alternatives (e.g. ice cream made from rice milk). She then offers to help Binky with his allergy while he buys cashews.

At the library, Binky and Jenna are looking at some books when he feels his throat tickle and he comes out in a rash. He gets a shot, and his mother regrets letting Binky eat the cashews. Confused, Binky wonders how he could have gotten the rash from them as he is not even allergic to them. His mother explains that the ones he bought probably contained traces of peanuts.

That night, Binky has a dream that he is rescued from Dr Legume by Bionic Bunny, who tells him he knows how he feels because he’s allergic to salt. The next day, Binky decides to throw some peanut-related food away, and at school, he sits with his friends and explains to them his allergy. Molly checks other kids who approach them for peanut-related food. Then, his mom calls him and makes sure he’s okay and he tells her yes and when she sees a sandwich, she gets scared, asking him if it is peanut butter. Binky reminds her it’s the cream cheese and jelly sandwich that she made for him. After he tells her it’s delicious, Binky and his mother have a good laugh.

That night, Binky takes his parents to the Golden Panda, a Chinese restaurant that specializes in peanut-free food. Binky asks his parents if they can eat here on Friday nights, which they agree to. With that, Binky says that he is having three egg rolls.

Major

 * Binky Barnes
 * Mrs. Barnes
 * Jenna Morgan

Minor

 * Molly MacDonald
 * Buster Baxter
 * The Brain
 * Muffy Crosswire
 * Dr. Kingsbury
 * Leah MacGrady
 * Bionic Bunny
 * Dr. Legume
 * Anna Phylaxis

Cameo

 * Mr. Barnes
 * Arthur Read
 * Fern Walters
 * Sue Ellen Armstrong
 * Francine Frensky
 * Adam
 * Dave
 * Ron and Don
 * George Lundgren
 * 3rd Grade Female Aardvark
 * 3rd Grade Male Rat
 * Lisa
 * Kyle
 * Mary
 * Otis
 * Brian
 * Alex
 * Maria Pappas
 * 3rd Grade Male Rabbit (Number 2)
 * 3rd Grade Male Monkey
 * Luke
 * 3rd Grade Male Dog
 * Kenny
 * Steve
 * 3rd Grade Male Cat
 * 3rd Grade Male Dog (Number 3)
 * 3rd Grade Male Rabbit
 * 3rd Grade Female Cat (Number 2)

Trivia

 * Jenna doesn't speak again until "Messy Dress Mess."
 * In this episode, it is revealed that Jenna is allergic to milk and that Binky dislikes peanuts, brussels sprouts, and gummy slugs.
 * In this episode, Binky says that he is almost ten years old.
 * The "dancing peanut in a bowler hat" Mrs. MacGrady mentions is probably a reference to, the mascot of . Dr. Legume resembles him as well.
 * This is one of the episodes that focuses on health, with the others being "Arthur's Chicken Pox," "Buster's Breathless," "Arthur's Knee," "Sick as a Dog," "Germophobia," and "Operation: D.W.!."

Goofs/Errors

 * In "Francine's Bad Hair Day," Binky seems to be allergic to flowers. This isn't discussed in this episode.