Cereal

Summary
Buster tells the story of a missing cereal box on his all-new podcast.

Plot
D.W. looks through shelves at a grocery store, and is unable to find her favorite cereal, Puffy Unicorn Crunch. She sees a smaller pack of cereals, including Puffy Unicorn Crunch, and asks Jane to buy it, saying that she'll have to save it for a "special occasion."

D.W. interrupts Arthur, who is watching Bionic Bunny, to see if it is a holiday. He searches it up and tells her that it is National Librarian's Day. D.W. says, "It is a special occasion!" and goes to eat Puffy Unicorn Crunch, only to find that the box has been torn out of the pack. She shouts Arthur's name.

Cereal

Buster's mother introduces him to a podcast called Real Life Mysteries, and they listen to it over dinner. Buster enjoys it, and decides that he wants to make podcasts. His mother tells him it is easy to set up, and Buster starts looking for mysteries to record.

He analyses snails going inside their shells and expired sandwiches, then tells Arthur that he has an identical twin, inspired by Real Life Mysteries. He hears D.W. accusing Arthur of taking her Puffy Unicorn Crunch, and decides to record that, titling his podcast Cereal.

Arthur dislikes the idea, claiming that he was innocent and that no "crimes" were committed. Buster records the first episode, and other students at school discuss it. Binky is dismissive of the idea, and Fern wants to know what Arthur did with the "evidence" of the empty cereal box; Arthur still denies having taken the cereal.

Buster interviews the "victim," D.W., accusing Arthur as having done it as "revenge" for her giving his Bionic Bunny toy a makeover.

At school, Arthur's friends refuse to let him sit with them at the lunch table, and Arthur tells Buster that he has to clear his name on the podcast. Buster says that he is only interested in telling the truth, then asks Arthur to wear handcuffs so he can make a poster for Cereal.

Buster goes to Arthur's room and sees a piece of Puffy Unicorn Crunch on the floor. He looks under the bed and sees Pal eating the cereal out of the box. Back in his own room, Buster worries that people will be angry at him for how the podcast ends. He decides to "leave out a few details" and starts recording, but then feels guilty and tells the truth.

Arthur tells Buster that he liked the podcast now that his name has been cleared, and asks Buster if he will do another one. Binky overhears and tells them not to spoil Cereal, walking away with his hands over his ears and singing.

Major

 * Buster Baxter
 * D.W. Read
 * Arthur Read

Minor

 * Jane Read
 * Bitzi Baxter
 * Byron Hunt (voice only)
 * Binky Barnes
 * Fern Walters
 * Pal
 * George Lundgren
 * Francine Frensky
 * Chester Read (made-up)
 * Bob (mentioned)
 * Rob (mentioned)

Cameo

 * The Brain
 * Otis
 * Helen
 * Alex
 * Steve
 * 3rd Grade Female Aardvark (Number 2)
 * Muffy Crosswire
 * Prunella Deegan
 * Leah MacGrady
 * 3rd Grade Female Aardvark
 * Nancy
 * Mary
 * Kate Read
 * Sue Ellen Armstrong
 * Slink
 * Jenna Morgan
 * 3rd Grade Male Rat
 * Kenny

Trivia

 * Moral:Don't blame people for your own benefits.

Episode connections

 * The snowball incident from "D.W.'s Snow Mystery" is once again referenced in this episode.
 * Buster tries to convince Arthur that he has an identical twin named Chester. In "The Return of the King," Arthur's Glenbrook Academy doppelganger is named Chester.

Cultural references

 * The title of this episode, along with the name of Buster's podcast, are references to the podcast Serial.

Transcript

 * Cereal Transcript