The Wheel Deal

Summary
Brain is put in a wheelchair after a leg injury and copes with the encouragement of Lydia, a handicapped girl who uses a wheelchair too.

Plot
Brain suffers a leg injury, and also sprains his ankle, while practicing for a basketball game against the Mighty Mountain team. The incident occurred when Buster tossed a banana peel into the trash, but it accidentaly missed the trash can and landed on the floor, causing Brain to slip on it when he wasn't looking.

The Wheel Deal

After the title card, Brain is then placed in a wheelchair at the hospital. He has difficulty coping with it, until he meets Lydia, who is also in a wheelchair because she was born unable to walk.

When playing basketball with Lydia, Brain doesn't do well, so Lydia helps Brain improve his skills while in the wheelchair. After a few days of training, Brain and Lydia go to the Ice Cream Shop, but discover that it is not wheelchair accessible.

They instead go to The Sugar Bowl, and while talking to each other there, Francine approaches and tells Brain that she could take over for him in the basketball game. Lydia assures her that Brain will do great.

The next day at the game Brain does well, but he doesn't have the confidence to finish the game, so Lydia takes over and manages to score plenty points to secure the win. Afterwards, the Ice Cream Shop is made wheelchair accessible and Brain and Lydia head off together to play chess.

Major

 * The Brain
 * Lydia Fox (debut)

Minor

 * Arthur Read
 * Francine Frensky
 * Buster Baxter
 * Sam Scarborough
 * Coach Raggett

Cameo

 * Muffy Crosswire
 * Binky Barnes
 * Sue Ellen Armstrong
 * Fern Walters
 * George Lundgren
 * Jenna Morgan
 * Mrs. Powers
 * Alex
 * Maria Pappas

Trivia

 * This is the first episode NOT  in the U.S. to be in 16:9 widescreen and high-definition.
 * This is also the first episode where the title cards are changed to a scene from the episode.
 * This is also the first episode since When Carl Met George to have two title cards.
 * In the U.S., this episode is the first and only episode to use the Brain variant of the Slot Machine title card.
 * This episode also reveals the name of one of the kids from Mighty Mountain during the beginning of the episode.
 * Timeline: This episode could take place before April 9th because Buster said he knew a kid that lost his cast in three weeks.

Production notes

 * This is the first episode in which Éfeso Soares and Dos Santos is the production accountant.
 * When Lydia says, "Much you have learned, O big-headed one", the 4:3 version adds a slow pan to the right to keep her in view as she says her line. However, this moment is shown in Brain's version of the Which ARTHUR Character Are You? bumper in 16:9 widescreen without the pan.

Cultural references

 * Lydia mentions writers and, as well as the.