Ladonna's Like List

Summary
Ladonna is friendly, funny, and full of personality. Everyone likes her! At least, that is what she thought.

Plot
Arthur asks the viewers if they feel like people are thinking about them. He asks Francine if she was thinking about him, and she responds that she was wondering if the school is serving meatloaf or chili for lunch. Arthur then asks Buster, who confirms that they are having meatloaf. Ladonna then runs in and tells Arthur she was thinking of him, asking if she talks too much. Arthur responds, "I think we're having meatloaf for lunch!" and runs off as Ladonna looks at the viewers with a confused expression.

Ladonna's Like List

Ladonna is sure that everyone likes her, but Bud doubts it. Ladonna tries to prove it by writing a "like list"; she writes down the names of her classmates, and when they do something nice for her, she checks their name off. Bud asks if he is on the list, and Ladonna responds that he "has to" like her because he's family.

As she arrives to school, Ladonna sees Fern reading Loki Benediktssen and the Teenage Aesir. They both enjoy the book, and Fern offers to lend the sequel to Ladonna, who then checks Fern on her like list. However, she does not hold the door open for George, who has his hands full with a toothpick Ferris wheel. When assigned to a group project in class, Francine asks Ladonna if she can be her partner, and Ladonna confirms that Francine likes her.

During recess, Ladonna unknowingly takes George's seat at a table, and then trades food with Buster and wins an arm-wrestling match with Binky. She then loses in karate against Sue Ellen and chess against Brain.

After returning home, Ladonna shows Bud her list, which has a check mark near everyone except George. Ladonna comments that George likes everyone and he will be easy to befriend. At school, she saves him a seat and offers to take him to see a movie. George says that he has a lot of homework to do and runs off.

Bud asks if Ladonna has completed her list yet, and Ladonna answers that she still needs to get George to like her. Bud asks what George likes, and Ladonna gets an idea: she builds an alligator puppet named "Wallinda," shows it to him, and calls attention to George by shouting a compliment. George is embarrassed and runs off.

Bud questions why Ladonna is still trying to get George to like her, pointing out that not everyone has to. Ladonna ignores this and tells Bud to help with her "dance routine"; the next day, she performs a dance and reads a poem, confusing George and causing him to run out of the room. Arthur and Francine point out that George hated that, and Ladonna comments that she's "going in the wrong direction" as she erases their check marks.

George finds Ladonna's like list on the ground and confronts her for pretending to care about him to check his name off a list. She feels bad and later goes to apologize. At school, they become friends again, discussing ventriloquism and puppets.

Major

 * Ladonna Compson
 * George Lundgren
 * Fern Walters
 * Bud Compson
 * Buster Baxter
 * Binky Barnes
 * Arthur Read
 * Francine Frensky
 * Sue Ellen Armstrong
 * Brain

Minor

 * Wallinda (debut)

Cameo

 * D.W. Read
 * Nigel Ratburn
 * Molly MacDonald
 * Jenna Morgan
 * Rattles
 * Alex
 * Slink
 * Muffy Crosswire
 * Maria Pappas
 * Prunella Deegan
 * Kenny
 * 3rd Grade Female Aardvark (Number 2)
 * Kiefer
 * 3rd Grade Female Cat (Number 2)
 * Fletcher
 * Mr. Bevel
 * Prunella Deegan

Trivia

 * Irony: Had Bud didn't mention about liking someone this episode wouldn't have happened.
 * Alex and Maria are on the list.

Episode connections

 * Buster's school lunch almanac was first seen in "The Great MacGrady."
 * Loki Benediktssen and the Teenage Aesir from "Buster's Book Battle" appears again when Fern reads it.
 * George is shown holding the toothpick Ferris wheel from "Crime and Consequences."
 * Buster gives Ladonna a "home-grown tomato." He raises a tomato plant in "Buster's Green Thumb," and takes care of the Community Gardens.

Errors

 * When Ladonna and Bud enter Bud's room, the head of the toy snake is on the dresser. In the closeup of Bud lounging on his bed, the snake's head is off. But when Ladonna comes over, the snake's head is back on the dresser.