Editing Double Dare

|prod. code = 501b

|storyboarders = [[Guylaine Seguin]]<br>[[Lyndon Ruddy]]<br>[[Greg Huculak]]

|number = 1b

|titlecard = Double Dare Title Card.png

|us = September 25, 2000<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20010512150738/http://www.ket.org:80/visions/sep00/vl000925_frame.html</ref><ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20000818085810/http://www.pbs.org:80/wgbh/arthur/tv/2000-09.html#501</ref>

}}

{{EpisodeHeader|2|book2=[[Arthur and the Double Dare]]|1|5}}

[[Arthur Read|Arthur]]'s wish to play hooky becomes a group pact when the kids start daring and double-daring one another, so things go as planned.

The intro begins with Arthur and [[Buster Baxter|Buster]] in the bathroom. Arthur asks the viewers if they knew how something big can start from something small and proceeds to show instances of this. [[D.W. Read|D.W.]] is playing Crazy Bus and Arthur tells her to stop before he goes crazy and eats the cushions. We then shift to D.W. having a tantrum over sunshine and yelling for rain. Back at the bathroom, Arthur explains that this mess started over less than nothing, foreshadowing what's to come.

Arthur, Buster, [[Francine Frensky|Francine]], and Brain resent the large amount of homework they are assigned by Mr. Ratburn, which they believe will prevent them from watching a new [[Dark Bunny]] TV special. When Arthur states that he will one day not complete his homework and skip school, Francine dares him to prove his point. An anxious Arthur immediately dares her back, with Francine consequently daring Buster, and Buster daring Brain.

The next morning, Brain receives Buster's message (though he is confused by Buster's referring to the giant clam in his and Arthur's dreams), but Francine fails to receive the message on the Frenskys' answering machine due to wearing headphones. As a result, she carries on with the dare.

After a failed attempt to get Francine into the school unnoticed through the boys' bathroom, [[Binky Barnes|Binky]] agrees to distract [[Nigel Ratburn|Mr. Ratburn]] by pretending that something is wrong with his shoe. However, Arthur, Buster and Francine discover that Binky's plan was miscalculated due to the three friends being in the wrong location at the wrong time (Arthur and Buster at the school entrance, and Francine at a side entrance). When Binky's distraction fails, Francine is caught coming into the school late by Mr. Ratburn. Mr. Ratburn confronts Arthur, Francine, and Buster. When all of them start talking at once, [[Francis Haney|Mr. Haney]] (the principal) comes out and opens the other door of the double front doors. And he approaches the kids and asks what all the commotion is about. (He asks, "What is all the commotion about?".) He turns to Francine and asks her why she is not in school. Francine (with an embarrassed smile) says, "I ya...! I err...!". Then Mr. Haney tells the trio (Arthur, Buster, and Francine), "You all better come to my office immediately!". Finally, everyone is sent to [[Francis Haney|the principal]]'s office to figure out what happened.  

Arthur, Buster, Binky, and Francine are sitting outside of the principal's office, while Mr. Haney tells both Mr. Ratburn and [[Oliver Frensky|Francine's dad]] what happened. The gang starts to say things about cutting school, and about it not being Francine's fault. Buster then tells a story about this kid who got expelled for skipping school. Oliver, Mr. Ratburn, and Mr. Haney come out of the office. Oliver says that he is so disappointed in Francine and asks her where in the Earth she got the idea to skip school. Francine admits that it was her idea. And Mr. Haney says, "Then I am afraid you are going to have to spend all of next week after school! And this better not happen again!".  

Everyone confesses about the dare to Mr. Ratburn, Mr. Haney, and Oliver Frensky, but only Francine receives punishment due to being the only one who actually was not in attendance at school. Mr. Ratburn is also satisfied that Arthur and Buster admitted to him why they didn't do their homework. And he resolves the boys' wish for a punishment by giving them an extra assignment. (Binky also good-heartedly requests to be punished, but relents when Arthur reminds him that he had nothing to do with the dare.)

The episode finishes with Mr. Ratburn and Mr. Marco (Arthur's second grade teacher from the previous year) discussing why the students would choose to skip school and not do their homework so as to watch TV instead. Ironically, they begin to watch a recorded tape of "Dark Bunny."

===Major===

*The jacket Francine is wearing is similar to [[George Lundgren|George]]'s in "[[George Blows His Top]]."

*This is the first episode to use the Hot-Air Balloon as a title card.

*This is one of the only {{Arthur}} episodes to show urinals.

*'''Karma:''' Arthur and his friends skipped school, so they got in trouble.

*'''Moral:''' Don't give kids too much homework for your own benefits.

**[[Mr. Marco]]'s ''[[Dark Bunny]]'' tape is of the episode seen in "[[The Last of Mary Moo Cow]]."

**Arthur and his friends could have recorded/Taped the episode so they would watch it.

===Episode connections===

*The subject of taking dares too seriously was also the focus of "[[Buster and the Daredevils]]." In that episode, Buster and Arthur both learn why they should not accept dares for any reason, and yet in this episode they (also Francine and Brain) initially accept the dare and still believe that they're obliged to go through with it until they are met with the consequences of it.

*Mr. Ratburn mentions watching a film about English novelist and playwright {{W|John Galsworthy}}.

*Mr. Ratburn mentions that something is indebted to {{W|German_Expressionism_(cinema)|German Expressionism}}. He is apparently talking about Dark Bunny, which is true regarding the backdrops.

 

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==Sources==