The Last Day

"The Last Day"
Season/Series:	19 (US)
Number in season:	10
Original Airdate:	May 23, 2016 June 24, 2015 (part 1) June 25, 2015 (part 2)
Credits
Written by:	Peter K. Hirsch
Storyboard by:	Jeremy O'Neill Rick Marshall
Episodes
Previous "Besties"	Next "Buster's Second Chance"
Read transcript

"The Last Day" is the tenth episode in the nineteenth season of Arthur. It is a two-part episode.

Summary

It is a time of change at Lakewood Elementary. Arthur and Buster are going into fourth grade (and will do anything to get the cool new teacher, MC-voiced by special guest B.J. Novak). Meanwhile, D.W. and Bud prepare to enter kindergarten and Muffy and Francine contemplate how spending the summer away from each other will affect their friendship.

Plot

Arthur, Muffy, Francine, and Buster are at the Treehouse. Buster comments on how his jeans are too tight and discovers a cheese sandwich from the first day of school. The characters start to reminisce on their first-day experiences.

DW is leaving preschool. She and Bud talk about kindergarten and agree to "practice being big kids" in anticipation for kindergarten. This practice includes doing homework (albeit incorrectly), wearing sunglasses, and imitating their older siblings. Bud also have trouble memorizing the alphabet, particularly "L-M-N-O-P."

At the Ice Cream Shop, Arthur and Buster are discussing what teachers they will have for fourth grade. Mr. Cramp, a new teacher, comes into the shop and impresses them with his demeanor.

Muffy and Francine are excited about the prospects of going to camp. However, Francine wants to go to Camp Meadowcroak whereas Muffy wants to go to Camp Elysium, a luxury resort for "discriminating children" which Francine finds unsatisfactory. This leads to a rift between them.

Arthur and Buster try to get into MC's class next year by making a poster about what they have learned that year. Buster is surprised to discover that he has learned much throught the school year. However, they are disappointed to find out that MC repeats himself and does not have much original content. They plan to use that poster to impress Mr. Ratburn.

DW tries to take the trash out but ends up ripping the trash bag and is reassured by her mother that she does not have to do anything special for kindergarten.

Muffy and Francine choose to go to separate camps, but they will update the other through a blog that the pair have access to.

On the last day, the class sings a song thanking Mr. Ratburn. It is revealed that Ratburn will be moving to fourth grade along with his students, while MC will be teaching third grade.

Characters

• Arthur Read
• Muffy Crosswire
• Francine Frensky
• Buster Baxter
• Alan Powers
• Nigel Ratburn
• MC
• D.W. Read
• Bud Compson
• Jenna Morgan
• Alex
• Nemo
• Molly MacDonald
• Slink
• Maria Pappas
• Ladonna Compson
• Francis Haney

Songs

1. "Big Kid Song"
2. "Dear Mr. Ratburn"

Trivia

• Mr. Ratburn will become a fourth grade teacher the next school year. In the book Arthur's Teacher Trouble he mentioned of going to become a kindergarten teacher the next year, but this part was not kept when the story was adapted into a TV episode.
• Lobster is not kosher. Since Francine is Jewish, this fact could have added to her anxieties about going to Camp Elysium. In her dream sequence, she tells the lobster "I don't even want to eat you."
• This episode is dedicated to the memory of Greg Kramer, the voice of Nemo.

Episode connections

• MC wears a Static Airwaves sweater.