When Duty Calls

"When Duty Calls"
Season/Series:	23
Number in season:	2
Original Airdate:	October 16, 2019 March 18, 2020 February 23, 2020
Credits
Written by:	Matt Hoverman
Storyboard by:	Allan Jeffery Karine Charlebois
Episodes
Previous "Citizen Cheikh"	Next "The Pea and the Princess"
Read transcript

"When Duty Calls" is the second episode in the twenty-third season of Arthur. It is a two-part episode.

Summary

Fern and the others try to make an upset Ladonna feel better after she finds out her family will have to move from Elwood City.

Plot

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Characters

Major

• Fern Walters
• Ladonna Compson
• Bud Compson
• D.W. Read
• Arthur Read
• Buster Baxter
• Muffy Crosswire
• Brain

Minor

• David Read
• Rapty (no voice)
• Lafawna
• Vern
• Pal
• General Higgins
• Tony Arnoni
• Laurie
• Rufus Compson

Cameo

• Francine Frensky
• Cisely Compson
• Gussie Compson
• Madison Compson
• Sue Ellen Armstrong
• Alex
• Maria Pappas
• Bitzi Baxter
• Binky Barnes
• Jane Read
• George Lundgren
• Platy

Trivia

• Moral:Change may not be easy but you have to deal with it whether you want to or not.
• The Compson family moves to Oregon in this episode, and it's also revealed that this is the fourth time they have moved.
• It is revealed in this episode that the Rapty that Bud has is his second; the first one was left behind when he moved from Guam.
  • The second Rapty is then left behind at the end of the episode; however Bud does that on purpose so that he and D.W. could keep writing to each other.

Episode connections

• The Compsons moved to Elwood City from Louisiana in "Based on a True Story."
• Buster recalls leaving Elwood City for a time in "Arthur's Faraway Friend," and being afraid that his friends would forget about him.
• Fern and Ladonna say that they are inspired to write their own book, like Arthur and Buster did in "Arthur's Faraway Friend" and "Buster's Back."
• Arthur shows his diorama from "Arthur and the Whole Truth."
• The selfie of Arthur, Buster, Muffy and Ladonna in Muffy's video was taken during "The Longest Eleven Minutes."
• Bud gives D.W. Rapty, he's seen again in "The Rhythm and Roots of Arthur."

Production notes

• London, from the And Now a Word from Us Kids segment, is featured in a podcast from The Military Child Education Coalition.
• This is the first two-part episode to be written by someone other than Peter K. Hirsch since "Fifteen."

Gallery

Screenshots

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