Carl's Concerto

"Carl's Concerto"
Season/Series:	19
Number in season:	7a
Original Airdate:	April 5, 2016 June 17, 2015 May 25, 2015
Credits
Written by:	Eric Shaw Peter K. Hirsch
Storyboard by:	Gerry Capelle
Episodes
Previous "Postcards from Binky"	Next "Too Much of a Good Thing"
Read transcript

"Carl's Concerto" is the first half of the seventh episode in the nineteenth season of Arthur.

Official synopsis

Carl has agreed to play the accordion for George's puppet show. But his routines are getting in the way of rehearsals. Now George must choose: keep Carl and risk the show, or replace Carl and risk his friendship?

Plot

The episode begins with George talking about his friend Carl, who has Asperger's Syndrome. Because of this, Carl likes things a certain way, such as the placement of food and toys, and lives by strict schedules. George says that he is willing to put up with him, but he is wondering if bringing Carl to the concert was a good idea.

George comes by Arthur's house, where D.W. and Bud are engaging in a heated argument. George defuses the situation by using Wally, his dummy, impressing the pair so much to ask him to perform at a BAYFAF (Bring All Your Friends And Family) puppet show at their school. George agrees to it.

The next day at school, Arthur and George talk about the upcoming BAYFAF puppet show. George believes that it will be a simple affair, but Arthur reveals that a lot of friends and families will be attending the BAYFAF puppet show. George is not happy with what he got himself into.

At the treehouse, George and Wally discuss what they would do for the BAYFAF puppet show, and come up with an idea for a "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" play. Suddenly he hears an accordion being played nearby. He discovers that it is from Carl, who turns out to be a very good accordion player. He asks Carl if he could help play music for the BAYFAF puppet show George volunteered for. Carl agrees to help, but his mother, who is with him, tells Carl he doesn't have to go if he doesn't want to. George offers a handshake as thanks, but Carl gives him grapes instead.

At the Lundgren house, George and Carl practice their play with Rattles, Binky, and Buster in the garage, but complications arise due to Carl's autism - he first refuses to practice in the garage because it is messy, his schedule requires him to leave for his scheduled lunchtime, then he leaves for home again because his accordion is out of tune.

That night, George has a nightmare where his play is a huge flop because Carl is not following his instructions, causing an uproar and Mr. Ratburn to revoke George's dummy license and Wally.

The next day, George and his friends are practicing, only for Carl to leave because he doesn't feel like playing the final tune. George, worried about Carl's autism, asks Binky to bring his clarinet to the play. Rattles volunteers to multitask, playing Mama Bear and Papa Bear in place of Binky. Binky agrees to help, but warns George that he should tell Carl beforehand. Unfortunately, when he chooses to phone Carl later that evening, George freezes up in nervousness.

On the day of the BAYFAF puppet show, George finds Carl and voices his concerns about his autism making him nervous in front of so many people, but Carl assures him that he doesn't feel nervous because he practiced a lot. When George meets up with Binky, who brought his clarinet, he silently tells him there's no need for it, causing a dismayed Rattles to relinquish Papa Bear to Binky. Despite George's worries, the play is a success and is met with thunderous applause. George thanks Carl for his performance in the puppet show, but Carl leaves for his scheduled snack time.

Characters

Major

• Carl Gould
• Rattles
• George Lundgren
• Arthur Read
• Binky Barnes
• Buster Baxter

Minor

• D.W. Read
• Bud Compson
• Nigel Ratburn
• Mrs. Gould
• Wally

Cameo

• Muffy Crosswire
• Francine Frensky
• Sue Ellen Armstrong
• The Brain
• David Read
• Jane Read
• Mrs. Lundgren
• Neal Lundgren
• Ladonna Compson
• Rufus Compson
• Cisely Compson
• Madison Compson
• Molly MacDonald
• Cheikh
• Cheikh's father
• Cheikh's mother
• Timmy and Tommy Tibble

Trivia

• 4th Wall Break: The dummy operator license is signed by Greg Bailey, the director of Arthur.
• Moral: Don't make up plans for your own benefits.
• Timeline:
  • As seen in "Arthur and Los Vecinos," Vicita cannot stand green peas touching white potatoes either. D.W. calls it a "three-and-seven-eighths thing," though Carl is older than that.
  • George tells Carl about breaking the Ferris wheel in "Crime and Consequences."
  • D.W. mentions a sneezing clown. She may be referring to the clown from "Arthur's Lost Dog," who is allergic to dogs.
• It is revealed that Carl got his accordion for his 6th birthday from his Uncle Cal and knows 18 songs.

Episode connections

• The album Arthur's Really Rockin' Music Mix includes Goldilocks and The Bears Trio as Told by Sue Ellen, which features Binky as Baby Bear and Buster as both Goldilocks and Wolfgang the wolf.
• There is also the browser game Arthur's Puppet Theater: Goldilocks and the Three Bears, in which the player can assign the roles to Arthur, Buster, Muffy and D.W.

Cultural references

• Johnnycakes is the New England term for a kind of cornmeal flatbread. Since Bud's family is from Louisiana, he should have said "Sweet hoecakes!"
• Wally suggests performing Hamlet at BAYFAF.
• Wally's line "Be not afeard! The woods are full of noises, sounds and sweet airs" is taken from Shakespeare's The Tempest (III.2), except he says woods instead of isle.
• In George's dream, Carl plays Bach's Toccata in D Minor.

Production notes

• This episode's existence has been known on IMDb since at least July 2014.

Gallery

:Main article: Carl's Concerto/Gallery