Crushed

"Crushed"
Season/Series:	6
Number in season:	9B
Original Airdate:	November 19, 2001 January 8, 2002
Credits
Written by:	Catherine Lieuwen
Storyboard by:	Lyndon Ruddy Robert Yap Jeremy O'Neill
Episodes
Previous "The Good Sport"	Next "Arthur Loses His Marbles"
Read transcript

“	Roll the tape, Greg!	”
—Buster Baxter

"Crushed" is the second half of the ninth episode in the sixth season of Arthur.

Summary

Arthur thinks he is too old to have a babysitter. He soon has second thoughts when the sitter turns out to be 16 years old, and who loves ice cream and video games.

Plot

The intro begins with Buster singing about things that make you blue, but Arthur stopped him, saying "Stop! Cut, no more!" He annoyingly asks Buster if he was going to tell the viewers. Buster replies it makes a good song. Arthur then announces to the viewers that due to technical difficulties, the show will be cancelled, but Buster stops him, saying "Don't listen to him, he's just embarrassed. Roll the tape, Greg!". Then he tells Arthur it's a good story, to which Arthur groans.

After the title card, Dad has a catering job and they need a babysitter. Arthur doesn't want the babysitter to be Mrs. Grouse, because she makes Arthur and D.W. dance the jitterbug. D.W. says "The jitterbug is good for your arthur-itis, Arthur." Arthur angrily says he doesn't have arthritis and Mom states that Mrs. Grouse can't make it so the babysitter is Sally McGill. Arthur imagines that Sally will be a mean babysitter that makes them clean the entire house.

When Sally arrives, she is a bear with orange hair and a purple jacket. She is 16, twice Arthur's age and four times D.W.'s age. Sally is about to ask Arthur which ice cream he likes better when he gets annoyed and says "I know the drill." D.W. talks and plays with Sally while Arthur does his homework. When he comes downstairs, he sees Sally playing his Dark Bunny: Curse of the Mommies video game. D.W. gives Arthur the console and Arthur and Sally reach Level 12, where they try to defeat the Mommy of all Mommies, when Arthur's parents arrive. Arthur looks at Sally dreamily and develops a crush on Sally.

The next day, Arthur tries to persuade the parents to leave home so he and D.W. can have Sally watch them. After they finally take off, Mrs. Grouse comes instead much to Arthur's annoyance.

The next day at the public library, he was drawing a comic about him saving Sally from a flying sheep zombie when Bionic Bunny can't much to Buster's suspicion.

On the third round in which the parents leave for another catering job, they state that Sally and her friend are coming. When it's Arthur's turn to choose the activity, he chooses the Dark Bunny: Curse of the Moomies video game and they play until the doorbell rings. Sally introduces her boyfriend, Corey, to Arthur. Arthur is surprised that Sally has a boyfriend. Offended, he goes to bed.

The next day at the Sugar Bowl, he makes a comic about Sally and Corey being eaten by a flying sheep zombie. When Buster arrives, he tells him, who vows not to tell anyone. Buster says "She crushes you and walks all over you. Stay away from her." Unfortunately, Buster is actually talking about the Mommy of all Mommies, not Sally.

So when Arthur comes for a sleepover with Buster who invited him, Buster's babysitter is Sally much to Arthur's horror. Sally later explains to Arthur that she likes to play video games with him, but not with Corey, because Corey is bad at video games. The three of them play until it's time for their bed. Then, Buster states his advice again, and Arthur realizes that the advice was about the video game. Buster questions him, and then the pair goes to bed.

Characters

• Arthur Read
• Buster Baxter
• Sally MacGill
• Corey
• D.W. Read
• David Read
• Jane Read
• Mrs. Grouse
• Nigel Ratburn(cameo)
• Muffy Crosswire(cameo)
• Bitzi Baxter(mentioned)
• Harry Mills(mentioned)

Trivia

• As with all season six episodes, the end credits originally featured a remixed version of Believe in Yourself. Beginning in 2015, the credits were reformatted for reruns and now include the standard version of the song.
• This episode is dedicated in loving memory of Pat Harris, friend and colleague.
• The title is displayed straight and horizontal, instead of curved.  The only other title to be displayed straight and horizontal was April 9th and More!
• 4th wall break: Buster says "Roll the tape, Greg!" as a reference to the director of Arthur, Greg Bailey.
• Moral:
  • Dont overreact for your own benefits.
  • Dont be jealous for your own benefits.
• Timeline:
  • Arthur mentions being a babysitter himself, which is a callback to Arthur Babysits.
  • This is the first time Mrs. Read dresses like a princess; the second time is in D.W.'s Time Trouble.
  • Mr. Read dresses like a knight in Arthur's TV-Free Week and did again the second time.

Errors

• When Sally and D.W. are playing Dark Bunny: Curse of the Moomies, D.W.'s pantyhose turned white.
• When Arthur and Buster are in the Sugar Bowl, the amount of soda in Buster's glass changes between shots.
• Arthur has a sleeping bag to sleep over at Buster's even though Buster has bunk beds.

Cultural references

• D.W. says dancing is good for Arthur's "arthur-itis", a reference to arthritis.

Gallery

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References