D.W. Thinks Big (episode)

This article is about the episode. You may be looking for the book, the VHS, or the DVD.

"D.W. Thinks Big"
Season/Series:	1
Number in season:	25A
Original Airdate:	November 8, 1996 February 7, 1997
Credits
Written by:	Judy Rothman
Storyboard by:	Gerry Capelle
Episodes
Previous "D.W. Gets Lost"	Next "Arthur Cleans Up"
Read transcript

"D.W. Thinks Big" is the first half of the twenty-fifth episode in the first season of Arthur. It is based on the book D.W. Thinks Big.

Summary

At Aunt Lucy's wedding, Arthur is the ring bearer and Cousin Cora is the flower girl, but D.W. is too little to do anything. However, when the wedding ring gets lost in the pipe organ, D.W.'s size helps get it back.

Plot

The intro begins with Arthur practicing being the ring bearer for Aunt Lucy's wedding that afternoon. He mentions that D.W. is more excited than anyone about it because last week, she married the toaster and the blender. She has also been looking out for Aunt Jessica and Uncle Richard who are staying at the Reads' house.

Arthur and D.W.'s cousin Cora is the flower girl. Because of this, she tends to be a bit of a show off like telling a jealous D.W. that the wedding can't go on with her and showing off all of the fancy things that were bought for her for the wedding. She also shows D.W. her locket that Aunt Lucy gave her, which she accidentally breaks and blames it immediately on D.W. Cora tearfully shows her mom the locket, telling her D.W. broke it, and Jessica tells D.W. not to play rough with Cora's locket even though D.W. didn't do anything wrong.

That night, Cora sleeps in D.W.'s bed while D.W. sleeps in a sleeping bag on the floor, but Cora asks her mom if she can sleep with her because she hates D.W.'s room and that the awful colors hurt her eyes. Jessica tells Cora that she's just tired and needs her sleep because she has a very important job for the wedding tomorrow, to which Cora replies with a smile, "That's right. I do." The next day, D.W. wakes up before anyone to the sound of church bells, realizing "Wedding Day" has finally arrived. She then runs downstairs cheering those words and belly flops onto David and Jane who are sleeping on the pullout couch bed.

Later, Jane gives Arthur her ring in order to practice while she plays the Wedding March on the piano. D.W. asks why she can't carry the ring, to which Arthur explains that she's too little to do it, as well as the fact that a ring bearer is always a boy. As Arthur practices walking with the pillow, D.W. asks Jane if she gets to do anything in the wedding, but her mother explains that Arthur and Cora are older than D.W. so they get more important jobs. However, she reassures D.W. will get her chance when she is older. Undaunted, D.W. vows to find something to do to help and runs off humming the wedding march, bumping into Arthur on the way out and causing him to stumble slightly.

D.W. then goes throughout the house trying to help the others in getting ready. Unfortunately, each of her efforts are either rebuffed (such as helping David put the topper on top of the cake by standing on her wobbly tricycle to reach), or she ends up messing up (in the case of getting makeup powder on Aunt Jessica's dress while getting ready and shaving cream on Uncle Richard's dress pants as he is shaving.) D.W. gloomily states that she only wants to help, but no one seems to want it.

When the flowers arrive, Jane pins Arthur's boutonnière on his suit and then puts Cora's crown on her head. Cora then starts bragging loudly about how beautiful it is, causing D.W. to sniffle slightly. D.W. then asks if she gets any flowers and Jane explains that they're only for people who are part of the wedding. Aunt Jessica gushes over Cora and Uncle Richard then takes a picture of her as she poses and shows off. In the catering van, D.W. complains about Arthur getting to sit up front, to which Arthur counters that he has an important job to do. D.W. then contemplates the idea that Cora could sick and she could take over, but Arthur then quiets her so he can concentrate on what to do ("Stand up straight. Tuck in my shirt. Fix my tie.")

At the wedding when everyone arrives, Cora immediately starts showing off again by saying, "I'm here everybody! I'm here!" Grandpa Dave compliments her and takes Cora to get her pictures taken with the rest of the people in the wedding, leaving D.W., whom he'd originally been talking to, alone.

As Aunt Lucy, her bridesmaids, Arthur and Cora are getting their pictures taken, D.W. pop up in front of the camera. The photographer unintentionally irks D.W. by calling her a "little girl" and asking if she's lost. Jane then tells D.W. it's time to sit down. Before leaving, D.W. asks Aunt Lucy that the next time she gets married, if she can help. This amusing statement causes the bridesmaids (and possibly Lucy herself) to giggle.

As the wedding begins, D.W. grouses that when she gets married, she'll let anyone who wants to help do so. Arthur and Cora walk down the aisle, but before that Cora rudely gives Arthur a stern warning that making a mistake ruins the whole wedding, so to watch it. While walking down, Cora makes a show of throwing her flowers, hitting one guest in the face. D.W. then notices that Arthur has a nervous look on his face and is muttering to himself to not go too fast or too slow. Cora, noticing this as well, yells at Arthur to smile, but suddenly the terrible distraction makes him lose his balance and throw the wedding ring high into the air and landing it in the organ, mortifying Arthur and impressing D.W. with how it all happened. Grandpa Dave tries to reach in one of the pipes and get it, but gets his hand slightly stuck and once he gets out, loses his balance but is caught by Lucy's groom. The organist suggests that if someone could fit in through a small compartment in the organ, they may be able to get the ring. Arthur volunteers to go in and get it, but can't fit in the organ because of his size. Grandpa Dave suggests Cora, but she refuses, saying it's dirty in there and rudely asks if they can't just get another ring.

Jessica approaches her and takes her away, telling her that she doesn't have to go into the filthy organ if she doesn't want to. Hearing Cora's refusal to get the ring worries Lucy and the rest of the guests about what to do. Finally, D.W. volunteers, handing her purse to Arthur as Grandpa Dave commends her. She at first balks upon seeing how dark and scary it looks inside, but finds courage upon hearing another worried murmur from the crowd.

D.W. manages to fit in the organ. Despite being startled by a spider and emerging dirty and coughing, she brings the ring back out, causing a cheer from everyone and making a now jealous Cora upset at the praise D.W. is getting.

Because of this turn of events, a proudly smiling Arthur hands D.W. the pillow and tells her to carry the ring and that she deserves to because she found it. Aunt Lucy also takes off Cora's crown and puts it on D.W.’s head, making D.W. the second flower girl overall.

At first, Cora starts to complain, but when Lucy says her name warningly, Cora just says “Oh, all right” and begrudgingly allows D.W. to be the flower girl as well. At the end after Lucy and her husband kiss (covered by the priest's face), Lucy then kisses D.W. on the cheek, saying they couldn't have done it without her.

Later, everyone is seen waving good-bye to Aunt Lucy and her husband as they leave for their honeymoon. D.W. then calls, “If you lose anything, just call me,” and hums the wedding march, finishing the episode.

Characters

• D.W. Read
• Arthur Read
• Cora (debut)
• Jane Read
• David Read
• Kate Read
• Lucy
• Dave
• Jessica
• Richard
• Lucy's husband
• Unknown Male Adult Rabbit (cameo)
• Unknown Female Adult Rabbit (cameo)
• Maria lookalike (cameo)
• Unknown Male Rabbit (cameo)
• Buster Baxter (voice only)

Trivia

• This is the only episode written by Judy Rothman.
• All of Cousin Cora's gasps are stock gasps meant for other female characters. Before D.W. bumps into her and when she pulls half-inch heels out of her suitcase, she uses Jane's gasp. After D.W. glares at her and when her chain breaks, she uses D.W.'s gasp (which is also used for D.W. herself when she almost touches a spider inside the organ).
• In the closeup where Jane takes off the ring, you can see that she's wearing pink nail polish.
• This episode and the next episode were encoded to work with ActiMates Arthur and D.W. on June 29, 1998
• When D.W. is searching for the ring, one of the crowd's worried gasps is a stock gasp in which Buster is clearly heard saying "Uh-oh", even though he does not appear in this episode.
• At the end of the episode, D.W.’s dress is covered in dirt but in "Grandpa Dave's Memory Album", her dress is clean in the picture of her dancing with Grandpa Dave.
• In this episode, Lucy's hair is blonde and her husband's hair is brown. "Grandpa Dave's Memory Album" swapped their hair colors for unknown reasons.
• At the end of the 2000 rerun intro on PBS Kids before this episode, Arthur’s crashing sound remains the same.
• Karma: Cora was spoiled to D.W., so she is no longer the flower girl.
• Moral: Dont be rude to others for your own benefits.
• Timeline:
  • D.W. mentions Arthur losing the wedding ring at Lucy's wedding in "D.W. Unties the Knot."
  • D.W. mentions Lucy's wedding in "Go to Your Room, D.W.." However, she thinks that she did not attend it.
  • There are pictures of Lucy's wedding from this episode in Grandpa Dave's Memory Album.

Cultural references

• Flowers 'R' Us is a parody of Toys "R" Us.
• Richard Wagner's Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin, also known as Here Comes the Bride, is heard several times.

Errors

• Before the photographer takes the picture, he is white. When D.W. leaves, he is brown.
• During the interior view of the catering van, the two seats in the front appear to be close together when they should be spaced apart.
• While the Reads are on the way to the wedding, Kate rides along in the van; however, when they were at the wedding and waving goodbye to Aunt Lucy and her husband, she is gone.
• When his mother hands the ring to Arthur, her skin is a slighty darker than usual.

Differences from the book

• When Arthur loses the ring, it flies into the organ. In the book, the ring rolls into the floor vent.
• Cora didn't want to retrieve the ring because she would get her dress dirty. In the book, she offered to go down the ventilation shaft to get it, but like Arthur, she was too big.     
• At the end of the book Arthur is seen shaking Lucy's husband's hand but in the end of the episode, Arthur is seen just waving good-bye to Aunt Lucy and her husband as they leave for their honeymoon.
• Uncle Shelly, who was one of the wedding guests in the book doesn't appear in the TV adaptation.
• Lucy's hair is slightly straighter than in the books.
• Arthur's tuxedo is teal-colored but in the book, it was gray.
• Cora's flower girl dress is purple but in the book, it was yellow and she wears pink nail polish and shoes with bows.

Episode connections

• Arthur is the ring bearer and says boys are only those, but Cora is suddenly the ring bearer even if she's a girl during D.W.'s made up story in I'd Rather Read It Myself.

Gallery

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  Cora rudely gives her cousin Arthur a stern warning that making a mistake ruins the whole wedding, so to watch it.

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  Aunt Lucy taking the flower girl positron off from Coras face but Cora puts it back on her head

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