Double Dare

"Double Dare"
Season/Series:	5
Number in season:	1b
Original Airdate:	September 25, 2000 January 8, 2001
Credits
Written by:	Kathy Waugh
Storyboard by:	Guylaine Seguin Lyndon Ruddy Greg Huculak
Episodes
Previous "Arthur and the Big Riddle"	Next "Kids are from Earth, Parents are from Pluto"
Read transcript

"Double Dare" is the second half of the first episode in the fifth season of Arthur. It was later adapted into the book Arthur and the Double Dare.

Summary

Arthur's wish to play hooky becomes a group pact when the kids start daring and double-daring one another, so things go as planned.

Plot

The intro starts with Arthur and Buster in the bathroom. Arthur asks the viewers if they knew how something big can start from something small and proceeds to show instances of this. D.W. is playing Crazy Bus and Arthur tells her to stop before he goes wild and eats the cushions. We then shift to D.W. having a tantrum over sunshine and yelling for rain. Back at the bathroom, Arthur explains that this mess started over less than nothing, foreshadowing what's to come.

Double Dare

Arthur, Buster, Francine, and Brain resent the large amount of homework they are assigned by Mr. Ratburn, which they believe will prevent them from watching a new Dark Bunny TV special. When Arthur states that he will one day not complete his homework and skip school, Francine dares him to prove his point. An anxious Arthur immediately dares her back, with Francine consequently daring Buster, and Buster daring Brain.

Arthur and his friends planning something

Realizing that they need a plan, the four friends devise a simple path they will walk the next morning instead of their usual route to school. After his friends leave, D.W. becomes wary of Arthur's behavior, with Arthur repeatedly rejecting his guilt, culminates in a humorous accidental outburst at their mother in the living room when she inquiries if he has homework to complete ("I told you already, I am not guilty, so leave me alone already!").

The next morning, Brain receives Buster's message (though he is confused by Buster's referring to the giant clam in his and Arthur's dreams), but Francine fails to receive the message on the Frenskys' answering machine due to wearing headphones. As a result, she carries on with the dare.

Arthur and Buster are worried when Francine does not show up to class. Meanwhile, Francine curses the boys for not arriving, and runs up to the school's entrance. Unfortunately, the doors are already locked, and Francine discovers that she is stuck. 

Francine attracts Arthur and Buster's attention through the classroom window, and further realizes that she did not receive Buster's message. However, she is forced to hide when Mr. Ratburn (who is discussing last night's TV with Mr. Marco) looks in the friends' direction.

After a failed attempt to get Francine into the school unnoticed through the boys' bathroom, Binky agrees to distract Mr. Ratburn by pretending that something is wrong with his shoe. However, Arthur, Buster and Francine discover that Binky's plan was miscalculated due to the three friends being in the wrong location at the wrong time (Arthur and Buster at the school entrance, and Francine at a side entrance).

Binky's diversion flunks, and Francine is caught tardy by Mr. Ratburn. As he confronts Arthur, Francine, and Buster, their chaotic explanations draw the attention of Principal Haney, who occurs from the other side of the double doors. He inquires about the noise, then turns to Francine, requesting a reason for her lateness. Flustered, she stammered, "I uh... I er..." Mr. Haney, unimpressed, orders the trio to report to his office directly to address the situation.

Arthur, Buster, Binky, and Francine were waiting outside the principal's office. Inside, Mr. Haney and Mr. Ratburn were talking to Francine's dad about what had happened. Francine felt terrible about possibly being expelled and blamed Arthur for getting her into trouble.

Just then, Oliver, Mr. Ratburn, and Mr. Haney came out, and Oliver was disappointed in Francine. He asked her how she could even get the idea about skipping school. Francine tried to reprimand Arthur again, but she finally admitted it was her own idea. Mr. Haney informed her that she would have to stay after school for the next week as a consequence for what she did and makes sure it doesn’t happen again.

Feeling sorry for Francine, Arthur and Buster confessed to Mr. Ratburn, Mr. Haney, and Oliver that they had dared Francine to skip school and they wanted to be penalized. Binky also wanted to be punished but changed his mind when Arthur reminded him he wasn't involved. Mr. Ratburn commended Arthur and Buster for their honesty in clarifying their missed homework but chose not to punish them since they were in school. Instead, he assigned them an extra task as a reward for their missed homework. To Arthur and Buster's relief, they accepted the extra assignment with enthusiasm. However, Mr. Haney and Oliver, shook their heads in disapproval of Francine’s behavior.

Mr. Marco was pouring coffee in the teacher's lounge when Mr. Ratburn entered, looking exhausted. As they chatted, Mr. Ratburn mentioned needing a videotape. Mr. Marco handed it over, and Mr. Ratburn conveyed his frustration with students skipping school and ignoring their homework. However, when he switched on the TV to watch the tape, the screen showed a preview for a cartoon movie, "Dark Bunny." A relaxed smile spread across Mr. Ratburn's face as he sat back to enjoy the animated adventure. Mr. Marco exuberantly clarified the film's highlights, mainly a particularly gruesome scene pertaining to a giant clam.

Characters

Major

• Arthur Read
• Buster Baxter
• Francine Frensky
• The Brain
• Francis Haney
• Nigel Ratburn
• Binky Barnes

Minor

• Mr. Marco
• Oliver Frensky
• D.W. Read
• Jane Read
• David Read

Cameo

• Kate Read
• 3rd Grade Male Cat
• Maria Pappas
• 3rd Grade Male Rabbit
• Jenna Morgan
• George Lundgren
• Alex
• Ms. Tingley
• Prunella Deegan
• Muffy Crosswire
• Fern Walters
• 3rd Grade Male Dog
• Luke
• Steve
• 3rd Grade Male Rat
• 3rd Grade Male Dog (Number 3)
• Brian
• Jack Weasel

Trivia

• This is David Read's 100th appearance in the series.
• The jacket Francine is wearing is similar to George's in "George Blows His Top."
• This is the first episode to use the Hot-Air Balloon as a title card.
• It is revealed that Francine weighs less than Arthur.
• This is one of the only Arthur episodes to show urinals.
• It is revealed that The teacher longe has a TV so teachers can watch shows.
• Karma: Arthur and his friends skipped school, so they got in trouble.
• Moral: Don't give kids too much homework for your own benefits.
• Timeline:
  • Mr. Marco's Dark Bunny tape is of the episode seen in "The Last of Mary Moo Cow."
  • Crazy Bus is heard in a flashback.
  • As in “That’s a Baby Show”, D.W. does not want to be in the room when Dark Bunny is on.
• Irony:
  • Francine could have checked her telephone to see if there was a new message.
  • Arthur and his friends could have recorded/Taped the episode so they would watch it.

Errors

• When Buster says "Uh-oh" in the bathroom for the second time, the back of his left shoe flashes red for a frame.

Episode connections

• The subject of taking dares too seriously was also the focus of "Buster and the Daredevils." In that episode, Buster and Arthur both learn why they should not accept dares for any reason, and yet in this episode they (also Francine and Brain) initially accept the dare and still believe that they're obliged to go through with it until they are met with the consequences of it.

Cultural references

• Mr. Ratburn mentions watching a film about English novelist and playwright John Galsworthy.
• Mr. Ratburn mentions that something is indebted to German Expressionism. He is apparently talking about Dark Bunny, which is true regarding the backdrops.
• Double Dare is a parody of Double Dare, a slime show on Nickelodeon.
• On the Dark Bunny video, a character resembling the Riddler is briefly seen.

Home Media

• DVD: Arthur's Double Dare
• VHS: Arthur's Double Dare

Gallery

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