Fern and the Case of the Stolen Story

"Fern and the Case of the Stolen Story"
Season/Series:	16
Number in season:	9a
Original Airdate:	May 9, 2013; April 23, 2013; December 20, 2012;
	Credits
Written by:	Craig Carlisle
Storyboard by:	Jeremy O'Neill
	Episodes
Previous; "On the Buster Scale"	Next; "Sue Ellen Vegges Out"
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"Fern and the Case of the Stolen Story" is the first half of the ninth episode in the sixteenth season of Arthur.

Summary[edit]

The unthinkable has happened! Fern has writer's block! Fortunately, Ladonna is full of stories. Faced with a tight deadline, Fern plans to "borrow" the tales and simply change the names. Has Fern confused right and wrong?^[4]

Plot[edit]

Arthur talks about how many people have a story to tell, but no one has more stories than Fern. Then he hears Fern sigh about not getting a story. Muffy asks her how the story is going and Fern says that she is writing a storm. Muffy tells her that her story will be the main event at Muffy's Fiction forum the next day and that a famous writer is going to be there. She also adds that the writer will definitely like her stories. Then, Fern imagines a scene about telling a story called Blank and Muffy gets provoked. William Shakespeare appears and says that he traveled 404 years into the future for nothing and says Fern is a fraud. She shakes the screen desperately for an idea.

Fern and the Case of the Stolen Story

Ladonna asks Fern if she wants to play catch. Fern answers that she has no time to play because she needs to write a whole story in one day. Ladonna starts telling Fern a story about her aunt who plays bingo. She also tells her about a mysterious man who always comes and wins bingo. Fern decides to write a story about bingo and Aunt Sabel and reads it at Muffy's Fiction Forum. When Ladonna hears the story, she realizes that Fern used her ideas. Muffy says to write another story for the next gathering, and adds that the guest writer couldn't come. Ladonna and Fern start arguing about the story. Ladonna says she should ask her next time. Ladonna starts to tell about a story about her uncle Silas. Fern interrupts and starts to work on her story. When Binky says he wonders how Fern makes the stories, Ladonna gets angry at him. At Fern's house, it is seen she is trying to write a story with crumbled papers on the floor and the same writer seen earlier in her fantasy says that she has writer's block. Fern tries to call Ladonna about borrowing her story but she is asleep. She decides to write a story using Siras. She tells the story at Muffy's Fiction Forum and everyone enjoys her story. Ladonna makes a story about a girl named Ferb who stole stories and Fern complains that it was about her. Fern starts arguing with Ladonna about stealing stories and Muffy says their stories are dull and boring. Fern says that Siras isn't Silas and Sabel isn't Mabel. Soon she admits that she has writer's block. Ladonna says she did start writing about the Grey Dove. Muffy announces that the guest author has come: Ed Crosswire.

Characters[edit]

Trivia[edit]

4th Wall Break: Fern asked for an idea from the viewers.
Moral: Don't steal stories for your own benefits.

Errors[edit]

When Fern finds The Grey Dove, the audience hears him cackle, but his mouth isn't shown moving.
When Watteau pronounces ‘hunch’ as ‘oonch’, the Grey Dove repeats it with a French ‘u’-sound, even though he does not know which word Watteau is trying to say.

Episode connections[edit]

The Grey Dove, Virgule Watteau and Bastings appear again after appearing in "Phony Fern". The Grey Dove had appeared again separately in "The Trouble with Trophies".
Francine plagiarized an article for her Thanksgiving project in "Francine's Pilfered Paper".

Cultural references[edit]

Fern imagines William Shakespeare giving her advice on improving her writing skills.
Fern's short story title, Dial B for Bingo, is a nod to Dial M for Murder, the 1954 Alfred Hitchcock thriller film.
- Title is also simliar to Dial M for Monkey and Dial M for mustard