Sue Ellen's Little Sister

"Sue Ellen's Little Sister"
Season/Series:	2
Number in season:	20B
Original Airdate:	April 17, 1998; September 18, 1998; February 20, 2002;
	Credits
Written by:	Peter K. Hirsch
Storyboard by:	Stéfanie Gignac
	Episodes
Previous; "How the Cookie Crumbles"	Next; "Buster's Back"
	Read transcript

"Sue Ellen's Little Sister" is the second half of the twentieth episode in the second season of Arthur.

Summary[edit]

Sue Ellen feels lonesome and wishes that she had a sibling. When her parents are reluctant, she goes out to find one instead. Her initial sentiment changes as she discovers that having siblings does come with its drawbacks.

Plot[edit]

The intro begins with Arthur pouring himself a glass of milk, and about to eat a brownie. D.W. comes in asking him if he's seen the parade outside, but Arthur says that it's raining outside to which D.W. explains that it's a rain parade and that the marching band is in rain coats with a float shaped like an umbrella and that it's right outside.

Arthur runs to the window, but doesn't see anything and when he comes back he sees that D.W. has eaten half of his brownie and Kate accidentally knocks his glass of milk over, causing it to spill on the floor.

Arthur explains to the viewers that he sometimes wishes he was an only child because life would be easier and that he could use D.W. and Kate's room as his own library (he imagines using D.W. and Kate's room as his own library where he finds a Princess Sneeze-and-Wet doll, but throws it away and continues reading, he also thinks that he might get more presents at Christmas, (he imagines at Christmas that all three of the stockings have his name on it), and finally he believes that with him being an only child he would never have to compromise (he imagines himself sitting on the couch with Pal telling Pal that they will watch The Bionic Bunny Special, then a Bionic Bunny rerun, and this his tape of his favorite Bionic Bunny episodes to which Pal barks in agreement.

Back in present day, David calls to him from the kitchen asking him if he ate the last brownie. Arthur eats the brownie and tells the viewers that there is one good thing about having a younger sister and calls to his father and tells him that D.W. ate the brownie, smiles at the viewers and Kate laughs as the intro ends.

TITLE CARD

This episode starts with the Sibling Festival with Sue Ellen painting a picture at the park and watching her friends race with their siblings in The Brother and Sister Race.

Arthur is steering D.W. to which she tells him to go straight, but he accidentally goes to far and causes himself to roll over D.W. Sue Ellen tells them that it looks like fun, but D.W. says it's not with Arthur steering because last time he almost drove her into the lake.

Sue Ellen offers to be D.W.'s partner next time, but Arthur tells her she can't because it's a brother and sister race. D.W. tells her that maybe there will be a contest for lonely children afterwards, to which Arthur tells D.W. that it's only children and that a lonely child is what she's going to be when he sells her. After that, Sue Ellen sees Francine and Catherine doing cheerleading. Catherine then tells Francine to raise her hands higher on the O's, but it was a trick and Catherine tickles her.

During the evening fireworks show, Sue Ellen continues to feel saddened as she observes the other families enjoying their time together. During the car ride home, she tells her parents that she wants a little brother or sister for her birthday, but they remark that they would not be able to travel around as much if they had another child.

The next day Sue Ellen reminisces how great it would be to have an older brother, then notices Binky outside her window and goes to seek his advice regarding her career interests of being an oceanographer or an artist. They head to The Sugar Bowl, where Binky dismisses oceanography as boring, and instead leaves with the goal of becoming a "worm-ographer". At the library Sue Ellen and Brain go through encyclopedias to research the oceans and art history, after which Sue Ellen loses interest with oceanography. She then heads to the Reads' house, but also becomes bored with Arthur's hobbies.

Sue Ellen changes her plan and heads off to find a sister instead. She heads to the Deegan's house where Prunella and Rubella are performing magic tricks. The phone rings and Rubella leaves to answer it, but instructs the two girls to remain in the room until she returns. Thirty minutes pass before Wanda invites the girls down for lunch, and upon Sue Ellen asking, tells them that Rubella had gone to the movies with her friends. At home for dinner Sue Ellen tells her parents that having an older sister would not work, as Prunella had forced Sue Ellen to only do what she wanted on the basis of being older than her.

The next day Sue Ellen goes to Read's house again to babysit D.W., thinking that she will do everything she asks because she would be her "big sister." This is quickly proven wrong as D.W. does her best to make life difficult for Sue Ellen, which causes her to flee back home. Sue Ellen comes to appreciate the advantages of being an only child after reflecting on what she has learned about the disadvantages of having siblings. Her parents come up to her room to announce they have sponsored a boy in Tibet named Tenzin, whose photo Sue Ellen shows to Arthur, Binky, and Brain at The Sugar Bowl. Sue Ellen says it will be like having a little brother as they will communicate via letters. The episode finishes with Arthur claiming that Tenzin is the perfect little brother, as he lives 3,000 miles away from Elwood City.

Characters[edit]

Main[edit]

Sue Ellen Armstrong

Recurring[edit]

Background[edit]

Songs[edit]

"Francine's Lakewood Cheer"

Trivia[edit]

George and his sister are shown together in this episode.
This episode reveals that Steve and Maria are related.
The DVD release "Arthur: Brothers and Sisters" has this episode's opening teaser edited out, instead starting at the title card.
In this episode James MacDonald has an older unnamed brother but later on it is revealed that Molly MacDonald is his older sibling.
In this episode Fern Walters has a little unknown name sister but in later episodes it is revealed that she is an only child.
Also, in this episode, Tenzin is shown as being black, chubby and with red shorts but in the later episodes, "So Funny I Forgot to Laugh" and "Wish You Were Here," he looks completely different being white with black ears and black around his eyes.
Binky says he wants to study worms. The study of worms is called oligochaetology.
This marks the 100th individual episode of the series.
Timeline: Fish Finder 6 reappears from "Francine Redecorates."
Moral:
- Being an only child is okay.
- You can't change people for the sake of being a sibling to them.

Cultural references[edit]

Space Wars is a parody of Star Wars.
Brain's art book mentions painters Giotta di Bondone and Mark Rothko.

Episode connections[edit]

Arthur mentions D.W.'s name standing for "Disaster Warning," which she uses as her name in Virtual Goose, located in Sue Ellen Gets Her Goose Cooked.

Errors[edit]

When Sue Ellen goes up to D.W.'s bedroom to see her, she is seen wearing yellow and green hair scrunchies. In a couple of scenes following, they switch to both being green. Then, in the next scene they go back to being yellow and green.
During the fireworks scene, Laverne Frensky says "aw" in Francine's voice.