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Sue Ellen's Lost Diary
| "Sue Ellen's Lost Diary" | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Season/Series: | 2 |
| Number in season: | 14A |
| Original Airdate: |  April 9, 1998[1] |
| Credits | |
| Written by: | Peter K. Hirsch |
| Storyboard by: | Ivan Tankushev |
| Episodes | |
| Previous "Arthur the Unfunny" |
Next "Arthur's Knee" |
| Read transcript | |
"Sue Ellen's Lost Diary" is the first half of the fourteenth episode in the second season of Arthur. It was later adapted into the book Arthur and the Lost Diary.
Summary[edit]
While helping Sue Ellen look for her missing journal, her friends start to wonder what exactly is in it.
Plot[edit]
In the introduction, Arthur imagines what it would be like to look into people's minds. He tries it on his family and sees D.W. playing with a doll-sized Arthur and Pal thinking of food. When he tries it on his parents, they notice him and think of him going to bed. Arthur concludes that it is better to not know what people are thinking. Sue Ellen loses her diary in the library. She accuses Francine for taking it, but Francine is just reading a joke book.
Francine told Muffy that Sue Ellen seemed really upset and Muffy wondered if there was something in Sue Ellen's diary about Francine. Francine was curious and asked what Sue Ellen would write about her. Muffy suggested that Sue Ellen might have written about the mean things Francine had done to her, like when she pushed her in the mud. Francine denied pushing Sue Ellen, claiming that she tripped. Muffy believed that Sue Ellen might still think Francine did it on purpose. In Francine's dream, Sue Ellen was seen talking to Dr. Zimmer, a specialist in mean children. Dr. Zimmer diagnosed Sue Ellen's friend with acute ogreism, a disease that causes uncontrollable mean behavior. Sue Ellen was shocked to hear that Francine exhibited similar symptoms. Dr. Zimmer concluded that there was no help for Francine and recommended keeping her away from other children. In the dream, Francine was isolated in a hospital, playing cards with two nurses and unable to play with her friends in the playroom due to her supposed contagious ogreism. She insisted that she wasn't that mean, but the adults didn't believe her. Back in reality, Francine told Muffy that she didn't have ogreism. Muffy reminded her that they didn't know for sure if she’s in the diary. and Francine needed to find out the truth.
Back at the library, Muffy offers to help Sue Ellen look for her diary. Then Muffy runs into Binky, who claims he didn't read Sue Ellen's diary. Binky runs off to find it, only to bump into Arthur. As Arthur tries to get his books, he finds Sue Ellen's diary, which he reports to his friends. As Arthur and his friends look at the diary, they were trying to choose whether to read it or not. Meanwhile, Sue Ellen was explaining about her diary when Arthur and his friends show up and gave her the diary. Later, as Arthur and Sue Ellen are heading home they pass by Arthur's house where he reassures her diary is still private. Relieved Sue Ellen told Arthur that he would’ve been embarrassed as she said some pretty nice things about him making him blush then heads home herself.
Characters[edit]
- Sue Ellen Armstrong
- Arthur Read
- Binky Barnes
- Paige Turner
- Francine Frensky
- Muffy Crosswire
- D.W. Read
- Jane Read
- David Read
- Pal
- Patrick (cameo)
- Maria Pappas (cameo)
- George Lundgren (cameo)
- Rattles (cameo)
- Jenna Morgan (cameo)
- Fern Walters (cameo)
- 3rd Grade Male Cat (cameo)
- Beulah McInnerny (cameo)
- 3rd Grade Male Dog (cameo)
- Billy (cameo)
Trivia[edit]
- In Arthur's Really Rockin' Music Mix Sue Ellen claims she can't sing but in this episode she was singing perfectly.
- At the end of the 2000 rerun intro on PBS Kids before this episode, Arthur’s crashing sound changes to a big splash of water.
- Sue Ellen's implied to have a crush on Arthur while Binky's implied to have a crush on Sue Ellen.
- 4th Wall Break: This crush is also based on how Marc Brown based Sue Ellen on his first girlfriend and Arthur on himself.
- Timeline: Sue Ellen's comment at the end, "I said some pretty nice things about you!" is a reference to Arthur's original crush on her in the books.
- Moral: Respect people's privacy.
Cultural references[edit]
- Muffy uses her hair to descend the tower, like Rapunzel.
- Diaries was a plot point in LYB and Snoops On
Episode connections[edit]
- During Muffy's fantasy, she plays as Princess Millicenta who wears a blue princess dress and long curly hair. After the dragon comes into the castle, Millicenta began to wear her blue princess hat. After the knight is stuck in the castle door, Millicent's hat is gone. When Millicenta comes out of her castle, she wears a single braid, but still wearing a princess dress. However, in "Arthur's New Friend" and "Arthur's Perfect Christmas," Muffy stills wears a princess dress and a princess hat, but double braids just like in her original appearance.
- Sue Ellen's diary is a major plot point in "April 9th."
Errors[edit]
- At the end of the episode, Sue Ellen and Arthur are outside talking, but when Arthur blushes after Sue Ellen leaves on her bike, he is suddenly inside the library.
Differences between the book and the Episode[edit]
- In the book, Sue Ellen's diary was red with "My Diary," "Private," and "Do not open," on it. In the episode, it was yellow with "Private" written on it in various languages.
- In the book, she imagined Binky lifting the school bus out of the mud from the rear. In the episode, he was walking on the kickball court with the bus on one hand.
Home Video[edit]
DVD:
Gallery[edit]
Sue Ellens Diary
References[edit]
