Swept Away/Transcript

Introduction

Arthur walks onto the balcony of a clock tower and stands beside the large clockface.

Arthur: Have you ever noticed how different people have different senses of time? Like D.W. Sometimes she thinks a minute is like an hour.

Flashback: D.W., Kate and Arthur sit in the backseat of a car.

D.W.: Are we there yet?

Arthur: D.W., that's the eighth time you've asked. You can't ask again for at least ten minutes.

Kate: (giggles)

D.W.: Okay. Are the ten minutes up yet?

Arthur: (groans)

Flashback: Arthur and Buster are sitting in the Sugar Bowl while the waitress is taking their orders.

Arthur: Then there's Buster time, which is closely linked to his stomach.

Buster: I'll have the Harry Mills Meatball Experience.

Arthur: Buster, it's only nine in the morning. It's breakfast time.

Buster: I’ve already had breakfast. This is lunch.

Arthur: But if you have lunch now, you'll be really hungry by dinner.      The waitress brings a large bowl of pickles.

Buster: Not if I have dinner at lunch. And tonight I'll get a head start on tomorrow's breakfast.   He offers Arthur a pickle.

Arthur: Eew!

Buster: I'm just a meal ahead of you. Mmm! Pickles!    He bites into the pickle.

The flashbacks end.

Arthur: Sometimes, it seems like time is going really fast.   Arthur grabs hold of the big clock hand which is now moving very fast.   (fast:)  Like when you go to an amusement park with all your friends and the day just flies by and everything's over before you know it!   Mr. Ratburn looks out of a window above the clock and hands Arthur two sheets of paper.

Mr. Ratburn: You have ten minutes to complete this test.     The hand now moves very slowly.

Arthur: Sometimes it goes really slowly (slowly:)  like when you take a test and don't know the answers.    He crumples up the paper and throws it away. Then he jumps back on the balcony.   But there's one thing that never changes about time: You can't stop it. Or can you?    He holds on to the big clock hand.   (grunts) Is it working? I don't know how long I've… (grunts)   The clock hand vibrates and bends at the end.

#

(Title card)

Swept Away

Writer: Peter K. Hirsch --- Storyboard Artist: Jean Lacombe

Binky Barnes: (V.O.) Swept Away!

Pal: (barks)

Arthur: Yeah!

(episode begins)

Pal: (barks excitedly)

Arthur wearing yellow and green swim trunks and carrying an orange boogie board with a white stripe runs out of a blue vacation home towards the beach, followed by Buster who is wearing a shower cap and carrying a purple boogie board with a picture of a wave on it, and by D.W. who is carrying a shark pool toy

All: Beach!

lifeguard in lifeguard chair blows whistle and points thumb towards red flag on chair.

Buster: Aw, red flag that means we can't swim because the ocean's too rough

Arthur: I’m sure it’ll change in a little bit.

#

D.W. draws a large building plan in the sand with a stick.

D.W.: Okay. We'll put the princess's bedroom here and her swimming pool here. Oh, and don't forget the stables for the unicorns!

Arthur: D.W.! This is not going to be a fairy princess castle!

Buster: Yeah, it's Dark Bunny's ice fortress!

Arthur: But it's all sand! It should be the citadel on Saturn from episode 38.

Buster: But that was destroyed in episode 112. Hey, let's do something from episode 331.

Arthur: You mean the “Cave of Crab Men”?

Buster: No, no. Dr. Origami's paper palace! Remember those terrifying swans?   D.W. sits in the sand with a small shovel.

D.W.: Fine, we can build whatever you want. Let's just start.    She starts digging.

#

The sun is low in the sky. The kids are putting the finishing touches on the sandcastle. Buster hands Arthur seashells.

Buster: Here. I found some more doors.     Arthur puts two shells on the castle’s door. The grown-ups are packing up.

Mrs. Read: Come on, kids, time to go!

D.W.: Just a sec, I've got to feed the seahorse.     She puts down some kelp next to a dead seahorse and pets it.

Grandma Thora: Sweet Petunia! That is one of the best sandcastles I have ever seen.

Buster: What should we call it?

D.W.: Princess Misty's Mermaid Mansion.

Arthur+Buster: No!      Buster holds up a starfish.

Buster: Hey, look! We could call it the Starfish Enterprise.

D.W.: Enterprise? I can't even say that word!

Arthur: You just said it.

D.W.: Well I don't like it. I say we call it Castle Starfish.

Arthur: Okay, Castle Starfish it is.     Buster nods. Arthur puts the starfish on the top tower of the castle.

#

At night Arthur and Buster sleep in a bunk bed in a hotel room. Arthur has the lower bunk. D.W. comes in.

Buster: (snores)

D.W.: Arthur!

Arthur: Ah! Yeah?   He puts on his glasses.  D.W., what are you doing up? It's the middle of the night.

D.W.: I couldn't sleep. Grandma snores.     Arthur takes earplugs out of his ears and gives them to D.W.

Arthur: Oh, here. You can borrow my earplugs. Now go to bed.

D.W.: I've been thinking of what we should add to Castle Starfish. Princess Misty needs a guesthouse for the pony.

Arthur: It's not a princess castle. Anyway, it'll probably be gone by tomorrow.

D.W.: Why?

Arthur: Because the tide will have come in and washed it away.

D.W.: What's a tide?

Arthur: It’s the movement of the ocean. At certain times of the day the water comes farther up the beach. Take my word for it, that castle is just a heap of sand now.     D.W. walks away looking sad.

#

The next day the kids run to the beach. Except for one side of the outer wall the castle is still standing.

D.W.: Ha! See, Mr. Pessimister?!

Buster: It's a miracle!            He runs to the castle. The others follow.

Arthur: It's not a miracle, Buster. We must have built it right above the high-tide mark.

D.W.: But I chose the spot and I didn't even know what a tide was.

Buster: She's got a point!

D.W.: See? Some people see the glass as half full, other people just have glasses.    Arthur starts digging.

Arthur: We should make the moat bigger, just in case the tide comes in farther. Come on, let's get started!