04x05 - Gets Swamped

[bunniefuu]

[Beep beep]

Seat belts, everyone!

Please let this be a normal field trip.

With the frizz?

All: no way! Oh!

♪ Cruisin' on down main street

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[Beep beep]

What feels like a scuzzy glob of mud?

What smells like a scuzzy glob of mud?

[Sniffs]

Yuck!

And what looks like a scuzzy glob of mud?

This swamp, that's what!

Yuck!

Who needs something smelly and useless

When you can have an awesome new mall instead? Tell me!

Everybody: nobody!

Tell me again!

Nobody!

I'm ready.

You convinced me, carlos.

You're going to win the debate for sure.

Yeah, and you didn't even mention all these pesky mosquitoes.

Or the fact that it's so wet here

Where the river flows into the swamp.

Face it! This swamp is worthless.

Agreed! Whoever you're debating doesn't stand a chance.

Unless you have to argue the other side--

To keep the swamp and put the mall somewhere else.

Never happen, d.a. I haven't lost a coin flip yet.

Ms. Frizzle: yoo-hoo! Class!

You know what I just saw? An agelaius phoeniceus!

Everyone: huh?

A red-winged blackbird.

Isn't that exciting?

[Lukewarm response] uh-huh.

[Sniffs] ooh, my!

Something wrong, ms. Frizzle?

On the contrary, carlos.

Things couldn't be more right.

That's for sure, ms. Frizzle, and I've got it all on tape

So carlos can prove what a useless place this swamp is.

Careful, tim! That old tree looks like it could fall down any second.

Let's go. I don't want to be late for the debate.

Ah, you won't get an argument from me. Ha ha!

Coming, bus?

All aboard, class.

[Thunder]

[Murmuring]

Man: the walkerville town council is now in session.

I'm mr. Popple, your chairman.

Thanks to ms. Frizzle,

The finals of the great debate are being held not only to decide the winner

But to allow the children of walkerville a voice in our political system.

The issue to be debated is,

Should our new mall be built here in the swamp across the river

Or someplace else?

The rules are simple.

One side will argue in favor of building the mall in the swamp.

And the other side will argue against building the mall in the swamp.

Where is the other side?

At the conclusion of the debate, the council will vote yea or nay on the motion.

Shall we begin?

I'm afraid the other side isn't here yet, mr. Popple.

Oh, yes, it is.

Audience: janet!

My cousin never told me she was in the finals.

You're the other side?

The winning side, you mean.

Hi, cuz.

[Gasps]

Excuse me, mr. Popple. Shall I flip a coin?

Flip away, ms. Frizzle.

Whoever wins the toss

Argues in favor of putting the mall in the swamp.

Is that understood?

I'll call it.

Be my guest.

Heads or tails, carlos?

Heads.

If you say so.

Tails.

Oh, dear.

That means I have to argue to keep the swamp.

[Audience gasps]

Is that a problem, carlos?

No, no. I just need a little more time to prepare. Please.

[Whispering]

Both sides report back here at 1:00 sharp

Ready to argue.

How could this happen, ms. Frizzle?

That was the first coin flip I ever lost, and I lost it to janet!

Don't take it so hard, carlos.

As my great-great- uncle lincoln douglas once said,

A good debate is like a pancake.

It's got to get cooked on both sides.

What is she talking about?

Well, I'm the one who's cooked.

How can I come up with any good reasons to keep the swamp

And put the mall someplace else?

Well, what about these?

At least they're pretty.

Ah, yes! One of my favorites: the marsh mallow plant.

As in... Marshmallows?

According to my muskrat's guide to the swamp,

The marsh mallow plant only grows in wet places,

And its roots are sometimes used to make a sweet syrup...

And marshmallows!

And what do you get when you cover marshmallows with chocolate?

Mallow blasters! Yum!

That's good enough reason for me!

[Bell tolling]

Oh, no! 12:00.

I've got one hour to come up with a good argument

Why the mall shouldn't be built here,

And all I've got is a plant.

What about mallow blasters?

Arnold, janet is sure to argue that the world supply of mallow blasters

Does not depend on this smelly swamp.

Wanda's right. From where I stand,

I can't see one good reason

To put the mall somewhere else.

Well, perhaps if you stood over there,

You might see things from a different point of view.

Over here?

A little more.

That's perfect.

Carlos, a new view of the swamp is coming to you.

Hit it, liz!

I don't believe it!

I didn't get shrunk!

Where'd they go?

Dorothy ann: we're down here!

I still don't see any good reason to keep this swamp. Uh-oh!

[Grr]

Get me out of here! Oof!

[Gasps]

Everybody: carlos!

Run!

Two by two, please, class.

Where are you guys going?

Away! We're being chased by a--

By a giant muskrat!

No, you're not. It's over there.

It's not chasing anything.

Ms. Frizzle: it's just building itself a new home.

Whoa!

[Splash]

Smile, carlos. I think we've been frizzled.

[Bird screeches]

Carlos: oh, no. Not again.

Is it just me, or does that bird look hungry?

Dorothy ann: hide!

[Screaming]

According to my research, that was a marsh hawk.

According to my research, that was a close one,

But we're safe in here.

[Chirping]

Carlos: whoa...

Tim: what a great place to build a nest and raise your kids.

Out of sight and off the menu.

Let's go before we scare them.

It's amazing.

I never realized so many creatures lived in this swamp.

[Buzzing]

Look out! He's gonna get us!

Whoa! Did you guys see that?

The frog just zapped the mosquito right out of the air.

Yeah. You don't want to be on the wrong end of the food chain around here.

That's for sure.

Duck!

Why? Is it that marsh hawk again?

No. Ducks.

But they don't look like the ducks

We see all the time at walkerville pond.

That's because these are wood ducks.

[Quack]

Was it something we said?

Let's see.

It's just lunchtime. That's all.

Dorothy ann: it says in my book that wood ducks eat mosquito larvae.

Ew!

Dorothy ann: wood ducks nest in trees at the edge of swamps

And use the swamp to raise their families.

So they need the swamp to survive, right?

Ms. Frizzle: you got it, carlos.

Got anything else?

Yeah. We've got frogs and muskrats.

And red-winged blackbirds.

And marsh mallow plants.

And good places to hide.

But if swamps weren't here,

The mosquitoes and dragonflies wouldn't be here either.

[Buzzing]

Yeah, but that means the wood ducks and frogs would go hungry.

For them, you might even say that living in a swamp is habit forming.

Ha ha ha!

That's it, ms. Frizzle! This swamp is a habitat,

A place where many plants and animals

Find food and shelter to survive.

And some can't live anywhere else.

Well, if you ask me, it's much too wet.

[Thunder]

Whoa!

Oof!

Ahh. Blech!

Well, look at all this oily stuff

That washed in from the river. Ugh.

What's going to happen to it now?

Excellent question, ralphie.

As they say in the swamp,

Here's mud in your eye!

Everybody: whoa!

Welcome to the s.s. Megamagnifier.

All aboard!

Wanda: wow! This is cool!

I never knew the bus could do this.

Carlos: but, ms. Frizzle, shouldn't we get back for the debate?

I think I'm ready now.

You are?

Keesha: I'm not sure about that, carlos.

You need more facts.

So the swamp's a habitat.

I get the feeling that's not enough of a reason to build the mall somewhere else.

Keesha's right. Janet will say that it's still smelly.

Tim: hey, wait!

Look at this.

The swamp is actually cleaning

The dirty water that flows through it.

Carlos: strange, but true.

The swamp plants are straining gunk out of the water.

The swamp helps clean the water. Beautiful!

Huh. I guess there's more to the swamp than meets the eye.

Ah, too true, carlos.

There's always something new in the goo.

[Sniffs]

Ahh. The sweet smell of swamp gas.

Ew! Put it down, ms. Frizzle.

That stuff stinks!

Dorothy ann: ew! Get it away!

Gas is right, ms. Frizzle.

As a matter of fact, it smells like somebody just--

Everybody: arnold!

Maybe arnold's right.

Look at all these bubbles.

What's going on down there?

Janet: yeah. What's making those bubbles?

Time to go to mega-megamagnifier, liz.

Dorothy ann: awesome!

Ralphie: gruesome!

Carlos: what a gas.

Everybody: carlos!

What are those things?

And what are they doing?

They're bacteria in their own cafeteria, dorothy ann.

And today's specials include rotting plants, fertilizer,

And yes, even globs of oil.

Mmm-mmm.

It's the microbe g*ng!

The guys we saw turning my cucumber into a pickle.

They're too small to see with the naked eye,

But they make really big changes.

It looks like when they finish eating the oil,

Out comes the gas.

[Erk]

So what happens to the water once the bacteria have eaten up all the yuck?

Ms. Frizzle: ahoy, mates!

Waterworks dead ahead!

Keesha: now I see.

Look. The water goes through the wetland,

Then back into the river.

Ralphie: and then into the waterworks.

Dorothy ann: so wouldn't the waterworks have to work a lot harder to clean the river water

If the swamp didn't clean it first?

Ms. Frizzle: boingo, dorothy ann.

Carlos: another reason to keep the swamp.

I'm really ready now, ms. Frizzle.

Oh, that's great.

Because it's time to reinstate the big debate.

[Thunder]

Carlos: the swamp is much more than water and mud and plants.

It's a wetland, a natural habitat filled with lots and lots of life.

It's a giant market where birds and animals feed themselves.

It's where they find shelter.

Take away the swamp to build a mall,

And you take away their habitat.

When winter ends, the songs of birds will be missing,

The cheerful ribbit of a frog on a warm evening will be gone.

Sadly, it will be a silent spring in walkerville.

Oh, why, carlos, that was beautiful.

Point of order, mr. Popple.

I'm afraid janet's correct, ms. Frizzle.

You are out of order.

Please try to keep your remarks to yourself.

Go on, carlos.

Um, well, there's one other thing you should know:

All the different plants help to filter out stuff,

Like oil and gunk,

And teeny-tiny swamp bacteria help clean up the water before it gets to the waterworks.

If it weren't for the swamp, the water would look like this instead of like this.

So when making your decision, remember,

The walkerville wetland is the best land,

Not for the mall, but for the animals and plants which live there

And for all of us who drink water from the waterworks.

Way to go, carlos!

Ralphie: oh, yeah.

Your rebuttal, janet.

Nice try, sport.

Janet: this won't take long, mr. Popple.

First of all, where we now have a stinky swamp

We're gonna have a totally colossal new mall:



And every kind of restaurant a person could want.

Why would you vote against that? Why? 'Cause our swamp is a habitat?

Come on. Move the critters someplace else.

Besides, it stinks.

I knew she'd say that.

Keep the swamp 'cause it filters out oil and gunk?

Give me a break. So does the waterworks.

You said so yourself.

I say up with the mall and down with the swamp.

End of debate.

But the wood duck can't live anyplace but the swamp.

You're out of order, young lady.

The marsh mallow plant can't live anywhere but the wetland either!

You're out of order, too! Sit down!

And the smell is from all the bacteria,

Which are cleaning the water.

You're all out of order! Sit down!

Sorry, class, but we do have to obey the rules of the debate.

Your smelly swamp is history.

It's time now to consider all the arguments.

We'll be back in 5 minutes with our decision.

Why do I have the feeling

I should have stayed home today?

Same reason I have the feeling we've lost.

And not just the debate, either.

[Thunder]

[Thunder]

Carlos: this is about more than just a debate, ms. Frizzle.

Janet's wrong. This isn't just a smelly old swamp.

It's a wetland, and it's important.

I didn't think so at first, but I do now.

We can't let them put the mall there.

What's the matter, carlos?

Afraid you're gonna lose?

By putting the mall where the wetland is,

Walkerville will be the loser.

Oh, yeah? Prove it.

Yes, liz, what is it?

What are you trying to say?

Water? What about water?

It's raining? You're thirsty?

Ralphie: you're drowning...

Ok, what you're trying to tell us sounds like...

Phoebe: dirt! Sounds like dirt!

Dirty.

Messy.

Yucky!

Mud? Sounds like mud?

[Collective gasp]

Flood!

Woman: it's a flood!

Mr. Popple: what are we gonna do? What are we gonna do?

What are we gonna do?

Funny, I was just wondering the same thing.

Maybe there's too much water for the river to hold

And that's why it's overflowing.

But it's rained hard before, and nothing's happened.

In fact, today, extra water coming from the river

Ran right into the wetland and took me with it, remember?

So what's stopping that from happening now?

What indeed? To the bus!

Janet, where are you going?

No way you're going to find out something important without me.

Arnold: look. That big old tree fell down.

Phoebe: it's stopping the floodwater from draining into the swamp.

Carlos: we've got to get that tree out of there quick

Before the whole town gets washed away.

Hang on to your socks, class.

We're going down.

Whee!

[Straining]

Come on! Push!

It won't budge!

This tree is too heavy for us to move!

At my old school, we used a bulldozer to move heavy things.

That's great, phoebe.

And where are we supposed to get a bulldozer?

No problem, janet.

You ought to know by now that when push comes to shove,

We've got it covered. Right, ms. Frizzle?

We do, indeed, arnold! We do, indeed!

Wahoo!

Hit it, liz.

Harder!

Keesha: push!

It's like a giant sponge.

As my third cousin, al gee [algae], always says,

Nothing like a swamp to slow the flow of h2o.

Tell me this isn't happening! Tell me--

It isn't happening!

It isn't?

Nope. The water level's dropping.

The town is saved!

Ms. Frizzle: all clear, mr. Popple.

The flood's a dud.

And you can thank the walkerville wetland for stopping it.

But how?

Carlos: because the wetland is a natural flood control.

It's a place for extra water from the river to go and spread out.

I hate to admit it, but he's right.

Carlos: mr. Popple, if a shopping mall had stood where the swamp is now,

Our great little town would have been wiped out.

I, uh, I see that now.

Not only does a wetland control floods,

It provides a habitat for living things that can't live anyplace else,

And it helps to clean up our water supply.

I say build the mall.

Everybody: what?!

Just build it someplace other than the wetland.

Isn't she out of order?

She is, but she's right.

All in favor of keeping the wetland where it is

And building the mall someplace else

Signify by saying yea!

Everybody: yea!

As I always say, the wetland is the best land.

Is this the magic school bus?

Is this the magic school bus?

Is this the magic school bus?

Is this the magic school bus?

Magic school bus?

Magic school bus?

Magic school bus?

I want the magic school bus!

[Telephone ringing]

"Magic school bus." Producer here.

Boy: kid here. I've got a flood of questions.

Ok, swamp me. Ha ha.

Is that place called the swamp or a wetlands?

In the show, you called it both.

Actually it is both.

A swamp, a marsh, a bog,

Any low-lying place that is wet at least part of the year

Is called a wetland.

And what about all that yuck floating around?

Surely it's not ok to deliberately dump oily water

And gunk in a wetland because the wetland helps to get rid of it.

Good point. It's never ok to pollute.

And don't call me shirley.

You already used that line in your spider show.

Now about the flood.

Floods don't usually happen as quickly as you showed.

Water takes time to build up.

Are you trying to kid us or something?

Look, if there's 1 thing I've learned, you can't kid a kid.

Since we only had 30 minutes, we sped the whole thing up.

And does the wetland really help clean the water supply?

See for yourself.

Just take a glass of water, add some dirt,

And stir it around with a spoon.

The stirring motion is like the current

Stirring up the mud in the river.

Then pour the muddy water into a glass baking dish,

And that's your wetland.

A dish of muddy water?

Almost. Let it sit for about an hour.

And you'll see how all the heavy mud has settled to the bottom

And the water on top is a lot cleaner.

And that's one way a wetland works to clean things up.

But even though it's cleaner,

You shouldn't drink the water.

It hasn't gone through the waterworks,

So it isn't safe for human or lizard consumption.

Thanks for calling, and remember--

I know.

[Slurp]

Both: the wetland is the best land.

[Beep beep]

♪ Surfin' on a sound wave

♪ Swingin' through the stars

♪ Take a left at your intestine ♪

♪ Take your second right past mars ♪

♪ Step inside, it's a wilder ride! ♪

♪ Come on

♪ Ride on the magic school bus

[Beep beep]