12x08 - The Blackout/Mei Lin Takes a Stand

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♪ Every day, when you're
walking down the street ♪

♪ Everybody that you meet
has an original point of view ♪

(laughing)

♪ And I say, hey ♪
Hey!

♪ What a wonderful kind of day ♪

♪ If we could learn
to work and play ♪

♪ And get along
with each other ♪

♪ You got to listen to
your heart, listen to the beat ♪

♪ Listen to the rhythm,
the rhythm of the street ♪

♪ Open up your eyes,
open up your ears ♪

♪ Get together and make things
better by working together ♪

♪ It's a simple message,
and it comes from the heart ♪

♪ Believe in yourself ♪
♪ Believe in yourself ♪

♪ For that's the place
to start ♪
♪ Place to start ♪

♪ And I say, hey ♪
Hey!

Hey!
♪ What a wonderful kind of day ♪

♪ If we could learn to work
and play ♪

♪ And get along
with each other ♪

Hey!
♪ What a wonderful kind of day ♪

Hey!
♪ What a wonderful kind
of day ♪

Hey!

ARTHUR (on TV):
Hey, D.W.!

Hey!

Whoa!
(loud thud)

(letters shattering)

DR. JAKE (over radio):
Good evening, Elwood City!

Well, the sun may be setting,
but the temperature is rising.

You think this is bad,

wait till tomorrow.

You'll be able to fry eggs
on your driveway.

So crank up those air-cons
and stay tuned to

Dr. Jake, the Weather Maestro,
for the latest on the heat wave.

(air conditioner starts)

Okay, just a few more questions

and we'll be done.
(giggling)

Now, Ed, I noticed you deducted

your shoes on your Schedule C.

Thanks, honey.

Move over.

This is the only really cool
spot in the whole house.

Are there any
ice cubes left?

Things have a way of
disappearing in that freezer.

There's plenty
of ice, D.W.

MR. READ:
Arthur, could you help me
carry something?

There better be some of this
lemonade left when I come back.

Trust me, Arthur.

(Arthur groans)

This is the biggest ham
I've ever seen!

(grunts)

It's for a graduation party
I'm catering tomorrow.

(grunts)

(sighs)
It just fits.

Thank goodness.

It needs to stay cold
until tomorrow.

Ed, I-I just don't think
dental floss

can be counted
as a business expense...

(gasps)

Ed? Ed?

Hello?

(air conditioner stops)

Hey!

Where'd the cold air go?

(electrical sizzling)

(crying)

(camera shutter clicks)

DR. JAKE:
Yes, sirree, Elwood City
is having a blackout!

No word yet
on when it will be over,

but Dr. Jake,
your Weather Maestro, is sure

it won't be long.

(turns off radio)

Can we watch the
blackout on TV?

There is no TV.
(Pal barking)

A blackout means
there's no electricity.

No electricity,

no TV.

No TV?!

Will there be TV tomorrow?!

There's a Mary
Moo Cow special

on the number two
I have to watch.

It'll probably be over by then.

You heard the weatherman.

Dr. Jake's predictions
weren't exactly accurate

when we had that blizzard.

I better go get some supplies.

MR. READ:
See, kids? Isn't this fun?

A candlelit dinner.

D.W.:
Cold leftover pasta,
applesauce, and pretzels?

That's it?!

The store was closed so we
have to make do with this.

But...

we do have all that

leftover strawberry
ice cream for dessert.

Make that strawberry soup.

(laughs)

Anybody want it
as a first course?

I'm so hot.

My ears are sweating.

Can't we at least
turn on a fan?

Fans are electric.

Here, we'll just open a window
and get a nice breeze.

There goes the candlelit part
of dinner.

Well, at least it's cooler.

(crunching)

(grunts)

Pretzels and tap water?

It's like we're in jail.

(walkie-talkie ringing)

(beeping)

BUSTER:
Hey, Arthur.

Hello?

Hey, Buster.

Is your power out, too?

Yeah, but I have a
little bit of light.

Something's glowing
in my food cabinet.

I hope this blackout
ends soon.

I can't sleep in this heat.

Me neither.

I tried counting sheep,
but imagining

all that wool
just made me hotter.

(beeping)

I think my
battery's dying.

Don't worry, Arthur.

I'll find some way to
contact you tomorrow.

I'm a few blocks away.

You don't need
electricity to walk.

(static)

You're fading!

Hang in
there, buddy!

We'll get
through this!

(groans)

(sniffing)

Something's cooking!

ARTHUR:
Hey, is the
blackout over?!

No.

And here's your share
of the milk.

It's less because you took
too many ice cubes yesterday.

Oh.

I thought I smelled someone
frying something.

(sniffing)

I think our minds
are playing tricks on us.

(knocking)

VICITA:
Hello?

Anyone home?

Good morning, Mr. Read.

My father wanted to know

if you wanted to come
over for breakfast?

We're having arepas.

(grill sizzling)

These arepas are delicious.

Do I taste a hint
of cilantro in the ahî?

Exactamente.

It was my mother's recipe.

How come this orange
juice is cold?

Because it was in
our natural refrigerator.

Show him, Alberto.

When it starts to get hot,

my dad buries a metal pail
in a shady spot.

Since the temperature
is lower underground,

the drinks stay cooler.

There are many blackouts
in Ecuador,

so you learn a few tricks.

Ah, they're not just tricks,
mi amor.

You have to be prepared.

Would you like to see
the basement?

I have lots of extra batteries,

but if I run out, this lantern

is very handy.

ARTHUR:
Cool!

What's this?

A hand-crank radio.

No batteries
required,

just muscle.

DR. JAKE:
Still no power,

but they expect to resolve
the problem very soon.

Till then,
keep it tuned to WELP

and chill out with Dr. Jake!

(turns off radio)

Dr. Jake, some doctor.

All his predictions are wrong.

Do you have
a hand-crank TV, too?

I have to watch
Mary Moo Cow.

Sorry, D.W.

But it's nice to take a break
from TV, don't you think?

MR. READ:
My catering job's been canceled.

Mom can't work, so let's
all do something together.

Okay. Like what?
I'm thinking.

We're not prepared!

This air conditioner doesn't
even have a crank on it.

And I'm probably missing
Mary Moo Cow right now.

D.W., there are other ways
to have fun.

Remember what a good time
we had during the blizzard?

That was different.

There was snow, and snow is fun.

She's right.

Even rain would be more fun
than this heat.

Rain!

That's it!

We all need to get wet.

ARTHUR:
Are we both going
to fit in that?

Sure.

It'll be cozy but cool.

(knob creaks)

Hope no one sees me
in this thing.

(both sigh)

BUSTER:
Hey, Arthur.

(screams)

I came over to see
how you guys were doing.

Ooh, nice-looking bath.

Can I join you?

Um, okay.

D.W., could you
move over a little?

But Nadine's
sitting here.

Well, tell her to move over.

(sighs):
Ah...

This is great.

I can almost imagine
I'm at the beach.

Aah! I feel an octopus!

That's just my foot.

(barks)

Come on, boy.

You can come in, too.

Why don't you just invite
the whole neighborhood?

(barking)

Pal! Now, stop that!

(growling)

(loud pop)

(air hissing)
Hey! What's happening?

We're sinking!

Abandoned ship!

(Molina chuckling)

Ooh, you have
to watch out for dogfish!

I will show you
a way to cool down

that doesn't need
so much water.

This is what my abuela
used to do

whenever she was hot.

Here,

put your feet in.

BOTH (sigh):
Ah...

And if you keep
the curtains closed,

the house will stay cooler.

Thanks again, Ramon.

Do you like blackouts,
Mr. Molina?

'Cause you're
really good at them.

(chuckles):
No, D.W.

I, too, miss not
having electricity.

But when I was growing up
in Quito,

my family always used blackouts
as an excuse to have a fiesta.

(festive music plays)

People would all share
their leftovers,

there would be
music and dancing,

and everyone on the block
would party into the night.

So there were some good parts
to the blackouts as well.

That's a great idea!

Let's have a fiesta!

I'd love to, D.W.,

but I am afraid we
don't have enough food.

I could bring over all
the things from my food case.

I don't think
that's such a good idea.

But what about some stuff
from your garden?

(snaps fingers)

And I have the perfect
main course.

(laughs)

(festive music playing)

Here, Mr. Molina.

Some more organic tomatoes.

Perfecto!

David, you start
working on the salsa.

I am going to get
some lanterns.

It's all in the wrist.

Like this.

¡Excelente!

Now try it out.

Five cents, please.

It's good to have
a lot of change

at these
blackout fiestas.

DR. JACK (over radio):
Well, it looks like the power

will be out
for another day at least,

and... uh...

Wait, i-it... it's back on!

Woo-hoo!

Aw. That's it?

It's over?

Well, at least you'll be able
to watch Mary Moo Cow again.

Yeah.

But I'd rather have a fiesta.

Mm, don't worry;
I am prepared

for this emergency as well.

Now...

(whooping, cheering)
we can party all night!

And now...

Arthur and his family
didn't have any electricity.

So they had no
refrigerator.

Do you think that
a refrigerator

is the only way
to preserve food?

GIRL:
Peter McCarthy is here,

and he is a chef.

Peter's restaurant is Evoo.

PETER:
At Evoo, we do a lot

of preserving of food;
we can put food

in jars and take the air

out of the jars, and we
don't need a refrigerator.

They're preserved

and last a really,
really long time.

Today we're going to make

strawberry jam
and pickled apples.

(kids cheering)

Apples.

Ooh...
Cool!

There you go.

PETER:
The flavoring for the pickles

is called the brine.

The brine helps preserve
the apples.

Water, honey,

sugar, vinegar, spices.

Some cinnamon,
star anise pods,

some ginger.

Oh, I still have
to add the lemon.

Our next step
is putting them into

a hot water bath
to seal the jars.

Are you guys ready
to make some strawberry jam?

KIDS:
Yeah!
Okay.

First thing we need to do
is smash these strawberries.

Smoosh.
Smoosh!

♪ ♪

There's only two ingredients:

strawberries and sugar.

Oh!

Oh!

BOY:
The sugar went

into the table.

PETER:
And it's going to cook

until it's really boiling,
boiling hot.

BOY:
The strawberries

Everything in here
are cooking.

is really hot right now;
when they cool down,

the air that's in here is
going to pop out

and seal the jar.

It'll be preserved.

We'll see how everything
came out next week.

GIRL:
They've been in the classroom

for one week,

and they're not
in the refrigerator.

They're delicious.

Good response.

♪ ♪

Mmm!

That's good.

And now...

(applause)

Hello.

Pal and I have a very
important announcement.

Mei Lin, Binky's
baby sister,

will be hosting the show.

It's her first time,

so please give her
a warm welcome!

(music and applause)

(growling)

(music ends)
(talking baby talk)

(continues baby talk)

Sorry, forgot to turn
the baby translator on.

And although I am the host,

I do not agree
with all this show's views.

For instance, very few
of the characters are babies.

Only % of the episodes
are about people under four.

There are even more shows
about pets than babies.

And what's that
supposed to mean?

I think she's
just cranky.

We must have woken
her up from a nap.

Oh. So every time a baby
disagrees with something,

it's because she
didn't get her nap?

Mei Lin, I didn't say that.

You're becoming
one of them.

I saw you walking on
two legs the other day.

I call it "Anti-Baby."

That's absurd!

I'm sorry, but due to, um,
technical difficulties,

this tease will have
to be cut short.

(Mei Lin and Kate arguing)
Enjoy the show.

KATE:
Oh, grow up!

(howls)

Your move.
That's it, Mei Lin.

You can do it!

Put some Barnes
muscle into it!

(grunting)

That's the fifth time this week
she almost stood on her own.

How will she ever walk
if she can't even stand?

She's just not ready.

Kate only started a month ago,

and look at her now!

It's like you're falling,

but then you stop
yourself just in time.

Very impressive.

These glasses are amazing!

I can see my toenails!

Come on, Mei Lin.
Just try it once.

But I don't
want to stand.

I like being
on all fours.
It's safer.

PAL:
And you also find

more leftovers,
like this hairy cookie.

(crunching)

Mmm! Woolly!

Oh! I've had this
blasted itch all day!

Kate, would you see what it is?

¡Alto, Sale!

¡Piu alto!

It's Pepe!

¡Si! It is me, Pepe!

And look who's with me!

My brother, Sale!

(honks horn twice)

Pepe! Oh, I should've
recognized that itch.

What are you doing here?

Shouldn't you be
at the flea circus?

Oh, bugs! Kate, squish them!

No, no, Mei Lin.

These fleas are
our friends.

Yes. Pepe tells
the most amazing stories.

Tell us one, won't you?

Once there was a flea
who couldn't find

his brother.

We've heard that one.

Oh. Okay, uh...

let me think.

How about
the "Three Little Bugs"?

One bug had

a house of straw.

Another bug a house of wood...
That's just

"The Three Little Pigs,"
but with bugs.

If you're not going
to squish them,

I'll get Binky to.

(whispering)
Wait, wait, story
is coming to me!

Perfecto, Sale.

(honks horn twice)

Once there was a kingdom

where no one walked
on two legs.

Everyone crawled.

It's a good beginning.

Okay, I'm listening.

This was a long time ago
in a faraway land

called Hanzan-Niis.

The king of Hanzan-Niis
had a daughter

named Princess Lemini who
is very beautiful,

but very lazy.

Meno, I'm hungry.

Bring me a grape.

Right away, Princess.

It wouldn't be so bad
if she didn't make me peel them.

Where is Lap?

I want to be amused.

That matted wad of stinking fur?

He's probably rolling
in the trash some...

Lap is here
to bring good cheer.

Lap was the Princess' jester.

She loved him more than anyone
in the entire kingdom.

What'll it be: knock-knock joke,
a magic trick,

or shall I just lick your feet?

Oh, do that thing
that you do,

you know, with your back legs?

Since everyone
in the kingdom crawled,

walking on two legs was
just about the strangest,

silliest thing anyone could do.

(laughs)

Oh, that's priceless!

Give him a treat, Meno.

Incidentally, this is how
dogs learn to beg.

Fascinating.

The Princess' servant
was jealous

of all the attention Lap got,

so he secretly had a witch
put a spell on the treat.

(all gasp)

The scoundrel!

Right away, dear Princess.

Here you go, wretched cur.

Enjoy.

Lap!

What's wrong?

(hollow clanking)

Hmm, must have
gotten a chill.

Oh, well, he'll make
an interesting lawn ornament.

No, don't touch him!

There must be some cure
for this strange disease.

But no one
in the entire kingdom

could hear her beloved jester.

So Princess Lemini set out
on her own to find a cure.

The princess crawled across
the hot sand for days,

without seeing a soul.

Oh! Ow! Oh!

(camel grunts)

A baby!

What's a baby doing
in the middle of the desert?

I'm on a quest to help
my friend Lap.

He's frozen.

Do you know someone
who could cure him?

Like a doctor?

I could take you to mine.

She's fabulous.

Hop on.

Oh, stop!

Couldn't you just carry me?

With what,
these teeth?

It's the hump
or nothing.

So the princess held on.

And, after a while,
she got used to riding a camel.

Whee! Faster, faster!

Hey, this is my speed limit.

You want faster?
Ride a cheetah.

There, now get plenty of rest
and stay off of that claw.

Camel, how are you?

Ah, I can't complain.

It's her that
needs help.

The wise Dr. Baba Kety

listened
to the princess' story.

It sounds like your friend
is under an evil spell.

Oh, no! Poor Lap!

Can you fix him?

I'm afraid not.

But there's a tree whose fruit
can undo any spell.

It's on an island
in the middle of the sea.

You swim, right?

Only in heated pools.

You could borrow
my sailboat.

Good luck!

CAMEL:
Call me when
you get there,

and let me know
you're safe!

The princess loved sailing,

mainly because the wind
did most of the work.

But then, a sea giant rose up
before her!

With one swipe
of his mighty hand,

the giant tore the sail
from the boat!

(screams)

I wonder what these are for.

Maybe I can use them
to get away.

Arrgh!

She had never
rowed a boat before,

but when a giant is chasing
you, you learn quickly.

The princess rowed and rowed
and rowed.

Eventually,
she reached the island

with the magical tree.

Oh!

Whew!

Baba Kety had neglected
to tell the princess

that the tree was at the top
of a mountain.

Oh, come on!

It took her all night
to climb the mountain.

Many times she wanted to quit,

but then she would think
of poor Lap...

He makes an excellent
scratching post.

...and she would find
the strength to carry on.

Oh!

Ow! Oh!

By morning, she had reached
the tree.

(grunting)

She crawled out onto the
branch, and there it was,

the fruit that could undo
all evil spells.

She grabbed it...

then the branch broke.

(yells)

(all gasp)

The... end.

What?
That's terrible!

Stinky!

(honks twice)

Wait, wait,
I forgot something.

A bird caught her before
she hit the ground

and flew her back
to the kingdom.

Now there was only one thing
left to do:

Give Lap the magic fruit.

But how would she put it
in his mouth?

He was too high up.

(Princess grunting)
There was only one solution:

She had to stand.

She thought it would be hard

but her arms and legs were
very strong

from all the rowing
and climbing.

Mmm! Juicy!

Lap, you're back!

Did I go somewhere?

Princess, you're standing!

(laughs)
It looks even sillier
when you do it.

The princess did feel
a little strange,

but she decided she liked
being on her own two feet.

After that, she taught
everyone in the kingdom

how to stand and walk.

Except for
that dastardly cat Meno.

The end.

That was beautiful.

Didn't you
think so, Mei Lin?

Yes, but what's
the moral?

Not to trust cats.

Whatever happened to that Meno
character, anyway?

Pepe?

(gasps)

They're gone.

But I wanted
to ask him about...

Come on, Mei Lin.

Time to go.

And then Uncle Slam says:

"Grr, I'll get you,
Tiny Tornado."

Good night, Mei Lin.

Sleep tight.

Oops, forgot Uncle Slam.

(gasps)

You...

you did it!

You're standing!

Mom, get the camera!

(sighs)

It's always the little things
that make them happy.

BUSTER:
Hi, everyone.

It's me, Buster.

If you love the great food
we get to eat in Elwood City,

you won't believe all the great
food I'm trying

on my trip with my dad.

Mmm! Don't you just want
to eat some?

I'm tasting everything,

and I'm sending it all back
to my friends in Elwood City

on my very own video postcards.

They're Postcards from Buster.

♪ Every day when you're
walking down the street ♪

♪ And everybody that you meet ♪

♪ Has an original
point of view ♪

♪ And I say, hey ♪
♪ Hey! ♪

♪ What a wonderful kind
of day ♪

♪ If we could learn
to work and play ♪

♪ And get along
with each other ♪

♪ Hey! ♪
♪ What a wonderful kind
of day ♪

♪ Hey! ♪
♪ What a wonderful kind
of day ♪

♪ Hey! ♪