Francine and the Feline

We start off with Francine in her bedroom with the lizard with a bow around its neck. (see the end of #21701 - "Francine Redecorates"). We're surveying Arthur's gang for their opinions on the best pet.

Francine says she'd like a komodo dragon, or perhaps a narwhal. As she's said these, they've both appeared in her room. The narwhal is a little big for her room though, and she has to push it out the door.

Cut to Buster on a hill. Buster says that he'd like to have a pterodactyl for a pet. He could ride it to the movies. We see Buster getting set to ride to the theatre on his pterodactyl, which has a harness and seat on its back. Buster notices the time, and tells the pterodactyl to hurry, since it's only five minutes until "Carpet of Doom II" starts.

Cut to Arthur outside his house on the grass. He starts to say how a dog is best, when a wipe cuts him off and pushes him to one side of the screen. Arthur tries to hold it back, but he's cut off.

Arthur: Hey! I'm not done.

Wipe to Binky. Binky says that he's never had a pet, but he figures that an ameoba would make a good pet, since he's heard they're friendly. We see a close up on some ameobas, which look more like sea monkeys... they say hi, howdy, etc.

Back to Arthur. He's about to expound on how dogs are the best pet when Francine and Brain walk up. Francine is annoyed that Arthur is hogging too much of her opening scene. She tells Arthur that Brain hasn't had a chance to talk about the benefits of "virtual hamsters". We get a closeup of Brain's "pet", which is a knock-off of a tamogotchi, for those of you who missed that fad back in the summer of 1997.

* * * Francine and the Feline * * *

Scene: Elwood's Dump.

Mr. Frensky's at work at the dump, but right now, he's on his lunch break. He's sitting down on an old washing machine, or something similar, and starting to eat a sandwich. What is odd is that we're viewing the whole scene through two eye shaped openings through a black overlay. These eyeholes pan across the scene with objects in the dump obscuring our view. The effect is that we are looking at Mr. Frensky as if we were something small and nimble, which blinks every so often. Then, we lunge towards Mr. Frensky, and he lets out a cry.

The whole thing is reminscent of "Deliverance" -- or the Simpsons.

* * *

That night, Mr. Frensky arrives at the Frensky residence with a shoebox. He says he's got a surprise for the family. Francine and Catherine crowd around the shoebox to see what it could be.

• Catherine thinks it might be a 92" TV.
• Francine hopes it's a narwhal.

Mr. Frensky opens the box. It's a black and white cat. It came up to Mr. Frensky while he was having lunch. It must have been hungry. A dump is no place for a cat, so they're going to keep it.

Catherine immediately loves the cat. She starts hugging it and giving it lots of love and affection. She calls it the "cutest little snugglemuffin".

Francine likes the cat too, but Catherine's behavior makes Francine groan. She can't stand Catherine's soppiness... She says that cats shouldn't be pampered, because they prefer to do tough things like "chase wildebeest".

* * *

Next day, Francine tells her friends about her new cat. Francine, Buster, Brain, and Arthur are in Arthur's yard. Unlike Francine, none of the guys think very highly of cats at all.

• Buster says that cats are gross.
• Brain thinks that cats are too cute -- yuck!

Arthur has the strongest opinions. According to Arthur, cats are smelly and mean. Plus, Arthur heard of this one cat who bit a kid's ear off!

Arthur points to Pal. If Francine wants a good pet, she should get rid of her cat and get a dog, like Pal. Arthur says that dogs are "loyal and trustworthy".

At this point, Pal walks over to where D.W. is having a tea party on the grass with her dolls. There's a cookie lying on a plate, which Pal picks up and runs off with. D.W. starts shouting and then chases after Pal.

Francine comments about Pal's bad behavior. Arthur says that Pal's actually helping D.W. -- he's teaching her not to leave food lying around. Francine frowns. Arthur thinks he's made his point.

* * *

Back to the Frensky's. It's bedtime, and Francine and Catherine are both in their pajamas, getting ready for bed. Catherine is getting the cat, which she has now christened "Rose Petal" ready for bed too. She's dressed it in pajamas and a frilly bonnet.

Francine is even more annoyed tonight than last night -- Francine thinks that all of this softness is ruining the cat's "catitude". And "Rose Petal" is a rotten name.

Catherine goes to bed with the cat on her bed, curled up in it's pajamas.

But the next morning, all that's on Catherine's bed is the cat pajamas. The cat, sans pajamas, is on Francine's bed, snuggled up with Francine.

Catherine is angry, because she suspects Francine of stealing the cat off her in the night.

Catherine: How dare you steal the affections of my darling Rose Petal!

Francine wasn't to blame though -- the cat must have moved of its own accord in the night.

They head into the kitchen, and Catherine gets the cat's breakfast ready. She takes out a can of cat food, opens it, and puts it in a fancy dish. She places this on the floor. Rose Petal the cat doesn't start eatting though. It just looks at the dish.

Then it starts jumping around the kitchen, bouncing on the countertops, and the chairs, and the table.

Catherine picks up the cat when it finally stops jumping. Well, actually, she doesn't pick up just the cat -- the cat appears to be starting to get err, randy with a bagged loaf of bread.

Catherine can't believe it. She thought that cats were usually more refined...

Rose Petal starts jumping around again, this time rolling up into a ball and bouncing around. Francine thinks the crazy rough and tumble antics of the cat are great, in part due to the fact that they annoy fusspot Catherine.

Catherine mutters that it's just her luck that they get a cat which is exactly like Francine.

* * *

Francine tells her friends about the latest activities of her cat at Arthur's treehouse. It sounds like Arthur's friends are beginning to come around to being pro-cat.

Not Arthur though. He thinks that Francine's cat "sounds vicious".

Brain says that the fact that the cat devised an escape strategy to get away from Catherine in the night is evidence that the cat must be intelligent.

Arthur: No. All cats are stupid!

Buster says he's sure there must be good cats in the world.

Arthur says no way, and reminds him of the story -- a cat bit a kid's ear off!

Buster thinks that that might just be one of those made up stories -- like the one about how the teenagers found a hook in their bucket of fried chicken.

Arthur worries. What if Francine gets more?

Arthur visits Francine's apartment. She welcomes him in. All of the walls in the apartment are covered in shelves full of hundreds of mewing cats. Francine says that they got more cats since they liked them so much.

Proving Arthur's point about cats being dumb, a cat that looks like Rose Petal walks into the door frame and looks stunned. It can't figure out what just happened.

Suddenly cats jump onto Arthur's shoulders, and start to lick his ears... Arthur panics.

Arthur: Leave my ears alone!

Then we see Francine again. Oh no! Her nose has turned into a cat nose, and she's growing whiskers!

Arthur gasps.

* * *

Arthur's at home with Pal. Francine comes over with her cat. The cat has a harness and leash so that Francine can walk it. Francine introduces the cat to Arthur and Pal, who doesn't bark at the sight of the cat. She's about to say that the cat's name is "Rose Petal", when she decides to rename it -- the cat's name is "Nemo".

Francine suggests that Nemo could be a new friend for Pal. She lets Nemo off the leash, and Pal and Nemo begin to chase each other around, and wrestle a bit.

Arthur freaks out. He thinks that Nemo is "trying to kill Pal!"

Arthur: Get your killer cat away from Pal.

When Francine picks up Nemo, Pal looks more like he's sad that Nemo is gone than being relieved that he's been rescued from certain death. Arthur makes Francine take Nemo home.

Once Francine is gone, Pal remains looking sad. Arthur tries to console him.

Arthur: It's ok now, the evil cat is gone!

Pal whines quietly.

Arthur: You're just upset because you nearly got killed.

* * *

Arthur talks to Buster about Francine's cat. Arthur can't stand Nemo -- it's like Nemo's some kind of crazy Edgar Allen Poe cat.

* * *

Arthur, Buster, and Brain are on their way to school. Francine is just about to load Nemo into her Mom's car -- Nemo's about to be taken to the vet to get checked out.

The boys put their bags down and talk to Francine. Nemo starts to walk around the boys. Buster and Brain are beginning to like Nemo, but not Arthur. Arthur still insists that dogs are superior to cats.

The point is made that Nemo is sort of like a dog -- he walks on a leash.

Francine says that Nemo is unlike other pets; he's unique.

Brain: He also must be hungry, because he's eating Arthur's sandwich!

He is too. While Arthur was grousing about Nemo being a bad pet, Nemo walked over to Arthur's lunchbag, and started eatting Arthur's lunch.

Arthur gets angry.

Francine says that Nemo is just teaching Arthur not to leave food lying around!

Touché

Everyone starts laughing at this, and Arthur just looks stupid.

* * *

Arthur invites Francine over to study, but as he tells Pal, he told her not to bring over her "stupid" cat. At this, Pal sighs.

Francine arrives -- with Nemo on a leash. She comments that she was sure Arthur had just made an error in telling her not to bring Nemo over. She lets Nemo off his leash, and immediately, Pal and Nemo start rolling around in a heap around Arthur's living room. Francine asks Arthur if they should start by studying for the math quiz, or with spelling?

Arthur is flabbergasted. He's freaking out again because of Pal and Nemo's weird behavior. Arthur tells Francine to do something about her vicious pet.

Francine: They're playing!

Arthur: That's not how nice animals play!

Arthur tells Francine to take Nemo away. Francine gets angry and says that she's leaving then.

Francine storms out. Before she slams the door, she has one last thing to say.

Francine: GOODBYE ARTHUR!

Slams door.

Opens it again.

Francine: FOR GOOD!

Slams door.

Opens it again.

Francine: BYE!

Uh oh. Looks like that in saving Pal's life, Arthur's lost a friend. Arthur goes into the kitchen. Dad's working on a recipe. Arthur explains how Francine's no longer friends with him, since her cat tried to kill Pal again. Arthur's Dad seems to be more interested in Francine's new cat that Pal's near demise.

Arthur's Dad: Francine got a cat?

Arthur goes on to describe how Nemo was a bad cat. He kept trying to kill Pal. They were fighting and rolling around on the carpet.

Arthur: It was like something out of a nature special!

Pal doesn't look too pleased for having been "saved". Arthur attributes this to being frightened by Nemo. Arthur decides to take Pal out for a walk to try and cheer him up. A walk will do him good after his near-death experience.

* * *

Arthur and Pal are out walking. Arthur gasps when he sees Francine. Then he gasps again when he sees that Francine is walking Nemo.

Pal breaks away from his leash.

As does Nemo.

They both run off towards Arthur's. Francine and Arthur race off after their pets. After nearly knocking over Dad, who's carrying a model of the Statue of Liberty made partially out of cabbage, they rush into the garage.

Arthur is the first in. Pal and Nemo jump onto him, and start to lick his face.

Arthur: Hey! Hey! That tickles.

Hey. Maybe Nemo isn't as bad as Arthur thought. He's not trying to kill Pal, he just wants to be friendly with Pal. Nemo wants to be Arthur's friend too.

Francine comes in. Nemo and Pal are put down on the ground and Arthur and Francine talk. Arthur no longer hates Nemo. Cats are alright by him. Maybe Nemo is:

Arthur: ...almost as smart as Pal.

Francine thinks that Nemo might be smarter than Pal. No way that that's possible according to Arthur.

Arthur: Pal is the smartest dog on Earth!

The two friends are back to their old selves, arguing again.

We cut to Pal and Nemo on the ground. They're watching whats going on, and as Arthur and Francine argue, they exchange a knowing look.

End.

Yeah, ok.

Brain's "virtual hamster" firmly roots this episode in the late 1990s, in case there was any question -- the fact that Arthur's parent's friends all do the macarena in #20602 - "Play It Again, D.W." should have clenched that though.

This episode probably holds the record for most Arthur gasps.

But these are just minor things -- on to the main focus of this episode -- Nemo!

Here's to Nemo... the randy bread-lovin', dog lovin' cat. His next big part is in #40901 - "What Is That Thing?".

Note Arthur's comment about nature specials... perhaps this episode of Arthur led to the Bloodhound Gang's "The Bad Touch". :) Speaking of which, what would cat+dog offspring look like anyway? Like Nickelodeon's "Catdog"?

Then again, Pal and Nemo are both male... so they have nothing to worry about.

Note how all the way through, Pal appears to enjoy playing with Nemo... But then Arthur has shown before that he never has a clue as to what Pal's thinking -- see #11202 - "Arthur's Lost Dog". Pal certainly doesn't react to Nemo the way many dogs would react to cats.

The walls full of hundreds of cats have got to be a movie reference, unless it's just a reference to the Simpsons episode when Maggie had to go to the regimented daycare -- remember the room full of babies? It's not Hitchcock's "The Birds" is it? (I dunno -- haven't seen it.)

Another reference to the Simpsons is the "Deliverance" bit at the start... It's almost identical to the conclusion of the episode where Arthur joined the Junior Campers and went on the Father-Son canoe trip.

Arthur's radically anti-cat -- odd coming from a guy who ran a pet business... Would Arthur have refused to look after a cat because of his prejudice against them? I think Arthur's way out of line in this episode. Is this the same guy who's always trying to be friends with everyone?

Would Arthur be espousing his anti-cat views if Sue Ellen was around?

I know that a lot of people are either strongly pro or anti-cat -- I had a friend who liked to tell "dead cat" jokes... but I'd never have thought that it would be fodder for an Arthur episode.

I'm just shaking my head after this one. Weird.

Catherine comes off almost as weird as Rubella in her treatment and the way she would speak to Rose Petal/Nemo. What happens to Elwood City girls when they reach their teens?

When Binky sees Francine walking Nemo on a leash, he comments how cool it is- like walking a DOG on a leash! Hel-LO? What species does Binky think HE is? This further contributes to the case that no one on the show realizes they're animals (Buster doing tricks with his ears notwithstanding).