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"Muffy's New Best Friend"
Season/Series: 4
Number in season: 2B
Original Airdate: United States October 5, 1999[1]
Canada January 18, 2000[2]
Credits
Written by: Dietrich Smith
Storyboard by: Stéphanie Gignac
Episodes
Previous
"Hide and Snake"
Next
"Buster's Breathless"
Read transcript

"Muffy's New Best Friend" is the second half of the second episode in the fourth season of Arthur.

Summary[]

Muffy and Francine grow apart.

Plot[]

Arthur talks about how Francine and Muffy are perfect best friends. Meanwhile, Francine visits Muffy to tell her that she has been accepted to a soccer camp. Muffy has just bought new shoes (that make a lot of noise) and they decide to celebrate. However, Francine does not want to celebrate by going shopping, and Muffy does not want to celebrate by playing soccer.

Muffy's New Best Friend

Francine and Muffy compromise by playing soccer after going to the mall. That evening, Muffy wants Francine to watch a fashion show with her. When Muffy gets her expensive shoes dirty while playing soccer, she goes home early. Francine plays with Jenna instead, who also likes soccer.

That evening, Muffy watches the fashion show and waits for Francine, who does not come. She tries to call her, but Catherine is hogging the phone.

The next day, Buster suggests that some aliens gave Francine amnesia. Francine comes with Jenna and admits that she forgot about the show. Buster sees this as proof.

When Muffy sees Francine and Jenna pass notes in class, she passes one asking Francine to talk to her. By accident, the note reaches Binky.

After school, Francine wants to go play soccer with Jenna. She apologizes again to Muffy, but tells her that she did not want to watch a fashion show. Muffy agrees to play soccer.

At the soccer field, Francine and Jenna have fun, but Muffy does not. She decides to find a best friend who wants to do the things she likes to do.

Muffy interviews several of her classmates for the position of a best friend. Brain prefers soccer to fashion, Sue Ellen prefers taekwondo to either, Fern prefers poetry, and Prunella wants to quiz Muffy on astrology. D.W. is a perfect match, but then Mrs. Read takes her home to have a nap. Buster passes the quiz but goes crazy in the clothes store, claiming he can't breathe, and runs off to the toy store, where he feels much better. Eventually, only Binky is left.

Muffy goes to Wonderworld and the movies with Binky, but she keeps talking about Francine. When she takes him shopping, she ends up buying a soccer ball and clothes just like Francine wears. Binky wants to play soccer with her. At the field, they meet Jenna, who tells them that Francine got weird and went to the mall. Muffy runs off.

Muffy finds Francine in a clothes store, looking wistfully at shoes like the ones Muffy bought. The two agree that they do not have to be together all the time. There is a tense moment when they try to decide what to do next, but then they settle on swimming.

Meanwhile, Binky plays with Jenna and they decide to go see a movie together.

Characters[]

Major[]

Minor[]

Cameo[]

Mentioned[]

Trivia[]

  • Pickles the clown is normally allergic to dogs, but he has no problems in this episode, despite being accompanied by a magician and his dog.
  • Brain's failure to win Muffy's friendship appears to be his first failure in his memory. "So this is what failing feels like? Fascinating!"
  • Bailey is seen, although he is a darker color (This may be a different butler, though). 
  • Jaws 12 was seen at the movie theater, along with Bionic Bunny: The Movie.
  • This episode's title is similar to D.W.'s New Best Friend.

Cultural references[]

  • QVC is an actual television network dedicated to shopping.

Episode Connections

  • Muffy attempts to play soccer with Francine and Jenna but doesn't do well at it. Muffy would later have a storyline surrounding her soccer skills in "Muffy's Soccer Shocker".
  • Francine and Jenna are shown to get along in this episode because they both love to play soccer as well as their overall love for sports. Ironically, this also leads to their conflict in "The Good Sport" when Jenna wins the Athlete of the Year award instead of Francine.

Errors[]

  • Muffy crosses Fern's name out on the clipboard with three lines, but in the next scene, it is just a regular cross.

Gallery[]

Main article: Muffy's New Best Friend/Gallery

Home Video[]

DVD[]

  • PBS Kids: 15 Girl Power Adventures

References[]


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