19x06 - Maria Speaks/Postcards from Binky

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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 b*at ♪

♪ 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,
for that's the place to start ♪

♪ 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!

Hey, D.W.!

Hey!

Whoa...

(crash)

And then the ref said it was out
when it was clearly in.

It was so unfair!

Maria's always been
really quiet.

She's the best
at hide and seek.

Where is she?

We've been searching
for two hours!

Okay, Maria!

We give up!

You win!

ARTHUR:
She almost never talks
in class.

Who knows the answer
to number ?

Maria?

Correct.

ARTHUR:
She's even quiet
on Halloween.

(doorbell rings)

Oh, a mime!

What a creative costume!

Now that I think about it,

I don't think I've ever
even heard her speak!

Hey, Maria...

Where'd she go?

Phew!

MR. RATBURN:
Exciting news, class!

Lakewood is starting
its very own student-run,

live TV news show.

It will air every Friday,

and this week,
it's our turn to produce it.

I've assigned each one of you
a role.

Francine,
you'll be the director.

Buster,
you'll do the weather.

Muffy will be in charge
of arts and culture.

And our lead reporter
will be Maria.

(gasps)

This is a d-d-d-disaster!

Now everyone will know
that I s-stutter.

It's no big deal.

Besides, I thought you were
seeing a speech therapist?

Yes, b-b-b-ut

this is l-live TV!

Well, I think you'd be
an amazing reporter.

Who knows?

It could be the start
of a great career.

You'd travel the world,

be watched by millions
of fans...

Maria Pappas here,
reporting live from Egypt.

What are your thoughts
on the discovery

of a brand new pyramid?

(camel bleating)

That would be
p-p-pretty amazing.

But if you don't
want to do it,

I guess they'll find
someone else.

No!

I mean, I'll d-d-do it.

Now I j-j-just
have to find a way

to h-hide my s-stutter.

So we'll start the show
with weather.

Hm, partly cloudy

with a % chance
of an alien invasion.

(sighs)

Then Maria will introduce George
on sports.

Wait, where is Maria?

Ms. Pappas is sorry she's late,

but she was doing
vocal warm-ups.

As I was saying, after George,
we'll have Muffy on arts,

and then a story
from our lead reporter.

What've you got, Maria?

(whispering)

Ms. Pappas will be doing
an interview.

Okay...

With whom?

(whispering)

Ms. Pappas is exploring
her options.

Well, you'd better
decide soon.

We don't have
a lot of time.

Okay, let's practice
the opening.

Hello?

Yes, I'm sure she'd love
to interview you, Mr. President.

(whispering):
Sorry!

She's a big fan
of yours too, sir!

That's funny, I didn't even hear
her phone ring.

And you thought
I was a prima donna!

What am I g-going
to d-do?

I c-can't avoid
t-t-t-talking f-forever!

Maybe you should just
tell Francine the truth?

She'll j-just ask R-Ratburn to
r-replace me.

Jenna, did you take out
the trash?

Yes.

Okay, I haven't yet.

But I'm going to do it
right after dinner.

Promise!

MARIA:
Wow!

Your m-mom's good.

Yeah, she has this way
of getting me to talk.

All she has to do
is give me that look

and I spill the beans.

Hm...

M-m-maybe there's someone
I c-could interview

who would do all
the t-talking for me.

Buster, no one cares about
the current weather on Pluto!

Tell that to the Plutonians!

Hey, Maria!

Excited for our
first show tomorrow?

So, today's
our last rehearsal.

Who have you decided
to interview?

FRANCINE:
Muffy?

Why do you want
to interview...

You want to interview me?

What a brilliant idea!

Okay, ask me anything!

Maria's interview with Muffy.

Rehearsal, take one.

I'm M-M-M...

I'm h-here with...

Muffy Crosswire,
entrepreneur, style guru,

and heir to the
Crosswire Motors dynasty.

Um, okay...

I'm a Gemini.

I love clothes,
pop music, opera, and...

And helping people.

What?

You don't think
I like helping people?

I do!

I mean,
I know sometimes

I can come across
as selfish, but...

Okay, you're right,
sometimes I am selfish,

but it doesn't mean
I don't care about people!

You think it's easy being
this smart, pretty and popular?

I feel so much
pressure!

Sometimes, it's just more
than I can bear!

(crying)

FRANCINE:
Cut!

This is a news show,
not Hoping with Hoprah!

Sorry Maria,

but you're going to have to find
someone else to interview.

(blowing nose)

(sighs)

I feel like a weight has been
lifted from my shoulders.

You really are good!

G-g-great!

Where am I going
to f-f-find someone

who loves to t-talk
as m-m-much as Muffy?

There must be someone
out there.

It's a one-act
puppet opera

based on Cervantes's
Don Quixote.

I'm performing it next month
at the Community Center.

Bingo!

Good night, Goldie.

Wish me luck for tomorrow.

FRANCINE:
And now, the Lakewood
Elementary News.

With Buster Baxter on weather,

George Lundgren and Wally
on sports,

Muffy Crosswire
with arts and culture,

and lead reporter
Maria Pappas.

(baaing)

(loud car horn honking)

What's wrong with her?

(turkey gobbling)

She can't talk!

She has a frog
in her throat!

No!

She has a...

...stutter!

(laughing)

(gasps)

Hey!

Ready for your close up?

This is it!

Great idea to interview
Mr. Ratburn, by the way.

We're on in ten!

Everyone
to their places!

FRANCINE:
And we're live
in three, two, one...

G-g-g-g-g-g-g...

Good m-m-m...

(whispering):
Cut to Buster!

Good morning,
fellow students, earthlings,

and extraterrestrial life forms.

What happened?

Are you feeling okay?

She's probably
just nervous.

N-n-no.

It's n-n-not
just n-nerves.

I have t-t-t-trouble...

You have trouble with what?

Maria, wait!

She has a stutter!

It was so humiliating!

I bet everyone thinks
there's something wrong with me.

Why can't I talk to them
like I talk to you?

MR. RATBURN:
Animals are easier to talk to.

I used to practice lines
before school plays

in front of my hermit crab,
Thoreau.

I'm sorry
I r-r-ruined the show.

I'm sure F-F-Francine
would b-b-be happy

to t-t-take my place.

Oh, I'm not here
to replace you.

But m-m-my stutter...

I know.

But we've got a few weeks
until our next show,

and with practice
and some help,

I'm sure you'll do
an excellent job.

That's why I chose you.

Now let's try
our interview again.

I think you'll find my story
quite interesting.

Now relax
and speak slowly...

(slowly):
My name is Maria.

Miss Morgan,

how did it feel to be named
athlete of the year?

Good morning, Lakewood!

Today's headline,

"Maria takes Elwood City
by storm!"

Where is she?

Mr. Ratburn told me
she'd be here.

After what happened
last time,

who could blame her
for not showing up?

MARIA:
I'm here!

You sure you want
to do this?

Okay, and we're on
in three, two, one...

G-good m-m-morning, L-Lakewood.

I'm M-Maria Pappas.

Today, I'm r-reporting
on an important issue

for k-kids and adults:
stuttering.

L-lots of famous people
have been s-stutterers.

L-Lewis Carroll,
Winston Ch-Churchill,

M-Marilyn Monroe,
and my next guest.

Thank you for joining us,
Mr. R-R-Ratburn.

A pleasure to be here, Maria.

So, w-when did you first
begin s-stuttering?

Well, it all began
when I was three...

And when I won the role
of Captain Corcoran

in our seventh grade production
of the H.M.S. Pinafore,

I knew I'd arrived.

There you have it.

I'm M-Maria Pappas,
signing off.

And we're out!

Nicely done.

Great job!

Who knew Ratburn stuttered?

Why didn't you just tell us
you stuttered?

I d-didn't want
to seem d-d-different

from everyone else.

I understand.

Think how I feel being the only
fashionable one at this school.

So, when do we start p-planning
our n-next show?

I've got a ton of ideas!

And now a word from us kids!

Hi, I'm Rufus,

and I'm in Miss Naylor's
third grade class.

(imitating horses exhaling)

Today, we're putting on
a radio play.

(making squishing sound)

(imitating horse hooves
clanking)

People in radio plays
have to make lots of sounds.

(popping noises)

(making armpit raspberries)

Ew!

People used to listen to the
radios before there were TVs.

(thunder rumbling)

Our teacher played
some old radio plays for us.

(people imitating farm animals)

You have to listen
really carefully

and imagine the story
in your mind.

(horse hooves pounding)

(alarm clock ringing)

Today, we're going to take the
story of Little Red Riding Hood

and turn it
into our own radio play.

Little Red Riding Hood
is a good story

because it has cool sounds
and cool characters.

When the grandma goes
into the wolf's stomach,

it'll go like this...

(muffled):
Let me out of here!

(muffled):
Help!

We rehearsed the play

and then we gave a performance
for the class.

We had some kids close their
eyes and listen to the story.

Once upon a time,

Little Red Riding Hood
made some chicken soup...

(slurping)

...to bring to her
grandmother,

who was ill.

Achoo!

Little Red Riding Hood
went off the path

to pick some daisies.

(popping noises)

The wolf ate the grandma
in one gulp.

(loud gulping)

"Ooh, Grandma,
what big teeth you have!"

"The better to eat you with!"

(screaming)

(laughing)

And they all lived
happily ever after.

Ta-da!

See what you can do
with your voice!

(all making noises)

And now, back to Arthur!

There are lots
of interesting ways

you can communicate
with people.

Tin cans and string, drums...

One time, Buster and I
tried semaphore.

"Watch out for the...

...skun-jill-ing-fung?"

ARTHUR:
Only there were
too many black flies.

What's a skun-jill-ing-fung?

(squeaking)

Ah, skunk.

Ah!

But I think my favorite way
to communicate is by letter.

Emails are great,
but with a letter,

you can draw pictures on it
and stick things to it.

Then it gets carried by hand
to the other person.

It's almost like
getting a present.

Cool!

So that's why I think letters
are the best.

Nah.

I want to do it my way.

Come on!

(sighs)

I had a feeling
it wouldn't work.

How do you spell "soccer"?

S-o-c-c-e-r.

Thanks.

Where's "S"?

What are you writing?

Email.

To my grandparents.

See, last week,

my whole family came over
to our house

and I got to tell everyone
about the big soccer game.

Then I go...

(grunts)

And he goes, "Ah!"

And it's a...

Goal!

(applause)

I feel like
I'm right there.

BINKY:
Only my grandparents
weren't there

because they live
too far away.

My mom said
I should just email them,

but it's not working.

Whenever I write it,
it's like,

"Then I go, 'Eh.'

"And he goes, 'Ah.'

And it's like, 'Eh.'"

It's all kind of...

ALL:
Eh.

Yeah.

Eh.

I want my grandparents to really
feel like they were there!

How can I do that
with just words?

Why don't you do
a video postcard instead?

A video what?

A video postcard.

I sent them all the time

when I was traveling
with my dad.

Back up closer
to the canal!

Keep going, keep going...

(splash)

Oops.

Sorry, Dad!

A video postcard!

That's a great idea!

I'm glad I thought of it.

Wait a minute!

The soccer game
was last week.

How do I do a video of something
that happened last week?

Simple.

Do what I do:
a reenactment.

A re-en-what-what?

Whenever I want to preserve
important moments in my life,

I do like on TV.

I get actors to reenact it.

MUFFY:
You guys, this is important!

What are we going to do about
this outbreak of head lice?

I don't know.

Me neither.

(sighs)

As usual, it's up to me.

Don't worry,
I've got it under control.

When did I say
"I don't know?"

That's what I need!

The drama!

The excitement!

I feel like
I was right there.

See you three tomorrow
on the field.

: a.m. sharp!

I never said,
"I don't know."

And you gave me
head lice!

He's even more real
than me.

Mom, can I borrow
the video camera?

MOM:
Okay, but this time
remember,

it's not a hammer.

Right, not a hammer.

Thanks!

BINKY:
I thought a lot about this.

I want to give
my grandparents the feeling

of what it was really like
to be there.

So here are your parts.

Get ready
for the first scene.

(stiff):
They're too good, Arthur.

(stiff):
You're right!

We'll never win!

Okay, now Arthur starts
bawling like a baby.

What?

I'm not bawling.

It didn't happen like that.

I'll cry.

Okay, Buster, you're Arthur.

Start over.

Huh?

Okay, now you see me.

Look amazed!

Look amazed!

It's...

Can it be?!

It is!

It's Binky!

(lackluster):
We're saved.

Move in slow motion!

This is not fun.

BINKY:
Look amazed!

Look amazed!

Can we leave now?

I'm hungry.

There's only
one more sh*t.

This is where you carry me
off the field like a hero.

I'm tired.

But this is for my grandparents.

It's dinnertime.

I'm going home.

Come on, everyone.

You're the only one
who stood by me, George.

Just for that, you get
to help me on the next part.

Cool!

All we need is a lake,
a boat, and a fish.

I don't have
any of those things.

Don't worry.

We can do it all
with the magic of...

...video postcardery!

You mean that singing fish?

Yeah, you can borrow it.

My pool?

Sure.

As long as I get credit

and a piece of any cookies
or fruitcake you get

from your grandparents.

Found it.

Ready?

Ready!

Ready!

BINKY:
Okay everybody, quiet down!

Thank you for coming to see
my first video postcard.

I couldn't have done it
without you.

Well, probably I could.

Whatever.

Anyway, here goes.

Hello, and welcome
to a video postcard

to my grandparents
from me, Binky Barnes.

Hi grandma, hi grandpa!

Last week, as you remember,
was the big soccer game.

As our story starts, our team
finds itself outnumbered.

They're too good.

You're right!

We'll never win!

It's no use, I tell you!

We should give up now!

We'll never win!

Never, never, never!

(crying out)

BINKY:
Dun-dun!

Wait!

Who's that?

It's...

Can it be?

It is!

It's Binky!

(Binky's voice):
We're saved!

Okay, team.

Let's win this one.

(whistle blows)

One minute to go!

BINKY:
(humming Wagner's
"Ride of the Valkyries")

GEORGE:
(groans)

(gasping)

Yes!

And that's how I made the goal.

After that,
I went on a fishing trip,

and you'll never guess
what happened.

Time to go on a fishing trip!

BINKY:
Vroom!

(imitates
squealing brakes)

We're at the lake now!

(deep inhale)

Ah, nice air!

I hope I catch one!

Something's tugging!

I got one!

Whoa!

It's got me!

BINKY (as fish):
(menacing laugh)

BINKY:
Oh no, the fish is eating me!

Help!

Whoa, look at this!

I'm inside the fish!

Hey, a boot!

But how do I get out?

I've got it!

Cuchi-cuchi coo!

(giggling)

Cuchi-cuchi coo!

Oh, ho, ho!

That tickles!

Stop it, Binky!

Come on, fish,
or I'll use both hands.

I know when I'm licked.

You can go now.

BINKY:
I'm free!

Okay, fish.

We're even.

I'll let you go.

Bye, Binky!

Thanks a lot!

You're the best!

Bye, fish!

That's my postcard!

Thanks!

You let the fish go?

That's so great!

Actually, we ate him.

But it sounded better that way.

What did you think?

Good!

Amazing!

Sue Ellen?

You didn't say it was amazing.

Yet.

You didn't actually get
swallowed by a fish, did you?

No, of course not.

So you made that all up?

Yeah!

But...

But I thought you wanted to tell
your grandparents your news.

Yeah...?

Don't you think
they'll want to hear

what really happened
to you?

I tried that,
but I couldn't make it exciting.

But now you can.

Huh?

Make your email
like that movie.

It'll be great!

BINKY:
"Dear Grandma and Grandpa.

"I wanted to tell you
all the things

"that happened to me lately.

"Like, I saved the soccer game!

"While I was running,

"it felt like everything
was moving in slow motion.

"When I made the goal,
I couldn't believe it.

"I wanted to yell, 'Goal!'

"Catching the fish may not have
been an action movie,

"but it felt like one.

I thought that fish
would pull me out of the boat!"

(laughing)

"One more thing
I did this week:

"I made an awesome movie
with the help of my friends,

"which is coming by mail.

Hope you like it."

Love, your grandson,
Binky Barnes.

BUSTER:
To watch more Arthur

and play games with all
the Elwood City friends,

You can find Arthur books
and lots of other books too

at your local library.