03x11 - In the Rainforest

[bunniefuu]

[Beep beep]

Seat belts, everyone!

Please let this be a normal field trip.

With the frizz? All: no way! Ohh!

♪ Cruisin' on down main street

♪ You're relaxed and feelin' good ♪ yeah!

♪ Next thing that you know, you're seein' ♪

Wa-ha-ha-hoo!

♪ An octopus in the neighborhood! ♪

♪ Surfin' on a sound wave

♪ Swingin' through the stars

♪ Take a left at your intestine ♪

♪ Take your second right past mars ♪

♪ On the magic school bus

♪ Navigate a nostril ahchoo!

♪ Climb on the magic school bus ♪

♪ Spank a plankton, too take that!

♪ On our magic school bus

♪ Raft a river of lava

♪ On the magic school bus

♪ Such a fine thing to do!

Whoa!

♪ So strap your bones right to the seat ♪

♪ Come on in and don't be shy ♪

♪ Just to make your day complete ♪

♪ You might get baked into a pie ♪

♪ On the magic school bus

♪ Step inside, it's a wilder ride! ♪

♪ Come on

♪ Ride on the magic school bus ♪

[Beep beep]

Dorothy ann: it all started on a monday morning

Before the first bell,

But it wasn't just any monday morning.

It was earth day--

The day we celebrate taking care of our earth.

We'd ordered a surprise earth day present

For ms. Frizzle

From the rainforest rentals catalog,

And we were waiting for it to arrive.

Mail order? Ha! I call it fail order.

Ms. Frizzle will be here any minute.

Dorothy ann: meanwhile, tim was seriously stuck

On his essay assignment:

What does earth day mean to you?

What does earth day mean?

Well, to me, earth day means

Thinking about how animals and plants

All live together,

Like those squirrels and that oak tree.

Tim: that's great, phoebe,

But I don't know what that means,

So it can't mean that to me, if you know what I mean.

Hey, guys, the present's here!

All right!

Ms. Frizzle: it's earth day!

Do you know where your teacher is?

Good morning, class!

Children: happy earth day, ms. Frizzle!

And happy earth day to all of you.

Earth day! Ha ha!

Oh, my favorite holiday.

We know, so here's a little earth day present,

Ms. Frizzle, from us to you.

A present?

For me?

Oh, you shouldn't have.

Why, thank you, liz.

"Congratulations, ms. Frizzle." Ha ha ha!

"You have rented a tree in the rainforest.

"You are helping to preserve

All rainforest plants and animals."

What a worthwhile gift.

Wait! There's more!

Oh, my!

My very own cocoa tree!

How did you know?

We know that cocoa trees make cocoa beans

And cocoa beans make chocolate!

Oh, my favorite thing on earth.

What a day.

And listen to this:

"As a cocoa tree renter, you are entitled

"To all the cocoa beans your cocoa tree produces

For one year."

And here's your first shipment of cocoa beans.

Open it! Open it!

Mmm, mmm, mmm.

[Gasps]

Children: that's it?!

One measly, shriveled--

Cocoa bean!

We've "bean" had!

Look. There's a note.

"Due to circumstances beyond my control,

"Your cocoa tree is temporarily experiencing

"A cocoa bean shortage.

Signed, inspector 47."

A temporary cocoa bean shortage?!

What's that supposed to mean?

It means no cocoa beans.

But why?

Things don't happen without a reason.

Ah, a meaningful point, tim.

Dorothy ann: I knew that look.

I didn't even have to ask, but I did.

Ms. Frizzle, where are you going?

To the rainforest!

Where else?

Dorothy ann: before the pledge of allegiance was pledged,

We were on our way to the rainforest

To untangle the web of mystery

That surrounded the missing cocoa beans.

Ms. Frizzle: wahoo!

Dorothy ann: don't worry, guys.

According to my sense of truth, justice, and the milky way,

I'll crack the case of the missing cocoa beans,

Or my name's not--

Detective d.a.

What's this?

Cool!

My own r.f.i. License!

What's an r.f.i.?

A rainforest investigator.

Every continent needs a few.

And a rainforest handbook!

Now I've got everything.

Ms. Frizzle: except a partner.

Every good detective has a partner.

Dorothy ann's in charge of the investigation, tim,

And you're in charge of the big picture.

The big picture?

As big as earth itself!

Dorothy ann: before we knew it,

We'd arrived at the rainforest.

Ralphie: whoa.

It's wall-to-wall trees down there!

Phoebe: it looks like they're connected to each other.

How are we ever going to find ms. Frizzle's tree?

Ms. Frizzle: as my old parachute instructor

Used to say, "look before you leap

And never jump to conclusions!"

On the other hand,

Take over, liz!

Single file, please.

Dorothy ann: before we jumped,

I gave everyone a photo of ms. Frizzle's tree.

I knew if we could find her tree,

We'd find the cocoa bean thief.

Phoebe: look how many different kinds of trees there are.

Carlos: and birds and animals!

And insects!

Wahoo!

Ugh!

Excuse me, guys.

Have you seen this tree?

Is that a no?

Ok! Ok! I'm out of here!

Ew! What's all this sticky stuff?

Hey, carlos! What's going on?

[Monkeys screeching]

They weren't expecting visitors.

Let's get out of here.

Wait! Yum. Fruit juice.

Wow.

Those monkeys are regular juicers for all these ants.

Yikes!

An anteater!

Ha ha! This must be

His favorite rainforest restaur-ant.

Tim: hey, d.a., Look at this.

There's more than just cocoa trees

In the rainforest.

There are tons of fruit trees,

And if we're looking for suspects,

What about these guys?

Maybe they like cocoa beans, too.

Dorothy ann: I figured tim was barking up the wrong tree,

So I had to set him straight.

Listen, partner, we're looking for this tree

And a suspect named inspector 47, ok?

Well, yeah, but to get the big picture,

Maybe we need more info.

Keesha: d.a.! We've got a match!

Wanda: there's the frizz's tree!

It's your cocoa tree, all right, ms. Frizzle.

Oh, it's beautiful.

I just want to hug it.

Sorry, ms. Frizzle!

You can't touch a thing.

According to my handbook,

We've got to dust for fingerprints.

And according to this picture,

The tree should be covered with pods,

But it's not.

There's only flowers. How come?

Hmm.

There's no sign the pods have been picked.

It's as if the cocoa tree just stopped making them.

No pods, no beans.

But the tree's healthy.

Just look at all these flowers.

So what's going on?

Hey!

Help!

Dorothy ann: I knew the rainforest

Would net some surprises.

I just didn't expect to be in the net.

Carlos: congratulations, d.a.

It looks like this case is all wrapped up.

Carlos! Carlos!

[French accent] at last, I have captured

The cocoa bean thieves.

All you've captured is trouble, mister.

A rainforest investigator!

Mon dieu!

My--my humble apologies.

Urgh!

Oh, please, please do not report me

To inspector one.

If he ever found out--

Wait a minute. Who are you?

I am inspector 47.

This is my little patch of rainforest.

Well, this is a tree

We rented for ms. Frizzle!

Ms. Frizzle?

Oh, and her students!

Of course!

Uh, you are concerned

About the cocoa bean shortage, no?

Yes!

Ha ha ha! You're not alone!

Neither is ms. Frizzle's cocoa tree.

It looks like

None of these cocoa trees have pods.

Well, they used to,

But for some reason,

All of the pods have gone poof.

[Sniffle]

That is the bad news,

But the good news is,

All the mud wallows have also gone...

Poof.

Mud wallows?

Oui.

Patches of filthy mud

Filled with the little pools of disgusting water.

Bleah.

Not only that, I have gotten rid

Of the horrible bugs

And the pesky peccaries.

Look, inspector, we didn't come down here

To study mud-free, bug-free, peccary-free zones!

We came to crack the case

Of ms. Frizzle's missing cocoa beans!

Un moment.

Inspector 46!

Inspector 46?!

Yes--inspector 46.

My neighbor is madly jealous

Of my bug-free, peccary-free, mud-free

Place of work,

So he put the curse on my cocoa trees!

That is why they no longer produce

The cocoa beans.

J'accuse, inspector 46!

J'accuse!

I wonder if the bugs and peccaries

Could have something to do

With the missing cocoa beans.

Stick to the facts, tim, just the facts.

This is about cocoa beans, period.

Hmm, but the question still remains:

What would cause healthy cocoa trees to stop making pods?

Wanda: hey, you guys! Over here!

A hummingbird with pollen on its beak!

Isn't he cool?

Look how he just fits inside the flower.

Where's he going?

Well...

As my cousin bea always says,

"Pollen's got to travel

For its wonders to unravel."

Ok.

So the hummingbird carries pollen

From flower to flower,

Pollinating them so they turn into seeds or fruits

Or bean pods!

Maybe the flowers on ms. Frizzle's tree

Didn't get pollinated.

No pollination...

No pods, no beans.

That's it! This is a case of missing pollen,

And I'm going to prove it.

Keesha: sorry, d.a. No pollen missing here.

This cocoa flower's making plenty of it.

Ok, so I was wrong!

Dorothy ann: then suddenly, the case opened up

Like a flower to a bee.

Arnold: I think it's going to pollinate

Ms. Frizzle's tree.

No way, arn.

This bee's too big to get into a cocoa tree flower.

If the bee's too big,

Then it must be a really tiny insect

That carries pollen

Between the flowers of cocoa trees,

So... Where are they?

[Squawk squawk]

Dorothy ann: faster than you can say "earth day,"

The case of the missing beans

Had turned into the mystery of the missing insects,

And to find the insects,

We had to find a cocoa tree with pods.

You are now leaving the mud-free zone.

Beware of the peccaries,

The bugs, and the filthy mud.

Man, inspector 47 sure has got a thing about mud.

And I've got a hunch it has something to do

With the missing cocoa beans.

A connection worth detection, tim.

But, ms. Frizzle,

What could mud possibly have to do with cocoa beans?

Besides, we're searching for teeny insects.

Is it just me,

Or are we about to get down and muddy

With a pack of peccaries?!

Watch out!

[Snorting]

Whoa! Whoa!

Dorothy ann: just when it looked like

Our earth day investigation was turning into mud day mayhem,

Ms. Frizzle gave us a boost.

Aah! Aah!

Now, that's what I call springing into action.

Whoa! Look at all these cocoa trees!

And they're loaded with pods!

And real live cocoa beans.

And where there's a working cocoa tree,

We should find our missing insect.

Dorothy ann: I was right.

The flower was getting pollinated

By a teeny-weeny insect.

Which, by the way, goes by the name of midge fly.

So I get it.

Midge flies carry the pollen...

From the flower of one cocoa tree to the next.

And the pollinated flowers turn into pods--

That are filled with cocoa beans--

That make chocolate!

Get the picture, tim?

Got it, ms. Frizzle. It's all in here.

Hey, where did the water come from?

Up there.

What's that?

A bromeliad.

Need to take a closer look?

Check it out.

You're not going to believe it.

There's a whole world of life going on here.

There's a slug drinking water,

An iguana taking a bath,

A frog laying eggs,

And the eggs hatching into tadpoles.

All in the same plant?

Yeah. It's like they're all part

Of the same tiny world,

Living, eating, and hatching

In this one little pool of water.

But unlike these midge flies,

It's got nothing to do with our cocoa trees.

If we could get these midges

Back to ms. Frizzle's tree,

Our problem's solved.

Hold it, d.a.

What happens when those midges die?

We'll be right back where we started.

Could the picture be

A little bigger than you thought, d.a.?

No way! The solution to this mystery is the midges.

I'm sure of it.

But, d.a., Don't you want to know why

The midges disappeared?

Yeah. Things aren't always what they seem.

Like this bromeliad:

It's not just a plant.

It's a pond of water, too,

And things live in water.

Take away the pond,

And the slug, the frog,

And the insects would all disappear.

Children: tim!

Ugh, what earth day means to me.

[Laughter]

Welcome to mudville, tim.

Mudville?

This is bugville.

D.a., Quick, your magnifying glass.

Just as I suspected:

A mud wallow for the peccaries

Is also home, sweet home

For the midge flies.

Dorothy ann: you're right.

It seems that watery mud wallows

Are the perfect place

For laying eggs, hatching larvae,

And raising midges.

The plot-- and the mud--thickens.

I told you mud had something to do with it.

Inspector 47 got rid of the peccaries,

Which got rid of the mud wallows,

Which got rid of the insects,

Which got rid of the cocoa pods

Because the cocoa flowers never got pollinated.

Then inspector 47

Is our culprit after all.

But how did he get rid of the peccaries?

I think he missed a few.

Children: peccary stampede!

Dorothy ann: nothing like a pack of peccaries

To place us in a perilous predicament.

One thing about going on a field trip

With ms. Frizzle--

We could always count on a hands-on experience.

Whoa!

Hey!

Thank you.

Both: what's going on?

Class, pursue those peccaries!

Tim: anything in your handbook

About how to stop a stampeding peccary?

I'm looking!

You are now entering a mud-free zone.

Tim: we're back in inspector 47's

Patch of rainforest!

Inspector 47: turn around! Go back!

Shoo! Get! Go away!

Whoa!

Tim! Come back!

Oh, look what you have done to my suit!

I will not allow those filthy animals

In my patch of the rainforest!

Those filthy animals, as you put it,

Are just what your cocoa trees need

To make cocoa beans.

[Sarcastically] of course.

It is the peccary that makes the cocoa beans.

Ha ha ha!

She is not only a rainforest investigator,

She is a comedian.

We'll see who has the last laugh, inspector.

Dorothy ann: it was time to prove our theory

And wrap up the case of the missing cocoa beans.

For your cocoa trees

To make pods with beans...

[Opening jar]

Your cocoa flowers need to get pollinated

By midge flies,

And midges need watery mud wallows to breed in,

And mud wallows are made by peccaries.

Do you follow me?

Oui.

Then I'll continue. The peccaries,

Who make the mud wallows,

Left because, well--

Because...

The, uh...

Tim: whoa, nellie belle!

Oof!

Nice of you to drop in, tim.

Wait a minute.

What's this?

So that's it.

What is it?

The peccaries left

Because there was no ground to wallow in

Because you, inspector 47,

Covered the rainforest floor with artificial turf.

Is this true?

Yes...

It is true,

But how was I to know a little artificial turf

Would ruin my cocoa trees?

That's because you didn't know

That you were messing up

The big picture.

Pardonnez-moi?

Whether it's the brosimum tree

That feeds the monkey that feeds the ant

That feeds the anteater

Or the tree that gives the bromeliad plant

A lift to the light,

Which then gives animals in the trees

A place to drink, to eat, and to breed.

The truth is, the rainforest is filled

With plants and animals

That are connected in trillions of ways,

And all the connections in this big picture

Form a web-- the web of life--

And all plants and animals,

Including people, squirrels,

Oak trees, cocoa beans, peccaries, fish,

Or inspectors,

Are part of the web.

It's what earth day is all about.

All I wanted was to save on my dry-cleaning bill,

And mon dieu!

I have spoiled the web of life!

It can happen, inspector,

But in this case, nothing has been ruined.

It hasn't?

No!

We can repair the link

Between peccaries and cocoa beans

By returning things to the way they were, can't we?

I hope so.

I will rip up this filthy artificial turf

With my bare hands!

Dorothy ann: and so the mystery was solved.

The artificial turf was history.

Tim found the meaning of earth day

When he figured out the web of life,

And inspector 47 begged for a pardon

From the peccaries.

Come back, my pretty peccaries!

I have a beautiful mud wallow just for you!

The web must be restored!

Soo-wee! Soo-wee!

Dorothy ann: it was a happy earth day after all.

Several months later, ms. Frizzle received

Another shipment from rainforest rentals.

Wanda: all right!

Arnold: yeah!

Carlos: look at all those cocoa beans!

Dorothy ann: there was a note from inspector 47.

Ms. Frizzle: "due to circumstances

"Beyond my control,

"Your cocoa tree has produced

A bumper crop of cocoa beans."

Yes! Yes!

Signed, "inspector 22."

Inspector 22?

"Thanks to you and your students,

I got a promotion."

[Cheering]

[Beeping]

Is this the magic school bus?

Is this the magic school bus?

Magic school bus?

Magic school bus?

Magic school bus?

Both: magic school bus?

I want the magic school bus!

Thanks, liz. Now, give me all your 7s.

Hey, come back here. I was winning!

[Telephone ringing]

Hello. "Magic school bus." Producer speaking.

Caller: first, I want to know what happened

To all those cocoa beans.

[Coughs] we're roasting them now.

Roasting them? Yep.

We're making our own chocolate,

And roasting the beans is the first step.

Anything else?

Yes. At the beginning of the show,

You showed some squirrels in an oak tree,

But you never talked about how they're connected.

Good point. The squirrel that buried the acorn

Was storing food,

But squirrels don't dig up

All the acorns they bury.

Oh, so they also plant seeds for new oak trees.

Exactly. I'm glad you brought that up.

It's not only the rainforest which depends on the web of life.

Everywhere, even in my backyard,

There are relationships like that going on right now.

How right you are. Thanks for calling.

You're welcome.

Ok, liz, how's the chocolate coming?

[Telephone ringing]

"Magic school bus."

Caller: how about shedding some light

On my midge problem?

And what midge problem might that be?

Well, if there were pools of water

Up in those bromeliad plants,

And the midges needed a watery place to breed,

Why didn't they just breed in the bromeliads?

Good question. In real life,

There are usually more ways for things to happen,

But we wanted to keep it simple.

Well, you sure kept it simple, and silly,

When it came to inspector 47.

How do you mean? He was the lamest,

Most overdone phony-baloney official I've ever seen.

I mean, he was straight out of a cartoon.

[Cell phone ringing]

Could you hold on for a second? Hello?

Inspector 47: I heard that comment.

Would you like to talk to the young man?

Absolutement.

Are you calling me a cartoon?

Well, that's what you are.

Who would run around a rainforest in a white suit,

Talking like zees?

Inspector: I would, and I do.

And however you look at it,

You and I are connected by the web of life.

Ha ha! Yeah?

Well, we won't be connected by telephone if I hang up.

[Laughs]

♪ Surfin' on a sound wave

♪ Swingin' through the stars

♪ Take a left at your intestine ♪

♪ Take your second right past mars ♪

♪ On the magic school bus

♪ Navigate a nostril

♪ Climb on the magic school bus... ♪

♪ Raft a river of lava

♪ On the magic school bus

♪ So strap your bones right to the seat ♪

♪ Come on in and don't be shy... ♪

♪ Step inside, it's a wilder ride! ♪

♪ Come on

♪ Ride on the magic school bus ♪