21x05 - Slink's Special Talent/Take a Hike, Molly

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Arthur". Aired: October 7, 1996 - February 2022.*
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Arthur demonstrates to kids how to deal with challenges as homework, teachers and bullies.
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21x05 - Slink's Special Talent/Take a Hike, Molly

Post by bunniefuu »

PBS KIDS OPENS
WORLDS OF POSSIBILITIES

FOR ALL CHILDREN.

THANKS TO PBS STATIONS
AND VIEWERS LIKE YOU.

♪ 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)

SLINK:
Okay, action!

Hello, TV viewers!

Today's show is
all about greatness!

Or just
"pretty good"-ness.

We don't want
to oversell it, Binks.

Here are three tips for being
successful at anything.

One: have a positive
attitude.

This show opening is going
really well,

and by golly people
are going to like it!

Or else.

The second thing you need to do
is to get more practice.

It takes a few tries
to get good at anything.

Sometimes, it takes
more than few.

Finally, there's one thing
you should never do,

and that's...

Slink!

What's going on?

We're not finished.

My battery went dead.

Wanna use my phone?
Eh.

Two things are good enough.

Anyway, I'm starving.

Let's quit.

Later!

As we were saying,

if you want to be good
at something...

The third thing

you should never do is...

What he just did.

"Slink's Special Talent."

(bird chirping)

(alarm beeping)

(beeping stops)

(alarm beeping)

(beeping stops)

(alarm beeping)

(beeping stops)

(yawns)

(rap music playing)

♪ Wake up every morning
like a hamster on a wheel ♪

♪ Makin' crummy money
for an unhappy meal ♪

♪ Gotta tricked out bike
named Spike that I like ♪

♪ Drop the paper at the door,
don't do more ♪

♪ It's a bore! ♪

♪ The boss says, "Son, you gotta
set yourself goals!" ♪

♪ But he's yakkin' at my back,
'cuz that's not how I roll ♪

♪ He's givin' percent! ♪

♪ Ain't breakin' a sweat! ♪

♪ He's givin' fifty percent! ♪

♪ I ain't no teacher's pet! ♪

♪ He's givin' percent! ♪

♪ I ain't bustin' my hump! ♪

♪ He's givin' percent
like a nine-to-five chump! ♪

Hey, I need a favor.

I'm visiting my grandparents
for a week.

Can you take my paper route
while I'm away?

What do I have to do?

Just deliver papers
every morning.

You're supposed
to start at : ,

but I do it around :

It's just a couple
of streets.

I made you a map.

This is a map?

It looks like a game

of tic-tac-toe
played by blind squirrels.

It's good money.

Hey, Mrs...
uh, Pendergrass!

Here's your paper.

By the way, there's a coupon
for cedar bark mulch

in section C.

Those petunias look
a little wilty.

Have a beautiful day!

So if I cut
through Frog Alley here,

I'm actually shaving
three minutes

off my entire route.

It's a thing of beauty!

(yawns)

Yep, you're the Einstein
of paper delivery.

(cell phone ringing)
Hello?

Yeah, that's me.

Oh, hello, sir!

You what?!

Uh, I guess so, but...

Okay!

Thanks, sir!

Who was that?

The district supervisor
at the newspaper.

He wants me to take Slink's
delivery route.

Permanently.

Congratulations!

Hey, this job could lead
to big things.

Someday, you could
deliver packages!

Yeah, but what about Slink?

You think he'll be upset?

Are you kidding?

Slink hated that job.

I loved that job!

You did?

I thought it was just a way
to make a few extra bucks.

It wasn't
about the money!

It was something
I was good at!

Um, I hate to break this to you,
but no, you weren't.

Excuse me?

I was the best paper boy

from Quail Feather Court
to Poppy Bloom Lane!

You were the only paper boy

from Quail Feather Court
to Poppy Bloom Lane.

Did you even know
who your customers were?

Of course I did!

There was... bald guy
in the plaid bathrobe,

and that lady in the wig

who looks like she's
wearing a hedgehog.

That would be Mr. Metzner
and Mrs. Higgenbottom,

and that hair is real.

Okay, you're right.

I'm a terrible paper boy,

just like I'm terrible
at everything.

Slink, that's not true.

Yes, it is.

All of you are good
at something.

You've got chess,

you can dance,

and you give great advice.

Me?

I've got nothing.

Well, you're good at...

...throwing water balloons.

(gasps)

ALL:
He did it.

SLINK:
Dr. Zeke Robbins' Guide

to Unlocking
Your Secret Talent.

My dad swears
by this book.

According to Dr. Zeke,

everyone has
a secret talent.

You just have to find it.

Um...

Okay, I'll check it out.

(music playing on TV)

SLINK:
Hey!

That was Backyard Survivor!

It's my favorite show!

You can watch it later.

Right now,
you're doing Exercise One:

make a list of things
you think you might be good at.

But I already told you,
I'm not good at...

Enough with the negativity!

I want at least three things
by tomorrow.

Okay, "Three things I think
I might be good at.

Number one: comedy."

Listen to this one:

a bunny, a cat,
and an ice cream shop

walk into a dog...

No, no, that's not right,
let me start again.

And then
the bunny says,

"Why do you think
I have nine lives?"

Get it?

Wait, maybe it's
the dog who says...

Uh, why don't we move on?

What's number two?

"TV."

TV is good!

Yeah!

Do you like thinking up
TV shows?

Or maybe you want to direct?

Nope.

I just like watching TV.

Um, that's not really
a talent.

It isn't?

You turn the thing on
and watch!

How could you possibly
be bad at it?

(sheepishly):
You could fall asleep.

Next!

"Number three: packing."

When we go on a trip,

my dad always lets me pack
the suitcases

and fit them all
in the trunk.

He says I'm
really good at it.

That sounds like
a talent to me.

Yeah! I could see
"professional packer"

being a job someday.

Hey, you could be
the first one!

Okay, you're all good to go.

Have a great time on Mars!

I packed that ship.

RATTLES:
Hey, Sleeping Beauty!

Time to get to work.

Why am I
doing this again?

Because if you're going to be
the world's best packer,

you need to practice.

I'll check in
with you later.

Good morning, sir.

Want me to help you
pack your trunk for you?

Ah!

Perfection!

(car engine starts)

All done, sir.

Drive carefully!

Thanks!

Ah!

Wait, come back!

(panting)

Aw...

Earthworms can be
an excellent source of protein.

Hey, I was watching that!

How'd you get in, anyway?

The door was open.

I've been standing here
for five minutes.

Why aren't you at the mall?

It didn't work out.

Why not?

I messed up
on my first try!

I guess I'm not even good
at packing.

You know what
your problem is, Slink?

You're a quitter!

You'll never know
if you're good at anything

if you keep giving up.

Wait!

I don't want to give up.

That's more like it.

Let's go back
to the supermarket and...

No.

I want my paper route back.

I really liked that job,

and maybe I wasn't great at it,
but I can do better.

I know I can.

Okay, but you're going to have
to earn it back.

You'll have the route back
for one week.

The customers will rate
your performance

from one to ten.

If you get a seven or above,
the job is yours.

Deal?

Deal.

(alarm beeping)

(beeping stops)

♪ Wake up every morning
like a hamster on a wheel ♪

♪ Makin' crummy money
for an unhappy meal. ♪

(music stops)

Hi, Mrs. Higgenbottom!

What a beautiful hedgehog
you have...

I mean hair!

(chain clanking)

Aw, man!

(birds chirping)

Morning, Mrs. Pendergrass.

My, you look lovely today.

Here's your paper,

right on time!

RATTLES:
All right, I've tallied up
the numbers,

and according
to the surveys,

your average score
was... six.

(sighs)

Sorry, pal.

It was a great effort.

No!

I want a rematch!

Here, you can have the money
I made from that round.

Just let me try again!

You can keep your money.

You just won't quit,
will you?

Hello, Elwood City Times?

I'd like to speak
to the district supervisor.

Now that is what I call
a well-folded paper.

And now a word from us kids!

We are writing self-help books.

Rattles gave Slink
a self-help book

so he could help himself
find his talent.

GIRL:
If you are not that great
at something,

you might want to read
one of these books

so you can get better at it.

Wheels on Fire:

The Most Epic How-To Book
about Skateboarding.

"Exercises to strengthen
your legs, safety equipment,

and much more."

My book is called
Janelle Bell's Easy Ways

to Make Doll Clothes
for Beginners.

"Long dresses, short dresses,
skirts, jeans."

The Awesome Guide to Manga.

It's a type of drawing
or animation.

The hardest thing for me,
I think, would be the eyes.

My book is called
Rock Climbing Like a Pro.

It feels good when you finally
get something done right.

How to Live with a Divorced
Family As a Kid.

It can help kids
that have divorced families

and having a hard time
getting used to it.

Ways to Make Your Mom's Day
and Yours.

"The book will teach you to:

"put away dirty dishes
in a way that is fun.

Make your bed in a way
that is also fun."

This is a book
to help moms and kids.

Isabel's Intelligent Guide

to Organizing
Your School Supplies.

How to organize your stuff,

like, if you have a messy desk
or something.

Don't Give Up:
How to Be a Baseball Pro.

Don't give up means, like,
keep on persevering,

and if you just give up,

you don't know if you can
get better or not.

The Dancing Diva's
Hip-Hop Guide.

Some people need more help
to dance.

BOY:
You're never gonna be able
to get any better at it

if you don't try
to get better at it.

And now back to Arthur!

(crow cawing)

Say it, Molly!

We have to hear
those words!

No way.

There are some things

that you'll never hear
certain people say.

Like Muffy.

Can you imagine her saying this?

A sale on designer dresses?

Nah, I've got plenty at home.

(gasps)

BINKY:
Or Francine.

Big deal, we lost.

What's important is that
we all had fun.

What?

Huh?

BINKY:
Or Buster.

A UFO?

No way!

I'm sure that's just
a weather balloon.

(gasps)

But of all the things
people won't say,

this is the one
I want to hear most.

Come on, Molly, say it!

(chanting):
Say it! Say it! Say it!

"Take a Hike, Molly."

SLINK:
And the guy survives
for three whole days,

eating nothing
but bark and worms!

It's the best show ever!

RATTLES:
I don't get it.

Why doesn't he just go inside
and make himself a sandwich?

Because it's called
The Backyard Survivor.

He survives using only what
he finds in his backyard.

Does he have a grill?

He could make burgers
if he had a grill.

No, he doesn't have...

(sighs)

You're missing
the whole point!

MOLLY:
Okay, you lily-livered
laggards!

Listen up!

We have a mission.

Nice use of alliteration.

"The Lookout Mountain Hotel."

Are we going to protest it?

Do they underpay their staff?

It b*rned down in .

Are we going to travel
back in time and protest it?

Cool!

No!

We're going to hike
to the ruins

and claim it as
Tough Customer territory.

Why?

"Why"?

Because it'll be an adventure.

Look, it's only
half an hour away.

This is a pretty old
brochure.

You think the map's
still accurate?

Sure.

My grandma gave it to me

and she used to go there
all the time as a kid.

Hey! We could film
our own reality show:

The Hike Survivors.

I was going to organize
my sock drawer, but...

Okay, I'm in.

Hm...

C'mon, Rattles.

What's the matter?

You "afwaid"?

I'm not afraid of anything!

Okay, maybe one thing.

But it's not spooky ruins.

All right!

One thing every
hike survivor needs

is a good walking stick!

It should be
nice and sturdy!

(grunting)

Or you could just take one

that other hikers
have left behind.

We're looking
for Buggytop Trail.

It has red markers.

"Poet's Walk, Big Loop,
Morgan's Creek..."

I don't see
any Buggytop.

This one's red.

They probably just
changed the name.

Can we go to The Burger Barn
before we start?

It's right down the road.

We'll go on our way back.

But I'm hungry now.

And I'm not eating
any worms or bark.

Relax.

I have plenty of food
for us in here.

RATTLES:
Ah!

What's that?

Just some old rope.

Whew!

Uh, well,

someone could've tripped on it.

There's the next
red marker,

across the stream.

Watch out!

It's a water snake!

Where? Where?!

Whoa!

(splash)

(laughing)

Got you!

Aw, man!

I'm all wet!

You're afraid of snakes?

Yeah.

It's why I'm called "Rattles."

When I was little,

every time I thought
I saw a snake,

I'd scream,
"Ah! It's a rattler!"

Huh!

I thought you were named
after a baby rattle,

like Binky was named
after his pacifier.

Hey, we're talking
about his name, not mine!

That wasn't funny.

Oh, c'mon,
it was a little funny.

Not to me.

Some people just can't take
a joke, right?

BINKY:
Wait!

Where did all
the red markers go?

SLINK:
I don't see any anywhere.

Yeah.

Not since the two
after the incident

that shall not be named.

There's one!

Oh.

A maple leaf?

It was far away.

It looked like a red marker.

I say we go back.

There's still a half hour left
to get the early burger special.

Oh, c'mon!

We're probably
almost there.

Oh, wait!

The blue trail
is also on this map.

It'll get us there, too.

It's just a tiny bit longer.

That looks like more than
a tiny bit.

I don't want to be hiking
in the dark.

We won't be able to see
what we're stepping on.

Plus it's not like there's
any blue markers here anyway.

Except for the one
you're standing in front of.

MOLLY:
There's the next one!

We have to go
through there?

There's a cave in Mexico

where snakes hang
from the ceiling and eat bats!

Look on the bright side:

it's going to make for some
great footage for the show.

Navigating a tunnel
can be very tricky.

Slink, quit filming!

You're slowing us down.

You just might encounter
a dangerous animal.

Come on.

I said cut it out.

SLINK:
A very grumpy, dangerous animal.

Hey!

(loud cr*ck)

Oops.

This was
a birthday present!

It's just a cr*ck.

It still works.

You're paying to get this fixed.

I already said I would.

What else do you want me to say?

"Sorry" would be nice.

Hey, it's another blue marker!

Maybe we should call the show
The Molly Survivors instead.

(gasps)

Well, there goes
your blue marker.

Bye-bye, marker.

There has to be
another one.

According to the map,
we're almost...

That's it!
Hey!

I'm not going
any further!

This is my line in the sand!

It's actually dirt.

Whatever!

She gets the point.

Don't you?

Yeah.

The point is you're hungry.

I get it.

Let's just take
a little snack break.

SLINK:
A juice box,

a bag of trail mix,
and a roll of mints?

That's all you brought?

And it's apple juice!

That's too sweet
to go with mints.

You should've gone for tomato.

These have nuts in them!

So?

I'm allergic to nuts!

You know that.

Oh, yeah.

I guess I forgot.

Say you're sorry.

What?

Say it!

Why? I just forgot!

What's the big...

You got Rattles wet,

you broke Slink's phone,

and you deprived my stomach
of a perfectly good burger!

Now I want to hear those
two little words from you.

I'm...

...just trying to show
you guys a good time!

It's not my fault things
didn't go as planned!

Have either of you ever heard
Molly say she's sorry?

Nope.

I thought
I heard it once,

but it turned out
she was just saying "soggy"

with her mouth full.

Should we
catch up to her?

I guess so.

We can't just
leave her here alone.

Or can we?

MOLLY:
Whoa!

See, guys?

I told you it was nearby.

Guys?

(wind blowing)

Okay, fine!

But you don't know
what you're missing!

This place is really cool!

(birds chirping)

Mm!

These mints are so delicious!

(spits)

Bleh!

That is an awful combo.

(faint animal chattering)

(wind howling)

(crow cawing)

Okay, you want me to say
I'm sorry?

Fine!

I'm sorry!

I really am!

I'm sorry for everything.

Just please come back, guys.

Please?

(on recording):
I'm sorry!

I'm sorry!

Well, looks like the playback
function still works.

You doofuses.

How long have you
been there?

Just a minute or two.

We followed you,
then snuck around to the back.

Now, that wasn't so bad,

saying those two
little words, was it?

No.

I guess I just...
really hate being wrong.

Know what I hate?

Being lost in the woods.

I don't see any markers now.

How are we going to get back?

I don't know.

This thing was pretty useless.

Sorry.

See?

If we had gotten hamburgers,

we could've left
a trail of bread crumbs.

No way.

The animals would've
eaten them.

Filming that would've been great
for Hike Survivors.

Wait.

You recorded most
of our trip, right?

Yeah, so?

So we watch the footage

and pick out the landmarks
along the way.

We can use it
to get home.

(water babbling)

Hurry!

We only have half an hour
before it closes.

Come on!

(loud chewing)

(muffled):
This is the best thing
I've ever eaten.

They didn't have root beers,
so I got ginger ale.

Sorry.

Now she can't stop
saying it.

I'm sorry,
what was that?

Molly!

Sorry, is it bothering you?

I'll stop.

Sorry.

BUSTER:
To watch more Arthur

and play games with all
the Elwood City friends,

visit pbskids.org.

You can find Arthur books
and lots of other books too

at your local library.
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