04x14 - Verb Dog, When Action Calls!/Martha's Adverb Adventure

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Martha Speaks". Aired: September 1, 2008 - November 18, 2014.*
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A family dog gains the power of speech after the letters in some alphabet soup wind up misrouted to her brain instead of her stomach in this whimsical animated series adapted from books by Susan Meddaugh.
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04x14 - Verb Dog, When Action Calls!/Martha's Adverb Adventure

Post by bunniefuu »

MAN:
♪ Martha was an average dog ♪

♪ She went... and... and... ♪
(barking, growls)

♪ When she ate
some alphabet soup ♪

♪ Then what happened
was bizarre... ♪

On the way to Martha's stomach,
the letters lost their way.

They traveled to her brain,
and now...

♪ She's got a lot to say ♪

♪ Now she speaks... ♪

How now, brown cow?

♪ Martha speaks ♪

♪ Yeah, she speaks
and speaks and speaks ♪

♪ And speaks and speaks... ♪

What's a caboose?

When are we eating again?

♪ Martha speaks... ♪

Hey, Joe, what do you know?

My name's not Joe.

♪ She's not always right, but
still that Martha speaks... ♪

Hi, there.

♪ She's got the voice,
she's ready to shout ♪

♪ Martha will tell you
what it's all about ♪

♪ Sometimes wrong,
but seldom in doubt ♪

♪ Martha will tell you
what it's all about ♪

♪ That dog's unique... ♪

Testing, one, two.

♪ Hear her speak ♪

♪ Martha speaks and speaks
and speaks and speaks and... ♪

♪ Communicates, enumerates,
elucidates, exaggerates ♪

♪ Indicates and explicates ♪

♪ Bloviates and overstates
and... ♪

(panting)

♪ Hyperventilates! ♪

♪ Martha-- to reiterate--
Martha speaks. ♪

NARRATOR:
What words make things go?

Find out in today's
thrill-packed,

nonstop adventurama.

Now here's your host.

Hello!

In today's program, we will
explore two kinds of words:

verbs, which are action words,

like "jump" and "run"
and "speak,"

and adverbs, which are words
that say how you do things--

words like "instantly"
or "sloppily" or "quietly."

Watch out for all the verbs
and adverbs,

and we'll see you
at the end of the show.

Face it, cats are just way,
way smarter than dogs.

Number one: cats don't bark.

B: they wash themselves.

Plus cats never drool
or eat garbage,

like some animals
I could name.

I'm talking
about dogs, Larry.

Number three:

they're dignified.

You'd never see a cat begging
for food or doing stupid tricks.

(ripping)
Ow, ow, ow!

Hey!

Get out of here!

MARTHA:
Hi, guys.

You don't believe
dogs are dumb?

Watch this.

Hey, Martha.

Hi, Ronald,
what's up?

Just thought you should know,

we all saw you ambulating
in public the other day.

I... di...

Uh-uh.

Yeah-huh.

Ambulating all over the place.

Out in front of everyone.

Right, guys?

(stifled laughter)

What's so funny?

You are.

What a... a... dog!

(boys laughing)

That's nothing.

Watch this.

(phone rings)
Three, four, five.

Hello?

Stuck in the swamp.

(sighs)

Something's wrong
with Martha!

Yeah, that's
the definition.

(groans)

ALICE:
Martha!

TD:
We found you!

What's the matter?

We were worried about you.

(giggling):
About me?

Why?

We heard you were...

were...

Ambulating.

Oh, ha-ha.

Very funny.

I guess you all think
you're hilarious.

Well, guess what.

You're nothing but
a bunch of... clowns.

She's right.

You are clowns.

To ambulate just means to walk.

Walk?

Uh-oh.

You mean...?

Ronald!

I can't believe those guys.

Ganging up with Ronald.

Making fun of a dog

just because she doesn't know
what "ambulate" means.

They use words like some...
evil superpower.

Don't they know that words
can really, really...

Ow!

Hurt.

Um, maybe next time
just hand me the book.

Evil superpower!

Evil superpower.

Words can hurt.

Superpower!

Hey, does anyone else
smell hot dogs?

Shh.

Superpower.

Superpower...

NARRATOR:
Martha was an average
talking dog.

She went:
Hi!

And...
Bye!

And...
(growling)

Then one day,

struck by a falling book
of English verbs,

she developed a power
that was bizarre...

Fly!

The power of verbs!

Verbs are the words that say
what someone or something does.

Verbs are action words,
like fly,

land,

roll,

beg.

Not on your life.

(laser zaps)

Aided by the mysterious
Doctor R,

Martha sniffs out trouble.

And when she does,

mild-mannered Martha
instantly becomes...

Verb Dog!

Using verbs to help
wherever trouble strikes.

Car: elevate!

Verb Dog!

Explain it again, Doc.

My powers don't work
with all words?

That is correct.

Only verbs.

Verbs are the words that tell
you what something is doing--

words like "jump" and "run"
and even "think" and "wonder."

So if I say,
"Fire hydrant: yellow."

Did it change?

No.

Verbs are things you do.

You talk, you dance,
but you can't "yellow."

So if I say, "Hamburger!"

Nothing happens.

"Hamburger" is a noun.

It's a thing, not an action.

Figures.

So how about "gently"?

You cannot "gently."

"Gently" isn't a verb,
it's an adverb.

"Gently" says
how you do something.

An adverb?

(whimpers)

All these rules are starting
to make my head spin.

Um, I take it "spin" is a verb.

Uh, yeah.

Where are we going?

Martha, this town
is being menaced

by some really mean people.

Your superpowers are just what
this city needs to defeat them.

In that case,
we'd better hurry.

Hop on my back.

Let's fly!

This is their hideout?

A tree house?

Trust me, the people who
hang out here are very mean.

Tree house: descend.

Walls: vanish.

Hey!

It's that pesky Doctor R.

I'll take care of him.

Watch it!

DOCTOR R:
That's Al-ICE.

She's as much fun as
an ice-cream headache.

Too late for you, Al-ICE.

I have a secret weap...

Hey!

Not nice.

Al-ICE: giggle.

(giggling)

Doctor R: thaw.

(sighs)

Watch out.

It's the TD .

Hah-hah-hah.

TD : giggle.

It's no use.

The TD is a robot.

He has no feelings at all.

MARTHA:
Oh, no,

he's armed.

Seriously?

Sorry.

Robot arms: tangled.

Whoa!

Tangled.

Tangled!

Hmm.

"Tangled" must not be a verb.

Hey, Doc, what's a verb for when
something gets, like, tangled?

(yelling):
Tangle!

Oh... like "tangled," only
without the "duh" at the end?

Yes!

Wow.

Verbs are easier than I thought.

Verb Dog!

Oh, right.

Robot arms: tangle.

Thanks, Verb Dog.

(stomping)

(whimpering)

Who is that?

Their leader.

She's two-faced
and has a heart of stone.

She pretends to be your friend
and then stabs you in the back.

What do you call her?

Helen.

Ah.

Well, Helen:

fly to Hackensack,
instantly.

That was easy.

Victory dance.

(singing gibberish)

Come on, Doc.

What's the problem?

"To Hackensack": that's not
really a verb, you know.

And "instantly" is an adverb.

Aw, quit worrying, Doc.

She's gone, isn't she?

I suppose.

Oh, come on, cheer up,
Dr. Pouty-face.

Dr. Frownipuss.

Hey, I know what
will cheer you up.

Some verbs.

Hop on!

Leap!

Leap...!
(Doctor R screaming)

Leap!

Let's add some rolls
this time.

Roll!

(screaming)

Now spin up.

(Doctor R screaming)

MARTHA:
Hover.

Hey, I'm starting to like verbs.

(whooshing)

Oh, no!

She's not gone.

And she has a jetpack!

Looks like we'll just
have to outfly her.

Hang on, Doc.

Fly away!

(Doctor R screaming)

Turn!

Turn.

Turn!

Duck!

Hang on!

(Doctor R screaming)

Good work, Verb Dog.

Hop on.

Fly.

Uh-oh.

Spoke to soon.

Down there.

Good thinking, Doc.

Descend.

The sewers?

Hurry, this way.

I don't know
what the big deal is.

What's her power?

Walking loud?

She's the worst of all.

She...

Where are you hiding?

Come out, come out
wherever you are.

(hypnotized):
Coming, Helen...

Martha, no!

Come to Helen.

Fight it, Martha.

Fight it.

Can't... resist...

Atta girl!

Martha!

Remember: ambulate.

Ambulate?

Hey, that's right.

I remember.

She made fun of me.

Helen: petrify.

You did it!

You turned her to stone.

Yeah.

Just one thing left.

This.

A muzzle?

Sorry, you can't speak
through this muzzle,

which means you're powerless.

Just like your friends.

Friends?

Ronald?

(in Doctor R voice):
My plan worked...

(clears throat)

My plan worked
just the way I hoped.

I turned you
against your friends,

so now there's no one to stop me

in my brazen quest
for unbridled power!

(laughing evilly)

Oh, no!

Oh, no!!

HELEN:
Martha?

Martha.

Martha!

(gasping)

Are you okay?

They said a book hit you.

I'm fine.

I... I had
the strangest dream, though.

You were there, and you were
there, and you were there,

and you were all mean to me.

We didn't intend to insult you.

It was completely
Ronald's fault.

He tricked us.

Yeah, I sort of
figured that out.

ALICE:
Why pick on Martha, Ronald?

I was just trying
to prove a point.

What point?

That cats are geniuses
compared to dogs.

MARTHA:
Don't look now,

but your pet genius just got
his head stuck in a bag.

(meows)

(grunts)

Aw, Nelson!

Well, if you pick on anyone
again, Ronald, I'll tell Mom.

Uh... don't do that.

Please.

Okay, but on one condition:

you have to apologize to Martha.

All right, all right.

Sorry you didn't know
what "ambulate" means.

Ronald.

Okay, I'm sorry.

I apologize.

TD:
Three, four, five...

Aw, swamped again.

(groans)

ALICE:
Hey, look at
Martha's feet.

TRUMAN:
Hmm, I wonder what
she's dreaming.

Rats!

We did it!
Great work, team.

Our work here isn't finished.

We can't rest
as long as danger lurks.

You're right.

What are we waiting for?

ALL:
Let's go!

Martha.

Flying?

Oh right, sorry.

Team:

elevate!

NARRATOR:
Verb Dog!

Verbs are the words that say

what someone or something
is doing.

If you're thinking
of becoming a superhero

with the power of words,

it helps to know
some special verbs.

"Elevate" is a handy verb.

Elevate!

"Elevate" means to go up.

Very handy for escaping
bad guys.

And then you descend.

Descend!

"Descend" means to go down.

Here's a good verb to use if
a monster is coming after you.

Petrify!

"Petrify" can also mean

to be so scared
that you can't move,

but I just use it
for what it actually means,

which is to turn to stone.

(groaning)

Sorry, unpetrify.

Don't worry,
I won't do it again.

He was petrified
that I'd petrify him again.

♪ Merrily, merrily,
merrily, merrily... ♪

(Martha humming along)

What an absolutely
perfect day, Otis.

Could there be any way

to make it absolutely,
positively perfect?

I could fetch you a ball,
Master.

Hey!

Good fetching, talking doggie.

Elevate your legs.

I know how you like to soak your
sore feet in newly minted coins.

(sighs happily)

And here's a treat for you.

(snaps his fingers)

(sniffs)

Ahh...

Otis, today I am the happiest
talking dog on earth.

(sighs happily)

I have everything I ever wanted.

(coughing and spitting)

Why must the end of a daydream
taste so bitter?

Yuck!

At least Dr. Pablum's
snow mover invention

will make clearing this snow
simple and pleasant.

Ooh! Ow! Ow! Ow!

Do you have the instructions
for the snow mover?

That can wait.

Look at this:
the Adverbalizer.

It activates adverbs.

I'll demonstrate.

Do something.

I am doing something.

I'm melting.

Ah, perfect.

You are melting quickly.

That is absolutely,
positively amazing!

It changed how I melted.

Verbs are action words.

They tell you what you do.

Adverbs can tell you
how to do it.

You melted.

"Melt" is a verb.

You melted quickly.

"Quickly" is an adverb because
it tells you how you melted.

Is that device amazing?

Absolutely!

There must be a...
(screams)

There must be a way
to make money with that.

And... ouch.

If you see anything
you like, stop me.

Stop!

Isn't that those crooks

who always bother us,
Weaselgraft and Pablum?

I guess there are no rules
about who can get on TV anymore.

Hmm...

Verbs are great action words,

but I wish I could get
more out of them.

Have you tried adverbs?

Adverbs?

Yes, adverbs,
those words that tell you

how, when, or where
your action happens.

How are you going to eat
your spaghetti?

Sloppily.

That means when you do
something, you make a mess.

I will eat neatly,
which means, uh...

neatly.

With my new Adverbalizer,
I can make you eat sloppily.

Don't forget, adverbs can modify
other adverbs too,

so you can eat completely,
totally, awfully sloppily.

I need to clean up.

Why not clean up with
an adverb like "instantly"?

It means right away, quickly.

Clean up instantly!

BOTH:
Get the most out of your verbs
with the Adverbalizer!

Order one immediately.

That can't be for real.

I want to order one
immediately.

What would you use it for?

I'd make
time in school pass...

quickly.

(bell rings)

I'd make summer vacation
pass...

slowly.

And I'd get good grades...

easily.

Hey, Dad, can I buy
something weird I saw on TV?

Merely weird or really weird?

Really weird.

Okay, as long as it's
really weird.

Are you thinking
what I'm thinking?

Yes.

It's lunchtime.

No.

Anything involving Weaselgraft
and Pablum means trouble.

Oh, yeah.

And it's lunchtime.

When we're rich,

I'll never have to
shovel snow again.

"Step one, push lever firmly."

Where is the Adverbalizer?

I need to melt quickly.

Otis, great news!

Our TV commercial worked.

We got an order
for the Adverbalizer.

I just shipped it.

We're on the road to riches.

Now where's ours
so I can melt quickly?

Ours?

Don't tell me
there was only one.

Oh, go ahead and tell me.

There was only one.

(grunting)

We must get it back
immediately.

And immediately
means right now.

Packing stuff, more stuff,
instructions...

(gasps)

What's it supposed to do?

Watch.

How do I want
to clean up this mess?

Instantly.

I want to try it.

Everyone can have
a turn.

Ready.

Truman wants to know
dinosaur history completely.

Nothing happened.

Tell us something
about dinosaurs.

Scientists believe
that Sinosauropteryx

had orange feathers on its back
and a striped tail.

I never knew that.

Neither did I.

I love adverbs!

(barking)

Skits, you'll give Dad
a headache.

(barking)

Can this make Skits
bark quietly?

(barking quietly)

Ew.

I would like Baby Jake
to eat neatly.

Whoa!

I'm too clumsy to do ballet.

Now you can dance
gracefully.

It really worked!

I'm graceful.

Whoa...

I didn't say anything
about ambulating gracefully.

There's the Adverbalizer
and that talking dog.

Otis, are you sure
about that disguise?

A gardener in winter?

Good point.

Let's go get
what we deserve.

How is it, TD?

Really weird?

It's absolutely amazing.

Excuse me.

J. Edgar Weaselbush
of your government

Food and Verbal Modifiers
Administration.

Can I help you,
Officer Weaselbush?

These little beasts...
children

are in possession

of a restricted verb
modification device.

But it was advertised on TV.

Mistakenly.

Now hand it over
to the proper authorities: me.

I think Weaselbush
is really Weaselgraft

with a fake name
and a faker mustache.

If that's true, his friend
Pablum has to be nearby.

(sniffing)

PABLUM:
Scat!

Go find a nice tree.

That shrub just pushed me.

More reason to hand it over.

The device is clearly having
an unseemly effect

on local shrubbery.

Sorry, TD, I guess we should
hand it over immediately,

and that means right now.

Your attempt to take it away
will end unsuccessfully.

But first, we should call
the government

and make sure this guy
isn't a big faker.

Oh, I saw
what you did there.

And I can make
your attempt end

totally, miserably,
absolutely unsuccessfully.

So give up.

(grunts)

It's always
the talking dog!

We can't win as long as they
can use adverbs against us.

If only we had
our own Adverbalizer.

Unfortunately,
I only built that one.

And the prototype:
a small test version.

Does the small one work?

Not completely.

If something works completely,

it does everything
it's supposed to do.

The prototype doesn't
completely work

because it can't do all of
the things it's supposed to do

exactly like it's supposed
to do them, Otis.

Then we'll bring
extra help.

(laughing evilly)

Can't you just use
the Adverbalizer

and build a snowman instantly?

Where's the fun in that?

(clears throat)

You crooks can't b*at us.

We have the Adverbalizer.

But we have one, too.

(laughing evilly)

(laughing)

Hand it over... immediately!

Immediately!

Oh, no, it works.

I must go back rapidly.

Surrender completely.

Completely!

It's too weak.

Get closer or this will end
unsuccessfully again.

Hear that?

Keep them away.

Let's make a hundred
snowballs instantly.

This is the second
weirdest thing

that's ever happened
around here.

Give it to me immediately.

TD:
You heard him.

Give it to him!

Now, Doctor, now!

The other way!

Incoming!

We have to surrender.

Not yet.

Snowballs, fly very,
very slowly.

It's always the talking dog.

Martha, take the Adverbalizer
in the house and get my dad.

Hold it gently.

Okay.

Gently.

Soft mouth.

Whoa...

(gasping)

It broke so easily.

I demand a refund.

We happily refund all
dissatisfied victims...

um, customers.

You gave him all our money.

So what?

Look: it's still on.

I can fix it.

Really?

It looks like they've
broken it completely.

Otis, not so loud!

Now we've broken it
completely.

This was truly weird.

Those guys may be
totally, horribly bad,

but without them, we'd never
have gotten to see this.

So if I'm doing something,

I could use an adverb to say
how I'm doing it, right?

Yes.

Verbs tell you
what the action is

and adverbs tell you
how it's done.

And I notice a lot of them
end with an "l-y."

Like, "I will leap wildly."

Um, yeah, or gently.

Gently means softly.

Whatever verb you add it to
will be done gently.

Well, yeah, but I'm going
to leap wildly on your bed.

But please land gently.

I landed gently, but now I'm
going to leap wildly on you.

Okay.

Aren't you going to say
"gently"?

No.

What fun is that?

Wildly, wildly, wildly!

Adverbs.

Use them wisely.

Or wildly.

Did you catch all the words
in today's program?

If not, here are a few again.

Verbs are action words.

That tell you what you do.

Adverbs can tell you
how to do it.

Verbs are the words that say
what someone or something does.

We must get it back
immediately.

And immediately means right now.

That's our program.

See you next time.
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