History Recap / ArthurS2E7ArthursTVFreeWeekNightFright

* AnAesop: Everybody has fears and their own way of coping with them. Your real friends will understand the way you cope with yours should it become public knowledge.

* ProperlyParanoid: Binky's fear of his friends making fun of him and laughing at his night light isn't completely unfounded given numerous other episodes where the children did laugh at something potentially embarrassing happening to someone. He goes too far when he simply doesn't believe Arthur's promise to not tell.

* BothSidesHaveAPoint: While Binky is ultimately proven wrong about his friends finding his night light babyish, it's still something he's initially uncomfortable sharing with others and he's well within his right to keep it secret if he wants. Binky simply lets his fear get the best of him when he doesn't believe Arthur when he promises to not tell anyone about his night light.
* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: Binky finds out that he was overreacting about how people would react to him sleeping with a night light. Arthur doesn't care, and Mr. Ratburn finds it normal and says as much. At the end of the episode when Binky goes to talk to Arthur (to apologize and demand back all the favors he gave Arthur), Arthur once again assures him that it's okay.

* HisOwnWorstEnemy: Binky likely would have kept his night light a secret if he hadn't made a big deal about it. He hides it and unplugs it, lying to Arthur that it's a "reading lamp", and has a loud nightmare which wakes Arthur up. Arthur insists he doesn't care and won't tell anyone, but Binky spends the next day at school bribing him and buttering him up out of paranoia. In the end, Binky realizes that he was overreacting when Mr. Ratburn states having a night light is perfectly normal.

** Ironically enough, it's Jane who gets side-tracked at the idea of watching television a few times. When Arthur is trolling D.W. by giving her a fraction as part of a magic trick, Jane tries to break it up by reaching for the remote before David warns her. The second occurrence is while she's running an errand, and an accompanying D.W. (a mere child)has to (if doggedly) discourage her from breaking the television hiatus.

* ContinuitySnarl: Later episodes show D.W. lets ''nothing'' stop her from watching her favorite show Mary Moo Cow if she can help it.

* LastSecondWordSwap: On Sunday, Arthur tells his dad that he's bored. David suggests that he read a book, clean his room, or watch...er, him cook.

** Ironically enough, it's Jane who gets side-tracked at the idea of watching television a few times. When Arthur is trolling D.W. by giving her a fraction as part of a magic trick, Jane tries to break it up by reaching for the remote before David warns her. The second occurrence is while she's running an errand, and an accompanying D.W. (a mere child) who has to (if doggedly) discourage her from breaking the television hiatus.

Arthur in the ColdOpen talks about how bedtime and the night darkness bring fear of monsters. The episode proper has Binky struggling with nightmares, which only go away when he uses a nightlight. He tries to cover up his fears at school, but Mr. Ratburn is suspicious of the tough guy personality. Then Arthur has to spend the night at Binky's house, finding out about the nightlight. He promises not to tell anyone, seeing how important it is to Binky, but Binky doesn't believe him.

* AnAesop: Everybody has fears and has their own way of coping with them. Your real friends will understand should the way you cope with yours becomes public knowledge.

* BlatantLies: When Binky tries hiding his nightlight, Arthur notices he's hiding it behind his back. Binky says that it's his reading lamp, and demonstrates how he reads. Arthur comments that it doesn't look very comfortable.

* BothSidesHaveAPoint: While Binky is ultimately proven wrong about his friends finding his night light childish, it's still something he's initially uncomfortable with sharing with others and he's within his right to keep it secret if he wants. Binky simply lets his fear get the best of him when he doesn't believe Arthur when he promises to not tell anyone about his night light.
* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: Binky finds out that he was overreacting about how people would react to him sleeping with a nightlight. Arthur doesn't care, and Mr. Ratburn finds it normal and says as much. When Binky goes to talk afterward, Arthur once again assures him that it's okay at the end of the episode.

* HisOwnWorstEnemy: Binky likely would have kept his nightlight a secret if he hadn't made a big deal about it. He hides it and unplugs it, lying to Arthur that it's a "reading lamp," and has a loud nightmare which wakes Arthur up. Arthur insists he doesn't care and won't tell anyone, but Binky spends the next day at school bribing him and buttering him up out of paranoia. In the end, Binky realizes that he was overreacting when Mr. Ratburn states having a nightlight is perfectly normal.  
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Binky's dream of eating the burgers turns on its' head when the burgers come to life, and a gigantic mother burger begins hunting him down.

** Buster brings up the story of "''[[Literature/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame The Lunch Box of Notre Dame]]''"
* YouAreNotAlone: Binky is worried that everyone in class will think less of him once they learn he needs a nightlight to sleep. As it turns out, ''everybody'' has coping mechanisms for sleeping well at night, easing Binky's worries and convincing him to share his secret about the nightlight without shame.

Principal Haney introduces a challenge for his students: go without television for one week. If you succeed, then you receive a little badge. All of Arthur's friends sign up except for Binky, but Buster goes OhCrap on realizing it means no Bionic Bunny for a week. .

* ColdTurkeysAreEverywhere: Arthur nearly breaks and rides his bike towards Binky's house when his dad reveals he made gelatin rabbits and turtles for a customer, and Arthur sees him as Bionic Bunny characters.

* ContinuitySnarl: Later episodes show D.W. lets ''nothing'' stop her from watching her favorite show "Mary Moo Cow" if she can help it.

** Ironically enough, it's Jane (a full-grown woman) who gets side-tracked at the idea of watching television a few times. When Arthur is trolling D.W. by giving her a fraction as part of a magic trick, Jane tries to break it up by reaching for the remote before David warns her. The second occurrence is while she's running an errand, and an accompanying D.W. (a mere child) who has to (if doggedly) discourage her from breaking the television hiatus.

* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: Binky finds out that he was overreacting about how people would react to him sleeping with a nightlight. Arthur doesn't care, and Mr. Ratburn finds it normal and says as much. When Binky goes to talk afterward, Arthur tells him that it's okay at the end of the episode.
* HisOwnWorstEnemy: Binky likely would have hidden his nightlight secret if he hadn't made a big deal about it. He hides it and unplugs it, lying to Arthur that it's a "reading lamp," and has a loud nightmare which wakes Arthur up. Arthur says he doesn't care and won't tell anyone, but Binky spends the next day at school bribing him and buttering him up, despite Arthur telling him it's no big deal. In the end, Binky admits that he was overreacting when Mr. Ratburn says a nightlight is perfectly normal.  

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Mr. Ratburn is this. He overhears the kids talking about their fears, and asks them to talk about them in class. When Binky lies, Mr. Ratburn lets it slide but gives a disbelieving "hmm".

Arthur in the ColdOpen talks about how bedtime and the night darkness bring fear of monsters. The episode proper has Binky struggling with BadDreams, which only go away when he uses a nightlight. He tries to cover up his fears at school, but Mr. Ratburn is suspicious of the tough guy personality. Then Arthur has to spend the night at Binky's house, finding out about the nightlight. He promises not to tell anyone, seeing how important it is to Binky, but Binky doesn't believe him.

* BadDreams: Binky has them whenever he sleeps without his nightlight. He can't quite explain why, but Mr. Ratburn says that it's very normal.

* ShoutOut: Mr. Rayburn buys a collection of ''[[Series/{{Masterpiece}} Masterpiece Theater]]'' tapes, only to realize he needs to wait another week to watch them.

* ImmediateSelfContradiction: After their first night, Buster comes to school seemingly well-adjusted from a night of no TV. Then when Binky shows up, he gets down on his knees and begs to know what happened on Bionic Bunny. Francine then points out that [[ThisIsGonnaSuck this is gonna be a very long week]].
* JerkassHasAPoint: Binky has one that the TV-Free week is a dumb idea because all you get out of it is a little badge. He says that he did think about it and felt that it wasn't worth the effort, especially with a Bionic Bunny special coming on. Sure enough, everyone is relieved to have finished the challenge, with Francine saying it was awful and Buster going back to watching television more than before. No one learned anything about spending time with family.

* ImmediateSelfContradiction: After their first night, Buster comes to school seemingly well-adjusted from a night of no TV. Then when Binky shows up, he gets down on his knees and begs to know what happened on ''Bionic Bunny''.

* ImmediateSelfContradiction: After their first night, Buster comes to school seemingly well-adjusted after a night of no TV. Then when Binky shows up, he gets down on his knees and begs to know what happened on ''Bionic Bunny''.

* EveryoneHasStandards: While Binky is a bit of a troll announcing the Bionic Bunny special, Arthur notes that he won't' tattle on anyone breaking the TV special if they watch with him.

* WhatYouAreInTheDark: With a few hours to go before the challenge is over, Arthur and Buster both want to see the Bionic Bunny special. They know they can't watch it at their houses, so they start going to Binky's house. Arthur does say that Binky will tell. When Arthur realizes that Buster is in the same boat, however, he says they can both handle the last day by playing together.

* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: On the last day of the television hiatus, Buster tells Arthur he's going to throw in the towel and watch television. Instead, Arthur protests and points out to Buster they've already gone so long without television and that shows some willpower on their part. If they can survive six whole days without it, they can surely go one last day. This motivates Buster to spend their last day playing outdoor activities with Arthur, making it count for something.

Principal Haney introduces a challenge for his students: go without television for one week. If you succeed, then you receive a little badge. All of Arthur's friends sign up except for Binky, but Buster goes OhCrap on realizing it means no Bionic Bunny for a week. .

** Oliver Frensky tries to be a good sport about the challenge and turn on the radio for game broadcasts. He gets dejected when there's too much static to listen to anything. Francine mentions they've tried this for at least two days
** Ironically enough, it's Jane (a full-grown woman) who gets side-tracked at the idea of watching television a few times. When Arthur is trolling D.W. by The second occurrence is while she's running an errand, and an accompanying D.W. (a mere child) who has to (if doggedly) discourage her from breaking the television hiatus.
* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: With a few hours to go before the challenge is over, Arthur and Buster both want to see the Bionic Bunny special. They know they can't watch it at their houses, so they start going to Binky's house. Arthur does say that Binky will tell. When Arthur realizes that Buster is in the same boat, however, he says they can both handle the last day by playing together.

* NotSoAboveItAll: Ironically enough, it's Jane (a full-grown woman) who gets side-tracked at the idea of watching television while on an errand, and an accompanying D.W. (a mere child) who has to (if doggedly) discourage her from breaking the television hiatus.
* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: On the last day of the television hiatus, Buster tells Arthur he's going to throw in the towel and watch television. Instead, Arthur protests and points out to Buster they've already gone so long without television and that shows some will power on their part. If they can survive six whole days without it, they can surely go one last day. This motivates Buster to spend their last day playing outdoor activities with Arthur, making it count for something.