Helen and Martha are on the couch, with the latter trying to find a TV show to watch. She settles on an action show about a dog, called Courageous Collie Carlo. This makes Martha want to be a heroine too, and she imagines herself helping out some humans (both bona fide heroism and everyday acts of kindness). As she decides to become a hero, Carolina shows up and invites Helen to a Halloween house at the Boxwoods'.
Last year, Helen was apparently too scared to go, but she and Martha agree to protect each other. On the way, however, Helen and Martha begin having second thoughts and try to pretend that maybe pets aren't allowed. Carolina points out that the Boxwoods have pets. Martha hears meowing, interprets it as a cry for help, and goes off to save the cat, leaving Carolina and a nervous Helen on their way to the Boxwood house without her.
Martha finds the cat, who is up a tree, and jumps onto a trash bin, then the roof, then the branch to save the cat. However, the cat doesn't need help and goes down on its own, and Martha finds herself unable to get down from the tree. She tells Skits, who alerts the fire brigade, who put Martha down from the tree. Then, both dogs see smoke, assume there's a fire, and Martha tries to put it out, but it's just a man grilling sausages. Martha is then sad, since she feels she'll never be a hero, but Skits is happy because he gets the sausages that fell on the ground.
At the Boxwood house, Carolina goes through the haunted house three times, but Helen still hasn't plucked up the courage. She's too embarrassed to admit her fear to Carolina, so she pretends she's talking to Alice about breakfasts. Martha and Skits, meanwhile, walk down the street and find an old lady doing a crossword. Martha helps her, but this just makes the old lady angry since she wanted to do it herself.
Helen eventually works up the nerve to go into the haunted house, but runs away screaming before she can go through the whole house. Martha overhears the scream and she and Skits worriedly run over, then Martha climbs into the window of the haunted house. She starts calling Helen's name, Helen hears, and, assuming Martha to be in trouble, runs in. The two continue to search and call each other's names, until they reunite.
They go through the house and thank each other for "saving" the other one, then they go home and watch Courageous Collie Carlo again.
This episode provides examples of
- Alliterative Title: Courageous Collie Carlo.
- And Your Reward Is Edible: Apparently, the reason the man and woman who Martha tried to save gave Skits the dropped hot dogs was "for not wrecking their barbecue".
- Argument of Contradictions: When Helen denies being scared, Carolina says, "Are too!", Helen replies, "Am not!", and Carolina says, "Are too!" again.
- Cat Up a Tree: Subverted. Martha tries to save a cat in a tree, but the cat doesn't need saving and walks down by itself.
- Damsel in Distress:
- The Courageous Collie Carlo show features a woman who can't open the storm shelter when there's a tornado. Luckily, Carlo opens it for her.
- When Martha tries to save a cat from a tree, it goes down by itself and she gets stuck, needing the fire department to rescue her.Martha: "Oh, how embarrassing!"
- Distressed Dude: The Courageous Collie Carlo show features Carlo saving a young boy (in addition to a woman) from a tornado by opening the storm shelter.
- Dressed to Plunder: One of the skeleton props in the Halloween house wears a pirate hat.
- "Everybody Laughs" Ending: The episode ends with Helen and Martha (the only characters in the scene) laughing.
- Fantasy Sequence: When Martha wants to be a heroine, she imagines herself saving some humans from a falling statue, retrieving a little girl's lost balloon, and helping a woman play solitaire.
- Good Samaritan: Martha imagines herself retrieving a little girl's balloon and helping a woman play solitaire.
- Grumpy Old Man: Or in this case, woman — an old lady snaps at Martha for giving her unwanted help with a crossword.
- Halloween Episode: This episode features the Boxwoods' Halloween house, which Carolina enjoys but Helen is afraid of.
- Heroic Dog:
- On the show, Carlo the collie opens a storm shelter to save a woman and a young boy.
- Martha tries to be one when she tries to save a cat, but it turns out to not need saving, then she ends up needing rescue.
- Skits saves Martha by barking at the firefighters and leading them to where she's stuck in the tree. Lampshaded when the firefighters say that everyone likes heroes, especially if they're dogs.
- Both Martha and Skits try to be heroic when they see smoke, with Martha trying to put the fire out, but it turns out to just be smoke from a barbecue.
- Irony:
- When Martha tries to save the cat, she's the one who ends up needing saving instead.
- When Helen hears Martha calling her name, she thinks Martha is in trouble, when actually, she is searching for Helen, who she also wrongly believes to be in trouble.
- Lethal Chef: Alice claims she burns toast a lot, but it's unclear if this is true (which would make sense, since she's clumsy) or just part of her going on with Helen's lie that she's not scared.
- No Animals Allowed: Discussed when Helen and Martha are scared to go to the Boxwoods' Halloween house, and try to bail out by saying dogs may not be allowed. However, Carolina points out that the Boxwoods have a cat and a parrot.
- Pirate Parrot: The Boxwoods' parrot sits on the shoulder of a pirate skeleton prop.
- Show Within a Show: Helen and Martha watch a show called Courageous Collie Carlo.
- Speak in Unison:
- In Martha's imagination, a man, woman, and girl say in unison, "Thank you, Mighty Mutt Martha!".
- When asked if they want to go through the haunted house again, Helen and Martha say, "No!" in unison.
- Too Unhappy to Be Hungry: Martha, usually a Big Eater, is too sulky to want one of Skits's hot dogs.
- Unwanted Assistance:
- The cat in the tree scratches Martha for trying to save it.
- When Martha tries to put out a fire but the smoke is actually from a barbecue, this irritates the man and woman whose barbecue it is.
- When Martha helps an old woman with a crossword who doesn't want it, she snaps at her.
