The Magic School Bus Ups and Downs
Original airdate: December 2, 1995
Subject: Buoyancy
Focus Student(s): Wanda, Tim, Phoebe
News reporter Gerri Poveri claims that nearby Walker Lake has a monster in it. The class, especially Wanda, decides to explore on the weekend. They learn how to "sink a floater" and "float a sinker".
Producers Segment
Gerry Poveri is the one who answers fictional viewers' questions about the episode while Liz steals various items from her purse and puts them in a fish tank to determine whether they will sink or float.
Tropes
- Applied Phlebotinum: The bus has a "sinker" set of buttons that can cause it to crumple and uncrumple. They work rather inconsistently.
- Arbitrary Skepticism: Wanda's mother doesn't believe in the possibility of a lake monster; Wanda is more open to the idea. The class is divided in two about it.
- Black Comedy Burst: "What if the monster ate [Wanda]?" "But I wanted to feed the monster!" "PHOEBE!" "Just kidding."
- "Blackmail" Is Such an Ugly Word: Gerri prefers to describe her scheme as, "creative journalism."
- Chekhov's Gun:
- Phoebe remembering that she crumpled bread to make it sink; the class decides to uncrumple the bus to make it float.
- Tim's "monster camera" is used to expose the monster as a fake.
- Cut Lex Luthor a Check: Gerri has a helicopter and a working submarine that has military potential.
- Didn't Think This Through:
- Gerri creating a monster story about a nearby lake. Even if the class hadn't gone, other divers and curious explorers would have, exposing her story.
- Wanda going solo after the "monster," and she gets tangled in kelp. Normally a scuba instructor would chew her out for going without a partner, since kelp tangles happen all the time and have drowned divers.
- Doing In the Wizard: Wanda while exploring the monster accidentally bumps its nose off, revealing it to be a fake. She later unties its tether to the bottom, causing it to float to the surface.
- Easily Forgiven: Considering she left them at the bottom of the lake, and they could've drowned, the class is gracious towards Gerri in the end. She in turn forgives them and apologizes to her viewers for making up the footage.
- Evil Gloating: Gerri does this when Wanda reveals that the monster is a fake, justifying it as "creative journalism".
- Irony: Gerri orders everyone to not go in the lake because it's too dangerous. Thing is, she said this after Ms. Frizzle jumps up from the lake in scuba gear. Looks like you already got busted, Gerri.
- Just a Kid: Gerri calls Wanda this, while admitting she's a "feisty little girl".
- Rewatch Bonus: Ms. Frizzle first appears after scuba-diving in the lake. She's encouraging the class to think of solutions to find the monster, while not seeming worried at all. A rewatch makes one realize that she knew the monster was fake all along!
- Running Gag: Phoebe trying to feed the monster various foods, starting with a banana and a peanut butter sandwich.
- "Scooby-Doo" Hoax: Turns out the monster is a hoax created by Gerri Poveri to boost her show's ratings.
- Special Guest: That's Cindy Williams (Shirley from Laverne & Shirley) as the voice of Gerri Poveri.
- Stock Ness Monster: The Walker Lake Monster seems to be an Homage to the Loch Ness monster; the photo that Gerri shows as proof is an exact replica of the infamous Sturgeon photo later revealed to be a fake.
- This Is Reality: When Wanda claims that Gerri showed a picture of the monster, DA points out that pictures can be faked.
- What Could Possibly Go Wrong?: Carlos asks rhetorically "how hard can it be to float a sinker?" Not that much, except they have a yellow-news journalist trying to stop them.
- Where Does He Get All Those Wonderful Toys?: No one asks where Gerri got a working submarine, and if she has one why is she just a journalist.
- World of Pun: In typical Magic School Bus fashion, the dialogue in this episode is littered with sinking and floating metaphors.Gerri: If that girl finds my monster, why, I'm sunk!
- Would Hurt a Child: Gerri Poveri is happy to let the bus sink, which has a class full of children, so that her story won't be ruined.
