History Recap / ArthurS5E2KidsAreFromEarthParentsAreFromPlutoNervesOfSteal

** [[Recap/ArthurS3E7ArthurRidesTheBandwagonDadsDessertDilemma Once again]] Arthur is the only kid not impressed with a new toy fad.

* DisappointedInYou: Mr. and Mrs. Read tell Arthur that they're disappointed in ''both'' him and Buster for what they did: For Buster, his act of stealing the toy and for Arthur, his act of helping Buster cover up the situation (even though he didn't take the toy). Arthur says that he's much disappointed in himself and Buster as well.

* LaserGuidedKarma: Buster gets grounded at the end when his mom finds out he stole a [=CyberToy=] at the drugstore without her consent.

* KarmaHoudini: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. While Buster gets grounded for a month's worth of weekends with no desserts for stealing the [=CyberToy=], he faces no legal repercussions for it like he feared he would, since the drug store owner chooses to call his and Arthur's parents about the incident rather than the police. Arthur also doesn't face any legal repercussions for his part in covering up the crime, with the only consequence shown being a scolding from his parents.

* PainfulConfession: Buster shoplifts the newest action figure from a small store. He soon feels guilty about it and confides in Arthur about it. He also believes that the security camera caught him in the act, so when he tries to return the toy unnoticed, his guilt upon seeing the camera and the clerk's attention on him lead him to tearfully confess his crime to the clerk. Though the clerk explains that the camera was offline the entire time, he calls Buster's mom about her son's crime.
* ParentsAsPeople: The kids' parents aren't really doing anything too embarrassing or bad, they're just acting like normal, albeit flawed, human beings that have gotten a (probably rare) opportunity to interact with people their own age. This is justified of course, because it's hard for kids to understand this until they become adults themselves and begin to relate to their parents more.

!!"Kids are from Earth, Parents are from Pluto"
* AcquaintanceDenial: Binky's parents give him an [[EmbarrassingNickname embarrassing]] AffectionateNickname in front of his friends. Binky denies knowing who they are.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: A very understandable fear that all the kids in Ratburn's class have, especially for Sue Ellen.

* EmbarrassingNickname: Binky won't even share what his parents' embarrassing thing is at first. Later, he reveals that it's embarrassing nicknames like "Little Muffin Man" and "Binky Winkums". When Buster notices, Binky rapidly denies that they're his parents.

* OrphanedPunchline: There's a flashback to Arthur's dad telling a really bad joke to Muffy's dad, but all we hear is the punchline: "And then the waiter said, 'Look at that S-car-go!'" He tries to [[DontExplainTheJoke explain the joke]], to Arthur's embarrassment. Muffy's dad responds that he knows what escargot is, he just doesn't understand the joke.
* ShaggyDogStory: Brain heard that Mr. Ratburn gave the parents a quiz last year, and so begins teaching his parents math and geography because he doesn't want to be smarter than them. Then Mr. Ratburn decides not to do the quiz and instead get to know the parents of his students.

* WritingLines: Francine imagines her dad writing "I will not sleep in class" on a blackboard as punishment for [[AsleepInClass falling asleep during a lesson]].

!!"Nerves of Steal"

* BadLiar: Buster when he and Arthur are returning the [=CyberToy=] to the store. He even slips up and accidentally says "''L''awbreakers" instead of "''J''awbreakers".

* LaserGuidedKarma: Buster gets grounded at the end when his mom finds out he stole a Cybertoy at the drugstore without her consent.

* NoSympathy: After Buster tells Brain his story, we get this response:

* PeerPressureMakesYouEvil: Buster feels that bad he and Arthur don't have [=CyberToys=] when their friends and other kids do. He decides to steal from a drugstore and sneak it out by putting it in Arthur's backpack, only to regret it and feel guilty not long after.

* PeerPressureMakesYouEvil: Buster feels that bad he and Arthur don't have [=CyberToys=] when their friends and other kids do. He decides to steal from a drugstore and sneak it out by putting it in Arthur's backpack.

* AmbiguousEnding: While we know what happens with Buster, we don't know what Arthur's punishment was.

* AnAesop:
** Stealing is wrong, it's a crime.
** Also, covering up a theft is just as bad as stealing. It's best to go to a trusted person and tell them about the situation.

* UnwittingPawn: Buster makes Arthur unknowingly steal the [=CyberToy=] for him by stashing it in the latter's backpack.

* CerebusRetcon: In "[[Recap/ArthurS1E21SueEllenMovesInThePerfectBrother Sue Ellen Moves In]]", the kids thinking Sue Ellen is an alien is a lighthearted ApopheniaPlot. She's excited to tell the class items from places where she's lived, and doesn't seem offended by Buster's comments. Here, she takes Arthur and Buster's confusion as a sign that everyone will think she and her parents are weird, and tries to have them act "normal".

* WakingNonSequitur: When Francine's dad wakes up after falling asleep in class, he exclaims "44! Is that right?", despite the fact that the class is just watching a slideshow and he wasn't asked anything.

* BadLiar: Buster when he and Arthur are returning the [=CyberToy=] to the store, he even slips up and accidentally says "''L''awbreakers" instead of "''J''awbreakers".

--> '''Mrs. Read:''' You should have come to us when you found out what Buster did.
--> '''Mr. Read:''' Even if you didn't take the toy, can't you see how covering it up made it worse?
* DeniedFoodAsPunishment: The other part of Buster's punishment for stealing the [=CyberToy=], besides being grounded for a month's worth of weekneds, is to have no dessert for the same amount of time.

--> '''Mrs. Read:''' We're disappointed in you, Arthur. You ''and'' Buster.
--> '''Arthur:''' I'm disappointed in us too.

* KarmaHoudini: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. While Buster gets grounded for a month's worth of weekends with no desserts for stealing the [=CyberToy=], he faces no legal reprecussions for it like he feared he would, since the drug store owner chooses to call his and Arthur's parents about the incident rather than the police. Arthur also doesn't face any legal reprecussions for his part in covering up the crime, with the only consequence shown being a scolding from his parents.

* BlackComedyBurst: When Sue Ellen is trying to find the right "normal" dress for her mother, she's finally satisfied when they settle on a rather mousy black dress. Sue Ellen's mom [[DeadpanSnarker groans]] she intended to wear this to her own funeral. Being a kids' show, ''Arthur'' doesn't usually feature that level of BlackComedy.

* UnwittingPawn: Buster makes Arthur unkowingly steal the [=CyberToy=] for him by stashing it in Arthur's backpack.

!!Kids are from Earth, Parents are from Pluto

* BlackComedy: When Sue Ellen is trying to find the right "normal" dress for her mother, she's finally satisfied when they settle on a rather mousy black dress. Sue Ellen's mom [[DeadpanSnarker groans]] she intended to wear this to her own funeral.
* CerebusRetcon: In "Sue Ellen Moves In", the kids thinking Sue Ellen is an alien is a lighthearted ApopheniaPlot. She's excited to tell the class items from places where she's lived, and doesn't seem offended by Buster's comments. Here, she takes Arthur and Buster's confusion as a sign that everyone will think she and her parents are weird, and tries to have them act "normal".

* ADayInTheLimelight: The episode is about Sue Ellen trying to make her parents more relatable and less eccentric for the parent-teacher meeting. Only to learn that it's better that they be themselves.

* ShaggyDogStory: The Brain heard that Mr. Ratburn gave the parents a quiz last year, and so begins teaching his parents math and geography because he doesn't want to be smarter than them. Then Mr. Ratburn decides not to do the quiz and instead get to know the parents of his students.

!!Nerves of Steal
* AccidentalTheft: Arthur inadvertently steals the Cybertoy due to Buster sticking it in his backpack while he's not looking.

* BadLiar: Buster when he and Arthur are returning the Cybertoy to the store, he even slips up and accidentally says "''L''awbreakers" instead of "''J''awbreakers".

* DownerEnding: Quite possibly ''the'' most infamous example in the show's run. It ends with Arthur and Buster in trouble for stealing the Cybertoy, even though Arthur wasn't responsible (something his parents seem to be aware of to some extent), and Buster grounded for a month. That said, [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse we never do know whether Arthur's punishment was as severe, or if he even got one at all]].

* ShoutOut: The Cybertoys are based on ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'', with many of the designs invoking a cross between ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' and ''Battle Beasts''.
* WasItReallyWorthIt: Arthur asks Buster if wanting a Cybertoy was worth stealing it in the first place. By the end of the episode, Buster sadly comes to the conclusion that stealing the toy was worth ''more'' trouble than if he had waited to get it. Even the Brain [[InnocentlyInsensitive unwittingly]] makes a point that he got his a short while ago for his birthday, better late than never.

* ColdTurkeysAreEverywhere: Buster's guilt over stealing isn't helped when Francine reads ''Literature/CrimeAndPunishment'' and "steals" bases during a baseball game.