The Ace: Charlotte Bickles is this on Riddle Quest, until Arthur runs against her on the show. It is only because he got himself distracted that he didn't win the game, as he figured out the final answer much faster than she had.
Bittersweet Ending: More sweet than bitter. Arthur loses on Riddle Quest, but it means he isn't doomed to be stuck on the show. As such, his friends celebrate for him losing the game and still getting to be their friend.
Jeopardy! Intelligence Test: Arthur and Buster watch Riddle Quest. When the final riddle is given, Buster quickly tries to answer, although he is incorrect. Arthur, in a bored tone, easily comes up with the right answer.
Makes Sense In Context: The story opens with everybody celebrating Arthur for losing. The entire episode is about exploring his riddle "When is a loser not a loser?"
Once More, with Clarity: The final scene is a repeat of the Cold Open, with Arthur's friends cheering him as "Arthur the loser" while he clutches a handful of Choco-Stix, and this time it makes perfect sense. Appropriately, the Cold Open has Arthur ask the viewer a riddle, while the final scene has him ask them whether they've figured out the answer yet.
Status Quo Game Show: Arthur loses Riddle Quest and does not win the prize. He instead gets a Year's Supply Prize of Choco-Stix and his friends' admiration and relief that he did lose.
Visual Pun: In Arthur's dream, Buster tries to "beat the clock" by hitting it with a hammer.
Double Dare
Aesop Amnesia: Evidently, Buster does not remember the trouble he went through last time dares were involved, in season 2’s “Buster and the Daredevils”.
Disappointed in You: Mr. Frensky, Mr. Haney and Mr. Ratburn do not take well to Francine's actions once she gets caught sneaking into school. The boys manage to take some of the heat off her by confessing their role in the plot, but she gets the brunt of the punishment for having actually gone through with it.
How We Got Here: The Cold Open shows Arthur and Buster trying to pull Francine in through the window of the school bathroom, ending on a cliffhanger when Buster's belt breaks and he topples out the window instead. The episode then flashes back to establish why Francine wasn't in school in the first place, and catches up with itself at about the two-thirds mark.
Idiot Ball: The main trio grab it hard this episode. None of them seem to consider that their whole problem could be avoided by at least one of them simply tape recording the episode they're so desperate to see. Something the teachers themselves are shown to have done at the end.
On that note, why is Brain of all people insisting that they are obligated to go through with a dare that he knows will only lead to trouble?
Karma Houdini: The Brain receives no punishment even though it was he who ultimately said they had to go through with the dare.
Noodle Incident: For some reason, D.W. once had a tantrum over there being sunny weather all the time. Why she got upset over this small thing is never explained upon.
Poor Communication Kills: The whole fiasco ends up happening because Francine happens to be listening to her headphones when the boys call her to say they're not going through with the dare to miss class.
Skipping School: Arthur, Buster, and Francine dare each other to skip school so they can watch a special episode of Dark Bunny. The night before, Arthur and Buster get cold feet and agree to call off the dare, but Francine doesn't find out until school has already started.
