The twelfth episode of The Incredible Dennis the Menace.
When the Mitchells' car breaks down on their camping trip, Dennis and his family ride in the Wilsons' camper van, testing Mr. Wilson's patience.
This episode provides examples of:
- The Alleged Car: When Dennis accidentally breaks the engine of Henry and Alice's car, he tries to fix it with bubble gum. The car breaks down shortly after Henry and Alice stop at a gas station to let Dennis and Joey use the bathroom there. When the tow truck driver comes to inspect the damage, he tells the Mitchells that it'll take him two weeks to clean the gum out of the engine, and another three to get new parts for it.
- Big Honking Traffic Jam: One follows behind Mr. Wilson's camper van as he drives slowly along the highway. When Mrs. Wilson tells her husband that the cars are honking at him, he tells her to let them honk, as he's on vacation, and nobody will make him hurry. Only when he sees the Mitchells and Joey stranded does he decide to speed up, but his wife makes him go back to pick them up.
- Big Storm Episode: At the end of the episode's second act, a rainstorm washes the Mitchell's tent away, forcing the Mitchells and Joey to take shelter in Mr. Wilson's camper van, then rent a motel room in the episode's third act when a family of skunks Dennis let take shelter in it stink it up.
- Butt-Monkey: Mr. Wilson. When his wife makes him pick up the Mitchells after their car breaks down, anything that can go wrong for him does go wrong. He gets tied up in his hammock and sprayed with water when Dennis messes with the camper van's controls, a carsick Joey throws up in the van and flushes Gina's baseball mitt down its toilet, he gets trapped in the restroom when they stop at a rest stop, and when they finally arrive at Crystal Lake, things only get worse from there. A rainstorm forces the Mitchells and Joey to take shelter in the camper van, which becomes smelly after Dennis lets a family of skunks join him, and he is forced to rent a motel room as a result, and when he sleeps on the bottom bunk, the top bunk collapses on top of him from Dennis, Joey, and Ruff's combined weight. When he goes fishing with Dennis, Joey, and Henry, he accidentally drinks from Henry's can of worms, then his private boat ride with his wife is ruined when Dennis passes by him in a jet ski, and he is down to his last 50 cents when he pays to get his camper van deskunked and its toilet unclogged. At the end of the episode, he is forced to be quarantined in the camper van for another ten days after he discovers that the skunks were contaminated with Spotted Fever, and he, his wife, the Mitchells, and Joey all became infected.
- Comically Missing the Point: When Dennis tries to bring the TV, VCR, video games, computer games, and stereo with him, Alice tells him that they're going to rough it on their vacation. Dennis tells her he's aware of that, which is why he's not taking his toothbrush.
- Downer Ending: For Mr. Wilson, at least. This episode ends with the Wilsons, the Mitchells, and Joey all having caught spotted fever and having to be quarantined in Mr. Wilson's camper van for the next ten days.
- Duck!: On their way to Crystal Lake, Dennis inflates his turtle pool toy in the car against Henry's wishes, and when Henry tells him to put it away, the turtle pool toy flies through the car like a deflated balloon. Alice says, "Henry, duck!", then Dennis tells her, "No, Mom, it's a turtle!"
- Fun with Flushing: Joey flushes Gina's baseball mitt down the toilet in Mr. Wilson's camper van when the Mitchells go on vacation with the Wilsons. As a result, the toilet is clogged up and Mr. Wilson has to pay to get it unclogged.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: When the Wilsons and the Mitchells stop at a rest stop to use the bathroom, Dennis asks Mr. Wilson who he should tell that he used up the last of the toilet paper. Mr. Wilson tells Dennis to get out of the restroom and leave him alone. Dennis does so, but accidentally breaks the ceiling lamp, causing the restroom to go dark and leaving Mr. Wilson unable to find the exit door. Dennis doesn't help Mr. Wilson because Mr. Wilson had earlier told him to leave him alone.
- Lots of Luggage: Dennis plans to bring a lot of stuff with him on his vacation to Crystal Lake, including the TV, VCR, video games, computer games, and stereo, despite the fact that Henry has enough trouble getting what luggage he has into the trunk. Things get worse for Henry when Joey arrives, saying that he only brought three suitcases.
- Morality Pet: Mrs. Wilson serves as this to her husband after Henry and Alice's car breaks down, leaving the Mitchells and Joey stranded. She insists that he pick them up after he refuses, saying that she doesn't want to spend her vacation feeling guilty about being a bad neighbor.
- Potty Emergency: Dennis and Joey have two in this episode. The first time, it happens when they ride in Henry and Alice's car, and it's quickly resolved when they stop at a gas station. The second time, it happens when they're in Mr. Wilson's camper van. When Henry asks them why they can't just use the bathroom in the camper van, they reveal that Joey flushed Gina's baseball mitt down the toilet, clogging it up as a result. This gets resolved when the Wilsons and the Mitchells stop at a rest stop.
- Smelly Skunk: Dennis has a family of skunks take shelter in the closet of Mr. Wilson's camper van during a rainstorm. When Mr. Wilson discovers the skunks, he is forced to pay to get his camper van deskunked. When the Wilsons and the Mitchells return home at the end of the episode, Mr. Wilson discovers from a police officer that the skunks in his camper van were contaminated with Spotted Fever, and since he, his wife, the Mitchells, and Joey all caught Spotted Fever, they have to be quarantined in the camper van for the next ten days.
- Sticky Situation: After Dennis accidentally breaks the engine to Henry and Alice's car, he tries to fix it with bubble gum. This results in the car breaking down and the engine being covered in bubble gum.
- Tempting Fate: At the end of the episode, a police officer forces Mr. Wilson, his wife, the Mitchells, and Joey to be quarantined in Mr. Wilson's camper van for the next ten days, due to the skunks that stunk it up being contaminated with Spotted Fever. An outraged Mr. Wilson then tells the officer, "That's ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous! No one in here has Spotted Fever!". Cue Mr. Wilson and everyone onboard the camper van breaking out in spots.
- Vacation Episode: The Mitchells and the Wilsons plan to go on separate vacations in this episode; the Mitchells camping in Crystal Lake, and the Wilsons on their own private vacation. The Wilsons end up joining the Mitchells and Joey in their vacation when Henry and Alice's car breaks down and a rainstorm washes the Mitchell's tent away.
- Unfortunate Item Swap: When Dennis, Joey, Henry, and Mr. Wilson go fishing, Dennis places Henry's can of worms right next to Mr. Wilson's can of cream soda. Mr. Wilson accidentally picks up the can of worms and drinks from it, horrified when he finds out.
