The Magic School Bus Flexes Its Muscles
Original airdate: September 16th, 1995
Subject: Body Mechanics
Focus Student(s): Ralphie, Keesha
Ralphie's used up all his favors with the class for getting out of classroom chores, so he's stuck cleaning the bus while everyone else plays volleyball. He gets the idea to build a robot to do the work, however, and seizes the opportunity when Ms. Frizzle has to take in the bus for repairs. To build a robot, however, they have to learn about the human body.
Producers Segment
RU has finished fixing up Ralphie-bot when the phone rings. Turns out the caller watched the episode and was trying to reach one of the producers. RU then opts to answer the caller's questions.
Tropes
- A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Ralphie-bot, in that it follows orders to the letter and doesn't consider human safety.
- The Bet: Keesha and Ralphie make a bet that if he can't make a robot, he has to give up all his sports and do the class chores for a year. Technically Ralphie wins, but when the robot starts following orders too well, Keesha helps Ralphie disable it, even outright stating "Bet's off, Ralphie; do what you have to do!".
- Catch Phrase Interruptus: Arnold gets interrupted in the middle of his standard "I knew I should have stayed home today" when Ralphie tells him not to say it.
- Chekhov's Gun: The class used screwdrivers and parts around the shop to build a robot. Keesha tosses Ralphie a screwdriver to disable the bot's muscle bands.
- Continuity Nod: When RU accidentally spills fluid from the bus while Ms. Frizzle is standing below, he apologizes, only for her to be dancing around with an umbrella singing her "ain't gonna rain no more" song.
- "Eureka!" Moment: When Ms. Frizzle encourages Ralphie (who's hanging onto the Ralphie-bot) to "get a grip", Ralphie starts to realize that he can stop the robot by taking apart its "skeleto-muscular" system.
- Exact Words: Ralphie tells the robot to "cool it" while it's trying to dust off the brush with a broom. It then grabs a hose and starts washing the bus down. Lampshaded by Ralphie and Tim.
- Faux Horrific: Ralphie-bot. Technically it's just doing what Ralphie commanded it to do, that is "clean the bus," but the class is terrified as it does so without regard for other people's safety or comfort.
- Gone Horribly Right: Ralphie-bot will clean the bus, but it will do so without stopping, even when its "master" corrects it.
- Jerkass Ball: Keesha acts surprisingly mean this episode. The Bet she makes with Ralphie is incredibly unbalanced, requiring Ralphie to give up all sports and do all the class chores for a year if he loses, while if Keesha loses, she doesn't have to give up anything. When the first attempt at making a robot fails, Keesha gleefully starts reading a list of all the chores she'll make Ralphie do, and when the second robot doesn't work, she gloats "You lose, Ralphie!"
- Measuring the Marigolds: The viewer in the Producer's Segment points out that the robot doesn't have a brain or means of thinking, making the Ralphie-bot get sad Wing Ding Eyes. RU then asserts that for a brainless robot it makes a great sundae.
- Mundane Made Awesome: In-Universe. Arnold kneels behind the x-ray machine to tie his shoe. The class is wowed by what they see on the other side, but Keesha asks what's so amazing about Arnold tying his shoe.
- Not So Above It All: Ms. Frizzle is surprised when it turns out that RU's "special customer" arrives in a flying saucer, though she quickly adjusts to it.
- Open Mouth, Insert Foot: DA does this when she tells Ralphie that he ordered the robot to "clean the bus", which it proceeds to do, making the situation worse. She lampshades this with a meek "Me and my big mouth..."
- Punny Name: Radius Ulna "RU" Humerus. Carlos picks up on it immediately, namely that all the names are bones in the arm and that "humerus" sounds like "humorous". He approves.
- Reed Richards Is Useless: The class manages to build a functioning robot that can understand vocal commands and is capable of cleaning a bus... and Ms. Frizzle gives it to RU as payment for the bus repairs.
- Ship Tease: RU and Ms. Frizzle spend much of the episode flirting, calling each other nicknames such as "my little toggleboat" and "my feisty flywheel." Also, when RU says that he has another customer, Ms. Frizzle asks if said customer is more important than her, and RU answers that no one is more important than her.
- Special Guest: Tony Randall as Radius Ulna "RU" Humerus.
- Stepping Out for a Quick Cup of Coffee: While Ralphie is asking Ms. Frizzle's advice about building the robot, RU says that Ralphie won't succeed in building the robot without understanding bones and muscles. He says he has a machine that could help with learning about that and he brings it out but adds that of course he keeps it hidden where kids can't find it. Then he goes back to the repairs, conveniently leaving Ralphie alone with the machine.
- Three Laws-Compliant: Subverted with Ralphie-bot. Turns out, Ralphie doesn't really understand the Three Laws of Robotics as much as RU does. Compare its behavior when Ralphie tries to get it to clean up the Bus to its behavior under RU's ownership.
