The Magic School Bus Gets a Bright Idea
Original airdate: October 12, 1996
Subject: Light
Focus Student(s): Keesha, Janet, Arnold
After the class sees a light show with Janet, she claims that the auditorium is haunted. Arnold then vanishes when the class leaves the theater, as does Janet. They go back in with Ms. Frizzle to find Arnold, and learn about how lights and reflections work.
Producers Segment
The male producer and Liz are moving a fake tree into the office when the phone rings. The former answers the questions about the episode while the latter sets up her own cardboard projection system.
Tropes
- Actually Pretty Funny: The class laughs at Janet's Hoist by Her Own Petard moment before going home.
- Aesop Amnesia: Janet forgot what happened the last time she was a Jerkass to someone in Ms. Frizzle's class.
- Arbitrary Skepticism: "There's no such thing as ghosts," which even Janet repeats at one point.
- Borrowed Catchphrase: Janet steals Wanda's phrase and proves too lazy to attribute it to her.Janet: As someone we all know says, this is a "yawn burger with a side of snores"!
Wanda: It is not, Janet! - Chekhov's Lecture: Keesha uses all she's learned about light to deduce how Janet has been using mirrors to make it seem that Arnold is a ghost.
- Doing In the Wizard: Keesha after turning herself into light manages to catch Janet in the act of deceiving the class, using lights and mirrors to project Arnold's reflection.
- Easily Forgiven: Janet, again, for being a Jerkass towards a class member, this time her own cousin.
- Hoist by Her Own Petard: Janet gets scared by the same trick she had been playing on the whole class.
- Hypocrite: Janet saying "You tricked me!" to Keesha after the latter's ghost trick, which Arnold lampshades.
- It Amused Me: Why Janet pulls the trick at the theater.
- Mass "Oh, Crap!": The class when they realize Arnold is missing.
- Oh, Crap!: Janet when she and Arnold encounter a "ghost," and Arnold disappears.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Keesha "persuades" Ms. Frizzle to do this with a wink, so that the class can stage a trick on Janet.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Janet, for using Arnold as an Unwitting Pawn to trick the class.
- Tranquil Fury: Keesha when she figures out Janet's trick, and plans to counterattack.
- Wham Shot:
- Keesha catching Janet standing behind a mirror while Arnold dances.
- Also, Keesha in a hood appearing to Janet and Arnold as Janet leads him out of the theater.
