7. All Dried Up.
Topic: Desert Adaptations.
Written by: Brian Meehl and Jocelyn Stevenson.
Aired: 23 October 1994.
Topic: Desert Adaptations.
Written by: Brian Meehl and Jocelyn Stevenson.
Aired: 23 October 1994.
Phoebe is worried about all the poor animals living in the desert. How will they ever survive? She decides to go to the desert in order to do something about it, and for once, Arnold is not complaining. (This is due to his Field Trip Survival Guide.)
Man, Carlos sure had a wild imagination here, saying that all animals burn up in the desert, prompting Phoebe to take him seriously and start "S.A.D.S." which stands for "Students Against Desert Scarcity". And if this were real life, the stuffed coyote they were having a tug-o-war over would've ripped had they continued doing so.
"Liz, my parachute."
(Liz grabs shoes)
"That's not a parachute! That's a pair of shoes!"
(Liz grabs shoes)
"That's not a parachute! That's a pair of shoes!"
Shows what a funny chameleon Liz is. Proves she's the comic relief whenever Carlos isn't one.
"At my old school, lizards never ran on their hind legs."
I take it Phoebe has never seen a basilisk running on water. I mean basilisks run on water on their hind legs. Various other lizards run on their hind legs, like frill-necked lizards, bearded dragons, goannas, just to name a few. And I don't mean to be a Dorothy Ann, but according to my research, collared lizards do run on their hind legs.
Count the baby scorpions on this mother scorpion's back. I counted 15. Phoebe counted up to 13. And this shows scorpions prefer to come out at night, especially desert ones.
"How much you wish you'd stayed home today?"
Funny Arnold should say someone else should've stayed home! Especially considering it's his catchphrase. He only said that because of how wrong Phoebe was about a collared lizard, a jackrabbit and a desert tortoise.
This shows what happens when it rains in a desert. Considering how hot the desert always is during the day, it means plants grow faster whenever it rains, which almost never happens in the desert.
Makes sense for Dorothy Ann to mistake peccaries for pigs. Especially considering peccaries are related to pigs. You can tell since they look like pigs, especially their ears, snouts and legs. It also shows that even cacti need water, though not much water since they are desert plants.
"S.A.S.H. Students Assisting Sleepy Heads."
Something that topped this episode for me. Phoebe calling Carlos a sleepyhead, all because he was still fast asleep on The Magic School Bus. I take it he couldn't stay awake on the trip back to school.
"At my old school, kids never answered the phone."
Something unique about this episode. It's neither producer answering the phone to answer questions about the episode. It's Phoebe, especially considering she and Carlos were the centre kids of this episode.
Yep, what the caller said was true. Cold places like Antarctica are deserts. Especially considering Antarctica is merely a sheet of ice and it never rains there.....at all.
This episode has a load of funny moments, like Carlos saying animals in the desert shrivel up and die due to little to no water. And Phoebe taking him seriously, really driving the plot.
Another moment was Arnold being out-of-character, willing to go on a field trip. And also, when he asked Liz to take out his parachute to which she deliberately mistakes for "pair of shoes".
Yep, what the caller said was true. Cold places like Antarctica are deserts. Especially considering Antarctica is merely a sheet of ice and it never rains there.....at all.
This episode has a load of funny moments, like Carlos saying animals in the desert shrivel up and die due to little to no water. And Phoebe taking him seriously, really driving the plot.
Another moment was Arnold being out-of-character, willing to go on a field trip. And also, when he asked Liz to take out his parachute to which she deliberately mistakes for "pair of shoes".
I know there are people who say Phoebe's too much of a tree hugger, with this episode being an example, but look on the bright side. In spite of her referencing her old school all the time, she is a good role model for kids who want to be zookeepers or work in pet shelters when they grow up.
This episode also has Carlos demonstrating the rain shadow effect. When mountains are formed, it gets a lot of rain, while the other side gets so little rain, it becomes a desert. That's how deserts are formed.
And it demonstrates how certain animals survive. Collared lizards run on their hind legs before animals like roadrunners (no relation to the Looney Tunes character) have a chance to eat them.
Plus, Dorothy Ann demonstrates how jackrabbits survive. Ear-conditioning as Ms. Frizzle calls it. Jackrabbits' ears ear-condition their bodies the same way car engines keep cool.
This also shows that while deserts are scorching in the daytime, they get cold at night.
Another funny moment was, after Phoebe admitted how wrong she was about the collared lizard, jackrabbit (even after she took Arnold's hat to try keeping it cool) and the desert tortoise, Arnold thinks Phoebe isn't wrong about "how much she wished she stayed home today."
The funny moment that topped it all was the ending, where Phoebe started "S.A.S.H." which stands for "Students Assisting Sleepy Heads", showing she was calling Carlos a sleepyhead, all because he was fast asleep.
This episode also has Carlos demonstrating the rain shadow effect. When mountains are formed, it gets a lot of rain, while the other side gets so little rain, it becomes a desert. That's how deserts are formed.
And it demonstrates how certain animals survive. Collared lizards run on their hind legs before animals like roadrunners (no relation to the Looney Tunes character) have a chance to eat them.
Plus, Dorothy Ann demonstrates how jackrabbits survive. Ear-conditioning as Ms. Frizzle calls it. Jackrabbits' ears ear-condition their bodies the same way car engines keep cool.
This also shows that while deserts are scorching in the daytime, they get cold at night.
Another funny moment was, after Phoebe admitted how wrong she was about the collared lizard, jackrabbit (even after she took Arnold's hat to try keeping it cool) and the desert tortoise, Arnold thinks Phoebe isn't wrong about "how much she wished she stayed home today."
The funny moment that topped it all was the ending, where Phoebe started "S.A.S.H." which stands for "Students Assisting Sleepy Heads", showing she was calling Carlos a sleepyhead, all because he was fast asleep.
I also take it this is a reason a few people who grew up with this series ship Carlos and Phoebe. To be honest, I am one of those few people who ship the 2. Their dynamic was brilliant here.
So, this was a funny and edutaining way to teach kids about deserts and how certain animals survive in the desert. The funny moments made it for me, and Carlos going to sleep on The Magic School Bus at the end really made it for me. And Phoebe taking the producer's place was a nice touch. Well, being a Carlos/Phoebe shipper is another reason I find this episode brilliant, so I guess I'm being a bit biased here. But oh well, a funny desert episode nonetheless. Phew. This review on a desert makes me thirsty.
My rating: 10/10.
Season 1 scorecard.
1. Gets Lost in Space: 9/10.
2. For Lunch: 10/10.
3. Inside Ralphie: 9/10.
4. Gets Eaten: 8.5/10.
5. Hops Home: 10/10.
6. Meets the Rot Squad: 8/10.
7. All Dried Up: 10/10.
Season 1 so far: 9.1/10.
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