22. Taking Flight.
Topic: Flight.
Written by: Kermit Frazier & George Arthur Bloom.
Topic: Flight.
Written by: Kermit Frazier & George Arthur Bloom.
Aired: 3 December 1995.
Wanda and Tim have built a model airplane together for a model show. Ms. Frizzle decides to shrink the class, so they can fly in it. Tim, Phoebe and Liz stay on the ground to operate the remote control, at least until it gets smashed. The class learns all about flight. Meanwhile, Tim, Phoebe and Liz try to turn the bus into different airplanes (two of which cannot fly) to go rescue them.
Looks like Wildcat Wanda knows how to handle an aeroplane. Especially considering she's the tomboy of the class.
Or at least in her imagination. This is merely a model jet plane Wanda designed with the help of Tim.
This is further proof Arnold dislikes going on a lot of these field trips. He turned out unlucky since Ms. Frizzle decided to let Phoebe stay with Tim.
What is also creative about this plane is that Tim and Wanda designed the plane to make room for Dorothy Ann to put her book in the back of the plane where she's sitting.
Something Ralphie always fails to obey. Hold on to his hat, or it'd fly off like it did here, luckily Carlos caught it.
This is the first moment where Tim accidentally breaks something. He tripped over the binoculars, and then let go of the remote control, which bounced off Liz and ended up breaking.
Not a good idea, Ralphie. He just moved the wings up.
Here's another piece of proof The Magic School Bus is sentient. It looked angry at Liz for causing it to crash.
What is Tim and Wanda's aeroplane? Another Tarzan? It crashed into a tree!
Oh man! Oh bad! Wanda told Arnold to untie the rope from the plane, and he didn't let go of it in time, and he's flying along with the eagle!
Well, Arnold really knows how to steer this eagle! He's moving its tail around.
Remote control or no remote control, Tim and Wanda won the trophy, all due to Wanda skillfully steering the plane and Arnold controlling the plane's tail. Wanda and Tim held it, then let Arnold and Dorothy Ann hold it.
Now Liz is going for a fly on Tim and Wanda's plane! She was all surprised, but now she's enjoying the flight.
Whoa! Liz isn't enjoying the flight one bit, and she's frightened of an eagle!
Liz isn't happy with you, Producer. You made her fly about erratically, just to explain to the caller about flight. Roger!
This episode is also home to a reference to Charles Lindbergh, who flew the Spirit of Saint Louis from New York City to Paris in 1927, something The Magic School Bus first tried to fly as.
Then, it transformed into the Wright Brothers Plane, but it then fell to the ground and was angry with Liz for making that fumble.
Later, it turned into a smiling aeroplane when it was about to crash into City Hall. And lastly, at the air show, it turned into an aeroplane the size of a planet and had a runway on its roof.
Now, this episode emphasised a headscratcher I've always had with this series, even as a kid. Arnold went flying along with the eagle, uttering angrily "I knew I should've stayed home today!" Here's my headscratcher. If Arnold dislikes some of these field trips, why doesn't he ask the principal of Walkerville Elementary to move him to a different class? Or why doesn't he ask his parents to move him to a different school, like say Phoebe's Old School? Or considering his catchphrase, why doesn't he ask his parents to home-school him?
And I've been thinking. Arnold's name means "Brave Eagle". Could this be the reason Nelvana and Scholastic made him fly along with the eagle?
Notice that Tim and Phoebe worked together in this episode, as well as Tim building the pink plane with Wanda's help must be a reason some people like to ship the main kids of this series. I've seen that most people who don't ship Phoebe with Arnold ship her with Tim, and most of those who don't ship Wanda with Arnold ship her with Tim. Believe me, I'm one of those who ship Wanda with Tim.
While this episode did leave me with a headscratcher about Arnold's dislike of field trips, it was a very interesting way to teach kids about how birds and planes fly. But I'm confused as to why they didn't cover how helicopters stay in the air. I can understand why they didn't include bats or butterflies because they already covered those flying animals. Arnold flying with that eagle sure was a bit scary to watch, especially considering he's always using his catchphrase whenever things go bad. Interesting that they did cel animated stop motion with the eagle in the Producer Segment. Tim breaking the controls really drove the plot, plus Wanda did get her dream to fly a plane. And Liz getting angry at the producer in the end was funny, as well as The Magic School Bus getting angry at Liz for crashing it.
"Streaking through thin air, you mean."
"Come on, Arnold! It would be pretty hard to streak through fat air!"
"Carlos!"
"Come on, Arnold! It would be pretty hard to streak through fat air!"
"Carlos!"
Carlos and his puns. Saying that fat air would be difficult to streak through, but Arnold only mentioned thin air due to Wanda's dream of her aeroplane.
"I think I'm going to be sick."
I guess Ralphie easily gets airsick.
"What are we going to do, Phoeb?"
"I don't know! This never happened at my old school!"
"I don't know! This never happened at my old school!"
There's got to be something they can do to get the class down.
"Whoooaaa! I knew I should've stayed home today!"
This is the part that emphasises one of the few headscratchers I've always had with this series, which I'll get to later in this review.
"See us? This plane is so big, it could be a planet!"
Funny Tim should say this because "Plane" and "Planet" are spelled almost similar.
This episode is also home to a reference to Charles Lindbergh, who flew the Spirit of Saint Louis from New York City to Paris in 1927, something The Magic School Bus first tried to fly as.
Then, it transformed into the Wright Brothers Plane, but it then fell to the ground and was angry with Liz for making that fumble.
Later, it turned into a smiling aeroplane when it was about to crash into City Hall. And lastly, at the air show, it turned into an aeroplane the size of a planet and had a runway on its roof.
Now, this episode emphasised a headscratcher I've always had with this series, even as a kid. Arnold went flying along with the eagle, uttering angrily "I knew I should've stayed home today!" Here's my headscratcher. If Arnold dislikes some of these field trips, why doesn't he ask the principal of Walkerville Elementary to move him to a different class? Or why doesn't he ask his parents to move him to a different school, like say Phoebe's Old School? Or considering his catchphrase, why doesn't he ask his parents to home-school him?
And I've been thinking. Arnold's name means "Brave Eagle". Could this be the reason Nelvana and Scholastic made him fly along with the eagle?
Notice that Tim and Phoebe worked together in this episode, as well as Tim building the pink plane with Wanda's help must be a reason some people like to ship the main kids of this series. I've seen that most people who don't ship Phoebe with Arnold ship her with Tim, and most of those who don't ship Wanda with Arnold ship her with Tim. Believe me, I'm one of those who ship Wanda with Tim.
While this episode did leave me with a headscratcher about Arnold's dislike of field trips, it was a very interesting way to teach kids about how birds and planes fly. But I'm confused as to why they didn't cover how helicopters stay in the air. I can understand why they didn't include bats or butterflies because they already covered those flying animals. Arnold flying with that eagle sure was a bit scary to watch, especially considering he's always using his catchphrase whenever things go bad. Interesting that they did cel animated stop motion with the eagle in the Producer Segment. Tim breaking the controls really drove the plot, plus Wanda did get her dream to fly a plane. And Liz getting angry at the producer in the end was funny, as well as The Magic School Bus getting angry at Liz for crashing it.
My rating: 9.5/10.
Season 2 scorecard:
1. Blows its Top: 10/10.
2. Flexes its Muscles: 10/10.
3. The Busasaurus: 10/10.
4. Going Batty: 9.5/10.
5. Butterfly and the Bog Beast: 9/10.
6. Wet All Over: 9.5/10.
7. In a Pickle: 9/10.
8. Revving Up: 9.5/10.
9. Taking Flight: 9.5/10.
Season 2 so far: 9.5/10.
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