Arthur: It’s Only Rock And Roll

Synopsis by Dave.

Corrected by: KorraIsBack 

 Comments by: Dave, MissySetsuka , Dinsauros21 , Majordomo_arthur , and Jinora_victimizer.

 Muffy's house. There's a big entertainment center with a large TV, and a large sectional couch. Francine's sitting on the couch, reading. Muffy's there too. She turns on the TV with a complicated-looking remote, and starts watching a Backstreet Boys video on TV.

The video start out realistically, like when Arthur was watching Nova on TV in #40402 - "Prove It", but then the Backstreet Boys blend into animal version of themselves (with triangular noses) doing a cartoon version of their "I Want It That Way" video.

Muffy imagines going into the video and calling out to them as they sing.

Muffy: I want it that way too!

Primarily, she wants one specific Backstreet Boy, Nick Carter.

Muffy isn't actually in the video though. She's just dreaming. In reality, Muffy's getting in Francine’s way and distracting Francine from her reading.

Francine tells her to stop listening "to this rot", which Francine thinks is destroying Muffy’s brain.

Muffy can't believe that Francine's saying that about the Backstreet Boys, who just happen to be coming to Elwood City in 4 weeks, 6 days, and... 57 minutes, by Muffy’s watch. Francine picks up the remote and mutes the sound on the video.

Francine says the Backstreet Boys might have been good once -- but now they're sell outs.

Francine: Look at them...

Muffy does so. Aren’t they cute? Francine says that being cute is not the point. They’re sell outs. Muffy says Francine'd do the same thing in five minutes if she had a band.

Francine: I would not! Music is sacred!

Muffy says she’d sell out, just like everyone else.

<p style="color:rgb(255,255,255);">Muffy imagines.

<p style="color:rgb(255,255,255);">First Francine’d have a hit song.

<p style="color:rgb(255,255,255);">''Then she’d make a video where she’d wear a “cute little costume” and “dance and flounce your hair around”. We see a blonde Britney Spears-Francine doing this...''

<p style="color:rgb(255,255,255);">Then we see a sign that looks like something out of a 7-11 with a picture of blonde Francine in her cute costume with the words “GET HER WITH YOUR SOFT DRINK IN A REUSABLE CUP” and cups with Francine on them filling up with cola, in a vending machine for 75 cents.

<p style="color:rgb(255,255,255);">Muffy continues... the next thing that would happen would be that Francine would make commercials and tons of money and Francine would have to pay her half because Muffy thought of it.

<p style="color:rgb(255,255,255);">Francine says that that’s not the case. If she was in a band, they’d do nothing but make “really good music”. She’d quit before going on TV or dance.

<p style="color:rgb(255,255,255);">It's a moot point though, and not worth arguing over.

<p style="color:rgb(255,255,255);">Muffy: ...you don't have a band and you probably never will.

<p style="color:rgb(255,255,255);">Francine leaves, but before going throught the door, she says that if she does have a band, it’d be a million times better than the “Blob-street Boys“.

<p style="color:rgb(255,255,255);">Muffy gasps.

<p style="color:rgb(255,255,255);">Muffy: How could you? You, my best friend...

<p style="color:rgb(255,255,255);">Francine: Oh brother. I’m getting out of here.

<p style="color:rgb(255,255,255);">Muffy: Go and don't come back until you can apologize to Nick.

<p style="color:rgb(255,255,255);">Francine can’t get out of Muffy’s house fast enough. Muffy’s losing it!

<p style="color:rgb(255,255,255);">Muffy apologizes to Nick for Francine’s hurtful words, and turns the volume back up on the video as it ends, imagining herself waving to the Boys as they board an airplane.


 * * * ARTHUR: It's Only Rock and Roll * * *

<p style="color:rgb(255,255,255);">The scene is now the girl's washroom at school. There's a transistor radio beside a sink playing "I Want It That Way". Muffy and Prunella are talking -- Prunella doesn’t know why Francine doesn’t like the Backstreet Boys...

<p style="color:rgb(255,255,255);">Muffy knows why she likes them. Her reasons are two-fold in fact.

<p style="color:rgb(255,255,255);">Muffy: Cute guys with stock portfolios... what's not to like?

<p style="color:rgb(255,255,255);">They walk out of the washroom just as Francine was about to tape up a poster beside the washroom door. What does the poster say? Why, it's advertising auditions for a rock band... 2:30, Saturday, "a band that won’t sell out"...

<p style="color:rgb(255,255,255);">Muffy doubts anyone will ask her to!

<p style="color:rgb(255,255,255);">Everyone flocks to read the posters, including Rattles and Allouious Zimmerplotz.

<p style="color:rgb(255,255,255);"><span style="color:rgb(255,255,0);font-family:arial,helvetica;">How'd Francine manage to book the school on a weekend? Pretend I didn't ask...

Buster is having dinner at Arthur's house.

Buster and Arthur are excited about the prospect of being in a band. They have big dreams of being on tour, travelling around the world and becoming rich and famous, and not having to go to school anymore.

Mom comments that very few bands are that successful.

Buster points out as he helps clear the table that that is what happened to the Backstreet Boys.

Buster: They answered an ad, and BOOM, just like that, they had their own jet.

D.W. wants to be in the band too, as if Arthur‘s going to become rich and famous, then she wants the same thing. Arthur says that all she knows is "Crazy Bus" -- that won't cut it.

D.W. says "Crazy Bus" is for babies, and that she knows a million better songs.



D.W. practices "Skinnamarinky-Dinky-Dink" in the bathtub, using a Mary Moo Cow shampoo bottle for a microphone, and making Pal whine.



D.W. performs for Francine at the audition, which appears to be taking place in school.

Francine wants D.W. to stop, but D.W. still has five more verses to go. So Francine gongs D.W., like on the Gong Show.

Who's up after D.W.?

Next will be George, with a microphone,

Prunella with her alpine horn...

And Allouious Zimmerplotz, with a trumpet.

D.W. warns George to be careful as she leaves, telling him it's a "jungle in here".

D.W. shouldn't feel too bad though, since Francine gonged Arthur and Buster too, who are out in the hallway.

Buster can't believe it.

They leave just as somebody else gets gonged... probably George.



At The Sugar Bowl, Francine is talking to someone she's accepted into the band. It seems Francine's having trouble finding good talent. Fourteen people, and they all stank!

Francine is talking to lunchlady Mrs. MacGrady, who was the exception...

Well, you know what they say, says Mrs. MacGrady, quoting a famous saying again, (since Francine doesn't know what they say) "If the mountain won't come to Mohammed, then Mohammed must go to the mountain..."



Francine realizes that what Mrs. MacGrady is saying is that sometimes you have to go to the source yourself as opposed to letting them come to you. Francine goes out looking for the talent she needs for her new band.

Francine is at Binky's house. Binky is practicing his dancing in his ballet studio.