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Revving Up |
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- "There's acid all over the paint, the fenders are dented, and the roof looks like it got hit by a meteorite."
- —Mr. Junkett
Revving Up (Engines) is the eighth episode of the second season of The Magic School Bus. It first released on all PBS stations in the USA on October 28, 1995.
Plot[]
Mr. Junkett, the school district’s vehicle maintenance inspector, was displeased when he inspects the bus, so he informs Ms. Frizzle that it should go to the junkyard to be condemned, resulting the class to worry. To prove that the bus is working fine, Ms. Frizzle and the class takes him out for a test drive through a steep mountain road, in which it eventually breaks down during. When Ms. Frizzle fails to find the problem with the engine, Mr. Junkett angrily condemns the bus and leaves it to call a tow truck to tow it away. Determined to save the bus, Ms. Frizzle and the class then don fireproof bodysuits as Liz fires the Porta-Shrinker, and they go inside the bus to follow the gas to the engine and find out the problem. They make it inside the gas tank and wonder how they will get from there to the engine. Ms. Frizzle inflates a duck raft and they row through the gas tank. Little do they know, Mr. Junkett is on his way with a tow truck ready to take the bus to the junkyard. During the drive, he keeps brags about his award, much to the driver's annoyance.
Meanwhile, back inside the bus's engine, Liz turns on the GPS, which displays a map of the Bus's interior to track the class. As the class rows out of the gas tank and into the fuel line, they come across a sticky mixture blocking the gas flow. Ralphie (the first to notice the smell) realizes it was peanut butter. The class then finds out it was from the sandwich Mr. Junkett was eating while inspecting the bus. When they clear the line, the gas begins flowing and Liz turns the key to start the engine, the air sends the class into the fuel pump and leading them to the carburetor. When the engine still cannot start, they discover an opening at the top. Phoebe then refers back to fire safety and learned that it takes air for things to burn, and the engine needs it with gas to run since it burns gas while running. They then notice that it is Mr. Junkett's peanut butter sandwich blocking the opening.
With the tow truck getting closer, the class take Ralphie's suggestion by stacking themselves to remove the peanut butter sandwich off the carburetor's opening. Arnold manages to move the sandwich (nearly falling out of the carburetor in the process) and gets separated from the class. He sees that the tow truck has arrived ready to tow the Bus and informs his classmates. Since the carburetor's opening is no longer blocked, the class believe the engine should run as plenty of air will flow in and mix with the gas. The class call out to Liz to start the Bus, causing Mr. Junkett to think that the Bus trying to start up, unaware that it's Liz revving the Bus' engine and flooring the gas pedal. In the carburetor, the class floats around the air as it mixes with the gas. Unfortunately, the engine still has trouble starting and the class (sans Arnold) fall into the open throttle valve and end up following the gas and air. Liz watches on the GPS nervously as the class travel through the intake port. Ms. Frizzle and the class end up entering and getting trapped in the cylinder. Keesha then points out that Liz had stopped turning the key.
Meanwhile outside, Arnold wonders where everybody went, but is almost caught by Mr. Junkett who is examining the bus after seemingly hearing it trying to start up. Liz, who is hiding under the bus takes notice at what's going on. The tow truck driver then starts up his truck and tows the Bus away, leaving Mr. Junkett on the roadside in the process. He tries to catch up to it, but a car comes out in the middle of nowhere, forcing him to jump out of its way, but ends up rolling off an edge of a hill and is left hanging onto a root over the edge of a cliff yelling for help.
During the tow to the junkyard, Liz is still hiding under the Bus, and Arnold is still out on the engine. He informs his classmates that the bus is being towed away. Liz eventually crawls back into the Bus making her extremely worn out. As she tries to rest, Ms. Frizzle alerts Liz that she and the class are in the Bus' cylinder, Ms. Frizzle instructs Liz to turn the key. Liz attempts to reach for it but she ends up fainting from exhaustion.
The tow truck makes it into the junkyard and the bus is prepared to be crushed. After informing his classmates, Arnold screams in horror as he sees the crane pick the Bus up with it's electromagnet, dropping it into the car crusher. Arnold tells his classmates if they don't leave the junkyard right away, they will be immediately crushed along with the Bus. Ms. Frizzle tells Liz that she has to turn the key. She does so and steps on the gas pedal, which makes the piston move. Keesha smells the gas and air from the carburetor entering the cylinder. Ms. Frizzle tells the class that what goes down must go up when it comes to engine pistons and that the cylinder is where three ingredients come together in order to get the engine started.
When the bus is about to get crushed, Ralphie and the class learn that the engine burns gas and try to find a way to get it to do so. Dorothy Ann reads in her book that gasoline burns very easily, so one should be careful around it. Wanda finally learns that the three ingredients of a running engine are gas, air, and a spark. The class then learns that it was the peanut butter that was keeping the spark plug from running. As more gas and air enter the cylinder, Carlos volunteers to get the peanut butter and successfully cleans it off (only for the peanut butter to stick to him in the process). With it now cleaned off, the spark plug is fully functional again and it burns the gas and air entering. The class exit the cylinder along with the burned gases and travel through the exhaust system.
They reach the muffler and exit through the exhaust pipe, returning to their original size just in time to notice the huge block suspended from a rope is about to crush the Bus. Liz starts the Bus immediately and it transforms into a hot rod, much to Arnold's surprise. It drives away right before the block crashes down, with the class taking a ride. They thank Liz for saving it from destruction only to realize Arnold is missing. Arnold, who is still shrunken looses his balance and falls into the carburetor. Liz activates the GPS to track him as he goes through the now running smoothly engine. Arnold speeds out the exhaust system and returns to his normal size, somehow grabbing Mr. Junkett's peanut butter sandwich in the process.
The class later return to the mountain road to rescue Mr. Junkett from falling off the root with a crane from the bus, which had transformed into a tow truck. Ms. Frizzle transforms it back into its regular appearance while the class crowds around Mr. Junkett and pretend to fuss over him, including "fixing his hat" (pulling it over his eyes), so he doesn't see the bus transform from a tow truck to its regular appearance. Mr. Junkett then apologizes to Ms. Frizzle and her class. She also states that, "A good engine is worth the price of ignition." The bus then drives Mr. Junkett to the office to collect his "Vehicle Maintenance Inspector of The Year" award.
Bus Forms[]
- Hot Rod
- Tow Truck
Trivia[]
- When Liz was hiding under the bus, her eyes are white instead of yellow.
- The class goes to the mountain again to pace Keesha's mother Angela for her big bike race in "Goldstealer".
- Carlos and Phoebe do not use their catchphrases in this episode.
- Carlos doesn't use puns and Phoebe does not recall a time at her old school.
- Tim may also count, as he never had a catchphrase until In the Arctic, which is the line from A Magic School Bus Halloween, "Wow! We've been Frizzled!"
- Dorothy Ann does not have her book bag in this episode, however, she is seen holding a book in a later scene in the cylinder.
- The class' suits (except Ms. Frizzle's) are color-coded (before shrinking and entering into the engine) and do not have the school logo. However, when they shrunk into the engine their suits are different.
- Keesha's is maroon or dark red.
- Ralphie's is yellow-green.
- Dorothy Ann's is lavender or magenta.
- Tim's is teal.
- Wanda's is rose, or a watermelon like color.
- Ms. Frizzle's is a mustard color.
- Phoebe's is bright red.
- Out of all the students, Carlos' and Arnold's (except for his boots and gloves) are the only ones that were not changed.
- This is the fifth episode to be switched in streaming order.
- It is revealed that Arnold despises the smell of gasoline.
- This episode was one of the few that never got released on VHS, but were released on DVD and streaming services later in the 2000s and 2010s. Previous episodes were Meets the Rot Squad, All Dried Up, and Wet All Over.
- Instead of the usual bus-shaped blinking light on the monitor to show where the class is, a blinking circle is shown due to the students being inside the bus' engine.
- This is the last episode to air before Halloween 1995. If counted, the next episode would be A Magic School Bus Halloween. Normally people count the latter special after Ups and Downs.
- This is the second time the bus breaks down. The first time was In the Haunted House where it pretended to be overheated. However, in this episode it really did break down.
- When Mr. Junkett says that the bus has acid all over the paint (For Lunch), its fenders are dented (Inside Ralphie), and that the roof looks like it was hit by a meteorite (Gets Lost in Space), he references the first three episodes of the franchise, in which the Bus got some sort of damage dealt to it.
- Surprisingly, whether or not it was "magic", or if Mr. Junkett failed to see it, he did not notice the tooth marks from the T-rex chewing the Bus in "The Busasaurus". The Repairinator might have activated after that point in the aforementioned episode.
- While Ms. Frizzle & the rest of the class were inside the carburetor, Arnold was on the outside watching as the tow truck arrives to take the Bus away. Mr. Junkett even hears the Bus's engine trying to rev itself up questioning to himself "Is the Bus trying to start itself?" (Even though it was Liz inside turning the key and flooring the gas pedal.)
- Mr. Junkett's face and body resembles his actor Sherman Hemsley.
- This is one of the few times where The Bus is heard making vocal sounds, it is heard panting when it attempts to drive up the hill.
- This is one of the few times where Liz is heard making vocal sounds. She is heard panting and briefly groans when she faints.
- Although it wasn't onscreen, this is one of the rare times Ms. Frizzle gets angry. It happens again in In the City.
- This is one of the few times Arnold is on the receiving end of the "Carlos!" gag.
- The mountain road in the beginning of the episode is pretty obivious as the area code for Walkerville is near the suburbs of Chicago.
- Mr. Junkett hanging on to the root on the mountain side is a visual representation of the term cliffhanger, the screen even fades to black at the end of the scene.
- The intro music for the Producer Says segments plays when Liz activates the cylinder's piston.
- The sound effects heard when the class exit the exhaust pipe were reused on the old Magic School Bus website.
- This is one of the few times where someone responds to Wanda's catchphrase.
- The tow truck driver did not seem at all aware or even concerned that Mr. Junkett was missing when he arrived to the junkyard with the Bus. This implies he purposely ditched Junkett due to getting annoyed by the former.
- It is unclear if the class revealed to Mr. Junkett that his peanut butter sandwich is what caused the bus to break down.
Goofs[]
- At the beginning of the episode, an invisible screw and bolt can be seen on the ground in the shot with Liz looking under the bus.
- When the class falls off their stack and tell Arnold to look out, Ralphie and Tim can be seen falling through the carburetor's throttle valve even though it was shut.
- In some scenes before the class goes inside the bus' engine, the hood would be closed or open in some shots.
- During the transition from Ralphie to Carlos during the line "He's both, Ralphie, a VMI and a VPP.", Ralphie's torso is missing. This is because the series is animated using cel animation, a type where paper figurines are pasted onto a backdrop, and then photographed. In this case, Ralphie's cel in this scene was partially drawn.
- When Carlos says, "Line's clear, Ms. Frizzle!", his suit is the same color as Ralphie's and Dorothy Ann's gloves are pink.
- When the bus was being towed away, the doors could be seen on both sides.
- In a couple of scenes Arnold could be spotted even though he was out on the engine telling his classmates what was going on (similar to "For Lunch").
- When the class heads to the exhaust system, Phoebe's gloves change/flash from maroon to yellow.
- In one scene in the carburetor, Ralphie's gloves were red and Phoebe's suit keeps flashing to the color of his.
- When Ralphie is asking "Where's Liz?", his cap is missing.
- Mr. Junkett puts a "CONDEMNED" banner on the bus but in later scenes, it is gone. It may have fallen off later on.
- When Carlos gets the peanut butter off the spark plug, he has some on his suit but in the next shot, it disappears.
- When Keesha asks, "Just how big is this fire going to be?", Phoebe is in Dorothy Ann's suit and her hair is changed to dishwater blonde as well.
- In some scenes when the class was in the cylinder, the gas and air disappear in between shots.
- If you look carefully at the top of the screen when Arnold hides behind the spark plug, Mr. Junkett is not wearing his cap.
- Ralphie's head is noticeably twitching while brushing himself after the class comes out of the engine.
- In one scene when the piston is going down, Ralphie, Tim, and Dorothy Ann are missing.
- In one scene as the class travels through the exhaust pipe, Wanda and Carlos are missing.
- At the end of the episode, Liz, Ralphie, and Keesha are missing when Mr. Junkett gets on the bus.
- When Dorothy Ann wears her suit along with her classmates, her hair turns dishwater blonde. Keesha's and Ralphie's hair in the episode is also changed to black.
- This is one of the few times where the bus had been referred to by its full name, "The Magic School Bus".
- When the class (excpet Arnold) get out of the bus' exhaust pipe, Ralphie's voice is suddenly deeper due to his voice actor hitting puberty.
- When the class came out the Bus's engine and returned to their normal size, their hair (including Ms. Frizzle's) are messy and unkempt. However Arnold's hair remains completely normal when he came out and changed back to his regular size.
- Keesha's suit gets changed from inside the tank from fuchsia to dark red (when Liz shrinks the entire class and inside the tank). It might have been an error or mistake, or remains unknown.
- This also happens to Ralphie were his suit is turned to chartreuse yellow.
- Wanda's suit is changed to either the colors rose, watermelon, or possibly rouge. Her gloves are light red too.
- Dorothy Ann suit is also changed to possibly lavender or magenta as well.
- Ms. Frizzle's suit changed to mustard yellow.
- Before the Liz shrunk the class, Phoebe's suit was orange.
- Liz disappears just as Arnold exits the bus' exhaust pipe.
- When the class sees that Arnold is still shrunken, he's seen sitting on the carburetor. However, after the camera changes shots, he's kneeling on it before falling in.
- It's unknown how the class found Mr. Junkett. However Liz or Arnold may have noticed him running after the tow truck.
- When the class exits The Bus' exhaust system and return to their normal size, Dorothy Ann is nowhere to be seen. Though she's seen briefly when Liz transforms The Bus.
- The inflatable duck raft Ms. Frizzle pulled out mysteriously disappears after the class left the fuel pump.
- When Liz was hiding under the bus, her eyes are white instead of yellow.
- When the suits come down from the bus' ceiling, Tim's is not shown when Ms. Frizzle pulled the lever.
- In one scene, before the class was shrunk, the line on Dorothy Ann's suit is turquoise like her gloves and boots.
- It's unclear how Ms. Frizzle didn't notice Mr. Junkett's peanut butter sandwich on top of the carburetor's opening even when the Bus broke down. Though she may have purposely ignored it to let her class figure out the problem.