Mmm.
Charles.
I just made those cookies. And not for you.
Especially when you don't ask.
Sorry, but I gotta fuel up.
Sammy and I have a date with the great outdoors.
I'm not sure I'd call our backyard "the great outdoors."
I know, but that's what Sammy's been calling everything outside
since we joined Middleton Junior Explorers.
Well, Maria and I will be enjoying the great indoors tonight.
And any worthwhile game night/movie marathon sleepover
requires a lot of snacks, so, hands off.
[sighs]
Here she is. The Spruceman 250.
-Cool. -[chuckles] It is cool.
Back in the old days, your mom and I went camping more times than I can count.
And the Spruceman is more than a tent.
She was like family, so treat her with respect.
Oh, I forgot the lantern.
I think Dad's more excited about tonight than you are.
No way. I can't think of anything more fun than a best friend campout.
Except for maybe...
a best friend head-to-head trivia challenge to entertain the brain.
Did you use the entire jar of Valerie's homemade blackberry jam
for your linzer cookies?
-[chuckles] Oh-- Oh, there's my phone. -[phone buzzing]
The jam she made by hand
from the fruits and berries she grew in her own backyard?
[sighs] Look, it won't happen again. My phone?
I am having as many of those cookies as I want.
-Mm-hmm. Thanks. -There you go.
[chuckles] Hey, Maria. Hold on.
Taste one of these now...
Mmm.
[grunts]
The Spruceman 250. Brings back a lot of cold, soggy memories. [grumbles]
Hey, look, honey. The Spruceman.
I know. The Spruceman.
-[chuckles] -[Charles] Sammy's gonna love it.
Oh, and he said he's bringing a surprise.
I have a feeling it's Rufus and Goldie.
How fun would it be to camp out with the dogs?
Uh, I don't know, bud. It's only a two-person tent, and those are pretty big dogs.
Hmm, come on. What's the worst that could happen?
If somehow the tent gets ruined, the tent gets ruined.
[chuckles]
[Lizzie] Okay. Bye.
What's wrong, Lizzie?
Maria just canceled our sleepover.
Oh, honey, what happened?
She's at Cara's house, helping her with French homework.
Which, by the way, was pretty easy.
Maybe not for Cara?
[sighs] I just don't get why she has to help her
on the one night we have a sleepover planned.
I mean, what I am supposed to do now? I baked all these cookies for nothing.
We could do a Daddy-daughter trivia night. Promise I'll go easy on you.
-[chuckles] -[doorbell rings]
[gasps] Oh, that's Sammy.
Wilderness weekend, here we...
come?
Charles, you remember David.
Oh, yeah. You just moved to Middleton, right?
-From Chicago. -It was the craziest thing.
David and I were both excused from gym last week due to the high pollen count.
We started talking ragweed and come to find out
David comes from a family of avid campers
and is interested in joining Junior Explorers too.
So, I invited him to our sleepover.
-Oh, uh-- -Plus, he just got a new tent. [chuckles]
I already have a tent, remember? The Spruceman 250.
Yeah, but David's is the Spruceman 1000.
I-It's a four-person tent.
A four-person tent. How great is that?
-[Sammy chuckles] -I mean-- Wait, what? [sighs]
[exhales sharply]
"A haiku is a 17-syllable poem from which country?"
Japan.
[scoffs, clicks tongue] Can you give me an example?
Maria speaks French. And she found a new best friend.
Now I'm all alone.
No offense.
[chuckles] None taken.
All right, hit me. Any subject, any question.
Except maybe Danish architecture. It was never my forte.
Dad, I appreciate you trying to cheer me up,
but... it's not the same.
I just don't get it.
Maria and I have been planning this game night for weeks,
and then she just calls and cancels out of nowhere.
I just guess I thought we were best friends.
[Paul clears throat, clicks tongue]
Who helped Lizzie Peterson find a home for Shadow?
[smacks lips] And train Scout?
And taught her how to ride a horse?
Correct answer is Maria.
Because she is your best friend.
That means you should trust her, right?
The poles and sleeves are color-coded for easy setup.
-How come this part's all mesh? -Oh.
-[David] That's the screened-in porch. -[Sammy] The screened-in porch?
Guess we won't be needing my bug repellant.
I got my dad's lantern.
I thought we could use it when we tell ghost stories later.
Your dad's lantern's great, but the stars are nature's lantern.
And if you want to see the Big Dipper,
we should try to avoid using artificial light.
Nature's lantern. I love that.
-[thunder rumbling] -[bush rustling]
What was that sound?
[grunts] Think it's starting to rain again.
No. Something moved in the bushes.
All right, gang. There's a storm on the way. Time to come inside.
Oh, don't worry, Mrs. Peterson. The new Spruceman is waterproof.
I'll take it under advisement. Inside.
[Sammy sighs]
-Charles, let's go. -One second!
[animal whimpering]
Huh. Those look really good.
Yeah. Charles's sister makes the best cookies.
Help yourself.
Lizzie. This is David.
You made these?
[sighs] For a game night that's not happening anymore.
[Sammy] Game night? What game?
"Who Wants to be a Trivianaire?"
Oh, really? I love trivia.
And I bet David loves trivia too.
That is correct.
[all chuckling]
[Lizzie] All right, David.
"Animals that eat both plants and meat
are called what?"
-Full. [chuckles] -[Sammy chuckles]
Uh. Don't worry, I know what this is.
Uh, it's omnivores.
Right again.
Oh, Charles, perfect timing.
We're about to start the lightning round.
Uh, no, I need to go and dry off.
Come on. It's really fun.
Fine.
-Yeah. -All right.
"What substance when added to fog makes smog?"
Um.
Five seconds.
Uh. Makes smog?
Three. Two. One.
-[both] Smoke! -Oh!
[both] Jinx!
[Sammy and David laugh]
[phone buzzing]
Oh, uh, you guys go ahead. I'll be back.
[Sammy] Okay.
[Sammy] How about we split the points for that, .5 each?
Lizzie. Hi. [Maria inhales sharply]
Where are you?
I'm in a closet.
I gave Cara a past participle drill
so I could slip away to call.
That's why I couldn't really talk earlier.
I didn't want her to hear me.
Okay.
I feel terrible about messing up our plans,
but poor Cara is très lost in French.
And her parents said if she doesn't get her grade up,
she has to quit volleyball.
Wow. That's so unfair.
She was almost in tears and asked for help.
I didn't know what to do.
[sighs] No, you knew exactly what to do.
That was really nice of you.
[chuckles]
But I still wish I was there with you playing Trivianaire.
Quick, ask me a question.
Okay, uh, when is National Trivia Day?
Trivia about trivia?
[chuckles]
-That's dia-- -[Cara] Maria!
-[Cara speaks French] -That's diabolical, Lizzie. January 4th.
Ding, ding, ding. Correct.
-[Cara] Maria, I don't get this. -I better go.
I can hear Cara struggling to conjugate an irregular verb.
Do you think we can reschedule for next weekend?
[speaks French]
[speaks French, chuckles]
[chuckles]
[sighs]
[dog barking]
[barking continues]
Rise and shine.
-[David groans] -What time is it?
[Charles] It's time to put our Junior Explorers skills to good use.
There's a dog out there, and we're gonna find it.
Okay. You know what might help with our mental focus?
A little more sleep. [groans]
I played 75 rounds of Trivianaire last night.
I think it's my turn to decide what we do.
Are you guys hungry? Shouldn't we make breakfast first?
[sighs] I like that idea.
If you guys want to go home and eat breakfast, that's fine.
It just doesn't sound like something a real Junior Explorer would do.
[Charles sighs]
[Sammy sighs, grunts]
[David exhales sharply]
[Sammy sighs]
The Junior Explorers Handbook expressly states
that a detailed game plan is crucial to a mission's success.
-If we're gonna find-- -Look!
Paw prints.
I knew it.
How do we know the paws belong to a dog?
Coyote tracks tend to be more oblong,
and the only other indigenous animals in this area
are beavers and deer, so we're good.
They're leading to the tent!
[boys] Oh.
[Sammy] A puppy. Look.
She's probably freezing.
It's okay.
We're not gonna hurt you.
Wait. Shouldn't we maybe gain her trust first?
You know, coax her out with some food?
[sighs] Yeah.
Do you have any kibble?
Do we have any kibble? We foster dogs. Of course we have kibble.
Oh, good. Oh, here.
[Lizzie] Okay, we don't wanna scare the puppy,
-so only one of us should go in. -Yeah.
-Charles, why don't you go in and-- -I got this.
[barks, whimpers]
Okay.
[puppy whimpers, barks]
This is for you.
[chuckles] Good doggy.
[Sammy] It's working.
[David] Okay.
[sighs] Great job, David.
I had no idea you were a dog expert.
Uh, see? I knew there was a dog out here.
Hmm. Lucky for her, you followed your instincts.
Lucky.
-That's what we should name her. -Yeah.
We're gonna take great care of you, Lucky.
[whimpers]
[groans] Ugh.
First on the agenda is a bath.
[sighs, mutters]
Yeah, she's definitely a mixed breed.
I say a terrier face, shih tzu coat?
Ugh. More like a mud coat.
More like a purple mud coat.
Yeah, that is weird.
Can one of you run inside and grab another towel?
-It's in the kitchen, under the sink. -Okay.
-Oh. -Oh.
-Go ahead. -No, you go.
-Let's both go. -Okay.
-[sighs] Why did you do that? -Do what?
Send them away together.
They're not away. They're in the house.
What is wrong with you?
All I wanted was a campout with my best friend.
But he brought his own friend, and now they're doing everything together.
That's what's upsetting you?
Charles, I know how you're feeling, but you just said it.
Sammy's your best friend. That means you can trust him--
He didn't even ask me if he could invite him.
[sighs]
[whimpering]
-[whimpering] -Why's she crying?
I don't know. I'm just cleaning her paw.
-Uh, Lucky, no! -Come back!
-What happened? -[Lizzie] Lucky ran away.
Don't worry. She can't get out.
The fence is way too high.
Well, she did find a way
to get in here in the first place.
Hmm. That's a really good point, David.
Of course it is.
Uh, guys, look!
[Sammy grunts]
[sighs]
[exhales sharply]
Oh, boy.
[all calling out] Lucky! Lucky!
Lucky, come here! Lucky, come!
[Sammy] We need to spread out.
Uh, guys, Lucky's paw prints.
[Sammy] Oh.
[sighs] But they fade away in the grass.
Hang on. I've got my compass.
She seems to be heading northwest.
Who cares what the direction is?
She went that way, and that way's where poison ivy is.
Luckily poison ivy isn't actually poisonous.
It just causes allergic reactions.
Most of the time it doesn't even affect dogs.
We get it, David! You know everything about camping
and nature and dogs.
Uh, okay.
[chuckles] Why don't David and I go look for more paw prints,
and you guys stay here in case Lucky shows up?
-Come on, David. -Okay.
[David] What happened?
[Sammy sighs]
What was that about?
Why are you yelling at David? That's not cool.
That's not cool? You're the one who ruined our campout.
What are you talking about?
This weekend was supposed to be our thing.
You and me camping out, eating s'mores, telling ghost stories.
Instead, we've spent the whole time
listening to know-it-all David
ramble on about cricket chirps.
Counting the chirps calculates temperature, Charles.
That's great Junior Explorer info.
That you and I should've learned alone!
I don't know why you had to invite him.
Because I know what it's like to be new!
Moving to Middleton was one of the scariest things I've ever done.
I thought I'd never make friends again.
But the day that you and Goldie came by, all of that changed.
I didn't feel alone anymore.
Okay, look. I'm sorry for inviting David without telling you.
I just thought you'd understand why I included him.
-I mean, you included me. -I just...
I don't know, I felt like maybe
you didn't want to be best friends anymore.
It's gonna take a lot more than a Spruceman 1000 for that to happen.
Now, a Spruceman 2000...
[chuckles]
[Lucky barking]
Wait, is that--
-[chuckles] Look what I got. -[Charles] Lucky!
[Charles chuckles] Hi, girl.
[Sammy speaks indistinctly]
How'd you find her?
-It was David. -Hmm.
He tracked down Lucky's paw prints to a fence near the back of the woods.
He spotted her limping towards it.
I wonder what's wrong with her leg.
She cried both times I touched one of her paws.
Let me see. Yeah, this one.
[Lizzie] We should check for redness and swelling.
-[whimpers] -I know. I'm sorry.
[Lizzie] I don't see anything.
Let me see.
[Lucky whimpering]
Hey.
[Charles mutters]
[sighs] It's a thorn. I must've pushed on it.
No wonder she was limping.
We have to get it out.
-[David] Yeah. -Yeah.
Oh. My pocket tool has a pair of tweezers,
if that's any help.
That definitely helps.
Oh.
[sighs] Okay, David. I'll hold her still,
and you can try to pull it out.
I'm not really good at medical stuff.
Don't look at me.
You should do it.
You're the real dog expert.
[sighs] Okay, but I'll need your help. Can you hold her?
-[David] Come on, girl. -[whimpers]
-[sighs] Okay. -[Lucky whimpers]
I'll distract her with a treat. Sammy?
Got it.
[sighs] Okay, Lucky, this might be a little bit uncomfortable,
but you're about to feel a whole lot better.
-[Lizzie] Okay, buddy. -I promise.
She trusts you.
-[Lizzie] Thanks. -Yeah.
Hey. Look, Lucky, a treat. Look, over here.
-I... -[overlapping chatter]
...I got it!
-[overlapping cheering] -[David] Good job.
Yeah. Really good job.
Thanks.
[David] Hmm. Oh.
This thorn looks like it's from a blackberry bush.
-Hmm. -We had one in my old backyard.
Well, that could explain the purpleness on her coat.
Maybe Lucky lives on a blackberry farm.
Or maybe she belongs to somebody who grows blackberries in her backyard,
does our mom's hair and lives ten blocks away.
You do realize that the odds of your mom's stylist's dog
running away and ending up here are like a million to one?
Absolutely. But I also have a really good feeling about this.
-Me too. -[David] Yeah.
-Nope. -Nope?
I've never seen her before.
[chuckles] She sure is cute though.
I'm sorry.
[sighs] It's okay. Thanks, Valerie.
If there's anything I can do to help...
[sighs] We'll figure it out.
Uh, but if you could make some more jam, I'm sure my mom would appreciate it.
She finished it already?
Uh, kinda.
-Huh. -[Charles] We should go.
-Thanks, Valerie. -[David] Thank you.
[Charles] Bye.
I actually gotta get home.
Sorry if I was annoying this weekend. I know I was kinda in the way.
No, I'm sorry I made you feel like that.
You weren't in the way at all.
We couldn't have found Lucky without your tracking skills.
And I really hope you join Junior Explorers.
Really? Thanks.
[scoffs] What was that about?
Don't worry about it. It's between me and my new best friend.
[laughs] Good one.
Wait. Uh, Charles?
-[whimpering] -Whoa.
Lucky, what's wrong?
[Charles] What is it, Lucky?
Jazzy. Oh, baby, I missed you.
-Jazzy? -[chuckles] Oh, I missed you so much.
Valerie?
[chuckles] What is going on?
After you left, I went to the backyard to pick some berries,
and I found this.
Is that Lucky's collar?
Yes. But her real name is Jazzy.
Called the number on the tag and found out she belongs to my new neighbor Odell.
This little escape artist got out under my back fence
and ran through Valerie's yard,
and apparently stopped to enjoy some blackberries.
Can't blame her. They're good blackberries.
-Oh, we know. -[Jazzy barks]
Anyway, what can I do to thank you for taking such good care of her?
Nothing. [chuckles] We're just-- We're just glad you're back together.
Oh.
Wait. How did you do all that stuff
and get here before us?
I'm an adult. I have a car.
Oh, y-- Oh, yeah.
There you go.
[door opens]
-I have a great idea. -Hmm.
How about we squeeze ourselves into the old Spruceman
for a family campout and trivia night later?
-Sounds good to me. -Me too.
I can't think of a better way to spend the night. [chuckles]
Hey. [Paul chuckles]
-Come on. -[Lizzie chuckles]