Cut to the front of a school, where a large banner hangs. "Welcome to Parent-Teacher Day." Ooooooh! Big exciting challenge. Not. There's a strange disconnect here. The humor of a robot trying to impersonate someone at Parent-Teacher Day is totally muted by the fact that the robot is impersonating the DEAD heroine of the show. Who's still dead. Not just regrettably detained elsewhere, but deady dead dead. It doesn't put me in a wacky-hijinks mood and leaves me wondering when we're going to get on with the substance of the show. Dawn and the 'Bot wander past some tables, and then the 'Bot stops at one. Dawn explains that the model was done by her class and represents a City of the Future. Dawn made the hover-cars out of orange juice cans. The 'Bot is confused, though, and asks which small breed of humans is going to live in the model city. Dawn fake-laughs and tries to pretend her sister just has a strange sense of humor. Dawn's teacher looks confused. Later, Dawn and the 'Bot sit in a classroom with other parents and children as a teacher gives a little speech about the school. I did a parent-teacher night once when I was doing my student teaching. Imagine my pleasant surprise when one of the students later told me his dad had really liked me. I blushed and thanked him and then the student continued, "Yeah. He said you had a nice rack." Reason number four hundred and thirty-seven I'm not teaching anymore. The attractive teacher (not saying anything about her rack though) stresses the importance of parental involvement, and the 'Bot's hand shoots up. "School is where you learn," parrots the 'Bot. Dawn freezes in horror, but the teacher interprets this kindly, saying that the 'Bot is exactly right; school is for learning, not socializing. The 'Bot then natters on about making Dawn's lunch, and again we're to think she's screwed up, but the other parents think she's complaining about the quality of the food in the cafeteria. They all chime in, and the 'Bot is oh so happy. Cheerful, uncomplicated 'Bot.













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