My Mother, the Dog

My Mother the Dog is an episode of Martha Speaks (TV series), preceding Martha's Must-Have.

## Recap

It begins with Skits playing outside with his chew toy. Polly swoops overhead and flies into an open window. Inside the house, in Helen's bedroom, Helen looks at a photograph of herself which she doesn't like because she sneezed while it was being taken and made a funny face. Martha says that she thinks it's a perfect resemblance, to which Helen says, "you do know what 'resemblance' means, don't you?". Martha says yes, and defines "resemble" to prove it. Helen asks if Martha is implying she resembles the photo. Martha says that Helen *does* look like that when she's sneezing. Helen asks why she'd want a picture like that and Martha says to remind her of what she looks like when sneezing. Helen ignores that answer and asks Mariella if she signed the slip for the school picture retake. Mariella, who's in the kitchen, says it's on the table while putting it down. She then goes to answer the phone, but nobody replies. (Skits is in the hallway playing with the Flying Squirrel Toy). Then, she goes to answer the doorbell, only to find it was only Polly making the doorbell noise. Helen comes down with Martha and asks if something is in the microwave, and Mariella explains that Polly (who she doesn't refer to by name) is loose again. Martha, Mariella, and Helen then search the house for Polly, Mariella wondering if Polly will fly out the door, noting that she can't believe her doorbell noise fooled her, which it's done before. Helen says that Polly does good impersonations. Martha doesn't know what "impersonations" means. Helen explains the meaning of the word, and Martha tries to do an impersonation of Helen, but it's not a very good one. Helen and Martha then go upstairs to search for Polly. While Helen searches a room, Martha does a relatively decent impersonation of Mariella. The real Mariella jokes that Martha could impersonate her when she's busy. Mrs Demson then goes up to the house and rings the doorbell, but the Lorraine ladies think it's just Polly again. Mrs Demson says "hello", but Mariella just says "Where are you?!" to Polly. Mrs Demson says "Where are *you*?". Martha, Helen, and Mariella think it's just Polly copying. Martha says, "Don't try and fool us, you crazy bird!", which offends Mrs Demson. They go downstairs, thinking it's Polly talking, and Mariella further offends Mrs Demson by asking who let her out of her cage. Martha starts to yell at Polly, but falters, scared, upon seeing Mrs Demson. Mrs Demson grumpily explains that she came to tell them their door was open and leaves, followed by Polly. Mariella looks at her watch and notes she's late.

Mariella leaves in the car, Helen leaves on her bike, Daniel is already at work and Jake is in daycare, so the dogs are home alone. Skits plays with a green chewie bone toy. Martha does an impression of Daniel. The phone rings, and it's Helen in the school photo place, asking Martha to bring the permission slip. Helen agrees, but Skits has knocked the slip into the water bowl. The dogs don't mind the picture of Helen sneezing but want to keep Helen happy. They try to phone Mariella, but she has forgotten her cell phone. Martha then thinks it's an emergency, but then thinks of an idea: she phones Mrs Clusky, pretending to be Mariella. Mrs Clusky gives "Mariella" the permission and then asks her to make lemonade for fifty people. Martha agrees, to which Mrs Clusky says she sounds like Martha. Martha lies that she's Mariella, but working on her "Martha" impersonation. Mrs Clusky tells "Mariella" to keep working on it and hangs up. Martha gets off the phone and wonders how she and Skits could make lemonade for fifty people in a day, noting she can't ask Mariella (who knows the recipe) as she is at work.

In the kitchen, Martha is with Skits, wondering how to make lemonade. She then remembers that Mrs Demson was the one who gave Mariella the recipe. Martha phones Mrs Demson, apologising for the mistake, but Mrs Demson is still offended at being mistaken for Polly, doesn't want to talk to a dog, and wants to speak to Mariella. Martha answers in her Mariella voice, and Mrs Demson explains to "Mariella" that her dog just called her, still offended despite Martha having apologised, and says she (Mariella) needs a fish as they don't talk. Martha asks for the recipe, still doing a Mariella, but Mrs Demson is just offended that Mariella has lost it. Martha says she has the recipe, but can't see it. Mrs Demson asks why not, to which Martha replies that her head is stuck between the stair rail. Mrs Demson asks how, and Martha-as-Mariella says that she was trying to get a piece of food. Mrs Demson says that she only makes "authentic" lemonade, asking her what it means. Martha defines it, but Mrs Demson just defines it again, and then gives the recipe.

Martha phones up the store, ordering a hundred and fifty-two lemons and twenty-five cups of white sugar for as soon as possible. The dogs then go off to find the cooler.

Trouble is, the cooler is in the attic, which they can't reach. Skits tries to jump to reach the string which will pull down the ladder, but he can't.

The dogs then move a bedside table into the hall, accidentally knocking over a vase. This attempt is successful. Skits then climbs the ladder and rolls the cooler down. Unfortunately, he leaned on something, rolling a lot of other stuff down, too.

Mrs Demson comes to the door again, bringing butter to get Mariella out of the rail, offering to do it. Martha tries to cover up the lie by saying that Mariella has gotten out by herself, using her Mariella voice to try and "prove" it. Mrs Demson asks why Mariella doesn't come out and Martha says that she has lost her legs. The delivery man comes, with his lemons and sugar. Mrs Demson thinks there is something strange going on. Martha and Skits then say that they start by cutting the lemons in half, trouble is, they're dogs, so they have to use their mouths to bite the juice into the cooler, which they hate. Meanwhile, Mrs Demson spies on the Lorraine house, noting she doesn't see Mariella, only Martha and Skits, who she thinks must be up to some "dirty dog tricks". After Martha and Skits have bitten forty-two lemons, they decide to add water. Skits laps up the water in their bowl and spits it into the cooler, but that's not enough. Polly lands on the windowsill, but Martha is angry at Polly for setting up the mistake, so she shouts "You need help!" to Polly. Polly repeats "Help!", which Mrs Demson thinks Mariella is calling for help and that the dogs have gotten her into trouble. She then calls the police, emphasising that yes, it is a genuine emergency, and yes, she does know what "genuine" means. Martha puts the hose in the cooler, while Skits turns it on. It works but gets out of control and squirts water everywhere. Meanwhile, Mrs Demson and the police are at the door. Mrs Demson kicks it open, getting wet from the hose.

Mrs Demson gets towelled off and Martha explains what she and Skits were up to. The police then mop up and make the lemonade, while Mrs Demson rants about the authenticity of her lemonade. She shooes the dogs and Polly outside, where Martha tries to impersonate Mrs Clusky. Mariella then arrives home.

## Vocabulary

Resemblance, resemble, impersonation, authentic, genuine,