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The Chess Mess is the twenty-fourth episode of Season 2 of Between the Lions, and episode 54 in total.

The Chess Mess
Season 2, Episode 24
The Chess Mess Title Card
Air date May 3, 2001
Written by Peter Hirsch
Directed by Lisa Simon
Episode guide
Previous
Episode 53: Good Night, Knight
Next
Episode 55: Stop That Chicken!
Picture Segment Description
Announcer Bunny Program Preview
14 Karat Soul Short E 2
Celebrity Announcer Bunny Program Preview: 14 Karat Soul: Short E
Alice Dress-Up Scene
We're All Dressed Up for Alice Day 2
SCENE 1 Theo and Cleo, dressed in Alice in Wonderland-inspired costumes, sing a song about "Alice Day." Leona and Lionel dress up too.
Book Title-54
SCENE 1

cont'd

The gang reads the book Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
Cleo and Lionel says the word "chess"
SCENE 1 Cleo and Lionel says the word "chess".
Click drags and drops a large chessboard from the story
A giant chessboard
Chess Board Scene
Cleo says "Ready for chess?!"
SCENE 1

cont'd

Then Click drags and drops a large chessboard from the story, looking at these giant chess game pieces and ready for play chess.
Walter and Clay Pigeon play "chest"
Barnaby says "This is madness
Insert Walter and Clay Pigeon play "chest" which Barnaby B. Busterfield III considers to be "madness".
Gray Hand Removing the short e from "Chess"
Insert

cont'd

The grey hand pulls out a short "e" from the word chess.
Martha Reader and the Vowelles Dress
Martha Reader and the Vowelles Dress 3
Puppets Martha Reader and The Vowelles singing the zesty short "e"-- "eh"-- sound in the word "dress".
Arty Smartypants dress, press, pressing, impressing, impressive
Arty Smartypants dress, press, pressing, impressing, impressive 3
Puppets Arty Smartypants: Dress, Press, Pressing, Impressing, Impressive (four or five words)
Ruth-WordDoctor-title-04
Dr
Dr
Puppets/Celebrity The Word Doctor with Dr. Ruth Wordheimer: testy, zesty
Replaced Letter Songs Sir Fester, A Knight on a Quest 2
Cartoon Replaced Letter Songs: Sir Fester, A Knight on a Quest (EKA: Pebble Trouble)
Fred Says Stretch
Fred Says Stretch 2
Fred Says Stretch 3
Fred Says Stretch 4
Celebrity Fred Says: stretch
14 Karat Soul Short E 2
Celebrity 14 Karat Soul: Short E (deh dedeh deh deh) (EKA: Pebble Trouble)
The Lone Rearranger Rewrites Again
The Lone Rearranger Rewrites Again Remember to Milk the Cow and Take the Eggs from the Chicken 5
The Lone Rearranger Rewrites Again Remember to Milk the Cow and Take the Eggs from the Chicken 6
The Lone Rearranger Rewrites Again Remember to Milk the Cow and Take the Eggs from the Chicken 7
The Lone Rearranger Rewrites Again Remember to Milk the Cow and Take the Eggs from the Chicken 8
Cartoon The Lone Rearranger Rewrites Again: Remember To Milk The Cow And Take The Eggs From The Chicken (whipcrack sound added at the end) (EKA: Pebble Trouble)
Theo and Click play 27 games of chess and Click won but Theo lost
Theo and Click play 27 games of chess and Click won but Theo lost 2
Click says "Applause for mouse computers everywhere
The Lion family are dressing up
SCENE 2 Theo and Click play 27 games of chess and Click wins. He's happy that he lost, and departs in search of chess books and snacks.
Click explains that on Alice Day, up is down and down is up, fast is slow and slow is fast, which means that happiness is sadness
Click says "Guess what?"
SCENE 2

cont'd

The cubs are puzzled about why Theo is happy to have lost his chess matches. Click explains that on Alice Day, up is down and down is up, fast is slow and slow is fast, which means that happiness is sadness. Leona is worried that Theo appears happy because that means he's sad. They realize they have to let him win.
Stage Word Morph chess, mess, met, bet
Insert Stage: chess, mess, met, bet
Vowelbootcamp-opening-03
Camp Easy-Peasy-Eat-a-Lot
Vowel Boot Camp (bet)
Vowel Boot Camp (bet-beat)
Vowelbootcamp-closing-03
Puppets Vowel Boot Camp: Camp Easy-Peasy-Eat-a-Lot - bet/beat
Microbe Word Morph beat, bead, bed, ed, red
Insert Microbes: beat, bead, bed, ed, red
Fun with Chicken Jane
Chicken Jane and the Red Elephant Title Card
Scot, Dot and Chicken Jane walks away 6
Chicken Jane and the Red Elephant 5
Chicken Jane and the Red Elephant 6
Chicken Jane and the Red Elephant 7
Chicken Jane and the Red Elephant 8
Scot, Dot and Chicken Jane walks away 7
Cartoon Fun with Chicken Jane: Chicken Jane and the Red Elephant (with elephant noises) (EKA: Quest, Quest, Quest!)
What's Your Name short E Season 2 version 3
What's Your Name short E Season 2 version 4
Song What's Your Name?: short e (Season 2 version) (EKA: Pebble Trouble)
Mr
Mr
Mr
Mr
Mr
Celebrity A word from star of stage, screen and television Mr. Bruno Kirby: excellent
Gray Hand Putting the short e back in "Chess"
Insert The grey hand puts the "e" back in the word chess.
Theo and Click play chess and Theo wins
FINAL SCENE Theo and Click play chess and Theo wins. He appears to be sad, and questions how we was able to win all of a sudden. Click confesses that the cubs asked her to let him win on purpose.
You Can Win When You Lose
FINAL SCENE

cont'd

Theo sings a song called "You Can Win When You Lose" with the cubs in a page of the book.
The lions act out Through the Looking Glass
And the chess board floats back in the book
FINAL SCENE

cont'd

The lions act out Through the Looking Glass and the chess board floats back in the book.
He turns his head and said "Hello" as the episode ends
Closing Busterfield hears the announcer saying "The Beginning" instead of "The End." Busterfield corrects him: it's not the beginning, it's really the end. The announcer repeats "The Beginning" and Busterfield understands that everything is backwards. He turns his head and said "Hello" as the episode ends.

Featured Story[]

Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll

Gallery[]

This page has a limited amount of images in the template. For extended images, see The Chess Mess/Gallery.

Notes and Trivia[]

  • This episode was last broadcasted on PBS in April 2005.

Releases[]

  • VHS (Singular episode; October 30, 2001, later reprinted on October 1, 2002)
  • Complete Second Season 4-Disc DVD Boxset (September 2, 2008)

Goofs[]

  • At the end of the Vowel Boot Camp segment, when Sergeant Mark gets locked in the room and bangs on the door to get the Vowel Squad's attention, the camera accidentally goes too far to the right, revealing the edge of the set, before quickly adjusting to the right position, though the edge of the set is still visible as the wall shakes.
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