I think it’s a normal and somewhat
charming part of youth to get infatuated with someone older than you, even if
it can get awkward if you go too far with it.
In the case of this cartoon, it follows Arnold and Gerald wanting to
impress two cute looking 6th grade girls. Their short attempts by
acting cool in hopes to impress them actually gets their attention, and they
even get asked to join them at a 6th grade dance. So, for much of
the cartoon, we follow Arnold and Gerald do literally every trick in the book
to keep cool and also convince these girls that they’re 6th graders
just like them. On the one hand, this is
just an average crush-centric episode that doesn’t try anything new and doesn’t
exactly qualify as a must-watch cartoon.
On the other hand though, since the main characters trying to impress
these older girls are just kids, this can be seen as a nice little look at how
kids really act. It’s normal for them to
want to be with someone who looks cute and for them to believe that acting cool
is the way to get people to like them.
It only becomes an issue if they act this way when they get older. Plus, Arnold and Gerald’s ways of acting cool
around the 6th grade girls make for some enjoyable sequences, my
personal favorite where they show off some killer moves they learned set to a
rocking piece of music while on the dance floor.
However, sadly for them, Arnold and Gerald have no idea that the only
reason the girls asked them out is because they’re trying to make their jerky
boyfriends jealous. Speaking of the
boyfriends, every scene of them in this cartoon portrays them as very unlikable
and violent, especially when they eventually gang up on Arnold and Gerald for
stealing their girlfriends. It kind of
makes you wonder why the girls even want them around as lovers. What they have clearly isn’t healthy. At least the girls later stand up to their
boyfriends to get them to stop beating the 4th graders who in turn
for all their troubles get a kiss from those 6th grade girls
bringing a satisfying end to their part of this story. This cartoon really isn’t for everyone, but
if you’re like me and enjoy believable looks at the lives of kids, you’ll enjoy
this one just fine. 8/10
The
Baseball
We all have our heroes who have
some impressive talents that connect to our personal interests, and we wish to
be like them and, if given the chance, possibly see them in action. When we do though, how do we go about the experience? This is a question that this cartoon
generously takes the time to explore and answer. It reveals that Arnold is a huge fan of the
baseball player, Mickey Kaline, and like anyone with idols, he emulates
Mickey’s skills and mannerisms which help him become such a star player
whenever he and his friends play baseball.
With that established, the plot gets going when Arnold learns that
Mickey isn’t as good of a baseball player as he used to be and that his last
game is coming soon. Arnold once again
shows off a lot of devotion to an idol like anyone in the same position would
and does what he can to get enough money to attend Mickey Kaline’s last
game. Getting the money is a challenge
in it of itself, and when he finally gets to the game, things still don’t go
right. His seat is too far up to see the
game, there’s a pillar in the way, and plaster keeps falling on him. However, it’s Arnold’s love for his hero that
prompts him to do something about these conditions and see Mickey Kaline during
his last game, even if it means breaking the rules. We get an exciting fast-paced chase through
the baseball stadium where Arnold runs to find a better seat while the guards
chase him down for not sitting in his assigned seat which drags you in the
longer it goes on. Plus, the chase leads
to the grandest moment of the cartoon where Mickey Kaline hits a home run, and
Arnold catches it, with all his friends and family catching it on live TV
too. I can only imagine that it means
the world to get a piece of your heroes knowing that it means you have a living
relic of why you’re such a fan of these people.
That is what’s felt when Arnold gets his hands on Mickey’s home run
ball, and you can easily see how proud he is to have gotten his hands on it. However, the cartoon also shows what you getting
an actual piece of your hero can mean for your hero who’s now left without it
which is shown when Arnold notices Mickey sad that he has nothing left of
baseball now that his last game is over.
I can really understand Mickey Kaline’s feelings in this scene. For someone who was aging and losing his
touch, it’s still great that he has love for baseball left in him, so Arnold
having his home run ball must really take a toll on him for not having anything
left of this pastime. This leads to a
strong nice moment from Arnold where he returns to the stadium to give Mickey
his ball, and the cartoon ends with the two of them playing catch with the ball
while Mickey tells talks about his history with baseball. You don’t have to be a fan of baseball to
like this cartoon. It’s an insightful
story of hero worship with memorable scenes and a lot of heart. 9.5/10
The
Rankings
1. Stoop Kid
2. Arnold’s
Hat
3. Helga’s
Makeover
4. The
Baseball
5. Downtown as
Fruits
6. The Old
Building
7. Field Trip
8. 6th
Grade Girls
9. The Little
Pink Book
10. Eugene’s
Bike
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the 6th episode of this season: "Heat/Snow."
No comments:
Post a Comment