'Toon Reviews 1: Hey Arnold Season 1 Episode 6

Heat

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a cartoon that takes a common occurrence in real life and attempts to portray it in an entertaining way.  The occurrence for the cartoon is a heatwave.  I don’t even have to assume that most people in the world have been exposed to heatwaves several times in their lives usually in the summer, so that alone should aid in the relatability factor of the cartoon.  You think of things you find yourself doing whenever a heatwave hits, and you practically see it all here.  There’s residents of the city sweating up a storm, people catching a breeze near the air conditioning, some people dunking themselves in something cool, customers buying ice, Arnold and Gerald struggling to get into the movie theater or pool, and all the kids demanding the local ice cream man, the Jolly Olly Man, to give them ice cream at a decent price.  These are all believable things that anyone can find themselves facing whenever there’s a hot day, and that’s where the appeal of this cartoon lies.  Is it entertaining and enjoyable?  I’d say it is for the most part since it means a lot if you can relate to it.  However, even if it is really hot, it can sometimes get a little too mean.  Every time an attempt to keep cool fails, everyone is very bitter and hostile and we see poor Arnold getting the short end of what goes wrong.  Some of what he goes through get some laughs, but spending too much time on him suffering isn’t exactly fun.  Then there’s the climax with the Jolly Olly Man.  Arnold and Gerald come across the kids of the neighborhood demanding ice cream, but the Jolly Olly Man sells them at prices they can’t afford.  I certainly can’t side with the Jolly Olly Man because his high prices he’s given these roasting kids are all kinds of unreasonable.  As for the kids, I really don’t know how to feel about them.  I keep going from supporting their anger for their unfair treatment which includes trying to flip the ice cream truck, to finding them to be just as unlikable as the Jolly Olly Man.  Even Arnold doesn’t seem to know how to feel about this since he willingly intensifies the kids’ riot, and then regrets it.  Basically, this scene is pretty frustrating.  Fortunately, the cartoon ends on a satisfying note for all when it suddenly rains, and everyone gets some nice relief from the heat.  At least we end with a reminder that heatwaves don’t last forever.  There may be some mean moments that don’t sit well with me, but this cartoon is worth a look for its undeniable relatability. 7/10

Snow

To say the least, it’s interesting that this cartoon is teamed with the previous cartoon about heat.  Together, you get a half hour filled with views on different cases of extreme weather be it hot or cold.  In the case of this cartoon, the extreme weather is cold, and it leads to a much more pleasing experience of a snow day.  There’s a charming factor to a cartoon that revolves around a snow day which takes great advantage of showing the many different ways the characters involved spend their time.  We see characters put their spin on activities like sledding, starting snowball fights, and building snowmen, Grandma gets a humorous running gag of having a sled and the herd of animals always running out the boarding house door as a dogsled, and moments of people showing disdain towards the snow, particularly a rap called “I Hate the Snow” are fun to watch.  Amidst these short scenes of snow day fun, the main plot of the cartoon follows Arnold wanting to get in on the fun, but is constantly told to help Grandpa with doing some snow-related chores instead that take up most of the day.  All the while, he constantly is told Grandpa’s philosophy about how there’s not enough work ethic in today’s society.  As a kid, I held a strong dislike towards this cartoon because of how Arnold is forced to work all day and not join in the fun.  Looking back, that may have been my inner immature little kid talking.  While I still find myself pitying Arnold missing out on the fun more than enjoying the fun snow day moments going on, I can still admire the relatability of what he goes through especially since at my age, working is all I do when it snows.  Plus, Grandpa eventually gets a reminder that snow days are meant for fun as well as work in a nice flashback of his youth inspiring him to create an ice rink in the middle of the neighborhood.  It’s frustrating that he gets it going without telling his own grandson about it, but at least he does let him in on the fun later on.  Plus, it makes for a good message that in this life, you got to have a good balance of work and play, which are especially good words for me to live by.  Ultimately, with Arnold finally joining the snow day fun at the homemade ice rink, we’re gladly able to end the cartoon on a charming note.  Your enjoyment of this cartoon will depend on how much you can tolerate Arnold being given all these snow chores while everyone else plays, but I still say it’s a good one for its nicely built snowy atmosphere, relatability, and charm. 8/10

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.      6^th Grade Girls

9.      The Little Pink Book

10.  Snow

11.  Eugene’s Bike

12.  Heat

 Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the 7th episode of this season: "Operation Ruthless/The Vacant Lot."