Saturday, October 21, 2017

'Toon Reviews 7: Hey Arnold Season 2 Episode 7


Longest Monday









When you’re a kid, it’s a given that you’re going to come across bullies one way or another, and this show has proven this statement several times with characters like Helga and Harold.  However, imagine having to deal with bullies from a higher grade than you.  Encounters like that could easily turn out to be some of the scariest childhood traumas to deal with, and this cartoon puts Arnold and his class right at the mercy of the sadists of the 5th grade.  It’s established that on the first Monday of June, the 5th graders attack the 4th graders by dumping them in the trash causing them great humiliation, and this year, it’s Arnold’s classes turn to endure, and it’s especially bad when their leader, Wolfgang, is the toughest 5th grader in school.  They have a nice, inspiring plan to stick together to avoid the 5th graders and get to safety, but that’s immediately dashed when the 5th graders spot them and its every student for him/herself.  From here, everything we see is nothing but senseless bullying as 4th graders are dumped into putrid trash and the 5th graders getting senseless joy out of the humiliation they’re causing.  Even when the kids find some hope such as hiding out in a sanctuary or one 5th grader wanting to help them, they’re always there to destroy it.  Through it all, we’re left with a lot of unfortunate implications about 5th graders.  We’re left with the idea that all 5th graders a sadistic bullies who want to make life miserable for anyone smaller than them.  This is far from a believable scenario because it’s easy to predict that there are 5th graders out there who AREN’T like the ones we witness here, yet the cartoon doesn’t give a hint of that.  What’s more, Wolfgang and his cronies are so one-dimensional it’s hard to watch them torture Arnold and the gang.  There’s no reason given for why they’re doing what they’re doing let alone why it's a tradition, or in any of their future appearances, which further hinders the entertainment since no sensible human being would ever be as mean as this just because.  As a result, it’s mostly painful to watch them torture everyone and come out victorious in the end.  That’s not even counting the implication that Arnold and the others will do what they did to the next batch of 4th graders when it’s their turn next year.  It’s not all bad since there are a few humorous moments from the bullying, and the fact that Arnold and Gerald end up enjoying getting thrown in the trash puts somewhat of a damper in the 5th graders’ plans, even if they don’t notice it.  So with its moments, this cartoon isn’t all bad, but given its mostly painful overtones from the one-dimensional antagonists, it isn’t all that good either. 5/10
Eugene’s Pet










From what I’ve read in books and seen on other TV shows, a traumatic experience can really mess up the person who went through it.  You’d think that, in the case of the jinx in the cast, Eugene, he’d be a total wreck through constantly getting hurt and having other bad things happen to him.  Amazingly enough, he’s always incredibly positive about life despite how harsh of a toll it takes on him.  However, this cartoon shows where he has to draw the line.  We open at show-and-tell where Eugene talks about how much he treasures his pet fish, Henry, and how he’s the best pet he’s ever had since he never ran away or gave him nightmares.  After that affectionate statement, when Arnold goes next to show off his yo-yo, it gets loose and kills Henry.  Instead of positive and happy-go-lucky as he usually is, Eugene’s spirit is completely shattered by this moment, and rightfully so.  His usually injuries always heal eventually, but Henry was killed and has no hope of recovering, and given how attached Eugene was to him, it’s understandable that he’s completely traumatized.  His feelings are especially felt when he shows that he doesn’t have the heart to flush the fish.  The kids decide to give him a proper burial complete with a powerful eulogy from Gerald backed up affectionately by Arnold on harmonica.  From there, we get a huge glimpse of how harsh the world is for Eugene starting with Henry’s corpse getting eaten by a cat right after the eulogy.  Then, when trying to get a new pet, none of them fit his liking as shown in scenes that are humorous, yet sympathetic for Eugene at the same time.  Finally, Eugene resorts to having and eventually losing imaginary pets that just make everyone think he’s crazy.  At the same time, him going this far to cope with losing Henry is just as sad as his reaction to the death.  He just seems so desperate to break from reality.  It’s also easy to feel for Arnold, the unintentional murderer, who tries so hard to make things up for Eugene and all his attempts go wrong.  It certainly doesn’t help that he ends up seeing fish that remind him of his misdeed frequently.  Thankfully, there’s a satisfying conclusion for both him and Eugene when Arnold gets him his own fish from the aquarium that Eugene can see anytime.  The interesting thing about this is that even when the new fish is eaten at once, Arnold, accepting that Eugene is unlucky, hides that incident for Eugene’s sake which is helped by a group of the exact same fish living in that aquarium.  It’s a unique way to keep the jinx happy to say the least.  With its genuine emotion and sympathy and believable resolutions, this easily another strong entry for the season. 10/10
The Ranking
  1. Harold’s Kitty
  2. Monkey Business
  3. Eugene’s Pet
  4. Save the Tree
  5. New Teacher
  6. Ms. Perfect
  7. Big Caesar
  8. Ransom
  9. The Big Scoop
  10. Best Friends
  11. The High Life
  12. Hooky
  13. Arnold Saves Sid
  14. Longest Monday
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode featuring a much better encounter with Wolfgang and the 5th graders when a game of football turns into a game of "Mudbowl," and we'll get a unique perspective of what it's like to live in Arnold's boarding house when "Gerald Moves Out."
If you would like to check out other Hey Arnold reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

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