Back to School / Egg Story (Hey Arnold Season 4 Episode 12) - 'Toon Reviews 28

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Back to School

To me, it’s never too late to go back to school.  Some people could very well need extra education to get where they want to be.  This cartoon takes this concept to a whole new level with Arnold’s 81-year-old grandpa going back. 

It happens when Arnold asks him for help with long division homework, and Grandpa is very intimidated by the subject.  This is something he never learned because he’s never finished school.  Adding weight is the addition of real world causes for Grandpa missing out on most of his academic curriculum.  It was during the Great Depression when his family became too poor to keep him in school.  It got so bad, he had to take up a factory job for support.  This is certainly a legit cause for poverty and is in line with what was the case for most people in that time. 

Even with his very old age, Arnold believes that Grandpa can just go back to school and get his Diploma.  He sets him up to enroll in the elementary school grades at PS 118, and this is where the cartoon becomes interesting.  While I did say that it’s never too late to go back to school, it’s still quite a sight to see a very old man take part.  Grandpa’s usual wisecrack mannerisms are on full display whether he’s winning over all of Arnold’s fourth grade class, or proving very athletic in a fifth grade kickball game.  He even impresses everyone, including himself, with how well he gets through division and other subjects.  For how far off he was from school, it’s incredible how fast he gets through the first few grades.  You wouldn’t believe he was really lacking academically. 

That said, it would kind of cheapen the conflict if getting through school was always this easy.  For the story’s sake, it’s a good thing that doesn’t happen.  While Grandpa easily gets by in fourth and fifth grade where the atmosphere was welcome, friendly, and in line with his strengths, that all changes in sixth grade.  The class he’s placed in is a brutal place filled with many jerky students who threaten and belittle the old man.  Not to mention he’s more intimidated by the schoolwork, included the ever dreaded long division.  To get through the school, Grandpa has to adopt a much tougher persona, bringing the mind the idea of changing your practices when surviving in a new environment.  Think of it as survival of the fittest in school. 

However, there’s a smart direction of how unhealthy this behavior is and that you should not fall into that crowd.  Because of how he acts in the sixth grade, Grandpa keeps getting into trouble with many acts of juvenile delinquency even though he’s 81.  This means he’s drifting away from his Diploma he’s been striving to get.  When confronted, Grandpa breaks down, admitting that he’s acting this way because he’s scared he can never get it.  This is a strong reminder that however bad someone acts could have an understandable human reason to it.  The advice Grandpa gets to overcome this is probably the best one to get.  No matter how hard getting the Diploma is, Grandpa just has to keep telling himself that he wants it.  The reason the advice is so good is because I believe it can apply to getting anything you want in life that seems difficult. 

In the end, it’s this attitude that allows Grandpa to finally pass the sixth grade and elementary school in general.  There’s no word on him getting diplomas in any other grades as he plans to go straight to running for president, but it’s still always a joy to hear Grandpa’s usual wisecracks.  As this cartoon stands, it’s a creative concept built on an occurrence that’s unusual yet relatable.

A+

Egg Story

There’s something interesting about the relationship between Arnold and Helga.  Their approaches in life are both radically different.  He’s very friendly and open to show it while she’s always covering her true self with mean behavior out of fear of embarrassment, targeting Arnold, her love, more than anyone else.  You’d think they’d never get along, but that’s where you consider the true appeal of their relationship. 

For all their differences, it says a lot how supportive they are to each other.  Helga may not outwardly show it, but the lengths she goes through to make Arnold achieve some of his goals are the definition of devotion.  As for Arnold, while he’s always helping people, the interest he shows in Helga’s well-being stands out the most.  He’s constantly checking on her and shows concern for her problems even when he knows nothing about them beforehand, and the advice he gives always helps her.  It’s a thought-provoking way of how well they can work as a couple, but it doesn’t show in a story like this. 

Their class is assigned a project of parenthood where they get into groups to take care of an egg as if it were their kid, and Arnold is paired with Helga.  The big kicker is that Arnold is simply brutal and authoritative over Helga in this setup.  He’s tough and closed-minded about the whole affair, claiming that Helga’s the last person he’d want to be with.  This is a huge issue because it goes against what Arnold stands for.  He’s mature and optimistic about everyone around him.  Yes, Helga bugs him and he’s bound to reach a breaking point, but being this scornful about being teamed with her makes it seem like he sees no good in her.  I can’t buy this since he has shown awareness of her inner goodness a few times before.  It’s no wonder Helga responds by lashing out of him, which is an especially big sting when she’s legitimately trying to be nice to him for a change. 

If that’s not enough, during the egg assignment, they’re constantly letting their egg get lost. It kind of suggests that they’d make a neglectful couple letting their emotions get in the way of their care for any children they may have.  That’s a disturbing thought considering the emphasis on ways they can work well together throughout the series.  Constantly arguing in every crazy attempt to find the egg doesn’t help either. 

I’m surprised I feel better chemistry in a random pairing of Harold and Rhonda.  They put aside their differences well enough to tend to their egg and act like it’s their child with Rhonda cutely treating it like a daughter she can pamper.  Also, when Harold messes up and eats the egg, his remorse is very genuine albeit overdramatic, and Rhonda admires his efforts to put the shell back together.  It kind of feels like the cartoon would be better if they were the main focus. 

At least Arnold and Helga do reach a decent conclusion.  When they can’t find their egg, they let down their defenses and realize they’re both at fault when it comes to their angst, capped off with finding their egg hatch, revealing a chick.  This can at least be a clue that even at their worst, Arnold and Helga can see the good in one another and there is merit to them together.  That said, I sincerely believe that getting into another spat is not the best thing for the final scene. 

Ultimately, the appeal of Arnold and Helga’s relationship is present, but this cartoon is brought down by forgetting it for most of the time.  It makes up for this with charm in a few spots, but the whole thing could have easily been better.

C

The Ranking

1. Veterans Day
2. Headless Cabbie
3. Back to School
4. Helga’s Parrot
5. Oskar Can’t Read?
6. Dinner for Four
7. The Beeper Queen
8. Stinky’s Pumpkin
9. It Girl
10. Polishing Rhonda
11. Weighing Harold
12. Big Gino
13. Chocolate Turtles
14. Friday the 13th
15. Grudge Match
16. Phoebe Skips
17. Eugene’s Birthday
18. Egg Story
19. Student Teacher
20. Love and Cheese
21. Jamie O in Love
22. Deconstructing Arnold
23. Full Moon

The next Hey Arnold review has Helga show true support when Arnold's concerned that Lila's hanging out with his weird cousin, and Oskar's roped into babysitting when all he wants is a sandwich.

Next time on MC Toon Reviews is a holiday episode of Star vs the Forces of Evil.

If you would like to check out other Hey Arnold reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.