Harold vs Patty / Rich Guy (Hey Arnold Season 5 Episode 11) - 'Toon Reviews 34

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Harold vs Patty

The tough fifth grader, Big Patty, has shown she’s not as bad as her tough appearance makes her seem through bonding with one kid every season since the third one.  Arguably, she has the strongest bond with Harold, someone who sees her for who she really is.  Despite the two of them making a good pair, this cartoon drives its conflict by enforcing statements about Big Patty that should have been cast aside long ago. 

The story establishes Harold as the champ arm wrestler of PS 118, and he’s looking forward to the weekend’s city wide tournament.  He beats all students at the sport, and then Big Patty comes to challenge him.  Harold’s all set to show her what he’s got, and then Big Patty brings down his arm immediately like it was nothing.  From there, Harold is put into a frenzy of embarrassment wanting to avoid Big Patty as much as possible.  The main reason for this isn’t of his own accord, but because of the relentless mocking from his so called friends.  Sid and Stinky are especially horrible with this refusing to leave Harold alone because of his loss.  They mock him not only for losing to another tough person, but for losing to a girl, right down to calling him a girl and giving him lipstick.  As I mentioned before, gender really should not matter regarding one’s talents even if it is reflective of societal views at the time.  Any work making girls being tough seem like an anomaly should be left obscure.  For Harold’s sake, it also begs many questions why he even hangs out with the likes of Stinky and Sid if they do this instead of support him. 

He tries to regain his arm wrestling strength through training with Arnold, an actual supportive friend, and the boarders.  However, Big Patty wins again and the mocking and teasing is as bad as ever.  The only other option for improving Harold has is going to Big Patty herself for training.  She won’t take a dive for him, but she has all the proper techniques he needs to learn.  Through a few comedic blunders, Harold does eventually get them and appears to be as evenly matched as Big Patty.  However, Harold further shows a messed up worldview by saying he’s supposed to beat her because she’s a girl and boys are supposed to be better at arm wrestling.  Big Patty is rightfully offended at this and points out the obvious that her being a girl shouldn’t matter at who’s better at the sport.  As right as she is, once again, this cartoon doesn’t feel right for this time when so much proof of this has been shown in this show and many others. 

Anyway, the tournament comes and Harold flies through each competitor as does Big Patty.  Thankfully, when it comes time for them to face each other, they greet each other civilly, not letting the conflict spoil the friendship.  Nevertheless, while they say to let the better kid win, Harold realizes how wrong he was to give into the notion that boys should be better than girls at sports.  With that, he lets Big Patty beat him and she understands the gesture.  Even more rewarding is that when Sid and Stinky mock Harold again, he lashes out saying he doesn’t care about that before knocking them silly and leaving with Big Patty.  They had it coming, but I really have to question what Harold sees in them to keep up their friendship in later cartoons. 

Really mean moments and sexist worldviews hold it back, but thankfully, good moral values win out for a good story.

B+

Rich Guy

With this show, anything can happen, and more often than not, feel like something believable no matter how unusual to the average person it is.  For this cartoon, the thing that happens is that Arnold, by chance, saves a man from getting hit by a hockey puck at a sports game, and that man turns out to be a rich guy. 

His name is Sammy Redman, and he’s an absolute joy to be around, grateful for his wealth and happy to share it.  This is especially true if someone happens to save him from a nasty sports injury.  He’s more than happy to bring Arnold and his grandpa along to bask in his amenities whether it’s fancy dinners, an afternoon at Dino Land, and high tech sports equipment.  Watching Arnold enjoy what Sammy has to offer brings out a sense of fun that you can’t help but enjoy just as a bystander alone.  It also has a few good passes for humor through things like Grandpa’s constant remarks of trying to get a sack of money.  Either way, it’s certainly the life for Arnold as he basks in this extraordinary honor. 

Then there’s a catch to all this when he meets Sammy’s son Alan.  He’s a kid Sammy never mentioned despite being family and one who distances himself from his own father while he has the time of his life with a kid he just met.  Despite seeming neglectful, it’s very credible that Sammy remains as likable and charming as he’s always been.  He truly does love his son and puts in effort to try and bond with him, but nothing really works.  The thing is that they simply have radically different interests.  Sammy’s into sports while Alan is into photography based art sporting highly impressive pictures. 

Arnold, who equally impressively keeps from getting seduced by the bravado of Sammy’s amenities, knows that the important thing is to bring the father and son closer.  He suggests they all go to sport-based activities or art-based activities, but they only interest one person, and never both.  Through it all, I do have to question how Sammy and Alan not having the same interests means they don’t get along.  They say that they love each other as family, and not being able to bond over something shouldn’t devalue that.  That’s just me, but something just feels off about that wording. 

Then by chance, bonding ends up coming in the most unexpected of places.  During a scene at a baseball game, there's a shot of Alan walking off with his camera.  This turns out to lead to a reveal that he went off to take photos of the players, and now he has a lot of material for a baseball-themed collage.  Because it’s of a sport, Sammy is won over by what his son has done, but Alan can also enjoy his artistic passions.  It’s a win-win situation that puts family on the right path of a healthier lifestyle.  Could they still have bonded without interests?  Probably, but the resolution still works well.  It’s all a result of a charming story of a millionaire with likable characters at the forefront.

By the way, for all his troubles of getting a sack of money, Grandpa gets himself an egg cream, whatever that is.

A-

The Ranking

1.      Arnold Visits Arnie

2.      Chocolate Boy

3.      Beaned

4.      Helga’s Locket

5.      Ghost Bride

6.      Ernie in Love

7.      Rhonda Goes Broke

8.      Sid and Germs

9.      Phoebe Breaks a Leg

10.  Rich Guy

11.  Principal Simmons

12.  Harold vs Patty

13.  Fishing Trip

14.  Sid the Vampire Slayer

15.  Old Iron Man

16.  Gerald’s Game

17.  Suspended

18.  Stuck in a Tree

19.  Big Sis

20.  Gerald vs Jamie O

21.  New Bully on the Block

22.  Bag of Money

 

 

The next Hey Arnold review features a great story about bonding with a racing mule, and a frustrating story of Rhonda forced into a relationship with Curly.

Next time on MC Toon Reviews is an episode about the first Shen Gong Wu in Xiaolin Showdown Season 2, "The Shard of Lightning."

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