'Toon Reviews 16: Hey Arnold Season 3 Episode 8: Arnold's Room/Helga vs Big Patty

Arnold’s Room

Most fan groups for Hey Arnold and old Nickelodeon shows in general often post memes saying how most kids of the 90s wanted a room like Arnold’s, and I really can’t blame them.  The big space, well-organized shelves, perfect sky view, and that flip-down couch make for the most creative yet believable bedroom ever put to media.  You can easily be impressed by its features and picture yourself actually having a room like that.  Such a nice room could naturally make anyone feel envious in the audience and in the world of this show, and that’s the subject of this cartoon. 

Although Arnold’s name is in the title, the story is way more about Sid. The class is assigned a history project and, in one of his extremely few major roles, Lorenzo is picked as Sid’s partner.  Some of the work on the project is done at Lorenzo’s big lavish mansion which includes his big room that Sid is easily impressed by, most likely because this is a rich kid’s place.  However, the project requires some of the work to be done in Sid’s room, thus making Sid feel intimidated.  Just from the sights of his small, messy, and not very special room, Sid’s feelings are understandable since it’s not only uncool, but also not very pleasing, so nothing’s stopping him deciding to borrow Arnold’s room for the day from investing the audience, at first anyway. 

It is a believable scenario for Sid to want Lorenzo to think he’s cool from what he has, and this is shown right down to the lengths he goes through to convince Lorenzo that this is his room and not someone else’s like changing pictures of Arnold with pictures of him and putting a sign saying “Sid’s Room” on the door.  However, it’s through these lengths that bring out the worst of Sid’s character.  He’s known to be very obsessive on even the littlest of things and it typically gets so overbearing that he stops being entertaining.  That’s what happens here, especially when you consider that there’s no possible way he can keep up with the act.  Even the first session in Arnold’s room has a lot of suspicion that Sid’s “room” belongs to someone else.  It builds from there with Sid claiming Arnold’s Grandpa as his own, calling out Arnold for supposedly leaving behind his top secret journal, and even wrecking Arnold’s personalized alarm clock, indicating clear signs that the lie can’t be kept forever, and the ensuing awkwardness doesn’t help.  As a result, whenever Sid pushes Arnold to get out of the room or pesters Grandpa by claiming to be his grandson, it makes the viewing experience a hindrance as you just wait for the plan to backfire.  Heck, even Arnold is confident that Sid can’t keep up the charade. 

Unsurprisingly, Sid can’t, when Lorenzo suggests an impromptu visit to his room, Arnold and his friends are already there, Sid tries the usual excuse, but is unable to lie any longer.  Naturally, Lorenzo is miffed about being lied to for fair reason, but the fact that Sid getting caught was so easy to see coming makes it frustrating because it could’ve been avoided if Sid realized he couldn’t keep it up forever.  Thankfully, no one holds a grudge for Sid’s actions when he shows genuine regret and all’s well, so for all his faults, the ending shows that Sid really isn’t a bad guy on the whole. 

The cartoon is still held back by being driven by awkwardness from pathetic attempts to cover an obvious lie, but the underlying relatability and how it explores the great appeal of Arnold’s room make it enjoyable enough. 8/10

Helga vs. Big Patty

Writing bully characters is a lot harder than one may think.  It’s easy to write them with any mean trait imaginable, but that would make the character very unpleasant and unnatural.  I find it hard to believe that anyone would be a brute for the sake of it.  For bully characters to work, it’s best to provide reasons for malice, maybe because they don’t know any better, or because of certain turmoil that lead them to act up.  You can’t justify their actions but you can understand them. Despite what they do, they’re still human beings trying to get through life.  It’s too bad that a couple things I reviewed, even of cartoons of this show, feature bully characters who are thugs for no reason yet this show is good at writing bully characters with Helga.  We continuously see what fuels her mean behavior and what she’s really like.  This cartoon proves that these standards can apply to other bully characters, with the bully in question being more threatening than she is. 


Big Patty is a larger than average 6^th grader who showed up before in a few short scenes of beating up Helga after ending up as the target of pranks meant for someone else.  Since those moments were meant to depict a backfiring, they didn’t show what Big Patty was really like, so it’s nice that this cartoon does justice for her.  Helga makes jokes about Big Patty to her friends, which honestly seems foolish of her since making fun of someone bigger and stronger than you will certainly make them mad.  Sure enough, that’s what happens when Big Patty threatens to beat her up.  One admirable thing is that Big Patty doesn’t go around being mean, especially since she tries to civilly offer Arnold the last of a dessert earlier.  She acts when provoked which anyone, no matter how good they are would do (though maybe not always to the beating-up extent). 


Out of this, we get a more vulnerable side of Helga, which is especially big considering how much authority she usually has over all the other kids.  Now, someone more threatening is out to get her and she’s scared, right down to resorting to her parents for advice who, as you’d probably expect, do not offer anything meaningful or helpful whatsoever. 


Helga’s problem does bring a sincere moment for her and Arnold’s relationship.  This season is where we see a lot of Arnold showing concern for Helga’s well-being more often then before despite her being rude around him which is a huge step in making them feel like a good pairing.  Here, when he shows concern over Helga facing Big Patty, he advises her to apologize to her so to get off the hook and maybe even be friends.  However, while Big Patty accepts Helga’s apology, she still plans on beating her up because of her reputation which is a believable reason for people to act like bullies.  Even better is that Arnold sees Big Patty at fault for opting to beat Helga despite everything.  He even drops a hint that he knows Helga for who she really is, which becomes more apparent as the show goes on. 


For this cartoon, it’s a point strong enough to get through to Big Patty as she instead pretends to beat up Helga unbeknownst to everyone and have Helga only act like she’s hurt.  It seals the deal on this show’s talents of writing bully characters.  Big Patty’s approach to the situation and Arnold’s views on the real Helga show that even if they act like it, at the end of the day, bullies are decent human beings too. 


As a result, this is a thought-provoking cartoon built on strong characterizations. 9.5/10

The Ranking

1. Helga Blabs it All
2. Harold the Butcher
3. Crabby Author
4. Mr. Hyunh Goes Country
5. Helga Vs. Big Patty
6. Curly Snaps
7. The Aptitude Test
8. Pre-Teen Scream
9. Olga Gets Engaged
10. Oskar Gets a Job
11. Rich Kid
12. Dangerous Lumber
13. Arnold’s Room
14. Helga and the Nanny
15. Stinky Goes Hollywood
16. Arnold Betrays Iggy

The next Hey Arnold review sends Arnold's class out for career day and Arnold's time with the Jolly Olly Man isn't as fun as it sounds.  In addition, Harold further shows how deep he really is when he gets to know Big Patty.
The next post on MC Toon Reviews will cover the ninth episode of Steven Universe Season 2, "We Need to Talk."

If you want to stay updated for more reviews, become a follower of this blog, click here to like the official Facebook page, and click here to follow me on Twitter.

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

'Toon Reviews 16: Hey Arnold Season 3 Episode 4: Crabby Author/Rich Kid

Crabby Author

This is a cartoon with an unusual premise that shows Arnold’s strengths of reading into anyone, even the most difficult people, as well as another instance of the idea that people who make great art are not always good people.  As a result, we get a great show of character amidst a harsh yet honest look at the real world. 

When the class is assigned to do a report on their favorite author, Arnold sets his sights on the author of some of the most popular children’s stories, Agatha Caulfield.  Unfortunately, there are no recorded references on her background, which is strange for such an apparently profound writer.  Even if this seems like a lost cause, Arnold simply won’t give up on doing his report on who truly is his favorite author which is actually inspirational to people to make the best work they can. 

He goes for the next best thing, which is also a very unique approach, by tracking the author down and interviewing her personally.  Through doing so, he’s met with a shock.  Agatha Caulfield’s work being all about happiness and cute fantasy creatures suggests that she’s a gentile loving woman who cares about children.  The truth is, she’s the complete opposite.  She lives in a secluded house on Elk Island and whenever anyone comes by, she yells at them and is completely unfriendly.  It’s certainly not a pretty sight, but it’s a believable scenario. 

It also enhances the plot by putting Arnold’s talents of seeing the good in people and helping them overcome their problems to the test.  He persists in getting Agatha to talk by going to her house everyday and waiting for her to give in.  It’s clear to see the difficulty in just standing out in the cold waiting for her, but it’s remarkable to see Arnold be patient enough to go this far to write a good report.  Sure enough, Agatha does get tired of Arnold always standing there and finally answers his questions.  Sadly, the answers Arnold gets are mostly disturbing ones, especially for how she wrote what she did because she felt like lying to kids about how miracles can happen when life is really miserable.  This seems to seal the deal that Agatha Caulfield really is no good, but for all her unruliness, she’s shown to have a bit of decency inside when Arnold claims to still believe in her stories’ positive messages, and that she may too because of their quality, and as he leaves, she’s left with something to ponder.  Also, the fact that Arnold still calls Agatha her favorite writer leaves another impactful message on the importance of focusing on the art and not the artist. 

The message is further shown in the ending montage of everyone reading Agatha’s first book in many years inspired by her experience.  This implies that she has softened up on life a bit, but we still see that she’s still pretty crabby which to me makes more sense than her completely changing on a whim.  So, while she’s still typically unfriendly, but it’s nice that no one is too dense to enjoy a good story when they see one. 

That leaves us with a great cartoon shining with great character moments and timeless, believable themes. 10/10

Rich Kid

A common thing most cartoons try to teach is the importance of fulfilling responsibilities and being productive in life.  However, there doesn’t seem to be much material out there that stresses the importance of leisure and leaving time to chill and unwind given how stressful doing work all the time can be.  At least, that’s how I view leisure and fun time from personal experience.  This cartoon is one of the few to teach how fun is just as important as productivity. 

It introduces a rich kid named Lorenzo, who may look impressive with his luxurious limo and being able to afford expensive accessories, but there’s something holding him back from getting anywhere sociable with other kids.  He has an incredibly tight schedule of intellectual activities pertaining to business and high-arts, and is constantly talking to his mom and other higher-ups on his electronic devices, even in class.  He may be productive and, but he doesn’t allow himself for any downtime, and it shows when he looks clearly overworked from everything he does and is unable to get close with the other kids. 

Now when the kids take notice of Lorenzo’s mannerisms, they show pity for him and strive to show him what it’s like to have fun and just be a kid.  However, there’s a bit of a conflict with their actions.  I stand by my belief in the need for leisure and Lorenzo does look like he could use it from his stressed attitude leading him to think about what the other kids said about him being too big of a workaholic on his own at night, but it can feel like they’re trying to conform him into being like them instead of being true to himself.  It would be a lot better if they let Lorenzo try to get a grasp on having fun in his own way.  There’s a few unfortunate implications in them actively trying to make Lorenzo like the type of kids they are instead of considering individuality and that not everyone thinks the same way as they do. 

There’s not enough harm to the cartoon though since there is still a lot of good from their attempts to get Lorenzo to lighten up a little on work matters, which is still beneficial for everyone to do for a healthy balanced life.  Also, as they introduce Lorenzo to many things to do for fun, it’s entertaining to see an intellectual kid struggle to get a grasp on common kid activities.  He ducks out of catching a fly ball, names clouds by their scientific name instead of using his imagination to say what they look like, and reads the ingredients of ice cream and commenting on how unhealthy they are instead of enjoying it. 

Going back to my comment on how the other kids don’t seem to consider Lorenzo’s individuality, in the end, he kind of does express that when discovering his own way of having fun.  He ends up sliding down a rapid of mud, the fast pace and background music enhancing the excitement of the scene, and when it’s over, he actually enjoys himself.  This finally gives him a strong sense of leisure to break from his huge workload, and while he does go back to it in the end, there’s some promise to building on the newfound sense of fun for the future.  However, aside from one other role this season, as well as a non-speaking appearance in the following season, Lorenzo does not become a prominent member of the cast.  At least he’s more social with others in his few other appearances, but that’s for future reviews. 

For now, while not a perfect way of showing it, this is a strong cartoon advocating for the rare message on the importance of goofing off a bit. 9/10

The Ranking

1. Crabby Author
2. Curly Snaps
3. The Aptitude Test
4. Pre-Teen Scream
5. Olga Gets Engaged
6. Oskar Gets a Job
7. Rich Kid
8. Stinky Goes Hollywood

The next Hey Arnold review covers two particularly great cartoons.  One features Helga go to insane lengths to snag a tape of her love confession to Arnold she recorded under the influence of laughing gas.  The other is about Harold discovering a possible path in life while facing punishment for shoplifting a ham.

Next time on MC Toon Reviews is a Steven Universe review on "Reformed."

If you want to stay updated for more reviews, become a follower of this blog, click here to like the official Facebook page, and click here to follow me on Twitter.

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