'Toon Reviews 16: Hey Arnold Season 3 Episode 9: Career Day/Hey Harold

Career Day

A show with a huge cast has the opportunity to give good development to any of them.  This cartoon, which has Arnold’s class join some of the adults to join them for their jobs for career day, fits the bill. 

For most kids, we only get short scenes of them working certain jobs chosen at random.  Some of them are fitting for their characters like Helga as a cop, while others are unusual like Gerald as a firefighter and to a larger extent, Phoebe working in demolition with Ernie.  However, they all adjust to working these careers very well.  Because this only takes up a small part of the cartoon, this isn’t where the character development is. 

These moments contrast how hard a time Arnold has with his assigned career, assistant to the neighborhood’s ice cream man, the Jolly Olly Man.  Before, the Jolly Olly Man has had little scenes of delivering ice cream, and being a totally rude cheapskate trying to raise his ice cream to unreasonable prices in his rare big roles.  Arnold states that the Jolly Olly Man hates kids and is on the brink of insanity.  It feels that way at first with much unpleasantness that comes from Arnold having to work with the Jolly Olly Man.  He forces Arnold to ride in the freezer, refuses to let him help with handing out ice cream, and takes the money from his customers, but rarely gives them the ice cream they want.  Basically, the Jolly Olly Man can really try your patience for how unbelievably unlikable he is all throughout. 

Even if his unlikable moments aren’t enjoyable, they work thanks to the direction the story takes that brings on his development.  For how harsh he is, the Jolly Olly Man is nothing compared to his boss.  He belittles him with harsh insults, threatens to terminate his only job if he doesn’t empty his freezer, and is continuously eying him just waiting for him to fail.  He’s not shown as much as the Jolly Olly Man, but the boss’ brief moments leave an impression far nastier than anything we’ve seen of the other guy.  If that’s not enough, the boss is actually the Jolly Olly Man’s dad, giving the impression that the ice cream man had an abusive childhood, a believable cause for his mean behavior.  That combined with being stuck with a job he doesn’t like flesh the Jolly Olly Man out not as a heartless monster, but as someone far more relatable.  He may hate his job, but knows he has to deal with it after being fired from over 50 jobs before.  It’s all that he has for income and he knows better than to let it go which is something I feel makes sense for most people when it comes to jobs, though normally with the first jobs they ever have. 

From here, with selling all the ice cream as a motivation, he starts coming around through accepting Arnold’s help.  It takes a while to grasp things, which include some slightly disturbing moments, but how well the Jolly Olly Man ends up because of Arnold’s teaching is truly impressive.  By the end of the day, he becomes much friendlier with his customers culminating with him happily giving away the rest of the ice cream to Arnold’s classmates and the people they worked with that day.  Him laughing maniacally when his dad reluctantly says he can keep his job does still give an unsettling vibe from his weak points, but it doesn’t indicate that he lost what he learned. 

As a result, this cartoon comes off as a relatable take on careers with a heck of a character to follow through it.  9/10

Hey Harold!

At this point, it’s clear that Harold has more depth than it may appear.  Whenever there’s a cartoon about him, chances are it’s going to be a high-tier work.  Such is the case with this cartoon that’s all about him going through a relatable phase of life, as well as get through it on his own. 

Nearly all of PS 118 is invited to a party said to include dancing, and Harold continuously shoots down the idea of dancing with a girl and even going to the party.  This starts us off with Harold’s immature and sensitive flaws with the idea constantly hammered in by Sid and Stinky, and even his parents.  Harold gives into the pressure and goes to the party, and while he doesn’t socialize at first, he meets someone who happens to be a lot like him. 

In a remarkable turn of events, this episode gives us another cartoon to develop Big Patty.  Just as before, she’s presented as a bully character with believable reasons for her behavior.  In fact, most are similar to the reasons why Harold is sometimes a bully.  They’re insecure about their appearances and intellects both on their own accord and from what others say, which makes them act out or isolate themselves.  They both find each other when they walk away from the party, and despite starting off rough, mostly fueled by Harold’s constant insistence on not dancing with a girl, they slowly warm up to each other after Harold proves that he can dance with a girl.  Then they bond as the night goes on talking about what they typically get up to in life, and even personal information, right down to doing so long after the party ends.  It may not feel like much, but just the simple moments of two social outcasts who look intimidating finding common ground and bonding over it naturally is impactful in its own right.  They’re shining moments for them to get past their own weaknesses and further prove that even if people have faults, they’re human beings getting through life when all is said and done, one of the most important things for people to learn. 

It’s after this when there’s a lot of discomfort.  Stinky and Sid never stop badgering Harold about the absurdity of hanging out with Big Patty while his parents are keen to rush his relationship with her.  After seeing a lot of them together, it’s impossible not to feel annoyed by how others feel about the idea of the pairing.  Sid and Stinky are especially problematic for how condescending they are about Big Patty.  It makes me wonder why he even considers them his friends.  Along with Stinky’s lack of interesting traits and Sid’s annoying obsessing, together they’re quite the detractor.  In the end, Harold makes up for their insensitivities when after thinking about it, he decides to make his true feelings clear by yelling at Stinky and Sid that he likes Big Patty and doesn’t care what they think.  Is it socially appropriate? No, but what he says still has truth to it, and him finally sitting with Big Patty at lunch is an adorable finish to his arc for the cartoon. 

It closes everything with a moment to sell the appeal of these social outcasts, reminding that at the end of the day, no one should pressure you into thinking a certain way.  As a reviewer, the latter message is especially meaningful, as should be the case with any aspiring reviewers out there. 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. Hey Harold!
7. Curly Snaps
8. The Aptitude Test
9. Pre-Teen Scream
10. Olga Gets Engaged
11. Oskar Gets a Job
12. Career Day
13. Rich Kid
14. Dangerous Lumber
15. Arnold’s Room
16. Helga and the Nanny
17. Stinky Goes Hollywood
18. Arnold Betrays Iggy

The next Hey Arnold review features the residents of Arnold's boarding house try to act as a family when Grandpa threatens to sell the place, and there's an interesting play on voice actors getting replaced when they hit puberty in a cartoon about Gerald getting his tonsils taken out.

Next time on MC Toon Reviews, it's another galactic adventure of Voltron: Legendary Defender taking us to "The Ark of Taujeer."

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.

'Toon Reviews 7: Hey Arnold Season 2 Episode 11

Steely Phil

Arnold’s Grandpa has always been one of the most entertaining parts of this show from the beginning.  Not only is it unique for the main protagonist of a show to be brought up by grandparents, but Grandpa has quickly proven to be one of the greatest grandparent characters in animation.  He has his own style of giving his grandson advice, can easily relate to him when it comes to his pastimes despite his old age, and is skilled in a lot more things than one might expect.  With all these entertaining layers to Grandpa, it’s great that we start getting cartoons focused on him with this one.  Arnold learns that his Grandpa used to be a master of Chinese checkers under the nickname of Steely Phil.  However, despite all his skills, he let the pressures of winning get to him while playing against another Chinese checker master called Robbie Fisher and blew a perfect chance to tie the game.  Now that he’s come across Robbie Fisher again, Grandpa gets the opportunity to try and beat him in an upcoming Chinese checkers championship.  During the time preparing for the championship, we’re introduced to a relatable insecure side to Grandpa.  We’re so used to seeing him be so confident and laid-back when looking after and spending time with Arnold that it turns out to be such a big deal to hear how unconfident he is to try Chinese checkers again.  However, with a good, determined grandson like Arnold, he slowly fights through his anxieties.  It’s especially felt through an exciting training montage where he falters a lot at first through basic exercises, but as the montage continues, he starts making some significant improvements just as the scene’s music ends with a triumphant note.  It may not be much different from other training montages TV shows and movies tend to use, but it’s a favorite common convention that’s always welcomed in telling a story.  Even with the progress, Grandpa still doesn’t have enough confidence to compete going on to talk to Arnold in the middle of the night.  This scene also shows that his lack of confidence doesn’t just apply to Chinese checkers when he tells Arnold that his confidence that he could do certain things given to his grandson was on the off chance everyone else would lose.  Even with this reveal, Arnold still is all for encouraging his Grandpa to compete and conquer his fears.  All this training proves to pay off when the Chinese checker tournament comes, Grandpa makes it to Robbie Fisher, and just when it looks like he’s about to lose the same way he did all those years ago, he remembers to have the game end in a tie.  It’s a well-deserved victory that pays off Grandpa’s relatable conflict making this cartoon a solid start to his many starring roles.  It’s an instance where a character’s old age makes him all the more engaging. 9.5/10

Quantity Time

This cartoon is a prime example of how bad Helga has it at home.  Being raised by a fortune-obsessed dad and a drug addict mom both of whom clearly show more favor to her perfect older sister, it’s no surprise that this lifestyle is the source of her meanness.  Unfortunately for her in this cartoon, everything bad about her family infringes on her spring break from school.  It all happens when her break as well as her dad, Big Bob’s, break from running his beeper emporium become known to her mom, Miriam.  Miriam takes the initiative to get out of the house infringing on her alone time for a whole week under the guise of taking care of her sick mother, suggesting that Helga and Big Bob bond while she’s gone.  Not only are her actions a clear sign of neglect, albeit one she tries to keep subtle, but Big Bob is a major detracting factor to his time with his daughter turning out good.  He expresses clear disdain towards spending quality time with her and treats it like a chore instead of something genuine.  In fact, in all his actions, there’s nothing genuine at all in his attempts to bond with Helga.  He purchases foods she either hates or can’t eat when grocery shopping, drags Helga along for his monotonous errands against her will, and when she complains that they’re just doing things he wants to do, he ropes her into activities she’s long grown out of.  Big Bob just goes through the motions of his life, thinking that he and Helga can bond just because she’s with him when he’s doing his things, showing no believable love for her in the slightest.  It’s mean and uncaring of him, but it makes the life Helga lives somewhat fascinating as it’s a fine example of how dysfunctional some families can be.  True, it’s common to see some dysfunction in most TV shows, but what Helga has to put up with goes beyond the usual standards given what we see of Big Bob here.  Also, we also see that while Big Bob truly is a bad parent, he’s not one-dimensional.  When Helga’s complaints of him failing at bonding don’t get to him, her lamenting to Phoebe of how she can’t see the one thing she wanted to see the most during her break does.  Big Bob actually shows regret for his daughter’s misery and takes it upon himself to get her tickets for the event.  In an interesting turn of events, the tickets he gets are for a stage musical advertised on the back of the ad of what Helga really wanted to see, a wrestling match.  Despite the mess-up, it finally gets Helga and Big Bob to bond while riffing on how stupid the musical is.  It’s both a hilarious and heartwarming way of showing that even the worst events in life have something good to them.  While Big Bob may turn some people off, the look at Helga’s less-than-ideal life and the charm of the ending bond are considerably worth watching. 9/10

The Ranking

1. Harold’s Kitty
2. Helga’s Love Potion
3. Monkey Business
4. Eugene’s Pet
5. Freeze Frame
6. Steely Phil
7. Gerald’s Secret
8. Save the Tree
9. Phoebe Cheats
10. Gerald Moves Out
11. New Teacher
12. Mudbowl
13. Quantity Time
14. Ms. Perfect
15. Big Caesar
16. Ransom
17. The Big Scoop
18. Best Friends
19. The High Life
20. Hooky
21. Arnold Saves Sid
22. Longest Monday

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Arnold enters an "Eating Contest," and we see an interesting take on one of the most famous civil rights acts in history in "Rhonda's Glasses."

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