'Toon Reviews 13: The Loud House Season 2 Episode 25: The Crying Dame/Anti-Social

The Crying Dame

The Louds have always given special care and affection to their baby sister, Lily, but in this season, they’re care for her has been especially meaningful through the instances of them working as a team more, and becoming more aware of their actions.  That’s why it means a lot when the plot has them try to get her to stop crying so much, even when Mom and Dad know from experience that sometimes babies cry for no reason, which interestingly includes the reason why they have Lucy’s hair cover her eyes.  Anyway, the plot is set into motion when Lori leads the siblings to the attic where they find a toy, Fenton the Feel Better Fox, that stopped her crying when she was a baby, and it quickly works for Lily.  Yet, Fenton works too well when, as foreshadowed by Mom and Dad’s overactive reactions to “the demon toy,” Lily keeps playing the toy’s song and the annoyance of the Loud siblings as it keeps playing is creatively depicted.  It captures the feel of listening to the same thing on end, and as someone who played things over and over at a young age, makes me understand how others can get annoyed by this scenario.  Also, while the song can understandably be grating to most people, to me, it’s catchy enough to avoid my scorn, though I certainly wouldn’t want to hear it incessantly, so it’s also good that the song is muffled when the toy’s far away.  Because of this, when the siblings plot to get rid of Fenton, you side with them without trouble.  You might expect the cartoon to consist of comedic antics of the kids’ constant failed attempts to get the toy away, but surprisingly, their first plan is strategic enough and works immediately when Lily’s separated from it during a diaper change.  The disposal of Fenton is not only executed competently, but it’s also a fun scene on its own, working in solid teamwork from all the siblings.  However, while they succeed in getting rid of the toy, it’s incredibly sweet that Lily’s happiness is still highly valued.  Even though she doesn’t cry while separated from Fenton, she’s still incredibly sad the next day, so much so that she can’t bring herself to do anything fun.  The best part about this is that despite being annoyed by Fenton, the kids understand that he’s still important to Lily and that they shouldn’t have separated her from him, regardless if she’s crying or not.  Their care for their baby sister grows even more when they try to save it from the dump.  The attempt fails, but their alternate plan is far more impactful than simply saving the toy.  The kids discover that as annoying as Fenton’s song was, it still somewhat fun to sing, as discovered when they hear the tune hummed by the most musical Loud to bring on the reveal, Luna.  They then sing and dance to the song while Lincoln wears a Fenton costume for Lily.  Lily’s happy reaction is the high point of the scene bringing a super cute end to the conflict.  That said, you’re left wondering if she’ll ever understand the concept of obsessions when it looks like her siblings will be doing this forever even though Fenton's a baby toy and Lily is sure to grow out of him eventually.  Also, Mom and Dad’s roles are really problematic since they deliberately stay out of the conflict instead of helping the kids get rid of the toy.  Other than that, this is still a good cartoon built on genuine cuteness and proof of how more considerate and loving the Loud kids have become. 8/10

Anti-Social

Given the amount of users on many social media sites, it’s clear that the use of electronic devices is one of the biggest aspects of modern society.  That said, a large usage of any activity isn’t the healthy way to go, so it’s fitting that this cartoon works as a commentary on how to live a good life in today’s technology-driven world.  As the cartoon opens with the Louds blocking out their surroundings with their phones and tablets, Dad gets annoyed and threatens to cut the internet.  Since the kids love what they’re accustomed to using and can’t live without them, they’re determined to show Dad just how valuable electronics and internet usage can be.  The things they teach show their constructive benefits which can apply to real-life such as texting several people at once, occupying yourself with game apps when waiting in line, sharing pictures to use for your ID, and promoting and streaming your work or products to people all over the world.  These moments show that even if electronic devices are overused, what they do can be legitimately useful.  As an aside, the ways Dad is taught these benefits without fully understanding at first are funny for how relatable they are to people not used to using electronic devices and learning about them for the first time.  However, it’s amazing how he soon gets a grasp of all the wonders of technology that they take up his life as much as they do for most people in real life.  You might say that Dad gets incredibly obsessed with using electronics, so much so that he starts abusing them through posting embarrassing pictures of the kids, stalling dinner to stream what he’s cooking, and ignoring his family.  This whole sequence of events makes this cartoon tread familiar grounds from this season tying into other cartoons where Dad gets obsessed with something and the family suffers for it.  It brings to mind“Vantastic Voyage” where it seemed like his new interest was more important to him than his family which is unfortunate.  That said, the scenario doesn't really wreck much enjoyment since his obsession with electronics stand out for their established relatability.  If that’s not enough, the story goes in a surprisingly mature direction when the kids discover that the way Dad’s acting now is no different from how they acted towards him at the start of the cartoon.  It’s always beneficial when the characters we’re supposed to side with acknowledge their own faults to resolve a conflict.  It makes what happens more immersive to any audience member and goes beyond basic black and white right and wrong moralities, making the characters feel more human.  Anyway, the issue is resolved with the kids deciding to temporarily cut the internet, and through a montage of them doing various activities with Dad, they slowly break their technology attachment as the cartoon comes to an end.  The whole sequence is not only is a fitting end for the kids and their dad regarding their hook on electronics, but it also offers a great bit of life advice for everyone.  Electronics have their benefits, but you shouldn’t be completely dependent on them and balance your life with other things, and that can help make your life healthier and your family bonds stronger.  This and many other relatable scenarios make this cartoon another strong entry for the season, even if it does have an all-too familiar setup. 9.5/10

The Ranking

1. 11 Louds a Leapin’
2. L is for Love
3. Pulp Friction
4. Frog Wild
5. Yes-Man
6. Party Down
7. Friend or Faux
8. Room with a Feud
9. Lock n Loud
10. Fool’s Paradise
11. Fed Up
12. Out of the Picture
13. Job Insecurity
14. Potty Mouth
15. Mall of Duty
16. Anti-Social
17. The Loudest Mission: Relative Chaos
18. Spell it Out
19. Baby Steps
20. Shell Shock
21. Suite and Sour
22. Back in Black
23. Legends
24. Future Tense
25. Patching Things Up
26. No Spoilers
27. Not a Loud
28. Tricked!
29. The Whole Picture
30. Read Aloud
31. No Laughing Matter
32. Health Kicked
33. Garage Banned
34. Back Out There
35. The Old and the Restless
36. Kick the Bucket List
37. Intern for the Worse
38. The Crying Dame
39. Lynner Takes All
40. Cheater by the Dozen
41. Pets Peeved
42. Making the Grade
43. Vantastic Voyage
44. Change of Heart
45. ARGGH! You for Real?
46. No Such Luck
47. Brawl in the Family

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the last episode of Season 2, featuring two snow-themed cartoons, one with one of the noblest family acts in a dire situation in "Snow Way Out" and one with Clyde at his absolute best in "Snow Way Down."

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 Loud House reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

'Toon Reviews 2: Over the Garden Wall Episode 6

Lullaby in Frogland

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we enter the second half of the mini-series, we get an episode that’s high on drama.  To think that it starts out so light-hearted about the prospect of the journey being almost over.  Wirt seems to be enjoying himself more than ever, and Beatrice’s friendship with him and his brother seems to have grown so strong that she doesn’t seem to want them to leave.  How strong their bonds have grown are strengthened through a series of antics they get up to on a ferry of frogs they’re taking to Adelaide’s.  However, this is where the story takes a major emotional turn where we learn of Adelaide’s true intentions.  Instead of a kind woman willing to help those in need, she turns out to be a sick old lady in need of servants she obtains by holding anyone brought to her home hostage, and Beatrice was meant to lead someone to her home in exchange for the cure to the curse brought onto her and her family.  You can imagine that the boys, especially Wirt, feel much betrayed by this revelation.  Wirt’s hurt look when Adelaide holds him and Greg hostage really sells the betrayal.  If that’s not enough, even when Beatrice saves them, Wirt just takes Greg and leaves the poor bluebird behind now feeling more down than ever after having his spirits raised earlier in the episode.  The fact that it’s just so easy to feel sorry for these characters means that this series truly is coming off as a strong one. 9.5/10

Ranking

1)      Songs of the Dark Lantern

2)      Hard Times at the Huskin’ Bee

3)      The Old Grist Mill

4)      Lullaby in Frogland

5)      Mad Love

6)      Schooltown Follies

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode of this series, "The Ringing of the Bell."

 

'Toon Reviews 2: Over the Garden Wall Episode 4

Songs of the Dark Lantern

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a more plot-oriented episode, we learn a lot more about elements of The Unknown as well as the Beast, and the way to this information is highly entertaining.  Our heroes end up in a tavern where the patrons frequently break into song when they hear what people who come across them are up to.  This is exactly what Wirt discovers as he explains to the patrons of his search for the woman who can help him and Greg find their way home, Adelaide.  The comedy comes from the patrons misinterpreting what Wirt says and make up songs about random things, mainly how Wirt is trying to win this Adelaide woman over as his bride.  Then, like any great work of fiction, the light and fun moments (which by the way also include humorous moments of Beatrice talking to a horse) are balanced out with dark and threatening moments.  Wirt mentions the Beast, and through song, the patrons explain more deep information about him.  The reason to beware the Beast is that he’ll turn you into a tree to make oil to light his lantern.  Since the Woodsman, the first inhabitant of The Unknown we came across, had a lantern, this is where we start to question if he’s a character our heroes should be trusting.  There’s a great moment of bravery for Wirt when he sets off to track the Woodsman down and nearly destroys his lantern.  However, as soon as he leaves, we begin to see even more depth to the Woodsman as he talks to the Beast about how the flame in the lantern is the only thing keeping his daughter’s spirit alive and that the Woodsman doesn’t want any harm to come to the brothers.  This scene really pulls you into the show’s world and gets you to want to learn more about this character as well as all the others.  Plus in addition to all the fun moments in the tavern, and how those moments are well balanced with the dark stuff towards the end, this episode is easily a strong point of this mini-series. 10/10

Ranking

1)      Songs of the Dark Lantern

2)      Hard Times at the Huskin’ Bee

3)      The Old Grist Mill

4)      Schooltown Follies

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode of the series, "Mad Love."

'Toon Reviews 1: Hey Arnold Season 1 Episode 26 + Final Thoughts

Runaway Float

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the most part, this cartoon is another one of those typical plots where Arnold and his friends take part in a certain activity, in this case building a float for an upcoming parade.  To its credit, it shows off the imagination of the kids, particularly when it comes to Arnold’s idea for a float.  It’s a big representation of their home city as a big amusement park, and it’s worth admiring for how different attractions stand for different parts of the city.  What’s just as nice is that it’s Helga who does something nice for Arnold by getting her dad, Big Bob, to give the money needed to fund the float.  It’s interesting that she can do something nice for Arnold and still keep her love for him a secret.  Then we get a sequence dealing with the process of putting the float together including running out of supplies, finishing it off by getting more, then having it jerkily rejected by Big Bob who, along with his business partner Nick, turns it into a giant beeper.  The big catch is that all the kids, except for Arnold and Gerald, are OK with this unfair change all because Big Bob offers them a chance to ride on the float.  This just makes the kids feel shallow for just ignoring the fact that their hard work is being wasted because of petty matters.  At least Helga has some regret for the decision as it really ties into her conflict of trying to show her love for Arnold and being devoted to her overbearing father, not unlike what she went through in “Spelling Bee.”  Anyway, the cartoon really starts getting interesting when the float is put into action at the parade and it goes out of control due to it being too top-heavy.  This leads to an exciting chase sequence where Big Bob, Nick, and the kids hang on for their lives as the float travels at dangerous speeds running into the rest of the parade with Arnold trying to catch up to everyone on a bike to try and reach the float’s emergency brake.  There’s some appropriate suspense that keeps building throughout the chase, fun sight gags from the parade, and a great moment of heroism on Arnold’s part for relying on a common bike to catch the big float.  I will say that you have to wonder why Nick, who’s said to be an expert on floats, didn’t think to take any precautions to prevent this runaway from helping.  Shouldn't he have known that the giant beeper was too top-heavy?  Despite that, I always appreciate a nice runaway to make a climax, and the whole scene does have Big Bob realize that taking the float from the kids was a bad idea and everyone in the crowd praises the original design shown off due to what happened.  In the end, we have a fine and basic story made exciting by an awesome climax. 9/10

Partners

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, the first season of Hey Arnold has had a lot of cartoons to cover, but now we’ve come to the final one to talk about, and it’s quite a way to close off the season.  The story revolving around Arnold and Gerald struggling to come up with an act for an upcoming talent show causing a strain in their friendship in the process seems a bit too basic to gush over, but what makes it extra special is the subplot that emulates the main plot, mainly through how it’s constructed.  Now, remember Dino Spumoni, the lounge singer who made his first appearance in “The Old Building”?  Well, this cartoon features him in a much larger, and more interesting role.  Plus, it adds on a really welcome respect for music into the plot, especially since it gives us his most well-known song to fans of this show, “You Better Not Touch My Gal” during a look back at his career.  Dino’s story is that he’s renting a room at the boarding house to focus on forming a new album away from his songwriting partner he’s fallen out with, Don Reynolds.  However, Don rents a room too with the same intentions and when he finds Dino there, their tensions just escalate.  The clever thing about this part of the story is how it shows that great partnerships should not be messed with as shown through how both songwriters can’t get by without each other.  Dino’s songs are shown to have catchy melodies but poor lyrics while Don’s songs have well-written lyrics but bad melodies.  These moments effectively get across the benefits of partnership even if it takes a while for the men to realize them, and at the same time teach what makes a good song, that’s already a lot to take from this cartoon.  Anyway, regarding Arnold and Gerald, while they do get into an argument that forms a rift, I appreciate that unlike in “Part Time Friends” where their flaws that tear them apart appeared at just the right time, Arnold coming up with random talent show ideas and Gerald not coming up with anything were slowly built up to their rift here.  That way, I can accept their argument.  Plus, it nicely ties into Dino and Don’s part of the story whose argument is in a similar vein and observing it gets them to make up in the end.  Likewise, the talent show act Arnold and Gerald come up with does a lot of good too.  It has Arnold sing Don’s lyrics and Gerald play Dino’s tune on piano, making for the great song “Nothing Without You.”  It’s a great showstopper for the audience as it ends the cartoon, gets Dino and Don to make up, and it nicely reflects the partnership theme.  While we end the season with a basic plot, its execution with the character relationships and tribute to music, to me, make it a great cartoon to go out on. 9.5/10

The Rankings

1.      Pigeon Man

2.      Arnold’s Christmas

3.      Harold’s Bar Mitzvah

4.      Haunted Train

5.      Stoop Kid

6.      Arnold’s Valentine

7.      Arnold’s Hat

8.      Wheezin’ Ed

9.      Spelling Bee

10.  Helga’s Makeover

11.  Mugged

12.  Partners

13.  False Alarm

14.  Magic Show

15.  Tutoring Torvald

16.  The Baseball

17.  Olga Comes Home

18.  Teachers’ Strike

19.  Four-Eyed Jack

20.  The List

21.  Das Subway

22.  The Vacant Lot

23.  Downtown as Fruits

24.  The Old Building

25.  Field Trip

26.  The Sewer King

27.  Runaway Float

28.  Tour De Pond

29.  Coach Wittenberg

30.  Hall Monitor

31.  Sally’s Comet

32.  Roughin’ It

33.  Gerald Comes Over

34.  Crush on Teacher

35.  6^th Grade Girls

36.  The Little Pink Book

37.  24 Hours to Live

38.  Abner Come Home

39.  Arnold as Cupid

40.  Snow

41.  Eugene’s Bike

42.  Biosquare

43.  Door #16

44.  Heat

45.  Helga’s Boyfriend

46.  Part Time Friends

47.  Benchwarmer

48.  Operation Ruthless

49.  World Records

50. Cool Jerk

 

Final Thoughts

Even after all these years, the cartoons that make up season 1 are a good indication that Hey Arnold really holds up in this modern day and age.  Just about everything about it from the storytelling and characters make it feel timeless and memorable to viewers of all ages.  Each cartoon offers something different to experience which entice you to keep on watching the show to see what you’ll get out of it.  I always believe that a good animated product is one that can leave a wide variety of impacts.  In the case of season 1, while a good number of the cartoons are basic ones that follow the kids taking part in simple childhood activities such as going on field trips, going on camping trips, playing sports, doing school projects, finding lost pets, or having friends over, they mostly work due to how likable the characters are.  There are a lot of characters in the cast such as the main characters, the kids at school, the shopkeepers of the city, the residents of Arnold’s boarding house, and the strange inhabitants of the city.  Usually with a cast of many major characters, it would be hard to flesh strong personalities out of them, but practically all the characters present have their own appeal, and every different character present in each cartoon brings out a unique feel every time. 

What’s more, a good number of the stories in this season offer a lot of interesting subject matters that make the show as appealing as it is.  Sometimes, they take simple moments of life like ducking out of a play or investigating who pulled the fire alarm and execute them with a lot of creative scenarios that happen in the process or a lot of passion to make you take what’s going on seriously.  Other stories take advantage of the city setting by giving a believable look at life in such a place.  Those kinds of stories also go out of their way to show the negative aspects most people should be aware of such as some forms of transportation having poor condition that seat you with random people, people who could jump out and mug you at any time, and even some people who are poor or even homeless.  With this in mind, it’s also great to note the major themes that the cartoons of this season tackle which is perhaps best reason why this series is loved as much as it is.  In this season alone, we’ve seen stories revolving around ill views of society towards people who think differently, people affected by war, loss of identity, living with parents who aren’t good for the role, following religions, and what it really means to find true love.  These themes really help this show stand out from most slice-of-life series.  There may not be an over-arching plot between all the stories present, but they effectively represent life.  It’s full of moments that leave a meaningful impact by giving us a true view of the world. 

What really makes the themes work is that when they’re presented, they’re never watered down for the audience and make their point through simplicity of what the characters involved get up to.  It’s also worth noting that one of the reasons the themes presented stand out so much is that most of the time, they add layers to the characters’ personalities, which in turn makes them an endearing part of the show.  Basically, the most impressive qualities of Hey Arnold season are the cartoons that have interesting themes and ones that develop the setting and characters.  Those cartoons are so strong that they make the more basic cartoons feel inferior.  However, this is forgivable since this is only the first season and it’s clear that this was just the crew testing to see what really worked.  Plus, the good news of all this is that the more interesting types of cartoons would become more prominent in future seasons, but those are all topics for future posts.

For this season though, while it’s a bit less interesting than what’s to come, it has enough qualities to make Hey Arnold a major crown jewel of Nickelodeon and a must-watch animated series.  So, check local listings for reruns, and find it on DVD separately or as part of the Complete Series box set sold all over Walmart or purchase the highest rated cartoons in this post on digital.  It’ll be a worthwhile watch, not to mention that it, along with the whole series for that matter, is sure to drum up excitement for The Jungle Movie, coming later this year. You really won’t regret it, Football Heads.

Highly Recommended

This concludes this series of reviews for Season 1 of Hey Arnold.  Now we'll move onto a different animated TV series and return to this one at a later date.  So join me again tomorrow as we begin a series of reviews of the Cartoon Network mini-series Over the Garden Wall.  Until then:

Stay Animated Folks!