Arthur - Where is the Show Going?

[FunnieGuy]

I only disagree with two previously mentioned statements.

1. I actually think the kid they got to play Arthur now has been one of the better voice actors since Mark Rendall (who's now playing that new teen employee at the Sugar Bowl)... at least, he doesn't sound like D.W. (while D.W. was sounding like a chipmunk for a while). But I agree with what Hubert once said when he was still alive, in that the current Arthur's mannerisms make him sound similar to Brain somehow.
2. I think Grandpa Dave's Alzheimer's was a cop-out. Honestly, he was the least-expanded upon character from Arthur's family, despite always being in the main titles (and that episode title card where Arthur tries to take a family photo); to me, it just screams, "Hey, we haven't really written for Grandpa Dave since Season One, what can we do with him? Oh, let's just say he has Alzheimer's since lots of old people suffer from that."

I'd also say both "So Funny, I Forgot to Laugh" and "The Last Tough Customer" were preachy on the notion that this whole anti-bullying campaign has really become a tool anymore; I'm all for putting a stop to bullying, having been bullied myself, but it seems like the whole anti-bullying campaign has really been shoved in our faces so much in the last few years that it's lost its effectiveness. The former is described best on TV Tropes saying it was a very Anvilicious episode.

1.I thought that Rafi was played by Cameron Ansell,Arthur's voice from 2004-2007...I think Mark Rendall is too "big" to return by this point.
2.Its been foreshadowed since his first appearance...always forgetting stuff and such...in fact,they basically said he DID have Alzheimer's without coming right out and saying it in Season 5's "The Big Dig"...

 

[Dominicboo1]

I HATED Buster's Secret Admirer for the cop out, idiotic ending more than the rest of the episode. Right up there with how they *&^$ed up the endings of How I Met Your Mother and Lost. Just an unsatisfying, yet annoying twist. His mother did it. Who freaking wrote that crap?! "Oh! Thanks for traumatizing me with your disturbing amount of over-affection!" Yeah... and he just was okay with it.

I've noticed that lately, they've tended to actually shy away from preachy episodes. Oh, the ones that are preachy are freaking preachy... don't get me wrong. But the one thing I've loved about the last 2 seasons? No disease of the week episodes. Now, I really think they're doing a great service with these episodes, since they're supposed to help kids cope with things. The Autism one was better done than the rest, though. But when it comes to these, there's two options... invent a character that's essentially there to tell about the disease/allergy/whatever and doesn't do anything else or ever show up again (I applaud them, however, for making Carl recurring), or inflicting an existing character with it.

But the Bullying initiative... I admit the one about the Tough Customers was pretty funny. But So Funny I Forgot to Laugh was garbage. Sue Ellen was overreacting, Arthur wasn't even being mean until he got passive aggressive about Sue Ellen overreacting... if they wanted to get the point across, they didn't. They should have threw the script away and started over.

Though, every so often, they are capable of some pretty funny episodes. They're rare, but they're there if you give them a chance.

I HATE SO FUNNY I FORGOT TO LAUGH! It's my least favorite one. I think Arthur was kind of being mean, but my real problem is this.
Francine: She doesn't want to be in class with a BULLY!
My problem here? Francine HAS been a bully a lot more times than Arthur in Draw, the Cave, Arthur's Eyes, Arthur's Tooth, and went to the level of stealing a toy and framing Brain in MacFrensky. (Though that last one was at Muffy's convincing) She is a real hypocrite in that one.

 

[Drtooth]

Grandpa Dave's Alzheimer's wasn't too far-fetched either considering his age and the fact that they foreshadowed it in two previous episodes.

That's what I've been saying. While I do agree Dave isn't a very explored character, it really seems that since the episode about his farm, the character was being used to tackle what happens to older grandparents over time. He gets overworked, becomes forgetful and requires more and more rest. Giving him Alzheimer's seemed like a logical next step. Now if they did it to Thora, that would have been both random and horrifying, since she's always been the more active, healthier, and involved of the two grandparents.

I'd also say both "So Funny, I Forgot to Laugh" and "The Last Tough Customer" were preachy on the notion that this whole anti-bullying campaign has really become a tool anymore; I'm all for putting a stop to bullying, having been bullied myself, but it seems like the whole anti-bullying campaign has really been shoved in our faces so much in the last few years that it's lost its effectiveness. The former is described best on TV Tropes saying it was a very Anvilicious episode.

I feel the Last Tough Customer was handled well, and the other didn't need to be made at all. It does seem like something else that was kind of foreshadowed. The Tough Customers were losing their edge, and you could see that with George's apathy in "The Play's the Thing." Plus, it really seems that they were bullies sometimes but complete buffoons that the kids weren't scared of or even cared about. I do like Molly's backstory since I knew some complete turdwads that were bullied as kids and then turned around and bullied everyone else as 12+ year olds. Those guys are worse than regular "for the lulz" bullies. Plus, the episode was funny enough as...well, like I said, the TC's are buffoons.

Though it does bring up the measure of how much Binky is a bully that they're completely inconsistent with.

I HATE SO FUNNY I FORGOT TO LAUGH! It's my least favorite one. I think Arthur was kind of being mean, but my real problem is this.
Francine: She doesn't want to be in class with a BULLY!
My problem here? Francine HAS been a bully a lot more times than Arthur in Draw, the Cave, Arthur's Eyes, Arthur's Tooth, and went to the level of stealing a toy and framing Brain in MacFrensky. (Though that last one was at Muffy's convincing) She is a real hypocrite in that one.

Francine and Muffy. Both were completely hypocritical in the episode. And the worst part is that they could have used Francine's bullying past to give perspective on the matter. They didn't, they snapped at Arthur for Sue Ellen overreacting and then for calling her out on it! Just a poorly written episode all around. I usually don't pick apart something stupid if it's integral to storytelling, but... for the hundredth time... why did Sue Ellen give Arthur a casual warning, yet no stern ultimatum before going directly to Ratburn? The episode would have still had impact, maybe better impact if Arthur knew what he was doing was d-baggy.

 

[D'Snowth]

I remember Drtooth was ranting the deviantART thread about some of the ridiculous groups on that site... why am I not surprised there's an entire dA group for Maria?

 

[Drtooth]

which one? The Ed, Edd,n' Eddy group that was polluted with OC's with a vague connection to the show drawn in anime style, making it an even bigger reach, or the one that has a sect of members that doesn't realize that Alpha and Omega movies suck?

Yeah... I'm surprised there isn't a random Maria group.

 

[D'Snowth]

Yeah... I'm surprised there isn't a random Maria group.

There is, that's what I saying that I wasn't surprised that there is one.

 

[Drtooth]

Read your post too fast. That's what happens when people are talking over your shoulder and won't shut up.

REALLY?!?!

I'm not surprised, but... ugh... this is why people look down on fandoms. Weird obsessions like that unfairly group us regular fans who genuinely like the project for what it is into the obnoxious fanboys/fangirls.

 

[Drtooth]

The rundown of season 18's episodes

Now, I'm not going to lie. Some of those episodes sound like they have potential...

but really?!!? I'm starting to not like the Bud and D.W. episodes. They're probably going to be at least as bad as Adventures in Budylon. Ugh...
On the plus side: no Kate and Pal episodes! And Arthur's actually going to star in a couple episodes of his own freaking show.

Then there's This one. Rattles gets his own episode...but... it's about his single mother dating someone else with kids. And something tells me those kids are going to wind up getting their own episodes next season.

 

[FunnieGuy]

"Shelter From the Storm" is undoubtedly going to be the greatest episode this season.

 

[Drtooth]

Sounds like they're trying to get another "April 9th" episode going with that one. With major hurricanes around, I guess they're going to go for the helping little kids cope angle.


I can't believe they're doing a "too short to ride the roller coaster" episode. I mean, really!? And the one where D.W. plays with the box instead of the new toy sounds just dreadful.