Arthur - Where is the Show Going?

[Redsonga]

Really? The majority of episodes are up in parts on youtube; or (no-one crucify me here, I dont encourage it) on torrent websites in decent quality as torrent files, which you need a client to download.

They are on youtube? Oh, I didn't know that...I guess I just thought any that were there would have been taken down by now like my FR ones were. I will have to check.
Can anyone point me to the best Fern episodes?

 

[Drtooth]

Can anyone point me to the best Fern episodes?

Depends... do you want closet psycho passive aggressive Fern? There's one about her getting upset at Brain (who's seriously turning into the Smurf with the similar name) for crushing her storytelling techniques and planting a hoax about giant worms taking over Elwood City...

I forget exactly what it's called, though. Plus I rather like the one where she read too many TinTin books and got completely deluded, and got her and Francine lost on a hike. And she made Francine Captain Haddock in her fantasy too...

Anyway, luckily the last 2 of the first wave of the ones they're showing will be on next week, holding them over for Halloween week.

 

[Redsonga]

*lol* Well who knows, maybe I am talking about psycho Fern. I've only seen a few episodes, and I have a soft spot for the bookwormish writer characters who might just as well be crazy :3

 

[Xerus]

The other day, I was watching this interesting and insightful episode of Arthur. Sue Ellen ended up meeting famous author, Neil Gaiman. And Sue Ellen got inspired to create her own graphic novel about a land of circles and triangles. When she showed it to her friends, they criticized it making her depressed. Neil appeared again and told her to keep on trying. Then her friends read the rest of her story and found it neat after all. Then it showed some live action kids who had made their own graphic novels. Some of their ideas looked very interesting.

 

[Drtooth]

I just saw one of the new episodes of season 14 ...eh... somewhere... and lemme say this. I HOPE it's just a one episode thing and NOT a crummy spin off... but the entire episode was D.W. trying to learn about Africa from Brain's cousin. Basically it's EXACTLY the same set up as the one where Arthur meets Adil, except for one difference.

The entire thing is a long, not that catchy song about Africa where they sing a third of the song at a time and it's all in stock live action footage, and it just doesn't even feel like an episode of Arthur.

I'm agreeing with the comments on that one. I don't mind them teaching different cultures, but changing the format to terrible music videos? Thankfully it seems the only one this (and unfortunately for the US next) season.

Gah... we have to wait a year for the rest of this season too.

 

[D'Snowth]

I'm telling you guys, after all these years and all these episodes, they have just SERIOUSLY run out of ideas!

I haven't seen any of the new episodes, but I've read synopsises, and gimme a break. "Francine and Muffy make a movie to right the wrong of lack of cool female characters". Seriously? Doesn't that just sound completely forced to you?

And you're right Drtooth, it's nice to show different cultures and such on a show, and teach acceptance and whatnot, but it seems like it's gotten to the point where they're doing something like that about twice a season (the Barneses adopting a Chinese baby girl, Mrs. MacGrady suddenly getting cancer, George meeting a kid with Asperger's Syndrome, etc). But then again, this is something that's even spilled over into primetime television as well; I believe the FCC has a law now that you HAVE to include at least one ethnic character in the cast, otherwise, the show will be seen as being non-inclusive.

And I really need to wonder, why are they airing the seasons in half installments now? The air a week's worth of new episodes like in the spring, then the other half in the fall... it makes it seem more like we're getting more, shorter seasons.

At this point, I highly doubt there's EVER going to be an end to Arthur... it seems like they're just going to keep on going on forever.

 

[Drtooth]

At this point, I highly doubt there's EVER going to be an end to Arthur... it seems like they're just going to keep on going on forever.

Uh... I heard a rumor, and there is by no means any evidence to back it up that it actually WILL at the end of next American season. Again, this is a rumor. Besides, next year will be its 15th season, and 15+ years is QUITE a feat for a show like that. And ending by no means means they're going to stop airing.

I have seen a few other (cough cough) of the unseen episodes, and so far, THOSE have been quite delightful... Oddly Muffy heavy, but some of the fantasy sequences just KILLED me. Especially the Stepford Wives parody in a specific one. yeah, I know it's cheating, but we're gonna probably have to wait a year plus for the rest of the season. Australia and basically everywhere else in the world got it before us. But that's PBS's razor thin Kid's budget for you. I am sick to death of getting second hand shows that were produced FOR America anyway.

Other than that, I don't mind them teaching kids all these very important things, like dealing with ethnicity and diseases and disabilities. That's what Arthur is all about. It's the song and dance with cheap stock footage that bugged me.

 

[Puckrox]

UBesides, next year will be its 15th season, and 15+ years is QUITE a feat for a show like that.

Fifteen years. My God. I was six when Arthur started airing. I can remember watching episodes with my brother when we got home from first grade... That's so weird.

 

[The Shoe Fairy]

The thread is alive! ITS ALIVE!
Fortunately, the Africa episode is only a one off.
Having seen the entire season, I think it is a mixed bag. The episode regarding Buster and artifical food ingredients is actually one of the funniest episodes ever made, IMHO. The season has some terrible, overused, dull and just not entertaining episodes; but it also has some brilliantly written ones. I do think that too much of an emphasis is placed on "Inclusion" and technology, I really don't care if Muffy has the latest gadget - that is not an excuse for 10 minutes of my life wasted. I do also find it slightly frustrating that elements such as parody and running jokes are dumbed down due to the lack of airtime for them. Instead, airtime best used otherwise is replaced with having to include a token character for everything in order to seem PC, rather than focusing on plot or humour. That's just my 2 cents though.

 

[Drtooth]

You gotta admit, though... when they DO have humor, they REALLY go all out. I really like the very negative way they've portrayed Capri DeVapida. Even her name. Now THAT is vicious parody that's almost uncharacteristic, but incredibly refreshing and delightfully snarky.

"Uh... Yellow is not a flavor" That part had me rolling over.\

But really, that Africa one... ugh... It's like another show, and quite obviously the worst one ever written, and just spent way too much time being a lousy pilot of another series. Man... if they do end the show after season "15" (you know, half of your season 14), I hope they don't try to replace it with "D.W> Learns About Countries in a Dumbed down way."