Arthur - Where is the Show Going?

[mr3urious]

But I will say this, the kids on Postcards from Buster were energetic and lively. not the dull, mumble mouthed, tongue tied type you would see in, say, "And now a Word from us kids."

This could be due to camera-shyness or nervousness, which they made fun of in the actual show with the kids there being just as tongue-tied.

 

[Dominicboo1]

I've read some of those coments on Cora, but I agree, that twerp was a great big witch with a b... then again, it's kind of clear her parents really spoil her, so she's probably spoiled rotten.

That's very true.

 

[Drtooth]

You know... I'm trying to find a list of episodes that prove that they officially ran out of ideas... but there were some VERY good ones in the 14/15 season... Tales of the Grotesquely Grim Bunny, D.W. Unties the Knot... fun stuff like that. In fact, the only episodes I really think sucked completely were In My Africa (no surprise there) and Buster's Secret Admirer... only because of the incredibly stupid ending ("Oh, it's one of our stupid made up Mother and Son holidays!" Great ending... no really... if it were all a dream, it would have been less of a copout).

I mean there are some meh episodes that get lame after the second episode, Whistling in the Wind for example... but those 2 stinkers are all I have to complain about...

 

[TheWoodringman]

You know... I'm trying to find a list of episodes that prove that they officially ran out of ideas... but there were some VERY good ones in the 14/15 season... Tales of the Grotesquely Grim Bunny, D.W. Unties the Knot... fun stuff like that. In fact, the only episodes I really think sucked completely were In My Africa (no surprise there) and Buster's Secret Admirer... only because of the incredibly stupid ending ("Oh, it's one of our stupid made up Mother and Son holidays!" Great ending... no really... if it were all a dream, it would have been less of a copout).

I mean there are some meh episodes that get lame after the second episode, Whistling in the Wind for example... but those 2 stinkers are all I have to complain about...

Yeah! Now that you mention it, I do think the show's getting stale
Lets hope things improve. (Or NOT!)

 

[D'Snowth]

You know... I'm trying to find a list of episodes that prove that they officially ran out of ideas...

Just reading the synposes for a lot of these episodes seem to prove so: "Binky is caught doing something uncool: holding his mother's hand", "Timmy can whistle but Tommy can't" (HOW many kid shows have done an episode where a character is depressed because he can't whistle?), "Arthur and his pals discover a secret place in the woods", "Brain becomes obsessed with a tween reality series", "Buster becomes obsessed with a DVD", I could go on, but I won't. I forget the title, but that episode where Buster keeps doing little favors to "pay back" Arthur was kind of pitiful to watch as well... the only two recent episodes I can remember being moderately good were "The Black Out" because it's such a relatable plot (you think Florida's hot, Tennessee's not too awful different), and "No Acting Please" mainly because of Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and until I saw that episode, I wasn't aware he was a stage director as well.

 

[Hubert]

OK, today I saw "Cents-Less" and "Buster and the Lounge Lizard" from Season 14. "Cents-Less" was an episode that I didn't think was too bad, but I couldn't stand "Buster and the Lounge Lizard." If you haven't seen it, I won't spoil it, (even though there isn't much to spoil anyway), but Buster buys a toy, brings it to school, gets in trouble for it, and it ends up in the teacher's lounge. Arthur episodes are usually realistic, but this one wasn't at all. The toy could do way too much that a normal toy couldn't come close to doing, it was very sensitive, voice activated, had a plunger and a hook that came out of it, disco lights, etc. Why would Buster even bring this super toy car to school? What's he even going to do with it there? Then the ending is so boring. The whole thing wasn't realistic. The only thing good about it, there were some pretty good jokes in the episode, I was laughing a lot. Oh, and in Cents-Less, Brain gives Muffy a rare baseball card for organizing his baseball card collection. Brain had three, but they seemed very rare, and he gave it away. ????

"Timmy can whistle but Tommy can't" (HOW many kid shows have done an episode where a character is depressed because he can't whistle?)

I'm just curious how many kids in real life are depressed because they can't whistle. I mean, I can't whistle, but I never was too upset over it.

 

[Drtooth]

Just reading the synposes for a lot of these episodes seem to prove so: "Binky is caught doing something uncool: holding his mother's hand", "Timmy can whistle but Tommy can't" (HOW many kid shows have done an episode where a character is depressed because he can't whistle?), "Arthur and his pals discover a secret place in the woods", "Brain becomes obsessed with a tween reality series", "Buster becomes obsessed with a DVD", I could go on, but I won't. I forget the title, but that episode where Buster keeps doing little favors to "pay back" Arthur was kind of pitiful to watch as well... the only two recent episodes I can remember being moderately good were "The Black Out" because it's such a relatable plot (you think Florida's hot, Tennessee's not too awful different), and "No Acting Please" mainly because of Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and until I saw that episode, I wasn't aware he was a stage director as well.

Well, there are a lot of meh ideas and all, but nothing really along the lines of "In my Africa" bad. Actually, I quite like Buster DVD extras bit. That's quite a juicy jab at some of the big super deluxe LOTR DVD releases. There's some stuff that's great to have on a DVD, some stuff that's so incredibly pointless that no one in their right mind even wants to watch it.

Ditto the episode where Brain (clearly) watches Lost and gets really into it and then insanely annoyed by the cop out ending. And here's why age was actually better for the episode. Remember how many LOST fans were annoyed by the completely idiotic ending? Makes that episode ALL the funnier.

I couldn't stand "Buster and the Lounge Lizard." If you haven't seen it, I won't spoil it, (even though there isn't much to spoil anyway), but Buster buys a toy, brings it to school, gets in trouble for it, and it ends up in the teacher's lounge. Arthur episodes are usually realistic, but this one wasn't at all. The toy could do way too much that a normal toy couldn't come close to doing, it was very sensitive, voice activated, had a plunger and a hook that came out of it, disco lights, etc. Why would Buster even bring this super toy car to school? What's he even going to do with it there?

Actually, I found that one quite funny. The thing kept going off and getting caught. Kids routinely smuggle toys in from home to play with at recess, or just to be complete schnooks and show them off to those who don't have it (trust someone who was a kid in the early 90's... I was begging to use everyone's game boy and didn't).

Conceptually, it was a running out of ideas story, but they managed to make it kinda fun. And I'm highly suspicious the Dark Bunny mobile commercial was a reference to the Japanese opening of the Filmation Batman...

 

[D'Snowth]

Okay, apparently I just learned some more info regarding that whole tax fraud thing going on with Cinar... apparently a lot of the writers on the show in the beginning were "foreigners" being passed on as Canadian citizens... and there's some speculation former head writer Joe Fallon was among them, because he's apparently an American from Los Angeles.

At the same time, I believe I read on the Arthur Wiki that when he did leave, the producers dropped "Crazy Bus" from the show since he had written and performed it, supposedly as a "take that" gesture of sorts.

Either way, Joe Fallon wrote most of the best episodes from the show, IMO.

 

[Drtooth]

Okay, apparently I just learned some more info regarding that whole tax fraud thing going on with Cinar... apparently a lot of the writers on the show in the beginning were "foreigners" being passed on as Canadian citizens... and there's some speculation former head writer Joe Fallon was among them, because he's apparently an American from Los Angeles.

Canada's content laws are CRAP. It's all about how every project gets tax credit IF you only hire Canadian writers and actors. There shouldn't be anything wrong with that, but in the 2000 era Berenstain Bear cartoons, Stan and Jan weren't allowed to write for their OWN creations. That's why some of the episodes were so bland and forgettable compared to the classic 1980's series. I wonder how they got Eek the Cat animated by Nelvana (a Canadian firm) when it was written AND voiced by Americans.

Not that Canada doesn't have great voice actors themselves... Scott McNeil, Ian Corlette, Harvey Atkin, John Stocker, Gary Chalk (who had a live action cameo in Watchmen), Kathleen Barr... among others... even Maurice LaMarche and Tara Strong are members of Canadian voice actor guilds, even though they work more on US shows now.

 

[D'Snowth]

Binky's real name isn't Binky?

Seriously?

Seriously?