Arthur - Where is the Show Going?

[Drtooth]

I saw today's new episode... already wrote up a lengthily review over at Hubert's forum and don't really feel like repeating all the details, but I will say that on the whole, I enjoyed the entire episode today, with "Buster's Book Battle" being a little better than "On the Buster Scale", as well as liking the messages that both entries had to offer.

I really loved some of what The Buster Scale had to say. While it's all about opinions and respecting and agreeing to disagree... I really think they made a HUGE point when everyone loved the movie and Brain pokes holes into the logic of it and everyone all the sudden hates it. That's sadly common now. Great films with little flaws that can be overlooked turn into horrible pieces of crap for some reason because the flaws are pointed out in such a way you can't unsee them by someone who's insanely judgmental. Look at how much undeserved hate the last Batman film got after a while.

But I really liked how completely unenthusiastic and joyless Ratburn was that they had to bribe kids to read. Still, it seems Buster really didn't get the hint that an unpublished manuscript isn't a book. It may never even be one. Seems they could have worked on that a little more, but overall a very strong episode. I really like these last 3 better than the first half of the season. Though I really hope Los Deados doesn't become a regular. The fact that she's the only character that has claws is unnerving. And she's unpleasant, too.

 

[D'Snowth]

I really think they made a HUGE point when everyone loved the movie and Brain pokes holes into the logic of it and everyone all the sudden hates it. That's sadly common now. Great films with little flaws that can be overlooked turn into horrible pieces of crap for some reason because the flaws are pointed out in such a way you can't unsee them by someone who's insanely judgmental.

Admittedly, despite being a Nostalgia Critic fan, that's actually one issue I DO have (and I too felt this episode put it into perspective), that so many people out there form and base their opinions on certain shows or movies, all on his reviews, without even seeing them for themselves; and like Brain's issue with the Buster Scale giving every movie he reviews (and granted, all the same kind of movie in the same kind of genre) a 10+ rating, everything Nostalgia Critic reviews is said to be terrible (to put it lightly), when in my own personal opinion, a LOT of the stuff he reviews I actually find enjoyable and hardly as bad as he makes them out to be.

 

[Drtooth]

Well, not just that. There are movies that are terrible and no one likes them, then there are movies that are good all around but for one flaw or bending of reality becomes the worst thing known to man. No one can just enjoy a movie for what it is anymore.

Though, if they were clearly watching a clear and obvious parody of Michael Bay's Transformer's movies, I side with Brain... and Brain just might be a G1 fan.

Oh... and looks like they're pulling that crap again...

Australia IS getting season 17 before we do right now in fact.

 

[D'Snowth]

A user over at Hubert's forum (whom I'm almost certain is producer/director Greg Bailey) revealed that the actual word that D.W. heard and used in "Bleep" was apparently "p!$$ off". The script and storyboard used the word "chicken" as a substitute, feeling that both Marc Brown and WGBH would get nervous if they were aware of what they were really up to... and too, because apparently according to their mouth charts, the mouth movements for "chicken" looks the same as "p!$$ off". The Korean animators were none the wiser.

 

[Drtooth]

I'm going to have to take back what I said about Fern's Stolen Story and Sue Ellen Veges out...

There was so much passive agressiveness in both episodes that it was too good to resist. Between Ladonna's PA war with the show's resident PA Queen, Fern was actually outdone by Muffy and Francine's PA war over being vegetarians for the wrong reasons.

I liked the message of the Sue Ellen episode. Sue wasn't pressuring Muffy and Francine to be vegetarians, even scolding them for choosing the lifestyle for all the wrong reasons. The least of which was a hilariously backhanded reference to celebrities that become vegetarian/vegan because it's fashionable.

And what's more, Ladonna was actually good in both episodes.

But I stand by my comment about the last episode. Arthur was way out of character. It seems like something Buster should do, not him. Even if it goes with the whole flirty teasing thing. I guess if the star of the show actually gets to be in an episode involving him, he has to be out of character now. And they finish the American season off with a clip show! Ugh! And they had to redub half the clips for consistency. Sticks out like a sore thumb in George's flashback, where Wally gives a completely different performance in the heart to heart with Arthur.

 

[D'Snowth]

But I stand by my comment about the last episode. Arthur was way out of character. It seems like something Buster should do, not him. Even if it goes with the whole flirty teasing thing. I guess if the star of the show actually gets to be in an episode involving him, he has to be out of character now. And they finish the American season off with a clip show! Ugh! And they had to redub half the clips for consistency. Sticks out like a sore thumb in George's flashback, where Wally gives a completely different performance in the heart to heart with Arthur.

Here's what I had to say about it:

While the whole entry of "So Funny I Forgot to Laugh" wasn't EXACTLY as bad as I thought it was going to be, Arthur was still TREMENDOUSLY out of character. Like raidpirate said, I can understand Arthur's perspective about his intentions of just joking around and not intending to hurt Sue Ellen's feelings, but his actions were still considerably out of character for him... and I also agree, the email he sent to Sue Ellen was certainly not something one would expect from our favorite aardvark (nor that Sheepdog Appreciation Day drawing he taped on her locker... guess he forgot Francine's doodle of a Love Duck on his locker, or Fern's "Rat and Rat Jr." sketch). But again, the show has certainly jumped on the anti-bullying bandwagon right now. And I'm sorry... it'll probably take some getting used to, but Sue Ellen's new voice is kind of irritating.

Now as for "The Best Day Ever", while I generally like flashback episodes and clip shows, I was disappointed with this one, mostly because almost all of the dialogue in the flashbacks were redubbed by the new voice actors... I guess that's to avoid confusing kids watching as to why their voices would sound different in the same episode... and I haven't paid too much attention to the credits, but is Tabitha St. Germain voicing George this season? Not only did George sound like a girl, but Wally sounds like Martha (of MARTHA SPEAKS). Good entry overall, but again, the redubbing of the flashbacks lost some points with me.

I DID have myself having a "fangasm", as Sarge puts it, when watching Binky's flashback (okay, I admit, I never watched the actual episode), because when Binky was trying to do the Monkey Face for Mei Lin in the restaurant before Arthur showed up, I heard the exact same music that's been used on COURAGE THE COWARDLY DOG for Di Lung (the Asian punk who would yell, "Watch where you're goin' ya foo!")... I guess it must be production music or something.

 

[Drtooth]

and I haven't paid too much attention to the credits, but is Tabitha St. Germain voicing George this season? Not only did George sound like a girl, but Wally sounds like Martha (of MARTHA SPEAKS). Good entry overall, but again, the redubbing of the flashbacks lost some points with me.

I'd tend to think George sounds more like Spike from that new Pony show, but I tried looking it up, and I don't think it's the same person. Definitely not Tabitha though. I'm not hugely familiar with Canadian voice acting troupes, but it seems that there's one main group... you're Ian Cortlett, Scott McNeil, Kathleen Barr... and then the Arthur VA group that sometimes includes John Stocker and Harvey Atkin (I wish they'd get him to do a guest voice for Arthur). They rarely use both in a single show.

 

[Sgt Floyd]

So full episodes of The Last Tough Customer and the chess episode are on the PBS website.

I'm still not sold on the animation, but it does look better than early previews let on. Its still stiff and can be awkward to look at in places though.

Anyway, The Last Tough Customer was surprisingly funny. I think the ending was a bit of mood whiplash, considering the rest of the episode was played for laughs, but I get the point they were trying to make.

The chess episode was...eh...just eh. All of the extra characters just seemed very out of character. Or at least flanderized. And maybe its just the animation throwing it off, but Rattle's voicework seemed kinda...stiff...or held back I should say

 

[D'Snowth]

Apparently Slink is currently voiced by the original Arthur voice actor.

 

[Drtooth]

Anyway, The Last Tough Customer was surprisingly funny. I think the ending was a bit of mood whiplash, considering the rest of the episode was played for laughs, but I get the point they were trying to make.

Eesh... good thing you didn't watch that on youtube, or you'd see some mentally underdeveloped 12 year old Social Darwinist absolutely extoll the virtues of Bullying in the comments section. I'm not kidding. Some schmucky idiot actually spammed the darn episode with his wizdumb.

Ah, Youtube... where the mentally deranged think they matter.