User blog:Scrooge200/Season 10 Review

Season 9 was kind of mixed. Will Season 10 impress?

I will rate each episode on a scale from Vomitrocious, Bad, Okay, Good, Great. At the end of my review, I'll count up how many of each rating there are in the season, and give it a rating as a whole, alongside ranking every episode in the season from best to worst.

Happy Anniversary
Just like "April 9th," this is a great special. This special manages to be really funny and have a great plot at the same time. Arthur and Buster promise to watch the Bionic Bunny special, while D.W. wants to find a tin present for her parents' anniversary. I like the ending where it turns out D.W. actually predicted what happens in the special, and D.W. trying to find tin is hilarious, such as when she asks Brain where Congo is or uses a pie tin to draw a portrait. And she ends up finding a tin can in the storeroom, meaning there's a satisfying ending to this plot unlike the D.W. subplot in "Postcards from Buster."

Arthur writing about perspective is also funny, with lines such as "If I were the size of an ant, this pencil would be the size of a tree." His assignment is a recurring theme throughout the episode, and the essay at the end based on what happened after he got out of the storeroom is very well-done. The scene where Arthur and D.W. are trapped in the storeroom is entertaining because of the canned pineapple and Western radio drama, which ends up giving them an idea as to how to escape. Overall, this is an episode I really enjoyed, and definitely a great way to celebrate the show's 10th anniversary (even if that was over a decade ago).

The Squirrels
Geez, The Squirrels has a really big impact on Elwood City if it causes mass panic over squirrels every time it airs. I like how this episode shows that watching a cartoon about something still doesn't help you get over your fear of it, it's handled realistically. The class only gets over their fear of squirrels after they see one up close and where it can't harm them. I like how Binky is the only one to have not seen the movie at first. Overall, I'll give this episode an okay.

Fern and Persimmony Glitchet
I actually did write a letter to Lemony Snicket as a kid. He sent me a list of "answers", and to this day I have no idea what it means. I still thought it was cool to get a response from an author, though. The references to A Series of Unfortunate Events in this episode are accurate and they imitate Lemony Snicket's style pretty well.

I don't agree with this episode's moral. I think simple, feel-good stories can be nice sometimes, and not everything has to be overly dark and edgy. In this episode, everyone hates Fern's writing when it's happy and they only like it once she writes an edgy story. She doesn't even rewrite the happy one, just makes a sequel that abruptly changes everything about the original to make it dark. There could've been a moral about listening to feedback to rewrite a story and make it better. I have no idea why Fern even did a story so different than something she would usually do, and then write in her regular style after she thinks she's a bad writer. There are some good references in this episode, but the weird moral leaves me feeling conflicted. It's okay.

Desert Island Dish
Salad, tacos, hamburgers, I can think of multiple foods that could fit in all five food groups. It makes Brain look a bit ignorant for not thinking of it earlier. The episode moves pretty fast and doesn't get boring, at least. It's okay.

The Secret About Secrets
I like how this episode doesn't spend too long on D.W. wanting to know a secret. It helps set up the scenes where when D.W. does learn a secret, she struggles to keep it. This episode kind of reminds me of "Bleep" and "D.W.'s Baby," but it's handled better. In the end, James's secret doesn't get out, amd D.W. learns a way to keep secrets and tells Emily. It's a satisfying ending. I also like the imaginary sequences where D.W. is in a club for secret holders, it has a really cool atmosphere. There are some good jokes in this episode, like the Brady Bunch-style collage of people saying "It's a secret!" and D.W. having "secret-itis." Overall, I think it gets a good rating.

Feeling Flush
This episode is really funny and the plot is interesting. I also like how while Francine loses the bed with Arthur, the toilets in her building are replaced to save water, so she technically wins too. It gets a good rating and I enjoyed it.

Family Fortune
Arthur could've got five thousand dollars but gave the apron to a 1 year old. This is just stupid, since it's not like Kate liked that apron specifically for any reason and would probably be just as happy with any other apron or blanket. You could buy hundreds of aprons with that money! This is even dumber than "Arthur and the Big Riddle"'s ending. Anyways, I think the rest of this episode, such as Buster and Muffy's side plots, don't really amount to anything. I don't think the ending makes this entire episode bad, but it's still not very good either. It's okay.

Season Notes

 * Since this is the 10th season, there are number 10s hidden all throughout the episodes. I think it's pretty fun to look for them, even if it doesn't change my ratings.

Rating Counts

 * Great: 1
 * Good: 2
 * Okay: 4
 * Bad: 0
 * Vomitrocious: 0

Season Ranking

 * 1) Happy Anniversary
 * 2) Feeling Flush
 * 3) The Secret About Secrets
 * 4) Desert Island Dish
 * 5) The Squirrels
 * 6) Family Fortune
 * 7) Fern and Persimmony Glitchet