User blog:Scrooge200/Season 3 Review

Since Season 2 was better than Season 1, will Season 3 be better? I hope so!

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.

Buster's Back
I get that Arthur is excited about Buster returning (and to be honest, I kind of am too), but the way he runs out of the house screaming "BUSTER'S COMING HOME!" (he even defies physics to show Muffy a piece of paper underwater) is a little too hard to take seriously. Arthur goes through many wild mood swings; from excitement, to worry, to trying to conform to the "new Buster" (before he even knows if anything has changed), to absolute rage. And I don't like that he's doing all this before he has even talked to Buster again. When Buster's plane lands, Arthur camps by the phone and waits for Buster to call him. Even though Buster would have to get to his home phone since cell phones weren't commonplace at this time. And when Buster doesn't call (I don't know, maybe because he isn't home?), he starts getting really mad and insists that he doesn't need Buster anymore.

What about "Arthur's Faraway Friend," "Arthur the Loser," and "Arthur the Unfunny," in which we see Arthur and Buster writing letters back and forth to each other? Wouldn't Arthur be able to tell that Buster hasn't changed? This episode cheapens the ending of "Arthur's Faraway Friend."

Although I didn't like "Buster's New Friend," at least there was good reason for Arthur to believe that Buster doesn't want to be friends with him anymore. Here, he's throwing away his pictures of Buster before he has even seen him back in Elwood City. The resolution where Buster just wants to play checkers is kind of lame. Not a good return for the character. Bad episode. And this is my longest review since "Arthur's Eyes."

The Ballad of Buster Baxter
This episode starts exactly where "Buster's Back" ends. But both episodes have different plots; while "Buster's Back" is about Arthur worrying that Buster has changed, Buster finds it's the opposite and that while he hasn't changed, everyone and everything else has. And this episode has a lot of call-backs to the previous season, and all the events that happened while Buster was gone. One of the most important ones, though, makes no sense. Why would Arthur and Brain have continued Buster's Robin Hood story? "Arthur's Faraway Friend" ends with them continuing the story, and Arthur even being excited about it! Also, Muffy thinking Buster is a snob comes out of nowhere and ends in nothing. I don't get this plot.

Oh, and of course, there's Art Garfunkel. He's definitely the best part of the episode, as his songs are really funny. But can he redeem this nonsensical episode? Nope, it's okay. Buster's return is pretty underwhelming, but I'm glad to have a main character back.

D.W. All Fired Up
I like this episode. It teaches some good fire safety tips. Arthur is surprisingly nice here, as he reassures D.W. that the school isn't set on fire, tells her not to wear the wet towel because she'll catch a cold, and asks if she's okay after the fire drill. It reminds me of "Operation: D.W.!" I like that even though the Tibbles start the episode's conflict by telling D.W. that she'll be lit on fire, she still helps them when they have trouble during the fire drill. Overall, this is a good episode.

I'd Rather Read It Myself
I really enjoyed D.W.'s story. It did call-backs way better than "The Ballad of Buster Baxter." This episode is really funny, from Bustrantor's song, to Mr. Haney falling in a tiger trap, to all the references, to the book actually being about Leonardo da Vinci. The ending of this episode is good, as the Tibbles still believe that D.W. can read and that the book is magic, so everyone is happy. Great episode. If Season 3 is going to continue being like this and "D.W. All Fired Up," then I can't wait to see what's next!

Arthur Goes Crosswire
I think Arthur only started acting OOC and stuck-up at the "don't you have satellite TV?" bit. Arthur acting so stuck-up from rescuing Wilbur Rabbit doesn't make too much sense. He doesn't seem like the kind of person to behave like that. And if he's really supposed to be acting like Muffy, they should've done a better job, because it seems more like he thinks he's famous when he really isn't. And this is annoying. The episode's climax is okay, I guess, but mostly because they use an extended version of a song commonly heard in the show. This episode's gone haywire; bad.

Sue Ellen and the Brainasaurous
There's a baffling subplot in this episode about Buster trying to hide from Francine. It's not funny and doesn't make much sense. I completely forgot about it before rewatching the episode. And that's the best way to describe this episode; I completely forgot about it. It's just not very interesting. There's not much of a conflict, which is probably why that stupid subplot was added. Brain works on a model and doesn't want Sue Ellen to help. That's pretty much it. I'll give this episode an okay, but keep it in mind as a cure for insomnia.

Background Blues
Three episodes in a row about class assignments? Thankfully, this episode is more interesting. This episode has a lot of new characters, but not many of them actually do anything. Francine and Muffy's contest feels out-of-place. It's like a repeat of "Arthur and the True Francine." I don't like Francine cutting her grandfather's picture just for the contest. This is a very average and unmemorable episode; okay.

And Now Let's Talk to Some Kids
The first half of this episode is hilarious. I love all the meta jokes, and my favorite is "Every day when you're walking down the street, you stop and think!" But I don't like the second half as much. The part where everyone is on the show is kind of dull, and I don't like that they don't leave Brain alone. I think it makes the episode go from a great to a good.

The Chips are Down
Arthur and Buster convince D.W. she has been poisoned and will die soon just because she ate one of their potato chips. Thankfully, this leads to some very wholesome moments involving Binky and D.W., and I really like it. The part of Binky convincing Mr. Haney to climb a mountain is really stupid, but I do like the part where Binky does ballet. And the ending with the aliens who do ballet... that was just weird. I think there are enough negatives to make this episode okay instead of good.

Revenge of the Chip
Revenge of the chip? More like Revenge of Jerk Arthur. I hate all of Arthur's insults here. And no, I don't care that he brought D.W. to a show about embarrassing things. While "The Chips are Down" wasn't the best, this episode removed the wholesome moments that made that one better. I don't like that Jane has already told people the story without even asking D.W. how she feels about it. And is that story really that funny? Surely D.W. has done more amusing stuff. Jane treats D.W. thinking she's going to die as a joke! Ugh. Bad episode.

Binky Rules
Why would they blame Binky for some random graffiti? Is there seriously only one person in Elwood City named Binky? The boys vs. girls part is annoying and not needed. This episode is kind of boring. The only thing I'm wondering is why did they choose a band from Finland out of everything? It's not even called Binky! And they don't even play most of the song! A strange episode. Okay.

Meet Binky
I don't like that Arthur considers not taking his friends to the concert. It's pretty selfish. This episode has some funny moments, but not a lot. Like "Binky TAXES!" And the part about the holograms... what? It moves too fast for me to comprehend. I don't know how kids are supposed to understand this. Another Binky weird episode, which gets a Binky okay rating from me.

Arthur Rides the Bandwagon
Well, I like the Woogles commercial. But that's the only good thing about this episode. I don't get what this plot is supposed to be. Arthur should just give in to the fad, since he clearly does like Woogles, judging by his reaction when holding Buster's. Instead of just accepting Francine's one, he runs around in denial, getting a knockoff and a pet rock until finally he starts a new fad in an insanely stupid ending. I also find it kind of unrealistic that everyone in town has Woogles and just got them before they were very popular in the first place. Yeah, fads do get popular, but not to this degree. What a huge mess. If "I'd Rather Read It Myself" was a Woogle, this episode would be a Poogle. Bad.

Dad's Dessert Dilemma
Hey, this is the first episode featuring Arthur's dad. Well, there's "Arthur's Family Vacation," but we don't talk about that one. I don't like that Arthur uses his dad's desserts just to get popular and even starts promising cakes before he talks to his dad about it. He's being really inconsiderate here. He does hear the consequences of his actions and how his dad may lose Mr. Crosswire's business, but if he hadn't heard that, I think he would have carried out his request for over ten desserts. I do like the scene of Arthur and D.W. helping him cook. And Mr. Ratburn is really funny here. Oh, are you having good episode? No, this is an okay one.

Popular Girls
The community center setting is a nice change of pace. This episode has some funny moments and great quotes, such as "If we end up eating our friends, do we fail the test?" and "I might as well stick my tongue in a drawer and never blow again!" I like how this episode points out how stupid personality tests are and that you shouldn't take them seriously. This episode is about Fern and Sue Ellen acting out-of-character, and it leads to an interesting plot. I like how messed up everything gets without their help. Overall, a breath of fresh air from some of the particularly mean episodes we've gotten before. Good.

Buster's Growing Grudge
What an out-of-character episode for Buster. Binky tells a joke at the end of his report and Buster starts making up all these ridiculous claims that Binky's report got a good grade because of the joke, that people think Binky is funny instead of him, that not telling the joke got him a D... When Binky falls in the mud, Buster laughs and says that he "feels better already"! I get that Buster was rude on occasion in Season 1, but this is Season 3. They have established Buster's personality at this point, and this is completely not something he would do. He rants about Binky during the talent joke and he says that he won't be happy until Binky is "totally miserable all the time"... The resolution where Binky pays Buster 75 cents even though he didn't really do anything wrong doesn't help this episode. Vomitrocious.

Arthur's Treasure Hunt
The digestive biscuits part is funny. But other than that, this episode is really boring and goes on forever. It feels like they only had enough plot to fill four minutes, and then padded it out to ridiculous lengths. A very okay episode.

The Return of the King
I like how this episode gives some explanation as to why Mr. Ratburn gives such hard schoolwork. I like the contests between these weird lookalikes from Glenbrook and the Lakewood students, but the fact that Lakewood mostly loses because of Glenbrook cheating or the rules not being explained beforehand kind of cheapens it. I didn't think the whole part with Mr. Ratburn being replaced with Mr. Pryce-Jones (or so they think) was needed. An upper okay episode.

Attack of the Turbo Tibbles
I don't get why D.W. is punished here. I completely understand her not liking the Tibbles' obsession with the show, especially because it actually is impacting them during school. The Tibbles are kind of annoying and we get a lot of scenes of them watching the show and acting it out. Overall, an episode that would be unmemorable if not for the fact that D.W. breaks her face. An okay episode.

D.W. Tricks the Tooth Fairy
More like D.W.'s Tooth. This episode is just a rehash of "Arthur's Tooth." It does try to do something different towards the end, but why wouldn't Arthur tell her? He tries to get the shark tooth back only because he wants money, not because he cares about D.W. I don't get it. Or why wouldn't he tell her another way to get money? This show is the master of "character does X job for money" plots. The scene of Arthur and his friends dancing with their teeth moving individually is creepy and goes on for too long. This episode is not funny, not original, does not have a coherent plot. Light bad it is.

Double Tibble Trouble
I like D.W. and Emily in this episode and how they help Tommy. Arthur is even nice here, as he tells D.W. that sometimes being a good friend can be hard. I like this episode, even though the comedy isn't the best, for the story alone. It's good, even though the ending could have been better.

Arthur's Almost Live Not Real Music Festival
You know, for this Season 3 review, I've been looking forward to this episode. It's one of my definite favorites of the show. Does it still hold up after a rewatch? Absolutely. This episode is just so good. The songs are so catchy and funny. They fit the show perfectly. I can't even pick a favorite song because I love them all. I can single out "Leftovers Goulash" as my least favorite, but I still like it, just not as much. The only complaint I have about this episode is that it's kind of a clip show, but there is original animation and the clips make sense and fit the songs, so I don't mind. What a great episode.

What Scared Sue Ellen?
This is the scariest episode yet. I avoided it as a kid because it was so scary. There's some truly frightening imagery, and this episode does not stray away from jumpscares. Other than that, it's... kind of boring. Okay it is. I didn't like the ending.

Clarissa is Cracked
This is a unique episode. We see lots of different locations, such as the library, the Reads' house, Grandma Thora's house, and even Mr. Ratburn's house. The flashbacks of Thora as a kid are nice and I kind of wish we got to see more like it in the show. The parallels between how nicely Thora plays with Clarissa while she gets dirty after a day with D.W. are especially good. Every character in this episode is handled well, even D.W. and Arthur. It's a good episode.

Arthur's Dummy Disaster
This episode is... stupid. That's the best way I can describe it. Wally is annoying, the whole ventriloquism fad thing feels super out-of-place for this episode and doesn't even have anything to do with George or Wally, and I don't get if this episode is supposed to have a moral. If your giraffe puppet starts breaking, read your poem alone? What an applicable moral. That will certainly help me in real life. The ending to this episode is stupid, too; it's a good thing we don't see Wally for at least a few more seasons. Bad episode.

Francine and the Feline
The scenes with Catherine and Francine at the apartment are just okay, but I really hate Arthur here. He says that "all cats are stupid" and that "there are no good cats." Just because he heard one story about a cat biting a kid's ear off. Even Buster suggests that this story could be made up! Arthur refuses to stop his hatred of cats, even after his parents and Francine tell him that Nemo and Pal are not fighting and are playing. Pal is only sad because he wants to play with Nemo; it's frustrating that Arthur is so ignorant of that. What a terrible episode. Vomitrocious!

Mom and Dad Have a Great Big Fight
This is a dull episode. It's just arguing between Arthur and D.W. I do like Nadine here and how she rewinds the episode and pauses it, but the opening scene with that went on a little too long. I barely remembered anything about this episode before I watched it, and I don't want to watch it again. Just boring. Okay.

D.W.'s Perfect Wish
This is probably the nicest Arthur has ever been so far. He draws a picture on his calendar to commemorate D.W.'s birthday and reminds her of all the stuff she did over the year. While he does get impatient while waiting for D.W. to make a wish, he does end up falling into the cake at the end. This episode is close to a great, but it's not funny enough and the end is pretty long. I'll give it a good.

Arthur and D.W. Clean Up
I once wrote how this episode could be better. And... god, how do you mess up this bad when writing an episode? Arthur not cleaning his room and David enforcing his annoying technique. I can completely understand D.W. wanting everything in her room a certain way and not wanting Arthur to mess it up. With all the obnoxious screaming and arguing in this episode, I think Arthur didn't deserve to go to the park. This gets a low bad from me.

The Long, Dull Winter
Everyone feels out-of-character and miserable in this episode. All the holiday ideas could have and should have been funnier, because the only ones I really enjoyed were There's Nothing to Do Today Day and Garshmalterer. "Long, dull" describes this episode perfectly. Okay.

Season Notes

 * There are many episodes in this season that are sequels to earlier ones. "Revenge of the Chip" to "The Chips are Down," "Sue Ellen and the Brainasaurous" to "Arthur Goes Crosswire," "D.W. Tricks the Tooth Fairy" to "Arthur's Tooth," and "Meet Binky" to "Binky Rules."

Rating Counts

 * Great: 2
 * Good: 6
 * Okay: 13
 * Bad: 7
 * Vomitrocious: 2

Season Ranking

 * 1) Arthur's Almost Live Not Real Music Festival
 * 2) I'd Rather Read It Myself


 * 1) D.W.'s Perfect Wish
 * 2) And Now Let's Talk to Some Kids
 * 3) Popular Girls
 * 4) Clarissa is Cracked
 * 5) Double Tibble Trouble
 * 6) D.W. All Fired Up


 * 1) The Chips are Down
 * 2) The Return of the King
 * 3) Attack of the Turbo Tibbles
 * 4) Background Blues
 * 5) What Scared Sue Ellen?
 * 6) Dad's Dessert Dilemma
 * 7) Binky Rules
 * 8) Arthur's Treasure Hunt
 * 9) Mom and Dad Have a Great Big Fight
 * 10) Meet Binky
 * 11) The Ballad of Buster Baxter
 * 12) Sue Ellen and the Brainasaurous
 * 13) The Long, Dull Winter


 * 1) D.W. Tricks the Tooth Fairy
 * 2) Buster's Back
 * 3) Arthur Goes Crosswire
 * 4) Arthur's Dummy Disaster
 * 5) Revenge of the Chip
 * 6) Arthur Rides the Bandwagon
 * 7) Arthur and D.W. Clean Up


 * 1) Buster's Growing Grudge
 * 2) Francine and the Feline

Final Thoughts
This season is better than Season 2, with less vomitrociouses and actually some greats. The D.W. episodes are better this time. There's no doubt that this season is better than Season 1, either. So it looks like Arthur is picking up after all.

A lot of the okay episodes are leaning towards bad, with the only real one that's close to good being "The Chips are Down." We get some nasty out-of-character moments, such as in "Buster's Growing Grudge," "Arthur Rides the Bandwagon," "Meet Binky," and "Dad's Dessert Dilemma." There are more Tibble episodes this time, which is a good thing, because most of them were enjoyable.

Now, onto Season 4!