User blog:Scrooge200/Season 2 Review

Note: This review is in progress.

This is a continuation of my Season 1 review. As I concluded last time, Season 1 was not exactly the best, so is Season 2 an improvement? With the amount of infamous D.W. episodes, I'd say probably not. But maybe I'll be surprised.

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.

I have currently reviewed 34/40 episodes in Season 2.

Arthur Meets Mister Rogers
Hey, this is the first episode where Arthur plays with his glasses when he lies. Anyways, I've never actually watched Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. I've heard a lot of good things about it, but have never seen it myself. So I can't judge if this crossover is entirely accurate to that show. I don't get why Arthur would be embarrassed by Mister Rogers staying in his house. And especially why he thinks his friends will laugh at them if they see Mister Rogers. It doesn't mean that he likes the show or anything. The episode gets completely nonsensical with the ending where Rubella, Brain, and Prunella think Arthur and Buster are zombies and the police get involved... I do like Arthur and Mister Rogers talking on the swings, it's a very nice scene. The part where Binky sings is hilarious, but the rest of the episode isn't nearly as funny. This episode's plot doesn't make sense and it isn't very funny, but it does have a few good things, so I'll rate it okay. "Hey, I just met Mister Rogers!"

Draw!
Exclamation point title! This is another episode where Francine can't get away with anything, and yet if Arthur or Buster had done it, they would be treated like heroes. Also, this episode re-uses a joke from "I'm a Poet." We get a bunch of random scenes of Ms. Tingley running around the school and interacting with other teachers, which is too weird and distracts from the plot. It's like "Arthur's Cousin Catastrophe." Fern getting the entire school to insult Francine because she called her a mouse is pretty out-of-character and mean. Buster's "The Giant Slime Who Came to School" comic is really funny and I like the animation (which is similar to "Team Trouble"), and it's the highlight of the episode. Since I disliked "Francine Frensky, Superstar" and "Poor Muffy," I'll dislike this episode too, right? Well, surprisingly not. This episode is okay because Arthur and his friends actually realize what they did was wrong. It's not that Francine has to apologize, it's that they feel bad for her after they learn how she feels about the comics. A scene like this was missing in the other two episodes, and the conclusion feels satisfying here.

Binky Barnes, Art Expert
"What did we do to get stuck with Binky?" Gee, I don't know... I like how Binky is shown to be good at art in this episode, even though this changes to music later in the series. The joke about the school burning down is not very funny now. Also, this episode covers plagiarizing before "Francine's Pilfered Paper." I like the animation when Arthur and Buster look through the pamphlet and imagine themselves in famous paintings, as well as their funny comments. While I do like the ending where Binky is actually write about the painting being framed wrong, the final scene of Arthur and Buster looking at paintings upside down is kind of stupid. I struggled to choose a rating for this episode, but I'll give it a light good for having just enough positives.

Arthur's Lucky Pencil
I found a lucky pencil and it's been so lucky to me! Can we just stop the Sweetwater/Fink and Ratburn comparisons? We get that Mr. Ratburn is a tough teacher at this point, it was established in his very first episode. Arthur's actions in this episode don't make any sense; why would he think that the pencil being somewhere in his house would bring him good luck everywhere? Every "lucky" action was done using the pencil, so wouldn't he be unlucky again by not using it? Arthur's friends calling him a "luck hog" because he wants to save the pencil is kind of unneeded, and I don't know if I'm supposed to think that Arthur is being mean or that his friends are being mean. I don't like how Arthur accuses D.W. of taking the pencil after he loses it himself. Arthur complaining about how unlucky he is and how he always fails makes him seem more like Charlie Brown. And this is yet another episode that ends with loud, annoying screaming. Even though this review is negative, the episode itself is okay. These problems didn't bother me too much, and the episode isn't outright bad.

D.W., the Picky Eater
"This is spinach! And I! HATE! SPINACH!" Here's the first unpopular D.W. episode of the season. We start with D.W. throwing an embarrassing restaurant tantrum, followed by a stupid joke. Arthur is even more obnoxious and whiny and mean to D.W., particularly near the end. He's only trying to get her to try new foods because he wants to go to the restaurant and for his own selfish reasons, not because he actually wants to help D.W. And the episode ends with D.W. actually liking spinach, which is the exact same ending as "D.W. All Wet." The only good thing about this episode is when Arthur nicely shows D.W. the restaurant, but that doesn't redeem this vomitrocious episode!

Buster and the Daredevils
This episode has an interesting plot about peer pressure and doing stupid dares, but it takes half the episode to get started. There's a rather long scene of Arthur and Buster trying to rollerskate and getting hurt. Buster doing dares is more cringe comedy and is not very funny. And then after he does stand up for himself and refuse, Toby and Slink get him to do another dare. Buster's "victory" is basically just him saying "no you" and then saying something hypocritical to Brain. I like the scene where Buster imagines doing skating tricks. I don't hate this episode or anything, but it could've been better. It's okay.

Arthur Makes a Movie
I found Arthur whining about the first movie a little unneeded. But other than that, this episode is good. All the filming scenes are funny and creative; my favorite is the "a 1 or a 2" library scene. The ending isn't the best, as everyone arguing is annoying and the outtakes weren't that funny (it's just clips of the characters laughing). Still, I enjoyed the majority of the episode.

Go to Your Room, D.W.
Threatening to pinch a baby is worth a 10 minute time out? She doesn't even do anything bad this time. And it did seem like Jane was siding with Kate. This is like "D.W.'s Blankie" all over again. She is kind of overdramatic, but that's justified because she didn't do anything wrong. D.W. running around the house after time stops is random and never really explained; did she actually do everything she did during that sequence? The sequence of D.W. being forced to entertain Arthur when he's sick doesn't seem too imaginary, actually; that'd be totally in character for Season 1-2 Arthur. D.W.'s imaginary sequences after are actually pretty funny and I like them. Arthur is a jerk once again even in the non-imaginary scenes. D.W. actually does feel sorry for what she said and starts playing nicely with Kate, although the ending is insanely predictable and is the same as "D.W., the Picky Eater." In addition, this episode is kind of boring; just like D.W., I was constantly checking to see when it would be over. This episode gets an okay rating from me; I don't understand why everyone complains about it when there are a million worse episodes.

Arthur's Underwear
How out-of-character for Arthur. Binky ripping his pants isn't even funny, but everyone laughs at it for a minute straight. I don't exactly get why Arthur is scared of forgetting his pants specifically. That's not even what happened to Binky. And the rest of this episode is just Arthur taking Buster's dumb advice, and it's really stupid, particularly the "can't sleep, pants will eat me." This episode is really boring, too, and I didn't laugh at a single thing. I do like Mrs. MacGrady and Binky near the end, as they give good advice. This is also one of the few episodes with a genuine downer ending, with Buster having nightmares too. I give this episode a bad rating.

Francine Frensky, Olympic Rider
This is Catherine's first major appearance. I don't have too much of an opinion on her. She's just a meaner Francine, and all of her plots are about her fighting with Francine. I don't understand D.W.'s scene in this episode; what does it add? I can understand Francine getting jealous of Catherine, but I don't really get what convinces her to start accepting that Catherine is better than her. This episode is kind of boring, too. It's almost the exact same as "Francine's Big Top Trouble," which is a few seasons later. I'm going to give this episode an okay.

Buster Baxter, Cat Saver
Seriously? Buster becomes famous for saving a cat and gets in the newspaper, has a school assembly dedicated to him, and is recognized by people in town who start giving him free stuff? They could've had him actually do something instead of it being an accident. This story is too exaggerated for me to take seriously. Buster acting stuck-up over being famous comes out of complete nowhere, and I don't get it. The Cat Saver sequence with the song was funny. I'm going to give this episode a light bad rating for its sheer overexaggeration and unrealism. There's a subplot of Arthur getting annoyed by Crazy Bus, which is out-of-place for this episode and doesn't connect to the main plot. It is, however, the focus of the next episode, which is...

Play it Again, D.W.
D.W. was playing Crazy Bus about 10% of the week, assuming that Crazy Bus is 2 minutes long and that Arthur's count is correct. I think it's justified that Arthur only threatened to "wreck" the CD. Arthur's parents, D.W., and his friends both think he stole it. The episode is really annoying from this point on, too: D.W. continually annoys Arthur due to her thinking he took the Crazy Bus CD. And the episode ends with D.W. getting a tape of Crazy Bus, meaning that this entire episode was for nothing. There is nothing entertaining about this episode at all: Crazy Bus itself is amusing, but it gets repeated throughout this episode and the last one to the point that I myself am kind of sick of it. This is a Jerk D.W. episode instead of a Jerk Arthur one, so I'll give it a very low bad instead of a vomitrocious rating.

Update: After some reconsideration, this episode is vomitrocious.

Arthur's TV-Free Week
I like the opening to this episode. The beginning is just annoying, though. This episode is dated; I could go a month without TV. Seeing everyone resist watching TV is interesting, and I like how even Mr. Ratburn struggles with it. The other parts of this episode feel like Facebook mom pandering because TV bad, milkshakes good, electronics bad, play good, TV guide bad, gelatin good. It's not quite as bad as "The Longest Eleven Minutes" or as old man rant-y as "Arthur Cleans Up" or "The Long, Dull Winter," but I still didn't entirely enjoy it. I'll give this episode an okay.

Night Fright
I could not remember a single thing about this episode before watching it. The opening is really weird, but I love Binky's dream sequence at the beginning. It's ridiculous, funny, and kind of scary at the same time. I guess Binky's fear of people knowing he sleeps with a night light is understandable. This episode's atmosphere is really good, and there are some really funny jokes; Binky's reading light, Francine talking to a stuffed lobster, Arthur singing "Binky has a night light," and Arthur making a rude joke and nobody laughing. I'm glad I decided to do a series review because I find such good episodes like this. My favorite of the season so far.

Arthur vs. the Piano
Arthur is actually nice to D.W. here. Even though he wants her head to pop off, he does help cure her hiccups. Arthur's dream sequence is so exaggerated it's funny. There are a few other jokes in this episode, like Arthur imitating Beethoven's expression and Binky mentioning getting paint in his ears. I like Grandma Thora here, too. She's really supportive of Arthur. I'll give this episode a good rating. I enjoyed it.

The Big Blow-Up
I thought this episode was more stupid than funny. I kind of forgot what the argument was about in the first place. This episode's conflict resolution is broken. This episode does not follow the same rules as "Draw!" Like "Arthur and the True Francine," nobody genuinely apologizes or feels bad and they just want to win something. This episode's conclusion is pretty dumb. Arthur and Buster forge apology letters and give them to Francine and Brain, and they aren't mad at each other anymore; now they're mad at Arthur and Buster. So what did that accomplish? This is treated like the conflict has been resolved, and it has, but it just ended up starting a new one as well. Unlike "Buster's Dino Dilemma," this ending won't push me to give the episode a bad rating; instead, I'll give it a low okay.

Lost!
Those imaginary sequences are terrifying. I think they scared some kids. This episode is slightly more interesting than the other four-letter exclamation point title this season, "Draw!" This episode deals with a more serious issue, and it's rather scary and sad and has no humor at all. We're shown that Arthur fell asleep on the bus because he was intentionally staying up past his bedtime to read, so he can only blame himself for this. So what happens when Arthur gets lost at the edge of town? He goes into a diner, tries to call his house (the phone doesn't work), and then gets free food and a ride home in the bus. Clearly, Arthur's parents never taught him about stranger danger or what he should do if he does get lost. This episode's pacing is strange with how it skips between flashbacks of Arthur, what's currently happening, and flashbacks of the Read house. I really like the ending where D.W. sleeps in Arthur's bed and he's okay with it. That was really nice. But I'm not entirely sure what to rate this episode. I didn't think it was particularly good, but it certainly wasn't bad either. And that means I'm giving it an okay.

The Short, Quick Summer
As I write this, it's 8/12/19. What a fitting time to be reviewing an episode about summer ending! I love how this episode starts with the end of the school year, and after the title card, it's the last week of summer. This episode has two or three stupid jokes, but I can excuse them because the rest is so good and there are good jokes mixed in (like the mud sled). This is probably the most relatable episode of the show. Like Arthur, I myself have worried about not accomplishing anything over the summer or feeling like I wasted it. But I know I certainly haven't wasted this one; I started my review this summer! I like how we get to see what all the other characters were up to instead of just Arthur. And the ending is kind of lame, but I do like how Arthur realizes that he did have a good summer after all. And this episode is good! Watching this is a nice way to end my own summer.

D.W. Goes to Washington
And this is another fitting episode, because as of today (8/13/19), I myself am scheduled to suffer in Washington about two or three days from now. And... oh, geez! This episode made me even less excited than I already was! This episode wastes its first half on nothing. And it takes about three more minutes before we actually see the White House, leaving about two and a half minutes for the president scenes. D.W. is being really rude here, but I can completely sympathize with her. I despise boring family vacations too. And even though she's rude and breaks the rules during the tour, she gets rewarded when she meets the president. This episode is just a giant mess. Bad. And with that, the Good:(Bad + Vomitrocious) ratio is balanced once again...

Arthur's Mystery Envelope
The real mystery is why this episode is so stupid. Why would Mr. Haney just give Arthur an envelope and not say anything? All Arthur knows is that it's for his mother. It's full of tax documents, which makes sense as Jane being an accountant is an established fact at this point in the show, but Arthur contemplates dropping it into a sewer and throwing it away. It's logical for Arthur to think that he's in trouble, but only because of Mr. Haney's vague instructions. He could've told Arthur that he isn't in trouble or that it doesn't concern him or something. Arthur's friends don't help the situation, and this episode is just really boring. I can't decide between okay or bad, but I'll go with bad. The fact that only 1/4th of this season is good and we haven't got any great ones halfway through is worrying.

D.W.'s Deer Friend
I like the pun in the title. And that's probably the best part. The beginning is really dragged out and has filler. Arthur is annoying here. The scene after that is "TV bad" Facebook mom pandering that goes on for too long. This episode is just painful. It's over halfway into the episode before Walter appears. And yes, the episode does pick up once D.W.'s imaginary sequences with Walter start, but the episode is almost over by that time. I just don't understand what this episode is trying to accomplish. It's not funny, its moral is too random to apply to real life, and it feels like a repeat of "Arthur's Family Vacation" and "D.W. Goes to Washington." This isn't the worst D.W.-centric fishing episode; trust me, we'll be getting there eventually, but "D.W.'s Deer Friend" certainly isn't good either. It's bad.

Buster Hits the Books
The first part of this episode is kind of boring. It's played way too seriously. I do like all the weird books Buster reads in the second half; I Don't Want to Go to Afkaphazoom is a hilarious parody of Dr. Seuss books and is my favorite joke in the episode. The episode's ending is good, too. Most of this episode is pretty average, so I'll give it an okay. When you break off all your teeth, it becomes so hard to eat!

Arthur's Faraway Friend
I like how this episode is as a direct sequel to the previous episode. Sending away a main character is one of those plots that makes you think "they wouldn't really do it, there's going to be something happening at the last moment." But nope, Buster is really gone here. The scene is pretty sad with the background music and the wide shot of Arthur standing there. And this sets up a recurring plot where Arthur writes letters to Buster; they were really following this, and the Season 3 premiere has Buster returning. So we won't get any Buster episodes for quite a bit. I certainly enjoyed "Arthur's Faraway Friend," and while it isn't the funniest episode, I like the plot enough for me to give it a good.

Arthur and the Square Dance
I watched this episode, and it left me with... just no reaction whatsoever. It's dull, kind of strange, and there's nothing to say about it. I want to write more about this episode, but I can't. It's okay.

Water and the Brain
What does the opening have to do with this episode? This episode spends way too long on Arthur, Francine, Binky, and Muffy finding out why Brain doesn't want to go to the party. I don't like how Arthur and Binky try to force Brain to get over his fear; while their intentions are good, the way they do it is not. This is also one of the few times we see just Arthur, Binky, and Brain together. I do like the ending of this episode. I don't get why Brain is scared of water. Does he not like swimming? Does he not like getting wet? It's not explained. I personally love water and swimming, so I can't relate. This episode gets an okay rating from me.

Arthur the Unfunny
And unfunny this is! I did not laugh at any of the things in this episode, even if they were supposed to be funny. If you're going to have the characters laughing hysterically at something, it should actually be funny. Arthur's friends not wanting him in the carnival doesn't make much sense. Can't he be something besides a clown if he's not funny? This is a pretty unremarkable episode. It's okay.

Sue Ellen's Lost Diary
This episode's opening is funny. I like how quickly this episode's plot starts; the first thing that happens is that Sue Ellen drops her diary, notices, and is unable to find it. This episode is funny, and I like all the imaginary scenes; they're like "D.W.'s Snow Mystery," but longer and crazier. The scene where Arthur, Muffy, Binky, and Francine contemplate reading the diary is tense and I really thought they would. But this episode ends on a good note, with a moral about respecting privacy and Sue Ellen being thankful for her friends. I'm going to give this episode a light good.

Arthur's Knee
This is by far the strangest opening we've had so far. Living versions of Arthur's internal organs walk around in a white void and talk to us. It doesn't have too much to do with the main plot, either. Anyways, that scene of Arthur going down in the dump is quite horrifying. The ominous music, D.W.'s scared expressions, and the amount of danger Arthur could be in is scary. The creepiness doesn't end there, either. Until his cut is fixed, Arthur is gasping and groaning in pain, and it really sounds like he's hurt. I don't like Arthur lying at the end. I'm not entirely sure how to rate this episode, so it gets an okay for now.

Grandma Thora Appreciation Day
This episode reminds me of. Which is not a good thing. It's just as unrealistic; why would Jane buy three bags of candy and let Arthur and D.W. shop by themselves? I wasn't really amused by anything that happened in this episode besides D.W.'s fantasy of how to invite Grandma Thora, with a fortune cookie. I like the ending and how the party does end up being a success. This is a very mediocre episode and I'll give it an okay.

Fern's Slumber Party
This is the best opening yet. I love the fourth wall breaks. I like the contrasting scenes of Fern and her mother imagining Fern doing things, but... it's kind of sad if Fern imagines herself failing at everything. The party scenes commit the same problem as "Arthur's Substitute Teacher Trouble"; having characters being bored is not entertaining for me to watch. And everyone is entertained when Fern tells an overly long story about where Francine's bracelet is? I was frustrated and wanted her to just answer the question already. Also, I think it's weird that Prunella is established as being neat in this episode when "Prunella the Packrat" is about her hoarding problems. This episode is just kind of dull, but not enough for me to call it bad. Certainly better than episodes like "D.W.'s Deer Friend." So it's okay.

Love Notes for Muffy
Brain is really out of character in this episode. They try to justify it, but I still think it's not something he would do. The rest of this episode is a really complicated plan involving Brain, Arthur, Rattles, Muffy, Francine, and Fern, and it's kind of hard to keep track of. It's easy to forget why this started happening in the first place. I was surprised that George didn't end up winning, but I guess that joke starts later in the series. I'm going to give this episode a low okay.

D.W. Blows the Whistle
This episode is waaaaay too unfair to D.W. I don't like how her being safe is treated as the worst thing ever. She saves someone's life! Her complaining three times does not warrant Arthur and his friends spying on her in an attempt to prove she's unsafe. This is a frustrating episode. I don't like how rude Arthur is to D.W. at the race. Isn't Arthur being a jerk supposed to be a Season 1 thing? D.W. climbing the tree is her doing something unsafe to make sure everyone else is safe. And she does apologize for doing it. Then we don't even get to see the race. Ugh, this is a bad episode.

Francine Redecorates
There are lots of funny scenes in this episode. Francine imagining herself as Tarzan, the lacy ugly cats, Francine looking through the picture frame, D.W.'s fantasy where Arthur asks for cake ("No, now go away!") and falls down a trap door, and Francine and Catherine's insults towards each other. I like the ending, the montage of Francine in her friends' rooms, and her creepy nightmare with the bats. This isn't a very special or amazing episode, but I do find it good.

Arthur the Loser
I really hate Arthur in this episode. He cheats once and then becomes a cheating addict or something, to the point that he brags about his cheated wins to his family. Arthur even tells Brain, "If you can't take a little competition, don't play!" Brain and Sue Ellen even point out how out of character this is for Arthur. I didn't like the "cheating to lose" part, because Arthur is still unfairly trying to influence the outcome of the game. I don't believe his promise that he'll "never cheat again." This is a vomitrocious episode that wouldn't be out of place in Season 1.

Season Notes

 * This season has a lot of focus on D.W. There are many episodes that focus on her, and most of them aren't very good.
 * Binky shows up a lot. Maybe they needed another male friend of Arthur since they couldn't use Buster because of "Arthur's Faraway Friend," so they decided to use Binky instead? Brain also gets a fair amount of major appearances. I can't help but feel like episodes such as "Finders Key-pers" and "Sue Ellen's Lost Diary" would've included Buster had he not been away.

Rating Counts

 * Great: 0
 * Good: 8
 * Okay: 17
 * Bad: 6
 * Vomitrocious: 3

Season Ranking



 * 1) Night Fright
 * 2) The Short, Quick Summer
 * 3) Arthur's Faraway Friend
 * 4) Francine Redecorates
 * 5) Sue Ellen's Lost Diary
 * 6) Arthur vs. the Piano
 * 7) Binky Barnes, Art Expert
 * 8) Arthur Makes a Movie


 * 1) Buster Hits the Books
 * 2) Arthur Meets Mister Rogers
 * 3) Lost!
 * 4) Francine Frensky, Olympic Rider
 * 5) Draw!
 * 6) Arthur's Knee
 * 7) Arthur and the Square Dance
 * 8) Go to Your Room, D.W.
 * 9) Arthur's TV-Free Week
 * 10) Fern's Slumber Party
 * 11) Grandma Thora Appreciation Day
 * 12) Arthur the Unfunny
 * 13) Water and the Brain
 * 14) Buster and the Daredevils
 * 15) Arthur's Lucky Pencil
 * 16) Love Notes for Muffy
 * 17) The Big Blow-Up


 * 1) D.W. Blows the Whistle
 * 2) Arthur's Mystery Envelope
 * 3) Buster Baxter, Cat Saver
 * 4) D.W. Goes to Washington
 * 5) D.W.'s Deer Friend
 * 6) Arthur's Underwear


 * 1) Play it Again, D.W.
 * 2) Arthur the Loser
 * 3) D.W., the Picky Eater