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{{Episode infobox | {{Episode infobox | ||
|ep. name = Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone | |ep. name = Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone | ||
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|us = May 13, 2019 | |us = May 13, 2019 | ||
|can = November 5, 2019<ref>[http://archive.is/p1X92 TVOkids.com Tue Nov 5] "4:03 PM Arthur Season 22 Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone / The Feud"</ref> | |can = November 5, 2019<ref>[http://archive.is/p1X92 TVOkids.com Tue Nov 5] "4:03 PM Arthur Season 22 Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone / The Feud"</ref> | ||
|uk = | |uk = | ||
|prev. episode = [[Pal and the Big Itch]] | |prev. episode = [[Pal and the Big Itch]] | ||
|next episode = [[The Feud]] | |next episode = [[The Feud]] | ||
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* [[Francine Frensky]] | * [[Francine Frensky]] | ||
* [[Muffy Crosswire]] | * [[Muffy Crosswire]] | ||
* [[Nigel Ratburn]] | * [[Nigel Ratburn]] | ||
===Minor=== | ===Minor=== | ||
* [[Paige Turner]] | * [[Paige Turner]] | ||
* [[Patty Ratburn]] | |||
* [[Patrick Ratburn]] | * [[Patrick Ratburn]] | ||
===Cameo=== | ===Cameo=== | ||
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Somewhere around the same week that the episode originally aired, Alabama Public Television's director of programming, Mike McKenzie, commented, "The vast majority of parents will not have heard about the content, whether they agree with it or not. Because of this, we felt it would be a violation of trust to broadcast the episode." Then, McKenzie pulled and banned the episode from APT (Alabama Public Television).<ref>https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/444688-alabama-public-television-wont-air-arthur-episode-with-gay-wedding</ref><ref>https://katv.com/news/local/arkansas-public-tv-refused-to-air-arthur-episode-with-gay-marriage</ref> | Somewhere around the same week that the episode originally aired, Alabama Public Television's director of programming, Mike McKenzie, commented, "The vast majority of parents will not have heard about the content, whether they agree with it or not. Because of this, we felt it would be a violation of trust to broadcast the episode." Then, McKenzie pulled and banned the episode from APT (Alabama Public Television).<ref>https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/444688-alabama-public-television-wont-air-arthur-episode-with-gay-wedding</ref><ref>https://katv.com/news/local/arkansas-public-tv-refused-to-air-arthur-episode-with-gay-marriage</ref> | ||
GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), however, argued that " | GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), however, argued that "[w]ith LGBTQ visibility at an all-time high on television, including in the Kids and Family Programming genre, this attack to censor content is not only mean-spirited, it’s a losing battle. The uptick of LGBTQ characters and stories on kids TV shows has been met with praise from families of all kinds, and media need to put context to the extremely fringe anti-LGBTQ organizations and individuals who speak out against any inclusion. TV worlds often reflect our actual world and today that includes LGBTQ parents and families. LGBTQ parents and their children deserve to see themselves reflected in media and if leadership of this public broadcasting station cannot serve the interests of the entire public, it's time to find someone who can."<ref>https://ew.com/tv/2019/05/21/arthur-mr-ratburn-same-sex-wedding-alabama/</ref> | ||
=== Petition === | === Petition === | ||
2 weeks ago, since the banning of the episode, a petition was started by user Alex Hirsch to change Alabama's decision to ban the episode. As of | 2 weeks ago, since the banning of the episode, a petition was started by user Alex Hirsch to change Alabama's decision to ban the episode. As of June 3, 2019, the petition has over 29,447 signatures. However, McKenzie has not responded to the petition yet.<ref>https://www.change.org/p/the-state-of-alabama-change-the-alabama-state-flag-to-mr-ratburn-s-wedding?recruiter=559134944&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=share_petition&recruited_by_id=2cd9ba60-3657-11e6-908c-f7ec04890aa3&use_react=false</ref> | ||
=== Birmingham methodist church screening of the episode === | === Birmingham methodist church screening of the episode === | ||
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==Trivia== | ==Trivia== | ||
* This episode confirms the long-time fan-theory that Mr. Ratburn's gay. | |||
* This episode confirms the long-time fan-theory that Mr. Ratburn's | |||
* [[Jane Lynch]] guest stars in this episode as Mr. Ratburn's older sister, [[Patty Ratburn|Patty]]. | * [[Jane Lynch]] guest stars in this episode as Mr. Ratburn's older sister, [[Patty Ratburn|Patty]]. | ||
* '''This is not the first time the ''Arthur'' franchise has depicted same-sex marriage:''' | * '''This is not the first time the ''Arthur'' franchise has depicted same-sex marriage:''' in 2005, ''[[Postcards from Buster]]'' aired the episode "[[Sugartime!]]" which included scenes of Buster meeting several real-life children with lesbian parents in Hinesburg, Vermont (at the time, Vermont was one of the few states to recognize civil unions for same-sex parents). The terms "lesbian" and "homosexual" were never said in that episode (nor are they used in this episode), but "Sugartime!" ignited national controversy when then-Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings demanded PBS return federal funding used to produce the episode. PBS subsequently removed the episode from their schedule, but several member stations chose to independently air it, including ''Arthur''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s co-producer WGBH in Boston. | ||
* '''The significance of this episode was not lost on ''Arthur'' creator [[Marc Brown]]:''' | * '''The significance of this episode was not lost on ''Arthur'' creator [[Marc Brown]]:''' | ||
{{Quote|I'm sure I'm not any different than millions of other families around the world that have people that we love who are gay, who are young families raising children, and it makes me very sad that these young families are not really well-represented or hardly represented at all in our media. And I don't think that's a good thing. This happened to be one of the ideas that... we would have a teacher getting married perhaps, and the more we talked about it the more we saw it as an opportunity for a learning experience, and this great way to represent another part of life that so seldom gets portrayed on television...I started to get emails from family members and friends about, "You're blowing up Twitter!" and I started to read some of the comments from people and it just made me feel great that we did something that was really helpful to so many people. A parent has the opportunity to watch television with their kids and explain things and expand the story that they're watching together and share their values. That's, I think, one of the beauties of television. You know, art reflects life, and life reflects art, and I think kids need to see what's happening in the world. I would hate to live in a world which is sanitized and censored, and that's really something I can't get behind.|Marc Brown interviewed by CBC<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9oQZ1k8peo</ref>}} | |||
===Cultural references=== | ===Cultural references=== | ||
*Mr. Ratburn reads ''Love Poems'' by [[Pablo Neruda]]. | *Mr. Ratburn reads ''Love Poems'' by [[Pablo Neruda]]. | ||
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*[[Patrick Ratburn]] names his chocolate of the day after Frida Kahlo, a Mexican artist and activist. | *[[Patrick Ratburn]] names his chocolate of the day after Frida Kahlo, a Mexican artist and activist. | ||
*In Arthur's imagination, Mr. Ratburn turns into a green monster similar to the Hulk after he gets angry. | *In Arthur's imagination, Mr. Ratburn turns into a green monster similar to the Hulk after he gets angry. | ||
===Episode connections=== | ===Episode connections=== | ||
*Muffy is very excited about the wedding. She previously "hosted" one in "[[D.W. Unties the Knot]]." | *Muffy is very excited about the wedding. She previously "hosted" one in "[[D.W. Unties the Knot]]." | ||
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* The music played at the wedding, the prelude to Bach’s cello Suite No. 1 in G major, is the same music that is heard when [[Thora Read|Grandma Thora]] and [[D.W. Read|D.W.]] walk to the library in "[[My Music Rules]]." | * The music played at the wedding, the prelude to Bach’s cello Suite No. 1 in G major, is the same music that is heard when [[Thora Read|Grandma Thora]] and [[D.W. Read|D.W.]] walk to the library in "[[My Music Rules]]." | ||
* There is a cutout of a jester seen on the table in the chocolate shop that looks similar to the jester that hosts the trivia game between [[Alan Powers|Brain]] and [[IQ]] in "[[The Return of the King]]." | * There is a cutout of a jester seen on the table in the chocolate shop that looks similar to the jester that hosts the trivia game between [[Alan Powers|Brain]] and [[IQ]] in "[[The Return of the King]]." | ||
* Muffy's poor grammar in the fake love poem is a callback to "[[Francine Goes to War]]." | |||
===Errors=== | ===Errors=== | ||
* The overhead sign at [[the Sugar Bowl]] says "Sugar-Free Bowl." The aerial view of the building was likely recycled artwork from "[[D.W. and the Beastly Birthday]]" when it’s suggested that the parlor is renamed in the future. | * The overhead sign at [[the Sugar Bowl]] says "Sugar-Free Bowl." The aerial view of the building was likely recycled artwork from "[[D.W. and the Beastly Birthday]]" when it’s suggested that the parlor is renamed in the future. | ||
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==References== | ==References== | ||
<references /> | |||
{{EpisodeNav|22}} | {{EpisodeNav|22}} | ||
[[Category:Episodes with guest stars]] | [[Category:Episodes with guest stars]] | ||
[[Category:Arthur episodes]] | [[Category:Arthur episodes]] | ||
[[Category:Season 22 episodes]] | [[Category:Season 22 episodes]] |