User blog:Scrooge200/Season 9 Review

I generally liked Season 8. I'm hoping that Season 9 is just as good.

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.

Castles in the Sky

I like seeing all the new designs for the treehouse. It's very creative and fun, and I like how the designs get modified and changed when brought to Frank Gehry. I don't like that they don't realize who he is until after he leaves, but that's a minor complaint. It's not really explained how the treehouse fell in the first place (I assume heavy snow), although I still liked the plot. They end up rebuilding the original treehouse, and this works as a kind of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" moral. Overall, this is a good episode.

Tipping the Scales

I like Dr. Fugue, and it's kind of disappointing that he only appears four times in the show (once every 2 or 3 seasons, in fact). I think it's kind of weird that the episode doesn't actually remind you of who he is and just assumes that you've seen "Arthur Plays the Blues" already. Ever since I saw this episode as a kid, it still kind of bothers me that Arthur's class doesn't actually get to sing at Crown City or go to the restaurant they were excited about. They do enjoy singing and eating at the diner they stop at, but it's still a bit disappointing. The rest of the episode doesn't feel like it has much of a conflict, either. They just do what Dr. Fugue tells them. Plus, the singing in this episode is so dull and not energetic (besides the ending). I'm a little confused on what rating to give this one, but it'll get an okay.

Francine's Big Top Trouble

Here's kind of a weird plot. I don't get why Catherine would be so good at circus tricks, or why Francine would struggle so much. This episode is pretty similar to "Francine Frensky, Olympic Rider," except this time, Francine wears a weird disguise instead of quitting. This doesn't amount to much because she's found out a minute later. The moral here is kind of strange, too, since Francine does succeed in circus camp, she just does it in a different way than Catherine. I liked the dream sequence where Francine is portrayed as an inferior sequel to Catherine, but other than this, the episode is just kind of okay.

George Blows His Top

I don't like Buster's behavior here and how he's obviously trying to guilt trip George. It's very out of character and there's no real reason for it (I understand him borrowing the pencil, but him taking George's dessert and jacket is just being a jerk). And although it's Buster that starts the problem, it's also him that ends it, since he apologizes and George ultimately doesn't get to learn to stand up for himself and say no. So there's no real moral to this episode. There are parts I like, such as Buster singing "Baxter Day" on the tape recorder and George's various fantasy sequences, so I'm not going to call this bad, but it gets a low okay.

Rating Counts

• Great: 0
• Good: 1
• Okay: 3
• Bad: 0
• Vomitrocious: 0

Season Ranking

2. Castles in the Sky
3. Tipping the Scales
4. Francine's Big Top Trouble
5. George Blows His Top