Hey Arnold!: episode notes
ungvichian
Anyways, it's been almost two years since I started these notes
threads, and I haven't had many replies to my threads in several
months. So... yay? Now, on to the next episode.
There's a "New Bully on the Block" named Ludwig, and "Phoebe Breaks a
Leg", so now it's _her_ turn to boss Helga around. Thoughts follow
shortly, all corrections welcome.
"New Bully on the Block"
- We open at the vacant lot, which is now a football field. I thought
it was always a baseball field? Anyways, there are two teams of
football players. Arnold is on a team with Helga, Gerald, Phoebe,
Curly, Sheena and Sid (counterclockwise). Arnold is elaborating on a
complex play called the "Over Under Triple Reverse Corkscrew Hail Mary
Terminator", and Helga wonders why he makes everything so complicated.
One, these plays worked in "Mudbowl" against Wolfgang, two, Helga is a
person who prefers the final result, if her reaction to an
unseen-by-viewers bunt at the start of "Best Man" is of any indication.
Animation error: When Helga says "Criminy, football head", the
animation only covers Helga saying "football head"... her mouth is shut
when she says "Criminy" (as they're panning over to her).
- The other team is Park, Harold, Joey (or Nadine?), Stinky, Rhonda,
Iggy and Eugene. Okay, Arnold's team breaks. Sheena snaps to Arnold.
Harold punches Curly. Arnold throws long to Sid, and... it's
intercepted by Wolfgang??? Anyways, everyone expresses their disgust at
the whole deal (Joey is shown in one of the shots, but that would mean
that the teams aren't equal). Some kid who isn't Edmund throws long to
Wolfgang, who pushes Harold out of the way. Arnold tells the others
that Wolfgang usually gives the ball back when he's done.
- Suddenly, some guy we haven't seen before walks on to the pitch and
call Wolfgang monkey face. Guy tells them to clear off his vacant lot.
A&G explain that they found the lot full of junk and turned it into
Gerald Field ("The Vacant Lot"). Guy says he was at juvenile hall for a
few years. Although this is our first glimpse of the guy, Arnold
apparently knows him as Ludwig. Ludwig tells everyone that he's in
charge of the fourth grade wussies now. Wolfgang fights Ludwig over
that claim.
- Arnold takes the ball, and they walk off the field. Eugene, Harold,
Rhonda, and Sheena are standing on the sidewalk in the background. In
the next shot, however, Harold and Sheena are shown walking off the
field, and Eugene and Rhonda are nowhere to be seen. As the bullies
continue fighting, Stinky is okay that Wolfgang has Ludwig to fight
with now, but Arnold says that their lot is the only place they've got.
Sid says that they should just sit back while the jerks kill each other
(and yes, he does use the word "kill"), but Arnold sez it's not going
to be that easy. There's some place called Mystic Hut in the BG.
- The fight fades out to the shot of the city from "Gerald's Game", as
Stinky is at bat in baseball with Helga as the catcher. They're playing
on the street, while Wolfgang is playing football at the vacant lot,
and Ludwig runs across while he's playing soccer. They fight, again.
Meanwhile, outfielders Arnold and Gerald see the situation unfold. Back
to the baseball, and their ball bounces off a car into a dump truck.
Arnold says that they have to make a deal with the bullies to get them
to share the lot without fighting. Like that's gonna happen, but Arnold
decides to give it a try anyway. Clockwise arrangement: Arnold, Stinky,
Helga, Brainy, Curly, Harold, Sid and Gerald. No one's with him tho,
except for Gerald (rolls eyes). Gerald is standing behind, while
Brainy's in a trashcan.
- Arnold makes his case to the bullies, and cue shot of stars, if you
get my drift. Arnold has a black eye... which in this cartoon is drawn
as the usual eye with a thicker "burnt" outline. He's now at PS 118's
playground swing with Sid on the swings with him, Gerald, Helga and
Phoebe on the bars, Curly, Harold, Eugene, and Nadine sitting on the
ground, and Rhonda and Nadine standing. Arnold's new plan: get the two
to play a football game against each other, winner gets the field,
loser has to play somewhere else, and Arnold then will make a deal with
the winner. Wolfgang trips some girl with a ball. Arnold goes to make
the deal. He tells Wolfgang that Ludwig sent him to tell him that
Wolfgang can just go ahead and use the lot after school. Wolfgang's got
oboe lessons until four, but after four is okay. Wolfgang pushes the
tetherball into some innocent bystander.
- Arnold goes over to Ludwig, taking lunch money from kids, and makes
essentially the same deal. Ludwig has tapdance lessons. BTW, he asks
Arnold for his lunch money (rolls eyes).
- It's 4. The bullies arrive at the field. Arnold tells him about the
football game. The bullies are planning to pit their guys against each
other... until 4th graders happen to pass: Helga (as the catcher in a
baseball game), Sid, Stinky, Iggy and Rhonda. For their baseball game,
stop sign's first, manhole's second, Chocolate Boy (who happens to be
at the sidewalk) is 3rd. This is just a few eps before he stops eating
chocolate BTW. So the bullies got a different idea. Split the fourth
graders into teams, and have them coach different sides. Winner gets to
run the lot, and the bullies force Helga into the deal with (STAR
SHOT!) a black eye.
- Left to right for picking: Eugene, Phoebe, Nadine, Rhonda, Iggy,
Helga, Arnold, Curly, Harold, Sid, Stinky, Brainy, Joey, Sheena. Ludwig
decides to pick "Tubby". Who wanted to be on Wolfgang's team, but hey,
it's Ludwig's decision.
- Anyways, the teams have been picked. Park (he's here too?), Iggy,
Arnold, Gerald, Helga and Phoebe are playing for Wolfgang. Eugene,
Curly, Rhonda, Harold, Joey, and Stinky (as you'll see in a few secs)
are playing for Ludwig. Ludwig decides that they'll play until sunset
behind the wall. Wolfgang calls heads on the coin toss. It comes us
tails so Ludwig tells Wolfgang to kick off. Arnold kicks off, and the
music accompaying the kick off is the theme to "Fighting Families", as
Stinky gets the ball, and is immediately tackled by Arnold, Helga and
Brainy.
- Ludwig huddle. Curly yells at Ludwig to give him the ball, and gets
pushed off. Rhonda, Joey and Sheena are told to go long. Next play,
Stinky throws to Joey... and Joey gets tackled by Arnold, Gerald,
Helga, and Harold (?). Ludwig's frustrated, Wolfgang's giddy. Everyone
tells everyone how much they hate the fifth graders (Iggy's in the
tackle for some reason).
- Arnold throws a TD to the name sake of the lot, Gerald, over Rhonda.
Score is 6-0, and the football score is placed in the 2nd inning box.
But Harold takes the ensuing kickoff all the way back (from left to
right: Iggy, Stinky, Gerald, Arnold, Rhonda, Sheena, Brainy, Helga,
Eugene, Phoebe) to tie it 6-6. Arnold sees Ludwig and Wolfgang ribbing
each other.
- Kickoff. Helga huts. Iggy runs into Stinky. Helga hands to Phoebe for
a TD, 12-6. Kickoff. Rhonda. Lateral to a bewildered Sheena. Pile up,
with Brainy, Iggy, Phoebe, Helga, Arnold and Gerald. Ludwig huddle
again. Curly sez "Just give me the ball" again, Ludwig shoves him
again.
- Okay, Joey catches the ball, avoids Helga, Sid and Iggy, and runs in
a TD. 12-12. Stinky punts with half of his left leg pant missing.
Gerald catches with one of the 3's ripped off his shirt. Harold, Stinky
and Rhonda tackle him.
- Arnold snaps to Helga, she gives it to Sid, and he's tackled by (from
his left to right) Curly, Harold, Joey and Stinky. Helga passes to
Park, where he's tackled by Joey and Stinky. Helga next passes to
Arnold, and Eugene trips. Nadine placeholds for Joey to kick in an FG.
15-12, Wolfgang. Kickoff, and Eugene runs in a TD to make it 15-18.
Nadine then picks off an Arnold throw for Helga, and Joey, Curly,
Harold, and Rhonda cheer after she's tackled.
- Ludwig huddle. Seeing that they're ahead, Ludwig decides to
acknowledge Curly's request for the ball. Sheena runs into Helga. Curly
gets the ball from Stinky, and jetes his way past Gerald and Brainy,
accompanied by some classic music, as Nadine, Joey, Sheena and Eugene
celebrate... and then he jetes off the field into the street :D Arnold
notices that the two bullies (who now need to get a new ball) are doing
some friendly punching.
- Late in the game. The score is still 15-18. Ludwig tells Arnold to
kick an FG to tie ("It's better than losing"). Helga tells him to miss
it to let Ludwig win and end everyone's troubles. Arnold points out how
much the bullies have become friends, and says that maybe he'll tie it
up and get along with the other bullies.
- So, Helga takes the snap from Brainy and placeholds it for Arnold as
Iggy runs into Stinky. There's a shot of Harold, Sheena, Nadine, Gerald
and Sid watching the ball, but the next shot of the sunset shows
Brainy, Iggy, and Phoebe in one group, and Sid, Stinky, and Gerald in
another watching it go in. Park, Phoebe, Sid and Iggy raise their hands
in celebration as the FG is in.
- So now that it's all tied up, the bullies take Arnold's suggestion
and decide that they should share the field... and then decide to keep
all the 4th graders away! So everyone's protesting (okay, Arnold,
Gerald, Sid, Harold, Rhonda, Stinky and Helga). STAR SHOT! For some
reason, only Helga, Stinky, Arnold and Gerald (from left to right) are
being hung by the field goal crossbar. Helga is mad at Arnold for
losing the lot, and that's how the story ends.
- Not the only time that a bully voiced by a former Arnold got away
with pummeling Football Head in his debut: "Longest Monday" and
Wolfgang putting Arnold and Gerald in the trash, anyone? But at least
Wolfgang made several more appearances after that including this one,
whereas Ludwig (despite being Wolfgang's best friend now!) never
appeared in another speaking role. I mean, he isn't even one of those
who are taunting "Chocolate Boy" in that episode.
- Quotables: "Why do you always have to make everything so complicated?
It's a simple game: get the ball down the field" (Helga) "I can't
understand you: I don't speak fourth grader" (Wolfgang) "_Your_ vacant
lot?" "_His_ vacant lot?" (Wolfgang, Arnold and Gerald) "Hey, those are
my fourth grade wussies!" (Wolfgang) "Sheesh, what a couple of
baboons!" (Helga) "Well, I say we just sit back while those two jerks
kill each other, and then when they're dead, we can have our lot back"
"I don't know Sid, I don't think it's gonna be that easy" (Arnold and
Sid) "Who you callin' fruitcup, cheesebreath?!?" (Wolfgang) "What a
waste of a good vacant lot" (Gerald) "CAR!" (bink) "This really bites"
(Helga, Stinky) "What's he doin' here?" "What's he doin' here?" "What
are _you_ doin' here?!" (Ludwig and Wolfgang) "Oh no, I am _not_ gonna
be part of your dumb little football game (PUNCH!) I can't believe I'm
part of their dumb little football game" "It'll be worth it, you'll
see" (Helga and Arnold) "Hey, my name's not Tubby, it's Harold!"
(Harold) "I hate everybody, and you're sittin' on my leg" (Gerald)
"Tied again, cheesebreath" (Wolfgang) "You got lucky" 'No luck dude,
just talent" (Wolfgang and Ludwig as Nadine intercepts Arnold's pass)
"Arnold, you are such an idiot" ... "Ah, what a guy" (Helga) "We have
two bullies, and NO VACANT LOT!" "Looks like we'll have to go to plan
B" "What's plan B?" "I'll tell you as soon as I think of it" (Helga,
Arnold and Stinky, and isn't Arnold's line a lot like what he said in
"Casa Paradiso" to the other boarders when Phil kept insisting on
moving?)
"Phoebe Breaks A Leg"
- We kick off at PS 118, with Phoebe sharpening pencils for Helga.
Helga sez they're not sharp enough. Phoebe pokes her middle finger with
one of the pencils :D
- Cafeteria. Nadine and Rhonda at one table, Arnold and Gerald at
another, Sid and Stinky at another, Eugene and Iggy at another, and
Helga is joining Phoebe at another. Helga immediately orders Phoebe to
fetch her her lunch. Burger and fries, chocolate milk and two bendy
straws. Helga reads Bang Comics, and takes Phoebe's cheese sandwich.
- Later on, as Phoebe's headed to the library, Helga dumps a few extra
overdue books on top of Phoebe's one non-overdue book while Helga's
busy checking her teeth. In one shot, she's shown holding 8 books, but
in the next she's shown holding 9.
- Phoebe tells her to hold the bus for her, due to the extra delay from
the extra books. Helga replies "Sure thing"... but when Phoebe gets
out, Helga is reading comics instead of holding the bus, while Stinky,
Sid and Harold are in front of her. The bus leaves, and Phoebe laments
that Helga couldn't (uh, wouldn't?) do that one thing for her. Oh yeah,
and Phoebe's forced to walk home in the rain (she has one book in her
hand).
- Later that night, she's dreaming that she's just finished shining a
palace's floors. Queen Helga asks her to clean her feet, shine her
sceptre, and de-louse her dog (who looks like Santa's Little Helper
from The Simpsons, only with Helga's usual hair). Phoebe asks Helga for
a favor, to remove her shackles for a little extra dexterity. Helga
laughs at her request as she wakes up...
- ...to a phone call from Helga, telling her to pick up her
dry-cleaning ("only" 10-12 blocks out of her way) and a dozen donuts
(chocolate cream filling, pink frosting, heart-shaped sprinkles).
- While Phoebe's busy carrying Helga's clothes (her usual dress and
shirt) and two boxes of donuts interpreting her dream, she walks off
the sidewalk next to a postbox and she's suddenly mowed down by a bus
as Nadine and Stinky are walking into PS 118. At the scene of the
accident (replete with broken Phoebe glasses), Arnold assesses that
Helga's errands have something to do with it (Gerald and Stinky are
there too). Helga decides to run to the hospital, but not before
picking up a donut from the sidewalk (EW!)
- Drymon Medical Clinic ("Gerald's Tonsils", "Sid's Revenge",
"Grandpa's Birthday", "Baby Oskar"). Helga finds a full-casted body a
la "Sid's Revenge". Helga says to cast guy that this would never have
happened if she hadn't ordered her to get donuts (described once again
in detail) and dry-cleaning. Turns out this ain't Phoebe (given the
size difference between cast guy and her, she couldn't tell?), as she
comes into the room in a wheelchair, revealing that she just broke a
leg as opposed to her whole body (her words are "minor stress
fracture"), and is relegated to a wheelchair for now. Helga essentially
repeats what she just said to cast guy, and adds that until that cast
comes off, she'll be Phoebe's servant, and tells her: "Don't try to
talk me out of it!"
- PS 118. Phoebe is being wheeled in. Helga rearranged Phoebe's desk,
and restocked it with fresh supplies last night by slipping a janitor
$20 to allow her to raid the school store. At cafeteria she gets Phoebe
her first course (which fills the whole tray). Phoebe appears to be
reading Moby Dick.
- Joey, Brainy, Park and Lorenzo are boarding the bus. Helga drags
Phoebe on to the bus with a purple ribbon as blindfold, and she shows
her a banner saying "Reserved Until Further Notice Helga G. Pataki" on
the "exclusive" front leftside seat, usually the domain of Rhonda and
that chick from "Rhonda's Glasses". Ol' Betsy had to put in some OT for
that, says Helga. There are ads in the bus for Glad-Blad and Acme Pet
Grooming Supplies.
- Back to Drymon. Doc says Phoebe has made a miraculously quick
recovery. The doctor says that he'll be taking off her cast today and
return her to her normal life. Phoebe ponders the errands she was
forced to do the last time she had a normal life... and asks for the
cast as a souvenir. At the Hyerdahls', it's raining. Phoebe is smashing
the cast with a mallet, and adding a couple hinges with a welding iron.
Don't try this at home, kids. So basically, she turns the cast into a
fake cast to trick Helga with.
- Fade out from Phoebe's devious smile (something I'd thought I'd never
see) to PS 118, where it's raining. Arnold pops open the room 206 door
for Phoebe. Phoebe tells Helga that she'll have to wear the cast for a
couple more weeks. Helga drops tons of books, one of them saying US
History. Helga of course says that she's here to serve Phoebe...
- Cafeteria. Park, Iggy, and that fifth grader who wasn't Edmund from
"New Bully on the Block" are having lunch. Phoebe is listening to a
walkman. Helga serves her lunch: Broccoli cheese puff, fruit juice,
chocolate pudding cup. Phoebe wants tapioca pudding, so Helga takes it
back to the line, and in the line are Joey, boot lady, and Lorenzo.
- Lockers. Helga has reorganized Phoebe's locker. Phoebe tells her to
re-alphabetize the books in the locker. Obliging. Bus. Boot lady's on
the sidewalk. Phoebe orders Helga to sit with Brainy. Brainy falls on
top of her lap :D Arnold, Gerald and Stinky point out how strange this
is.
- Library. Helga is showing Phoebe a book. Phoebe feels an itch. She
decides to wheel herself over to one of the shelves. While she's busy
scratching her cast leg, Arnold pops in. Phoebe admits to it being a
fake, but that raises another question from Arnold: Why is she faking
her injury anyway? Anything to do with Helga? Phoebe says no, and
Arnold tells her that treating Helga like Helga treated Phoebe won't
help anything. Bell rings, time for class.
- Fade out to PS 118. Row next to the wall: Sid, Helga, Curly. Rhonda
is fronting the next row, and Phoebe is sitting next to Helga. Phoebe
asks Helga to refluff her pillow, and she obliges. Arnold (two chairs
from Helga) notices. Phoebe decides she's had enough fluffing (there's
a turkey on the wall).
- Cafeteria. Iggy and Stinky at one table, Lila and Sheena at another.
Helga tells Phoebe that she shouldn't be eating cafeteria food, and
throws a food tray at Eugene :D and gives her homemade avocado rolls.
Arnold passes, and Phoebe decides she's not that hungry, even as Helga
points out that she has other lunches in her locker.
- Fountain. Sid is passing Phoebe giving Helga a shampoo. Campfire Lass
and Siobhan ("Phoebe Skips") are looking on. Helga gives her four
choices of shampoo: It Girl, Spike Organics, L'eau de Tonggor (sp?),
and Phoebe's choice, Pomegranate Passion. While Helga's lathering her
hands with the shampoo, Arnold walks into 206. Phoebe decides that
she's not interested in getting a shampoo, and wheels off past Rhonda
and Nadine.
- Phoebe is wheeling herself to the sidewalk as Lila, Park, Sid and
Harold walk onto the bus (Rhonda and Gerald are already on). Phoebe
soliloquys about calling the whole thing off... when Helga suddenly
arrives with her mathbook, notebook and calculator, and (recklessly!)
runs across the street to call a cab to take her to a Swedish massage
appointment. While Helga drops a few quarters, Arnold is at the back of
the bus looking at Phoebe. Phoebe realises that this has everything to
do with Helga, and seeing that there's a huge honking truck barreling
down towards Helga, _who's on the street trying to pick up her
quarters_... Phoebe takes off her cast and runs straight to Helga and
shoves her out of the way. Helga sees that her leg has healed, and then
tells her to call an ambulance before passing out.
- Drymon. Helga is sitting in a wheelchair with a broken leg, listening
to Phoebe explain the whole deal. Phoebe answers in the affirmative
about being used by Helga for favors. Phoebe and Helga walk about the
whole thing with doing favors. Helga says that she'll be evening out
the whole "favors for each other" thing, but what does she do? She
tells Four-Eyed Dweeb to open the door and then snag her a fruit cup,
and then press B on the elevator, which Phoebe obliges without
resistance ;) So Helga, what was that about doing favors for Phoebe...?
;) (Meanwhile, thinking of the Foster's ep "When There's A Wilt,
There's A Way", and how that ep's ending is _kinda_ similar to this
one.)
- Closing credits music: Buddy Love. Special Thanks: J.D., Toran,
Phillip, Spencer. I know the last three are former and current voices
of Arnold (all appeared in "New Bully on The Block"), but who's J.D.?
"These are duller than afternoon teal with my granny" "Redoing. OUCH!"
(Helga and Phoebe, on pencils Phoebe's just sharpened) "She couldn't
even do that *one thing* for me" (Phoebe to self, that "one thing"
being following through on her promise to hold the bus, just so we get
it that Phoebe does so many errands for Helga, and Helga won't do any
in return)
"Oh no, don't try to take the blame Phoebe. This is my fault and I'm
going to make it up to you. And so until that cast comes off your leg,
until you're completely healed, until your very serious 'minor stress
fracture' is a thing of the past... I, Helga G Pataki, am going to be
your humble servant, and I'm going to treat you like a queen" "A
queen?" "And don't try to talk me out of it" "Well, okay Helga, I mean
if you insist" (long quotable: Helga becomes Phoebe's servant)
"Ol' Betsy here had to put in a little overtime, but eventually I got
the job done" "Really Helga, you shouldn't have, but I'm glad you did"
(Phoebe and Helga on getting the front seat)
"After all, what Helga doesn't know certainly won't hurt her" (Phoebe)
"Like I said before, I'm here to serve" (Helga) "Actually Helga, I'd
probably be more comfortable if you sat over there (points to Brainy's
seat)" "...Moving" (Phoebe and Helga) "Helga? Taking orders from
Phoebe? Now there's something you don't see every day" "Willickers, you
ain't kidding" (Gerald and Stinky) "It's a free country. I can fake a
broken leg if I want to" (Phoebe) "As far as doing favors for each
other, it's gonna be even stevens... Phoebe, snag me one of those fruit
cups, would you?" "Snagging" "From now on, everything's gonna be much
better. ...Not ground, B, B!" "Pressing!" (Helga and Phoebe at the
hospital)
ungvichian
lapsed from USENet, meaning that I could no longer append my latest
review to the old thread (I thought I could just use the same name as
the old thread and it would append to the old thread... apparently
not). So, I have had to start a new thread, using the same name as the
old thread. For all the previous reviews, as archived by Google Groups,
check out:
Okay?
I also made this self-reply post because I forgot to cross-post the
first post in this new thread to rec.arts.animation , like I did with
the last thread for the past two years. So, this is for those of you in
rec.arts.animation who read my posts (read the quoted text for the
notes).