The Lookback: Arthur 20: The Ballad of Buster Baxter/ The Contest

The Lookback  Arthur 20 

    We continue our look back at Arthur for its 20 anniversary of the TV Show premiering.   You can read the first post with select episodes from season 1 and 2 here.  We have season 3 and  4 in this post.

  Season 3 "The Ballad Of Buster Baxter" episode 1b.

       For a show like "Arthur" it does call back to itself alot , like with D.W's missing snowball and etc. In season 2, Buster Baxter left to be with his father , who is pilot , to travel the world. Many shows like this would have done this as one episode and where the (a) character (s) misses the character who leaves and they come back, but this show took a different route for the rest of season 2 ,except with the characters contacting him , Buster is not there.  (The episode he leaves is season 2 episode 12a  "Arthur's Faraway Friend")    In season 3 , Buster returns right in the season premiere.  The episode we look at is the 2nd part which has guest stars   Art Garfunkel  as a moose who sings.

Mom, what's an Art Garfunkel? /copyright WGBH

      First off, the songs that Garfunkel really are like sauce to the episode, it's a fun way to tell a story.  The plot is Buster left and now he's back and this could be relate-able to many people , you leave somewhere and then come back some time later and feel that everything has changed.  You can see how Buster is feeling  when  Brain ,for example changes the book that Buster and Arthur wrote together , when Arthur tries to add him back it just doesn't feel right for Buster.   He finds out that Arthur who used to not like a series of movies, does now and the other hints of things that Buster sees that has changed when he was gone. While some of the other kids feel that he is acting snobbish.

  Meanwhile from  the point of view of the episode itself , it's really nice seeing some call backs to moments from season 2, that really nails the time difference that Buster has had.  Buster talks to Sue Ellen , a character who comes from a family who traveled alot, that she had that in common with him.   The other kids  think that Buster has changed ,but Arthur suggests that they have a party for him and to look at his travel slides. (ah 1998).    The moment that  Buster breaks the fourth wall when Art's character sings song about him being sad , was funny.  Buster and his friends do make up in the end.
        It's an episode that young and old young can relate to , that if you leave somewhere or if someone left you for a trip or something that things kept on going and that that person may feel left out and just wants to reconnect and go back to what they left.  I never know if they could see the moose or not he seemed to jump from being the narrator to interacting a little bit.   It really added to the episode though.

 I will say Season 3 has some good episodes in it  there's the episode "I'd rather Read It Myself" where D.W  tells a very impressive story , or my season 3 favorite, "Arthur"s Almost Live Not Real music Festival" which spawned this:

Join us for reviewed look at an episode from Season 4.

     The season 4 episode we picked was episode 4A , called "The Contest"

   
 The monologue : The kids are looking for Buster and they find him writing something , they are a little worried thinking he was doing home work but instead he is doing something for a contest for a  TV Show. (there's no time though)

The Episode:   When Buster says "Oh No it's starting right now!" the episode cuts to the title card , which is a nice touch.  This episode is  about Arthur and friends writing a  story for an a TV show contest.   At the beginning when they are watching the show , you see an Arthur and D.W parody right there , which is interesting to see and rather ingenious.  It's funny to see the characters ask questions  that maybe viewers had . (I wonder if some dogs are people in the show , how come some dogs, like Pal are still dog-dogs, oh great it's the Goofy ,Pluto debate again).
     
   Buster tells the story he wrote and oh the sequence  is kind of famous for this show , that yes Buster's story looks like "South Park" , the irony now is both shows are going near 20 years old.  The adults would get the reference plus they must know some kids have sneaked seeing "South Park". They parody even the "Hey they Killed Kenny!" with Buster being squished by the aliens and Arthur being rejected by the aliens to be eaten. (wow) Poor Arthur feels hurt that really sad that Buster doesn't think he's edible.(meanwhile Buster is a rabbit so ... stew?.great don't leave)

 On the next episode of South...wait this is Arthur/copyright WGBH   

  The kids all decide to write their own stories  and they talk about their stories. Muffy's story starts with a fashion show (not shocking) but the animation style looks just like "Beavis and Bitthead", which wow, two more mature audience shows getting referenced on a show on PBS (in the United States).  Seeing Buster and Arthur in B&B style is funny just to see.

He He Thanks to viewers like you He he /Copyright WGBH

 
  With Brain's story the animation page omage to a popular show that came out the same year as "Arthur".  That would be "Dexter's Laboratory" , the animation style is really good at looking like the show and poor Arthur being the Dee-Dee of Brain's story.
                       

In Brain's Laaab!!!/Copyright WGBH

  Francine and Binky's story was told in WWE style , and Arthur is in the ring with Hulk Hogan (what ?) then next in ring Arthur has to fight 3 guys and the United Press International (which made me laugh more than it should). At least Arthur had a better  result in this story than the other 3.

 The United Press International  could take Arthur/copyright WGBH

 In speaking of Arthur , his story is done as a parody of the Comedy Central show "Dr.Katz" , like that show it had squiggle vision. This is like the 3rd mature show referenced in this episode . Takes place 10 years in the future , he's 18 he bought a house and D.W traded his car in. (I hate when my 14 year old sister does that, somehow).

When Arthur is 18 he's squiggly/copyright WGBH

   They send their stories in and 5 years later the winner is announced and it's someone named Holly Holand.  Again the animators must have had fun making Arthur and friends be 13 or in Binky's case 14. They decide to write more stories just for fun and hmm I smell spin off.

Post log (yay)  : The stories sent in were by real people (hope they didn't have to wait 5 years) . The  episode itself was an idea by a girl named Holly Holland is amazing as well.  For the American audience , PBS adds a segment called "Word from us kids" and girl who  thought of the episode was introduced and talked about the episode and everything.

  As you can tell,  I loved this episode it had a comic timing that was great , yes the references are great , it's fun to see  a show try some different styles in an episode and they went all out this is back when cartoons were still ink cells so that's even more impressive.