Back in September of 2016 we did an event of posts (that's a thing right?) that was focused on Arthur as the series turned 20 we looked at one (or one half) episode of each of the seasons (at the time 19, season 20 hadn't come out yet). With all that there was a lot of interest in Arthur and we got emails asking about more Arthur and even episode requests. so what better way than to try and do some more Arthur? (If you have your own requests or ideas for this blog you can email them to our email address mychiller@gmx.com or tell us on our google plus page : +mychiller )
This episode was requested a few times , and thought this would be a good time to get on it. The season finale of Season 7 episode 105 in total, April 9th.
April 9th premiered in October of 2002 and is a two part episode.
If you missed our format of this ,when we did this September I broke up the posts with a look at the monologue , the thing Arthur does at the start of episodes ,then a summary of the episode. then finish with my thoughts.
Monologue : Sue Ellen takes the reigns this episode as she writes in her journal and starts telling us about a beautiful early spring day that changed the lives of so many people. It's April 9th (don't look at me like that) and it seems like a normal day when at school when the fire alarm goes out and everyone is rushed out of the school.
Episode: The firefighters take care of the situation and Mr.Morris , the janitor is taken away in an ambulance. Arthur worries about his father who didn't come out until the firefighters got him out, while Sue Ellen's journal was destroyed , Buster came in late for school and didn't experience what happened, and Binky seems to be affected by the fire after seeing some of the flames. The kids have to spend their time at another school, the famous in the series : Mighty Mountain.
hmmmm did you do something to your..ears?/copyright WGBH
Muffy tires to replace Sue Ellen's journal but Sue Ellen doesn't accept. Buster wonders why he doesn't feel as upset about the fire as the other kids and wishes that he felt something. Arthur worries about his father and has a dream that when his father is catering at an aquarium that a giant squid grabs his father. (What?) Buster visits Mr.Morris at the hospital and they start to connect. (What a nice friendship) Muffy tries again with a journal and even a pen! Sue Ellen accepts this one . (The Pen was the deal maker) Then the fire alarm goes off what happens next? more after the jump,
Welcome back, this time everyone finds out that it is a false alarm and that someone pulled the fire alarm. Binky comes out pretty much blurting that he did it and he left his backpack under the fire alarm. He has to do some community service picking up trash where Francine's dad, who he learns used to be a volunteer fire fighter.
It's apparently been a week ,and Arthur tries to fake sick because he doesn't want his father to go his catering job. Arthur's father tells him that he when he was a kid his mother got in a car accident he was worried about her and he eventually realized that she would be alright. Sue Ellen organizes the others to make a mural for their school as it re opens. Binky seems worried as memories of the fire and he runs out of the school and runs into Francine's Dad. He suggests that Binky should talk about it. Buster finds out that Mr.Morris is not coming back, he's retiring.
Back to Sue Ellen writing in her journal finishing it off.
Now my thoughts : "Arthur" is a television series that can tackle topics that are hard in a good way. It doesn't talk down to it's audience. On Wikipedia it says this episode was written in response of 9/11, that happened the year before.
Buster represents those who might not have been at an event so fails to connect to it, or to those who haven't been in something like a tragic, worrying event, but knows someone who has and cant't connect that emotion. Binky is the person who's seen something terrifying and doesn't know what to do to process that. Arthur is the person affected by the event in a personal way, with his father's close experience that his father could have been hurt or worse. Sue Ellen's journal plot is her dealing with a loss , though in this case it can be replaced the journal has memories and her personal stories that she collected over time and those she can't get back.
This is a very good episode and shows the strengths of this show that it can do serious in a good way with a little humor to cut the tension and at the same time not talk down to it's target audience.
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