Episode 13a: So Long, Spanky
The Cold Open: D.W has a bird name Spanky (that's a name) and that Arthur mentions that he's not a big fan of the bird. He does feel a little sad for him though since he does have to be D.W pet.
The Episode: A little of season 1 flavor for us this time. You get a bit of that early Arthur charm. This episode deals with death. Death of pet, but death. D.W was talking to her bird and notices he's a little sick and thinks to get him some water but then death. D.W brings Spanky to her father to tell him he's not getting up and David explicitly says dead. But this is a PBS show and PBS shows for children aren't shy, so death , a heavy topic, gets a spotlight here. Commendable. I think this is one of the first Arthur "issues" episodes where the show takes an approach of looking at a more serious topic and working with it.
I am concerned that Arthur just runs into the kitchen and asks is something dead? like that. But he does care when he finds out that Spanky has died. D.W asks a question about if Spanky will ever wake up and her father says he won't, he's gone. They do a funeral for Spanky. Also a toad shows up and that's important for later.
This episode does give some nice Arthur and D.W moments, though he might be acting too quickly on the idea of helping her find a new pet. She tells the toad that it can't stay in the can she put on top of Spanky's grave, then in jumps into her backpack and scares two kids whose plan were to scare her. (Also Billy and Bobby seem like protype Tibbles that didn't make it) Later is causes some havoc in her preschool class.
Later the toad comes back and helps get D.W's purse that fell out of her hand. (Sentient toad) When she's getting tucked into bed, she asks about Spanky again, and then the todd shows up in her bird cage. She then chases him around her room. The next morning, she wants to find him and seems worried about him after not seeing him. She finds him when she thought her mom had put him the washing machine, then he leaps through the house.
Finally, she decides to make him her pet.
The episode doesn't linger on the death and how D.W handles it, but it does bring it up as part of what happens to Spanky, a bird we only saw this episode, and brings that as something that happened. It handles the topic with care but doesn't into stretching it for the entire plot as much. D.W asking questions that fit well with her age and what could be her way of trying to understand. I liked Arthur trying to help her, and the Toad was pretty fun.
It's a good episode, unless you are a bird.
More after the jump
Episode 13b: Buster's New Friend
The Cold Open: Arthur says everything in his room has a meaning and that leads into him talking about a magnet and says that this was the magnet from the time he and Buster almost stopped being friends.
The episode: Buster and Arthur are working on a science project together, but first Bionic Bunny is on and Buster is apparently missing it. Arthur finds out there's a new friend named Mike. (Buster is cheating on Arthur, that hussy) Arthur has Buster invite Mike over, but they don't show up. Arthur gets thoughts that Mike is trying to turn Buster against him.
The other kids are also mentioning that Buster is flaking out on them. They try the silent treatment which didn't seem to work. This episode also gets some strange imagination spots. Arthur yells at Buster and tells him that he's off the science project. Arthur decides to send the stuff that he got from Buster to him and starts moving a heavy box and runs into Buster who helps him with the box. Buster mentions he's sorry about not paying attention to the project.
It is kind of neat to see Arthur kind of just let it go after talking to Buster and go watch their show together. Buster mentions Mike again and that sets him off. To find out that Mike wasn't a kid, but more a teen kid, who is playing "The Big Brother" for him. That makes Arthur calm down a bit.
Kind of a weird episode, Arthur getting jealous that Buster was spending time with what he thought was another kid was kind of charming, though. Funny to see Buster pretty much not be aware his friends were mad at him, and I liked how Arthur kind of just stopped being mad when he and Buster started talking as they walked to Buster's place and later when Arthur finds out that Mike is a teen boy. It's a nice touch to just have a problem just get diffused so easily, as many times can be.
That's it for now, tune in next time when we find we get this toad of out here.
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