Episode 6a: Speak Up, Francine
The Cold Opening: Arthur says that there are some people who love being in the spotlight, while Francine freaks out and Arthur says that's Francine. Who apparently then faints as others cheer speech.
The Episode: Arthur, Francine, Muffy, and Buster go near the creek and find dead fish. Francine's dad explains that some lawn stuff can get into the creek and cause fish death. Francine takes this personally. Buster, Arthur, and Francine make a film to warn people about the problem. The acting is better than a lot of films. The parks department wants one of them make speech for the Earth Day thing. Muffy decides that she can do it. Arthur and Buster pick Francine and she accepts.
Francine does a school report and it goes badly it seems that Muffy might have messed up her mind thinking about thousands of people. She decides to practice her speech and Muffy doesn't help very well. Ladonna offers to help. I loved how Ladonna tricks Muffy into letting her go with Francine to help her. Amazing work. (clapping.) I find this interesting, but is she helping? Who knows?
Ladonna makes a test audience for Francine and we get an image spot of Francine just falling apart. Francine decides to let Ladonna do it, which is also a plan, but the winds of change decide to interplay into the plot and make plot happen and have the papers blow away. Ladonna can't do the speech and Francine decides she has to do it now.
The speech has gone well, even if we didn't hear all of it. There we go.
I can't really chip hard into many later Arthur episodes. That's something I'll say in this post for some reason. There's a simplicity, because PBS Kids, and later Arthur went for more simple ideas. It's actually a good environmental episode something that is very hard to do -apparently. Francine's problem is something that a lot of people of any age can feel, the idea of a speaking to a bunch of people and hoping you don't fail. I do like how her confidence was because she wasn't thinking of failing but really feeling her topic. I think the episode is fine. Ladonna was a star in this one too, and loved how she made Muffy confused there.
More after the jump
Episode 6b: Waiting for Snow
The Cold Opening: Ladonna says after a blizzard is fun(after some correction from Arthur) and how much fun snow can be. There's a fun charm to Ladonna saying the most random stuff you can do after a blizzard and then Arthur quietly correcting her. The reason is she never has been a blizzard or a snow storm before.
The Episode: Arthur and Buster go ride their bikes and get annoyed by the old snow being around. Ladonna is excited because she never has seen a blizzard before. Also I'm wondering does the show snow what blizzard means? I'm trying to figure out if Ladonna has never seen a snow storm before or hasn't seen a big one. But also, a blizzard isn't just snow it's a mixture of winds and low visibility. I'm over thinking. Anyway, that didn't happen, once again proving-from a past snow themed Arthur episode- that Elwood City media sucks.
There's a secondary plot with D.W helping Bud learn how to make a good snowball. We even get the whole D.W Snowball saga mention in this one. Ladonna is sad because she really wanted a big snowstorm. Arthur decides to ask Brain if he can do what [never mind] and create snow from sky. He can't make a big snow storm.
Arthur decides to talk to Muffy, but she's too cheap to buy a snow machine herself. Yeah I said it. They decide to go with the Rugrats episode plan of using soap suds to make "snow" but this plan also isn't very strong. I'm also surprised the soap lasted this long for them to bring her to it.
At this point, it better really snow in this episode, because I'll end up being very disappointed in it. Bud has fallen into D.W's mindset and decides to save a snowball in the freezer forever. (D.W has started a cult) Interesting to see a fridge with a freezer on the bottom in a cartoon.
It actually does snow. [Thank goodness] Bud's snowball has died, but D.W makes him a new one to throw and fun is to be had.
I like how this episode didn't have like a moral or a plan or something. It's just Ladonna feels bad because she wants snow and then she gets snow. I liked how Arthur and Buster were finding different ways to help their friend, it was sweet. D.W and Bud's plot was funny and it was nice to see D.W in a supportive role really helping Bud without really much gain for herself. It was also nice to see an episode that was more snow positive and about that wonky time of year like March/April where the weather is uncertain and a bit wonky. That's not something that's not seen as much. Fine episode.
That's it for now, tune in next time when we made it snow on July 9th.
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