Sometimes TV shows want to teach a moral as a public service. We delve into an infamous episode of "Arthur" that had a message , it gets scrambled somewhere.
Our Show : Arthur
What are they trying to tell the audience: Hitting is Bad.
This is from Season 4 episode 1b. Codename : Arthur's Big Hit. This episode aired in 1999. Also it is weird not use our normal "Arthur" format for an "Arthur" episode.
Arthur is working on a model airplane and D.W is inquisitive about the model at this point isn't over zealous but does annoy Arthur when he is trying to work on the plane. Eventually, the airplane is finished. D.W decides to play with the airplane while Arthur is distracted and eventually she ends up throwing it out the window because she thinks it can fly. She tells him that he made the plane wrong because it didn't fly. Arthur puts 2+2 together and finds out the truth. Arthur gets angry and punches D.W who cries and runs away. He gets in trouble.
the most famous image from this episode , apparently. Copyright WGBH
The episode continues where Arthur and D.W's parents want him to apologize he doesn't think he should because he feels justified in hitting her because of her destruction of the plane. Binky, whom at the time in this series was the bully, and his friends in the 'tough customers' group hear about this as well and Binky is surprised that Arthur hit his sister. Now his friends want him to prove that Binky still has it in him to hit someone so they tell him to hit the next kid who turns around the corner. Guess who is the first kid to turn around the corner? If you said anyone but Arthur then you've not been paying attention.
They tell him that the next time he sees Arthur he has to hit him. So Binky tries not seeing Arthur. Meanwhile Arthur is annoyed that people don't see his side in this story. Eventually Binky and Arthur meet up and the tough customers are around so, he has to hit him and does. Arthur explains what happened and he felt being hit. He apologizes for hitting D.W and later Binky apologies and Arthur thanks him for hitting him. (Maybe he got hit too hard.)
Did it do it's PSA message clearly? Well no. I am going to start from the start of the episode. Arthur was shown to be working on this model they did the hammering in of showing how much dedication he was working on this model. It also shows D.W being inquisitive because of course she would. She's a little sister who has been shown in the series to want Arthur to spend time with her and be interested in her. Maybe she was getting interested in the plane to spend some time with Arthur who knows? This episode doesn't explain more than she's inquisitive. Now at the part where D.W touches the wet paint plane and Arthur tells her not to touch it comes back when he is getting mad at her before hitting hitting her. He did tell her not to touch it. The audience may justify that Arthur was in the right to hit her because he was mad and explicitly tell her not to touch it. Again, this episode is there to tell us hitting is wrong. It does seem to try to say why the justification of why he hit her wasn't right but they missed at telling you why. Now, I know why it was wrong to hit her, but this episode is supposed to be a way for your audience to learn why it's wrong to hit people and maybe telling you why it is wrong to hit someone even when you feel justified.
There's a part with Arthur's parents punishing him and they tell him again what she did was wrong , and that's true and that they'll deal with it. (which wasn't brought up at all after that moment) Then they said to Arthur what he was wrong too but not explain a little of why it is. Arthur is surrogate for the audience who also is maybe not understanding why it's wrong to hit someone. Now the Binky part is maybe there to give Arthur a lesson on why hitting is wrong. This episode did a good job at showing Binky's conflict of not wanting to hit Arthur at all and his internal conflict with that and peer pressure. We are part of a group and the group wants us to do something wrong and if don't do it we be removed from the group is actually given more clearly in this episode then its main plot. The part where Binky later would rather disband the whole group than let it continue with their hitting rule also shows his learning of a lesson he gathered ,again, better than the main plot. Arthur does learn his lesson in this episode that hitting is wrong, but D,W was still in the wrong too and the episode didn't show what repercussions she got for her actions. Unless, the hit count as her punishment but that would render the whole episode pointless. So it didn't get the message out clearly, it seemed like it was focused on saying yeah hitting is bad , but it didn't fill in the gaps well.
Was it a good PSA? No. I think it would have worked better if they had taken out the part where Arthur says don't touch the plane and toned down D.W where instead she wasn't seen for much of the process then she sees the plane the first time and either tries to play with it like in the episode without malice and it breaks and Arthur gets frustrated because of all the work we saw him do and that in a moment of anger hits her, or she brakes it by accident and insert the rest of what I said before. It would give a focus that maybe the episode was going for that when you are angry the best solution isn't hitting and it removes any implication that the viewer could make that it's justifiable because of D.W's actions. The rest of the episode could maybe still even work the way it does.
Also , we know this episode became a meme because of course it did.
Tune in next time when we find out why D.W still brings up the punch 20 years later in therapy.
