When I was a wee lad long ago, Arthur was a program I would watch off and on. My generation grew up with Sesame Street and Mister Rogers, along with Reading Rainbow, Lambchop, and Shining Time Station, and I was somewhat familiar with the Arthur books before this series premiered. It was a very good show that addressed many realistic problems and dealt with them in pragmatic ways... except for what to do when your child is a brat, as Mr. And Mrs. Read always seemed to reward D. W.'s tantrums while making Arthur suffer for it. But I'm here to talk about one episode that stood out to me, it's not a bad one, but one I just felt like talking about. That's "Prunella Gets it Twice", I'm not going to cover "D. W. Tale Spins", but I will say that it's not a crossover with Disney's Tale Spin. I'm sure D. W. would've made Baloo and Kit fly their plane toward a mountain and bail out with her still onboard. It's about D. W. being told the story of Homer's Odyssey and then she retells it to Arthur and Buster in her own way. The kinda thing The Simpsons did once. It's not bad, and it's an educational experience, so there's the short review of that one. But as for "Prunella Gets it Twice" (and you'll wish she really did get it twice, if you know what I mean), it addresses a grave misunderstanding between friends and how things are not always what they seem. There's a story behind every action and every foul mood, and if we knew what that was, it might make us more understanding. Like, have you ever received two of the same gift at a birthday or Christmas? That's what happens with Miss Prunella and it sets out a big misunderstanding between she and Francine, but let's begin from the beginning, shall we? Today was Prunella's birthday, and in attendance were all her friends from school, ready for a swinging party in her backyard. Prior to the party, she received a gift from her mother: a Polly Locket doll, something she'd always wanted. But what was the first gift she received at her party? Why, it was a second Polly Locket, which made the birthday girl feel annoyed that she got two of the same thing. This is why gift cards were invented. The rest of the party went swell for everyone, except Francine for some reason, who seemed sad and forlorn. Not participating in any games or singing a very awkward birthday song. That night, little miss Scrooge went to sleep and had herself a dream where she was visited by the Ghost of Presents Past, who looked remarkably like Polly Locket herself, and with her is The Ghost of Lunch Tomorrow, who resembles Binky. Anyway, Presents Past is here to educate Prunella on the gifts she got "yesterday", well, technically, it should be earlier that day as according to her bedside clock, it's only 9:00 so it's still today and not yesterday... never mind. Anyway, Prunella dismisses the offer, as there's more of gravy than grave with her, but she has no choice. She's forcibly spun backwards in time to a week ago when Francine got an A on her test, which Prunella helped her study for. As a way of paying her back, Francine decides to get her one of those Polly Locket dolls she caught her eyeing at the toy store. They're really something: you can dress her in different clothes and even store keepsakes behind her face. Unfortunately, they're supes expensive, but she's going to find a way. Francine is very responsible and she will earn that money... by asking her spoiled brat friend Muffy for a loan. This scene never sat well with me and I'll explain why after I've gone through it. A reluctant Muffy starts to open her big teddy bear savings bank. Just how expensive is this blasted toy anyway? I'm guessing it's either $10 or $15, the kind of money third graders in 1999 didn't normally have. Anyway, Muffy starts talking like a bank loan officer, talking about compounded daily interest. Regardless of Francine steadfastly agreeing to the terms, Muffy still refused to part with once cent of her money. Like I said, spoiled brat. Now here's why this scene bugs me: what kind of lesson is this teaching? That friends shouldn't lend friends money? Is Francine irresponsible with money or something? It's very poorly written. What SHOULD have happened is Muffy pointing out past times she'd lent Francine money and she never paid it back, this would show that she is irresponsible when it comes to money given freely to her and make her want to become more disciplined. Or better yet, just have Muffy be out of town so she can't be asked! I always hated that Muffy character, and this scene sums it all up. There, that's why I don't like it: a poorly written gag scene that makes Muffy look like a greedy jerk and a horrible friend.
Well, if she can't beg for money, Francine will do what very few young people are willing to do today: work for it. But since YouTube and Tiktok didn't exist yet, she had to do REAL work. Doing extra chores, washing windows, mowing lawns, cleaning closets, and even washing her father's car: a garbage truck... including the back. Oh man! Can you imagine having to clean out the back of a garbage truck? Can you even begin to imagine the kinds of things that would be in there? Rotting fruit, ancient pieces of food, loaded diapers, used tampons, snotty rags and kleenexes, makes me want to throw up just thinking about it. I hope Francine wore a bodysuit when cleaning out that thing. At least she got paid double, but was dismayed to watch her father dump garbage into the newly cleaned back of his truck. But luckily, all of Francine's hard work literally paid off and she could finally buy that silly doll. Oh, but for a few dollars more, they would personalize it for you. Always a catch, isn't there? Coming up a little short for the personalization, Francine did something really desperate: beg her sister for the money, which she got in exchange for cleaning her half of their bedroom for a month. Man, all that hard work and personal sacrifice. Francine is a real hero. And now we come to the day of Prunella's birthday party, where she gets to watch herself open the Polly Locket doll Francine bought with her hard-earned money, only for it to be tossed aside as Prunella already had one. The look on Francine's face is heartbreaking and the birthday girl gets a real taste of humility. She wakes up in bed, having learned a very good lesson, then went to apologize to her friend, keeping the doll she'd given her and gifting Francine the doll she got first. As a peace offering, Prunella had put Francine's picture behind her doll's face, and when asked if she would reciprocate and put Prunella's picture in hers, Francine says she'll put one of her cat. Good one. So, it all worked out and a valuable lesson was learned: if you receive two of the same gift, it was just a misunderstanding, and don't shortchange someone's poor mood because there it usually means they had to clean out filthy garbage trucks and sell their souls to their sisters to buy your ungrateful self a present.
This episode was very well done, and a good lesson for people young and old to take to heart. If it weren't for that greedy Muffy scene, it would've been flawless. On the other hand, maybe it's supposed to resemble how people who need money try to get a loan, but are turned down for stupid reasons, so they have to resort to slaving away for pennies to try and save on their own. No, I didn't find anything satirical about that scene, but the takeaways come from Francine's hard work and sacrifice and it shows a very good side of her. Ordinarily her character is bossy and a bit of a braggart, especially around Arthur, but this shows she's willing to do whatever it takes to make someone happy. Not much else I can say except I recommend "D. W. Tale Spins/Prunella Gets it Twice," as they are both good lessons in why you shouldn't judge others based solely on their outward appearance, whether it be age or mood, because what's hiding underneath might surprise you. Yes, we shouldn't judge others... except Muffy, because she's terrible. Everyone wants to say D. W. is the worst Arthur character, but she has her redeeming qualities. Spoiled Muffy doesn't. But check out this episode, it's a good watch.
Well, if she can't beg for money, Francine will do what very few young people are willing to do today: work for it. But since YouTube and Tiktok didn't exist yet, she had to do REAL work. Doing extra chores, washing windows, mowing lawns, cleaning closets, and even washing her father's car: a garbage truck... including the back. Oh man! Can you imagine having to clean out the back of a garbage truck? Can you even begin to imagine the kinds of things that would be in there? Rotting fruit, ancient pieces of food, loaded diapers, used tampons, snotty rags and kleenexes, makes me want to throw up just thinking about it. I hope Francine wore a bodysuit when cleaning out that thing. At least she got paid double, but was dismayed to watch her father dump garbage into the newly cleaned back of his truck. But luckily, all of Francine's hard work literally paid off and she could finally buy that silly doll. Oh, but for a few dollars more, they would personalize it for you. Always a catch, isn't there? Coming up a little short for the personalization, Francine did something really desperate: beg her sister for the money, which she got in exchange for cleaning her half of their bedroom for a month. Man, all that hard work and personal sacrifice. Francine is a real hero. And now we come to the day of Prunella's birthday party, where she gets to watch herself open the Polly Locket doll Francine bought with her hard-earned money, only for it to be tossed aside as Prunella already had one. The look on Francine's face is heartbreaking and the birthday girl gets a real taste of humility. She wakes up in bed, having learned a very good lesson, then went to apologize to her friend, keeping the doll she'd given her and gifting Francine the doll she got first. As a peace offering, Prunella had put Francine's picture behind her doll's face, and when asked if she would reciprocate and put Prunella's picture in hers, Francine says she'll put one of her cat. Good one. So, it all worked out and a valuable lesson was learned: if you receive two of the same gift, it was just a misunderstanding, and don't shortchange someone's poor mood because there it usually means they had to clean out filthy garbage trucks and sell their souls to their sisters to buy your ungrateful self a present.
This episode was very well done, and a good lesson for people young and old to take to heart. If it weren't for that greedy Muffy scene, it would've been flawless. On the other hand, maybe it's supposed to resemble how people who need money try to get a loan, but are turned down for stupid reasons, so they have to resort to slaving away for pennies to try and save on their own. No, I didn't find anything satirical about that scene, but the takeaways come from Francine's hard work and sacrifice and it shows a very good side of her. Ordinarily her character is bossy and a bit of a braggart, especially around Arthur, but this shows she's willing to do whatever it takes to make someone happy. Not much else I can say except I recommend "D. W. Tale Spins/Prunella Gets it Twice," as they are both good lessons in why you shouldn't judge others based solely on their outward appearance, whether it be age or mood, because what's hiding underneath might surprise you. Yes, we shouldn't judge others... except Muffy, because she's terrible. Everyone wants to say D. W. is the worst Arthur character, but she has her redeeming qualities. Spoiled Muffy doesn't. But check out this episode, it's a good watch.