FEEEEEYEEYEEYEED MY EYYYYYES! Uh, I mean Woohoo here once again continuing my ongoing project of rewatching and reviewing Hey Arnold. It's been a while since I've posted an entry on the show, and I bet a lot of you are wondering, "When are you going to review the movies?" To answer that question: yes, I am going to review the movies, but it could be a while since I plan on rewatching both movies a few more times to get a firm grasp. (Especially the first movie since it's so forgettable.) 

Anyways, onto the subject of this blog. On the last day of 2021, I posted a pretty rushed final overview of the show that included a pie chart of all 186 episodes' ratings. Speaking of the chart, bring it up!

As you can see, the show produced an extremely solid amount of Bold and Good episodes and not many Bad and only nine Raspberry episodes. For those who doesn't understand, Raspberry is the name I rate episodes that I deem terrible. It's a reference to Grandpa Phil complaining how raspberries give him digestive problems...

In this entry, I will be talking about all nine Raspberry episodes and go into detail on why I hate them, ranking them from the "least bad" to the most atrocious. Hell, to prepare myself for this project, I even rewatched all of these episodes just to make sure I still hate them... and thankfully, I still do. However, the hardest part (aside from actual writing) is ranking the episodes, although I already had my top (or bottom) already set. Now that I've got my introductory rambling out of the way, let's dive into the nine Raspberry episodes of Hey Arnold...

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#9. Baby Oskar

We're starting things off with one of the four Raspberry episodes from Season 4. Originally, I had this episode as #8, but I found more problems in original #9 so I swapped them. Anyways, onto this episode. Oskar and Suzie Kokoshka have to take care of her sister's infant son, also named Oskar, and hijinks ensue.

*sigh* Most of the problems I have with this episode center around one character: Oskar. He's easily my least favorite adult in the entire show, and for good reasons: he's a pathetic lazy man-child who constantly whines and is always dependent on his wife and/or others for money and other things. Aside from "Oskar Can't Read," which barely got a Good rating, most of the episodes with Oskar as the main focus never got a rating higher than Meh during my review series. In this episode, I think Oskar is at his absolute worst with him being lazy and inconsiderate, constantly whining to Suzie to make him a sandwich, and even trying to bet baby Oskar during a poker game... That's messed up.

Another problem I have is that it's a babysitting episode. Whether animated or live-action, I have never ever been a fan of babysitting episodes. Most babysitting episodes to me are redundant as they typically involve some "irresponsible" person trying to take care of some baby or child and some shenanigans ensue coupled with some gross-out humor. This episode is no exception, especially with the scene where Oskar ropes Arnold into helping him change baby Oskar's diaper... and he poops right in front Arnold making him faint. That's just gross, even for '90s Nickelodeon standards. 

The only "enjoyment" I got out of this episode was when Oskar taking baby Oskar to the hospital in a somewhat entertaining chase scene... that is if you disregard the times that he shoved an old lady to the ground, although her whacking Oskar on the head with her cane was pretty cathartic. Also, the scene where Oskar and Suzie say goodbye to baby Oskar was a bit heartwarming... which was swiftly ruined when Oskar goes back to whining for a sandwich. GROW THE HELL UP, MAN!  *sigh* I'm think I've ranted enough about this episode... and I've got eight more to go!

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#8. Love and Cheese

Another episode from Season 4. The plot of this episode involves Arnold inviting Lila to the annual Cheese Festival, thinking she'll start to "like him-like him" if they have a great time. However, Helga tags along and tries to sabotage their night. Wait a minute, something about this seems familiar...

That brings up my biggest issue with this episode: it's a goddam rehash! More specifically, a rehash of the Season 1 episode "Operation Ruthless," except it's with Lila instead of Ruth. If there's one practice in entertainment that I hate, it's the rehashing of previously used stories. By its final two seasons, Hey Arnold had already rehashed a few previous episode plots, but this one is the most blatant. This episode hit most of the same notes as "Operation Ruthless," from Helga's sabotage attempts failing, to the kids riding the bumper cars and the Tunnel of Love, and even closing the episode Helga standing alone while the festival lights turn off.  I know coming up with original stories isn't easy, but... c'mon, did we really need another episode about Arnold trying to impress a girl he simps over at the Cheese Festival? I sure as hell didn't. 

Another huge issue I have with the episode is that it's part of the infamous "Helga-Arnold-Lila Love Triangle Arc," which began in S3's "Arnold and Lila" and concluded in S5's "Timberly Loves Arnold." I hate Love Triangles in general and this one is no exception. It irks me that Arnold keeps simping over Lila despite her often bluntly telling him she doesn't "like him-like him," even though she sometimes leads him on. It double-triple-bossy-deluxe irks me that Helga (albeit inadvertently) was the one who created the love triangle. Talk about shooting yourself in the heart. 

Speaking of Helga, let's talk about her actions in this episode. While her sabotage attempts in "Operation Ruthless" were mostly childish and harmless; in "Love and Cheese," they feel borderline malicious. First, she constantly rammed Arnold and Lila's bumper car with hers, which could've resulted in whiplash and neck pain. Then, she somehow manipulated the Tilt-a-Hurl operator to crank the ride up to full speed... 

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Helga: Hey mister, some of the kids are complaining the ride's too slow. They say you should crank the speed up to really high.

Operator: I told 'em it was too slow! I'll crank it up! *pushes lever to 'Fast and Furious' while laughing insanely*

Helga: *chuckles sinisterly as the ride spirals out of control*

This results in Lila (and probably some other riders) to get motion sickness and she vomits all over Arnold.  Finally, there's the Tunnel of Love scene where Helga drilled holes in Arnold and Lila's swan boat, which causes it to sink and resulting them nearly drowning...  somehow, in knee deep water... yeah, that was just stupid. Sheesh, Helga, what's wrong with you?! Are you that jealous that you want them both dead?! Just imagine how you'd feel if you killed your true love! *deep breath* Better calm down.

The only positive I could say about this episode is at least there's a fantastic sibling episode in the form of "Weighing Harold." There are other small problems, but all I can say about this episode is that it's just pointless, redundant, and doesn't really need to exist. The episodes only get worse from here...

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#7. Full Moon

*sigh* Yet another episode from S4, and a big step up (or down) in horrendousness. In this episode, Principal Wartz gets mooned by Harold, Sid, and Stinky (albeit crudely disguised) and they get away. However, since Arnold witnessed the event, Wartz demands he spill the beans, but Arnold refuses, resulting in Wartz giving him four weeks of detention and possibly blemishing his permanent record.

Where do I begin with this episode? I know, let's start with whom I consider to be one of the WORST fictional principals ever: Principal Wartz. You thought Seymour Skinner from The Simpsons was bad? Pfft. At least Skinner had several redeeming moments throughout The Simpsons. Wartz on the other hand... he might have had a few, but I can't really remember. Why do I dislike Wartz so much? In this episode (as well as the next episode in the countdown), Wartz is such an irrational, belligerent, authoritarian figure with no filter and quick to jump to conclusions. As I said earlier, he punishes Arnold with a whopping four weeks of detention just because he wouldn't spill the beans on the "mooners." That's just cruel and unusual punishment, and it hurts me to watch Arnold go through so much torment in this episode, even though he didn't deserve any of it. I guess you would call this episode an "Arnold Torture Porn." Also, this quote from Wartz bothered me...

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Principal Wartz: Mooning is not funny! It's not a game! You may think it's a harmless school yard prank, but let me assure you: it is NOT! Someone could put an eye out!

Arnold: Because of mooning?

Principal Wartz: ...I'll ask the questions here.

Um, how does mooning result in eye loss? I guess if you really like butts, your eyes could pop out like the Tex Avery wolf... except none of us are cartoon characters.

Not only does Wartz unnecessarily torment Arnold, so do Harold, Sid, and Stinky. In the beginning of the episode, they say Arnold had "no guts" for not joining them in the mooning; and throughout the rest of the episode, they (though mostly Harold) threaten him not to rat them out to Wartz. This leaves Arnold in an unwinnable situation. Then on the final day of Arnold's detention, Wartz is just about mark "FAILURE TO COOPERATE" on Arnold's permanent record after Arnold refuses one last chance to tell the truth: suddenly Harold, Sid, and Stinky burst in and tell the truth and Arnold's completely innocent in a big emotional confession scene. Um, is this episode supposed to be taken seriously? What's the message here? Snitches get stitches? Even as a kid, I found this episode nonsensical.

One very small positive I could say about the episode is that it was pretty daring to show the boys' rear ends (even if only for a second and pretty blurry.) Aside from that, I found this episode extremely stupid, two words I would never say about an episode of Hey Arnold. It's no wonder I included Wartzky on my "Top Ten Worst Hey Arnold Characters" list. Oh, but we're not done with him yet... 

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#6. Principal Simmons

Another Wartzsky episode, but now we're in Season 5. In this episode, Mr. Simmons notices Principal Wartz giving students some unreasonably harsh punishments for seemingly minor things. He then tells Superintendent Chaplin all about it, and when they confront Wartz on his recent actions, Wartz goes absolutely mental. He announces his resignation over the PA system and storms off. With the principal position vacant, Chaplin offers Mr. Simmons the job, which he accepts. While things start of okay, it then quickly spirals out of control with the students taking advantage of Simmons' weak leadership, which results in Arnold and Simmons convincing Wartz to return.

Before I get into the major issues with this episode, I'm going to talk about this... major issue that nobody really talks about with this episode. Doesn't this episode seam familiar to you? Didn't we see the plot in a different show before? Oh yeah, it's somewhat of a copy of The Simpsons Season 5 episode "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song" in which Skinner was replaced with goody-two-shoes Ned Flanders. Hell, Mr. Simmons even says Flanders' line "put the pal back in the principal." I'm not sure if Craig Bartlett was paying homage to the episode or just ripping it off. I know he's married to Matt Groening's sister Lisa, but does that give him the privilege to copy his brother-in-law's work? Better not venture down that rabbit hole.

Now onto the episode itself. Just like with the last episode, my main gripe is Wartz himself. Once again, he's an irrationally belligerent authoritarian figure, except much more over-the-top in this episode. During the first act of the episode, Wartz harshly punishes Harold, Rhonda, and Sid for such miniscule infractions. Then, when Mr. Simmons and Mr. Chaplin ask Wartz to tone it down, he goes ballistic by giving a long-winded speech over the PA system stating how the school "may think they don't need him, but they really do," resigns from his position, and leaves in a huff. Man, it was quite embarrassing to see him essentially throw a tantrum because he couldn't take a little criticism. I get that this episode is supposed to be a lesson learning experience for Wartz. However, it's executed poorly with Wartz's unbearable behavior in the first act as well as his half-assed and uncaring apology when Arnold and Mr. Simmons try to convince him to return... although I sort of agree with this quote...

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Principal Wartz: I mean, no principal should ever call a small child a "wicked minded animal"... even if it's true.

For those who've seen the episode, you already who the 'wicked minded animal" is. Those who haven't, you'll find out when we get to #3. 

Not only is Wartz at his worst, so is nearly every student at P.S. 118 (with the exception of you-know-who.) When Simmons becomes principal, he decides to let the students run the school with him. While things run smoothly at first, they quickly unravel with the students wreaking havoc throughout the school and Mr. Simmons is completely helpless to control them. I also find this embarrassing as it's just like watching some kid running amok in the store and the parents do nothing about it. Don't get me wrong, I like Mr. Simmons, I think he's one of the best fictional teachers ever, but he's clearly not qualified for the position of principal. 

If there is one major positive I have with this episode, it's the karaoke scene with Wartz singing "I Will Prevail," a pretty well-done parody of "I Will Survive." This scene acts as a little reward for the viewers after sitting through so much crap. However, that scene did not save the episode from the Raspberry rating. Now we're heading towards the top (or bottom) five worst episodes. Brace yourselves...

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#5. Longest Monday

The only Raspberry episode in S2 and the very first episode to receive the rating. It's the first Monday in June and the fourth graders are trying to avoid the school tradition of "Trash Can Day" which involves them being dunked into trash cans by the fifth graders... that's pretty much it. Quite disturbing if you ask me. Alright, enough with the intro, let's rant! 

Like I said earlier, this episode is downright disturbing. It disturbed me when I was a nine-year-old, and it disturbs me even more as a 30-year-old. Seriously, what kind of unfathomably messed up school would allow such a tradition?! Sure, one could say it's like "Senior Prank Day" or "Hell Week" in High School, but those pranks are mostly harmless. "Trash Can Day" on the hand feels absolutely malicious. Remember how I ranted about Principal Wartz being too authoritarian in the last two episodes? Here, he is NOWHERE to be seen! Where the hell is he? Why does he allow such a disgusting tradition to happen?! Not only do you not see Wartz, but you also don't see any teachers either. (Unless you count the few frames you see Mr. Simmons.) This episode is nonsensical as it is disturbing. Now let's talk about the unfortunate implications. The fifth graders dunk the fourth graders into trash cans without any regard of what's in them. What if the cans have broken glass, or maggot ridden rotten food, or used hypodermic needles, or anything that can cause bodily harm or even death. Seeing nearly every fourth grader get dunked just breaks my heart. (I said nearly since we didn't see Helga nor Phoebe get dunked. Also, Stinky dunked himself.)

Now let's talk about the juvenile delinquents that are P.S. 118's fifth graders led by their ringleader Wolfgang (who was actually voiced by Arnold's S1 voice actor.) This is their debut episode and they have served as reoccurring antagonists for the main kids throughout the rest of the series. Not going to beat around the bush here, I hate the fifth grades. They're some of the most reprehensible, merciless, and outright irredeemable characters on the show, and I always feel satisfied to see them get defeated by the fourth graders. Also, I never liked their character designs. If they're supposed be fifth graders, why do they look like high schoolers? Have they been held back just like Harold and Torvald? Oh crap, I'm overthinking again. 

There are very few and little positive things to say about this episode. I do like Park's safehouse... at least until the fifth graders ruined it. I also liked the little bit of Helga being a therapist...

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Harold: It was horrible. They picked me up and then they jammed me in the trash can!

Helga: *smacks Harold* Aw, get over it, ya big wuss!

 Aside from that, this episode is just E-to-the-Z-ooh-twiddly-disturbing, and it belongs stuffed in a trash can. *sigh* I've still got four episodes to go. 

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#4. Student Teacher

The final and worst episode of S4, and also the sibling episode to "Full Moon." Helga's older sister Olga comes home from college, much to Helga's dismay as always. Wanting to get a lot closer to Helga, she becomes a student teacher in Mr. Simmons' class. However, Olga's time there only seemed to make Helga's life at school even more miserable.

Like most of the entries on this list, most if not all of the episodes' problems center around a certain character. In this episode's case, it's Olga Pataki. I'm going to go off on a tangent here, I have never, ever, ever liked Olga. In fact, I think she's one of the shows' worst characters. Sure, one could say Bob and Miriam Pataki are probably the worst parents on the show, and I cannot argue with that, but they actually had some redeeming moments with Helga, and they (or mostly Bob) have their moments of comeuppance. Olga on the other hand... yeah, not really. The main reason why I really dislike Olga is her wasted potential. After the S1 episode "Olga Comes Home," one would think she would become a much better sister to Helga, a positive adult figure for Helga to confide in. Well, I guess that was too much to ask for as the writers threw that development out the window, leaving us with an Olga whose attention seeking and blissfully ignorant of Helga's problems. There are other problems I have with Olga, such as her grating voice (sorry Nika,) her constantly referring to Helga as her "baby sister" despite Helga being more mature than her, her lack of any interesting character traits, and her being a crybaby in almost every major appearance in the show. Yes, I know she's equally as, if not more damaged by the Patakis' parenting than Helga, but I think Olga needs therapy a lot more than Helga. This tangent is now over.

Now that I got that off my chest, let's talk about the episode. After taking a course on developing child psychology in college last semester, Olga felt inspired to become a teacher. Well, since it's been established that Olga is a straight A student, I guess we can assume she knows exactly how children work. Right? To add to that, Olga promised Helga she would not embarrass in class. Hopefully, she can keep her promise. Right? RIGHT?! The very next day in class, Olga tells everyone that Helga was a bedwetter, thinking the story about her overcoming adversity would help motivate the students.

Let me reiterate: Olga tells a room, filled with fourth-graders, kids typically between the ages of nine and ten (13 if you count Harold,) that Helga used to wet the bed. Yeah, I wonder how that turned out... 

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Olga: ...and did you know who that little girl grew up to be?

*cut to recess*

Harold: *points at Helga* Look, it's Helga the bedwetter! *laughter*

Do I need really to elaborate anymore on this? It speaks for itself. Olga is a complete jackass with absolutely no idea how children work.  *sigh* Let's move on. During recess, Harold teases Helga, which results in her threatening him to stop. However, Olga witnessed this event and gave Helga detention without hearing Helga's side of the story. Wow, I guess some of Wartz's mannerisms have rubbed off on Olga. In typical Helga fashion, she tries to sabotage Olga's time as student teacher... and of course, they all backfire. Finally, after receiving motivation from Arnold, Helga confronts Olga and tells her that it's not working out... which of course makes her cry. *sigh* Normally, I hate Olga's crying, but after being fed up with her inexcusable actions in the episode, it actually feels somewhat satisfying for me. What a crybaby. 

This episode (along with S5's "Big Sis") is the reason why I included Olga on my "Top Ten Worst Hey Arnold Characters" list. For those who have siblings, don't tell embarrassing stories about your sibling to their friends (also, don't ruin your sibling's projects either like DW Reed.) *sigh* Three more to go.

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#3. Bag of Money

*sharp inhale* Oh look, another sibling episode to a previous episode on this list, this time it's the sibling to "Principal Simmons." The plot of this episode involves Arnold, Gerald, and Sid discovering a bag of nearly $4,000 in it. They discuss what to do with it and decide to turn it into the police the next day. However, Arnold loses the bag on the bus to "an old lady with pink hair, a peg leg, and one eyebrow." He tries to explain what happened to Gerald and Sid, but they find his story hard to believe.

Before I get into the major problems with this episode, I have this issue with the setup: why, and I mean why would anyone just randomly throw away a bag containing thousands of dollars?! Maybe it's a reference to the very first episode "Downtown as Fruits?" I don't know, I'm not going to waste any time speculating how the bag of money got there. Even as a kid, I thought the setup was ridiculous. Let's get into the episode itself.

Most, if not all of the major problems of this episode center around one character, the wicked minded animal we know as Sid.  Not only is he my least favorite kid character, but I consider him the worst character in the entire show. Why? He's such an irrational, paranoid, and extremely insensitive jerk who frequently jumps to conclusions and is quick to laugh and ridicule his own friends. In this episode (as well as the next episode,) Sid is at his absolute worst! He immediately disbelieves Arnold's explanation, yet he called Arnold "the most honest guy around" earlier in the episode. Hypocritical much? He then spends much of second act desperately scraping the bottom of barrel for reasons that Arnold stole the bag of money. If that isn't pathetic, I don't know what is. But we're not even at the worst yet.

Another major problem I have is how easily the other kids were convinced by Sid that Arnold stole the money. Yeah, let's forget that these kids have known Arnold since preschool and probably helped every single one of them with some crisis... yeah, forget all that and believe the kid known for being irrational a lot more. Hell, even Gerald slowly starts to question Arnold! Really Gerald? OK, Gerald's very brief "heel-turn" wasn't as infuriating, but still... *sigh*

Now let's talk about one of the most uncomfortable scenes in the entire show: the brief scene where Sid and the other kids tie Arnold to the tetherball pole. This scene always made me uncomfortable as a kid and even more uncomfortable as an adult. Why even more as an adult? Because I see at an allegory for an angry mob trying to strangle (and possibly kill) someone they see as a crook without any solid evidence. There's a word for that but I don't remember it. Oh, I remember now, LYNCHING! Sid and his mob essentially tried to lynch Arnold! You know, for kids?  Thankfully, the "lynching" was stopped when the police arrived with the old woman with pink hair, peg leg, and one eyebrow clearing everything up and the kids apologize to Arnold. However, Sid's apology to Arnold is equally as half-assed and uncaring as Wartz's apology in "Principal Simmons."

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Sid: I am so sorry! I treated you like a criminal, and a common thief. I even called you a liar!

Dude, you forgot "attempted to lynch," which is now a federal crime as of the making of this blog. I really wish the police would've arrested Sid. However, he did shoot himself in the foot by offering Arnold his share of the money if it's unclaimed, which Arnold smugly accepted. Now that I think about, whatever happened to the money after the episode? Hmm, better not venture down that rabbit hole.

This episode would have been higher had it not been for the somewhat satisfying ending. Another thing that "saves" this episode is the absence of Helga. I can only imagine how I would've felt if Helga was part of Sid's lynch mob. However, we're not done with the wicked minded animal just yet. Onto number two.

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#2. Arnold Betrays Iggy

*sharper inhale* The only S3 Raspberry episode, and the episode fans often consider the worst in the entire show... yet it's only second worst for me. That doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on it. In this episode, Arnold delivers Iggy's homework to his apartment and finds out something shocking: Iggy wears bunny pajamas. Iggy begs Arnold not to tell anyone, but eventually Sid and Stinky find out and tell everyone in school about it. This leads to Iggy resenting Arnold, and Arnold desperately trying to get Iggy's forgiveness.

Once yet again, a small issue before diving into the major issues. The title of this episode is quite misleading. Technically, Arnold didn't betray Iggy, Sid and Stinky betrayed Arnold... or did Sid and Stinky betray Iggy? Not gonna waste any time on this. Let's dive into the major issues of this episode.

Let's talk about the "star" of this episode: Iggy. Unlike the others on my "Worst Hey Arnold Characters" list who had multiple major appearances throughout the show, this is Iggy's only major appearance... and for good reason. I have two major problems with Iggy in the episode. First off, why the hell does Iggy wear bunny pajamas?  Does the show offer a good explanation? Spoiler alert, NO THEY DONT! This has to be one of the most baffling mysteries in cartoon history. What were the writers thinking?! Sure, they probably left that open for the viewer to speculate themself, but I don't view Hey Arnold as a show that "makes you think," I view it as a "feel good" show. If I wanted to watch a show that makes me think, I'd go watch Gravity Falls. Once again, better not venture down the rabbit hole (no pun intended.) Secondly, throughout most of the episode, Iggy is extremely resentful of Arnold, even though he didn't spill the beans. Every time Arnold tries to explain what really happened or does favors for Iggy, he outright refuses to forgive him. This episode even shows that Iggy resents Arnold for months. Wow, what a stubborn prick. Sure, one could say Arnold is also being stubborn, but he's not an unlikeable prick like Iggy. Finally, Iggy decides to forgive Arnold on one condition... which I'll touch on later.

Moving on to the other "stars" of this episode: Sid and Stinky... though I'm mostly focused on Sid. Like I said about him earlier, he's a wicked minded animal who always pounces on the opportunity to ridicule his own friends. Yeah, I still wonder Arnold is still friends with him. You see why Sid is the worst for me? I would also talk about Stinky since he's equally as bad in this episode, but he does have some redeeming qualities in other episodes. In the end, neither Sid nor Stinky face any repercussions for their actions. This episode kind of leaves me confused. Are Sid and Stinky the bad guys or is Iggy the bad guy? Ugh, this episode is just... *deep breath* and I'm not even at the worst part yet.

Now... let's talk about what I consider to be the most uncomfortable scene in the entire show: Arnold's walk of shame in front of a crowd of people and news cameras (for some reason) to gain Iggy's forgiveness. To save time, I'll sum up the scene with this one picture...

Arnold's face sums up how I feel about that infamous scene... no, scratch that, how I feel about the whole damn episode! If you haven't already guessed, Arnold is completely humiliated in front of everybody in the crowd and possibly all of Hillwood City. Sure, Iggy tried to stop the whole thing once he overheard Sid and Stinky saying they were the ones who spilled the beans, but it's too little too late. As a result, Arnold is justifiably resentful towards Iggy. In the final scene, Iggy tries to have Arnold forgive him, but Arnold obviously refuses. Sure, both boys were evenly humiliated; but Arnold embarrassing Iggy was accidental, Iggy purposely humiliating Arnold on live TV is irredeemable. Also, I found this quote from Grandpa Phil before the walk of shame to be somewhat out-of-character...

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Arnold: *observing the event from his bedroom* I can't believe I'm doing this.

Grandpa Phil: Arnold. I want you to know that when you go down there and walk that long, lonely, embarrassing walk, it's going to be all I can bear to watch... *pulls out camera* And take pictures for the album. *chuckles*

Who are you and what have you done with the real Phil? The real Phil would've probably donned the bunny suit and humiliated himself to spare his own grandson. Also, don't the people in the crowd and the TV cameramen have better things to do? All of those people should be ashamed of themselves. *deep breath* Alright, enough ranting.

Before I wrap things up, I should probably address a rumor involving this episode. It involves Craig Bartlett supposedly hating the episode so much that he made the writers apologize and have the episode pulled from reruns. After some research, this turned out to be untrue. Now, what episode could possibly be worse than "Arnold Betrays Iggy?" Let's move onto number one...

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#1. Curly's Girl

*sharpest inhale* Yep, this is episode I consider the absolute worst in the entire show, but only by a lock of hair. This is also the last episode to ever receive the Raspberry rating. Talk about going out with a bang... or more appropriately, a splatter. There's a lot to unpack with this episode so let me try to summarize it with only a few sentences. *deep breath* In this episode, Rhonda ruins a very expensive fur coat that was her mother's birthday gift from her father. However, Curly offers to help Rhonda out since his family owns a dry-cleaners, but on the condition that Rhonda would pretend to be his girlfriend for a week (he even takes pictures just in case he needs to blackmail her,) which she begrudgingly agrees to. When the week is up, Rhonda breaks up with Curly, which unfortunately leads to everyone shunning her and feeling sorry for Curly.

Before I unpack the major issues, "Curly's Girl" has a very similar issue to "Love and Cheese" as it's attached to a fantastic sibling episode, which would be "The Racing Mule." However, this episode comes after "The Racing Mule," making me feel like I'm getting punished for enjoying myself.  Now onto the episode itself...

Where do I even begin with the major problems I have with this episode? Oh, I know, how about the star of the episode: Thaddeus "Curly" Gammelthorpe. Unlike most of the episodes on the list that feature a character I hate in a major role; this episode focuses a character I actually like... mostly. Throughout Seasons 1-3, I enjoyed P.S. 118's lovable psycho, especially in episodes like S1's "False Alarm" and S3's "Curly Snaps." However, during the final two seasons, more specifically during the S4 episode "Deconstructing Arnold," the writers "flanderized" Curly into a creepy stalkerish Rhonda-obsessed simp. In this episode, he's at his outright WORST! First, we see Curly trying to flirt with Rhonda during the art show, even though Rhonda clearly and bluntly tells him she will never be interested in him. Then, after Rhonda ruins the coat, Curly immediately seized his chance and offers to clean the coat in exchange for Rhonda pretending to be his girlfriend for a week. When Rhonda initially refuses, Curly then results to taking pictures of her with ruined coat, AKA blackmailing, until she finally agrees to the deal. Throughout the week, we see Rhonda begrudgingly go along as Curly's "girlfriend," doing such things as walking together, using silly pet names and declarations of love, and wearing a shirt that says... "Curly's Girl." All of this fake lovey-doveyness going on just makes me uncomfortable and frustrated, and yet it's only the first act. Finally, on Friday, Rhonda harshly yet justifiably "breaks up" with Curly, as that was part of the deal, believing she'll be free of any more shenanigans. Right? RIGHT?! Nope. 

That leads me to my next major problem: the treatment of Rhonda in the episode is utterly dreadful. Not only was she harassed and blackmailed by Curly; after the "breakup," everyone else starts shunning Rhonda like she's the bad guy while they sympathize with Curly. Wait, isn't Curly the bad guy in this episode? I'm so confused here. *deep breath* OK, maybe it's because no one else knows about Rhonda's situation... well, that's because nobody even bothers to try to get her side of the story! You would think Arnold would try to talk to Rhonda and get her side of the story, you know since he's always helping people, right? RIGHT?! Once again, nope. Instead, he spends his time comforting Curly, therefore (albeit inadvertently) shunning Rhonda. I can't believe I'm going to say this... but Arnold is useless in the episode. Even Nadine, who is supposed to be Rhonda's best friend, also shuns her. Continuity, what's that?! I'll just say this right now: Rhonda does not deserve any of the torment she got in this episode. Sure, she ruined her mother's coat, but that would only warrant a grounding from her father. Also, this exchange between Helga and Rhonda really got under my skin...

Quote

Rhonda: May I borrow the black paint, Helga?

Helga: Perfect, it'll match the color of your heart. 🖤

Rhonda: *offended* Excuse me?

Helga: You head me, Cruella.

Hey, who are you to talk, Helga? Considering you torment Arnold every day, punch Brainy on a regular basis, and even used Stinky as a fake boyfriend just make Arnold jealous in the S1 episode "Helga's Boyfriend." Ugh, moving on!

Finally having enough of the shunning, Rhonda "gets back together" with Curly, which somehow makes everyone like her again. However, this leads to more cringeworthy fake lovey-doveyness that culminates in Curly forcibly kissing Rhonda (the second time this has happened in the show,) which makes her sprint to the girl's bathroom to cry. Wow... just wow. Much like "Full Moon" was an Arnold Torture Porn, "Curly's Girl" is a Rhonda Torture Porn. During this whole episode, we've seen Rhonda get harassed and blackmailed by Curly, ruthlessly shunned by her friends, and finally getting sexually assaulted by Curly. This episode is a goddamn mess and I have absolutely no idea what the writers were thinking! Was this an attempt at dark humor? Is there supposed to be some message for all this? Where's my supersuit? Oh crap, this episode is driving me insane. Better wrap things up... 

Now let's talk about the ending, which I consider to be the worst ending in any Hey Arnold episode. When Curly overhears Rhonda crying and ranting to herself in the bathroom, he proceeds to harshly "break up" with Rhonda during lunchtime. Wow, that was quite commendable, you insufferable bowl of crap. Later in the evening, Rhonda confronts Curly and asks why he broke up with her. This leads to somewhat of a heartwarming scene...

Quote

Rhonda: So, what's the deal?

Curly: I don't know, I just figured you were suffering. You know, a saucy specimen like you pretending to like a guy like me. So, I let you off the hook.

Rhonda: Well, thank you, Curly. That was very nice of you. I guess you acting like a total freak sometime is just your way of showing me how much you care. And the truth is, I think you're... Well, you're an okay guy.

Curly: Thanks.

You would think after this rare scene of maturity from Curly, he would probably get over his obsession with Rhonda. But just like in "Baby Oskar," this heartwarming scene is about to get swiftly ruined...

Quote

Curly: So how about giving me a lock of your hair to keep under my pillow?

Rhonda: UGH! That is unbelievably GROSS!

Curly: Is it? Or does it THRILL YOU?  *chases Rhonda into the sunset*

You know what? I have no more words on this episode. I'm done. I guess it's time to follow the advice from another classic '90s cartoon.

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Wowie-zowie, that was one helluva load off. That was all nine Raspberry episodes from Hey Arnold. It's funny how I predicted there would be less than ten episodes that would earn this rating back in October of last year. Also, as terrible as these episodes were (aside from the top two,) they are nowhere near as bad as some terrible episodes from other shows. Anyways, my brain is really frazzled from this entry. This is Woohoo... sewing my eyes shut.