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Woohoo

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  1. Woohoo
    Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Pass it on. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think!
     
    Pick your Artist:
    Rush
     
    Are you a male or female:
    Digital Man
     
    Describe yourself:
    Finding My Way
     
    How do you feel:
    In The Mood
     
    Describe where you currently live:
    Lakeside Park
     
    If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
    The Fountain of Lamneth
     
    What is your occupation:
    Working Man
     
    Your favorite form of transportation:
    Red Barchetta
     
    Your best friend is:
    By-Tor and the Snow Dog
     
    You and your best friends are:
    Subdivisions
     
    What's the weather like:
    Natural Science
     
    Favorite time of day:
    Between Sun and Moon
     
    If your life was a TV show, what would it be called:
    Cygnus X-1
     
    What is life to you:
    Freewill
     
    Your relationship:
    La Villa Strangiato
     
    Your fear:
    Red Sector A
     
    How I would like to die:
    The Weapon
     
    My motto:
    Closer to the Heart
  2. Woohoo
    Wow, it's been a while since I've posted a blog. At least here I have something interesting to talk about. Anyways, onto the topic of this blog. Last weekend, I accomplished something I thought I'd never do... go to a concert. For the longest time, I've avoided going to concerts, mostly because of the loud noise and my hatred of being in crowds (mostly due to Asperger's). This year, I decided to give in and try since Rush, my favorite band of all time, announced in late January they were touring this year and were going to play in Seattle on Sunday, July 19th. What also drove to me to see Rush live is the possibility this might be their last "major" tour.


    After six agonizing months of waiting and the day finally came, me, my mom, and my friend Chad drove down to the KeyArena and took our seats. Was it worth the wait?? Short answer: yes. Long answer: keep reading.


    The Show

    The show began with a short animated video showing how the band members evolved since the 1970s, which includes a scene of them walking past a sign of the city they're currently playing (see image above). When the video ended, the screen lifted up, the band emerged, opening with “The Anarchist” from their 2012 album, Clockwork Angels. Instead of a setlist that ricochets from decade to decade like their other tours, this tour starts with the most recent album, 2012's Clockwork Angels, and travels back to the band’s beginnings with their 1974 self-titled debut.


    During the first part of their set, stagehands in red jumpsuits added and removed props, subtly transforming the stage from their time machine props from the Clockwork Angels tour to Geddy Lee's washing machines and Alex Lifeson's amplifiers of their previous tours. Also during this set, Neil uses his 360o drumkit like previous tours.

    Now let's talk about the songs. The trio opened the show with Clockwork Angels' "The Anarchist," which is pretty much my favorite song off that album and was an amazing way to start the show. Pretty much everyone in the arena stood and cheered. After that, they dove into "The Wreckers" and Headlong Flight," the latter song featured a short but dynamic drum solo by Neil Peart. Moving onto 2007's Snakes and Arrows, they played "Far Cry," an obvious choice, and the instrumental "The Main Monkey Business." Next, they played "How It Is" from 2002's Vapor Trails. I was hoping for "One Little Victory" but I applaud Rush for choosing a more deeper cut.

    Skipping back nine years (and Test for Echo, which I think isn't as bad as most fans think) to 1993's Counterparts, Rush played another obvious choice, "Animate." During that song, I noticed a lot of the people around were air-drumming (I even air-drummed too. Rush is best air-drumming band). Moving onto to 1991's "Roll the Bones," a song that's not really liked by most Rush fans, mostly because of the rapping interlude, but I dig this song. When the rap interlude came, a video of various celebrity rappers lip-syncing to it, which I thought was pretty cool. In my opinion, Rush doing rap sounds a lot better than KISS doing disco.

    More years and albums skipped, we reach the 1980s. They played another deep cut, "Between the Wheels" from Grace Under Pressure. I actually was not expecting them to play this one. It's quickly growing on me as one my favorite Rush songs. Finally, the first part of the set closes with the Signals' classic "Subdivisions," a song that is very relatable to a lot of people, including myself. When I was attending school, I've always felt like a social outcast because of having Asperger's Syndrome, mostly because I'm incredibly shy and not a very good communicator (I am a lot better now). After "Subdivisions," Geddy announces to the audience they need to take a break and will be back shortly.

    After the intermission, the second part began with another video. This time, a mishmash of videos from previous tours and outtakes, ending with the South Park boys as "Lil' Rush." Eric Cartman counted them off and the band launched into the Moving Pictures staple, "Tom Sawyer." Nothing more needs to be said about that song, other than 'it fucking rocks' so... moving on. The next song was "The Camera Eye," a not-as-famous track from the same album. You’re hardcore if you love this one, and inside the arena that night, it seemed like everyone did. During the second set, the stage props have changed. Geddy and Alex are using traditional amplifiers (with the guys in red jumpsuits slowly subtracting them as they progress back in time) and Neil using a replica of his old double-bass kit, complete with tubular bells with Starman drumheads.


    Onto 1980's Permanent Waves, "The Spirit of Radio" was yet another obvious choice. Following that song was "Jacob's Ladder," a song that hasn't seen the concert stage since 1980 (at least before the R40 tour began), which was quite a treat for the hardcore fans.

    Finally, we reach the 1970s with an epic medley of Hemispheres "Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres Part I: Prelude" and A Farewell to Kings "Cygnus X-1," the latter featured another drum solo by Neil. Next was "Closer to the Heart," which is my mother's favorite Rush song and pretty much the main reason why she came along. Immediately after that was my favorite Rush song, "Xanadu," which Geddy and Alex dusted off their double-necks for this number. The fun has been doubled!


    Now we come to the beast that is 1976's "2112," an epic song that was pretty much a giant middle finger to their record label. Like the previous tours, it's abbreviated (mostly because it's 20 minutes long and will take up song space). However on this tour, they played four chapters; I Overture, II Temples of Syrinx, IV Presentation, and VII Grand Finale. Usually they would just play Overture and Temples of Syrinx (and occasionally Grand Finale) but I guess they wanted this version to be a little more fulfilling.


    After a video of Eugene Levy rambling about the band, the encore begins with Caress of Steel's "Lakeside Park," followed by the Ayn Rand inspired "Anthem" from Fly By Night. It was nice that songs from these two relatively obscure albums saw the light of the concert stage again. The encore closes with "What You're Doing" and "Working Man," both from their 1974 debut. The show ends with a funny video of the band walking backstage towards their dressing room, however a puppet bars from entering due to "not being on the list," as a party is going on inside featuring the characters from their album covers. How dare he snub the band!

    Complete Setlist
    Set 1
    1. The Anarchist
    2. The Wreckers
    3. Headlong Flight w/ drum solo
    4. Far Cry
    5. The Main Monkey Business
    6. How It Is
    7. Animate
    8. Roll the Bones
    9. Between The Wheels
    10. Subdivisions
    Set 2
    11. Tom Sawyer
    12. The Camera Eye
    13. The Spirit of Radio
    14. Jacob's Ladder
    15. Cygnus X-1 Book II Hemispheres Part I: Prelude*
    16. Cygnus X-1 w/ drum solo*
    17. Closer to the Heart
    18. Xanadu
    19. 2112 Part I: Overture
    20. 2112 Part II: Temples of Syrinx
    21. 2112 Part IV: Presentation
    22. 2112 Part VII: Grande Finale
    Encore
    23. Lakeside Park*
    24. Anthem*
    25. What You're Doing
    26. Working Man
    * indicates the song is abbreviated or part of a medley

    Closing Thoughts

    I shoulda done this like a million years ago. I can honestly say that I'm glad I made Rush my very first concert. The band was is top form despite Alex and Neil's recent health issues. The setlist had a great mix of classics, newer songs, and hidden gems. So overall, it was a great experience and I'm already excited for my next concert this year, AC/DC at the BC Place in Vancouver.

    As for my thoughts on the "last tour" rumors? All I can say is: They'll be back... I hope...

    Wow, I took a whole week to write this? I suck at writing
  4. Woohoo
    The night I've been waiting for all year. The night I finally see Metallica live! 

    This is me. My hair's already messy from Avenged Sevenfold

    The band performing the song "Atlas Rise!" from their latest album, Hardwired to Self Destruct. The stage is massive with a giant stylized M and A at each end.

    "The Memory Remains", this concert will be a great memory.

    Before performing "Moth into Flame," James Hetfield has to make sure his microphone is working, referring to what happened with Lady Gaga at the Grammys. 

    Light show during "Wherever I May Roam"

    Rob Trujillo performing "Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth)" while footage of the late Cliff Burton play in the background.

    Spectacular laser lights during "One."

    Pyro during "Battery" illuminating the stadium.

    James showing his #MetinSeattle guitar pick just before the last song.

    Fireworks going off during "Enter Sandman."
    Thank you, Metallica! 
  5. Woohoo

    What's Wrong With Me?

    By Woohoo,

    I couldn't really think of a good title -_- *sigh* There's no easy way of saying this, but lately, I have not been feeling myself. I've been contemplating on talking about this for a while, but after being inspired by Jeric's recent blog, I feel it is time for me to really open up and tell you what is wrong with me.
    First off, and I'm going to be pretty frank here, but behind my upbeat sounding username and cheerful avatars and signatures lies a somewhat ugly truth: I am not happy. I haven't felt truly happy for a long time.  Now you're probably wondering 'Why are you unhappy?' Well, a lot of things, but I'm only going to focus on the three biggest.
    Loneliness

    Loneliness is a bitch... and I think that's an understatement. Most of my life, I've struggled with loneliness. Even though I enjoy the occasional "alone time," it's growing less enjoyable and more unbearable. I want to have more friends and possibly even a girlfriend. One of my resolutions this year is to be more social... and I'm failing miserably at it. Every time I try to be social, loneliness keeps me chained up. Whenever I'm with friends, family, or anyone I know, I just lock up mentally with a bored expression on my face... just like Maud Pie.

    I think my inability to be social stems from the fact that I have Asperger's Syndrome (or whatever it's called now), which is a "mild" form of Autism. I also have a difficult with eye-contact and maintaining a conversation because of ASD. Most of the time, I just stay silent, fearing I might put my foot in my mouth. No matter how hard I try to be social, loneliness always has me by the throat.
    Disappointment

    This is something I've been bottling up for a while now but I can't handle disappointment as well as I thought. Disappointment for me is like a nuke going off and everyone I'm near gets caught in the blast and fallout. There are countless times where I've been disappointed with myself and others. Usually I'm disappointed with myself. It's probably because I'm a 26 year old single adult who still lives with his mother and still works a minimum wage job. It just feels like I can't accomplish anything in my life... at least not without help. There are also times I've been disappointed with others, even when it was no big deal. For example, the Season 5 finale "The Cutie Remark" disappointed me so much that killed my interest in MLP for an entire year! Eventually I gained the interest back, but I still fear I'll get that one episode or moment that'll disappoint me beyond repair. It's no wonder I still haven't seen the movie.
    I try my best to keep expectations as low as possible, but even then, I still find a way to get disappointed. I don't know why I feel this way. It feels like I'm still a kid...
    Stagnation

    A couple months ago, I turned 26. Then something dawned on me: my life is in a rut. In fact, 2017 was probably my most stagnant year in a while. It feels like all I do is wake up, eat, drink, shower, work, sit on the Internet, gym, and sleep every day and year. Occasionally, there's some exciting event like a vacation or a concert, but those are very few and fond. I think the reason for my life stagnating is my lack of ambition and having no goals. Thinking about the future always overwhelms me. Hell, when I was in third grade, my teacher asked me what's my goal in life and I said "my goal is to not have goals." Looks like that statement has bit me in the butt. Also, whenever I try to pursue a hobby or any interest of mine, thinking that maybe this might be my career, I always burn out on it. Looks like I'll be a busboy for the next 40 some years. However, if there's one thing I want to accomplish, it's a relationship... which, of course, I'm also failing miserably at. Maybe I should just embrace my loneliness... no, I can't give in loneliness!
    I actually did start a new hobby last year in the form of Musical Manslaughter, in which I rant on music. However, I don't think that'll last long as my other hobbies...  

    There are a lot of other things wrong with me, but I don't feel like explaining every single one. These include:
    Bad communicating Bad (or selective) memory Laziness Sensory issues (don't tickle me) Addicted to the Internet (especially here at MLPForums) Difficulty feeling empathetic/sympathetic Easily frustrated and overwhelmed Low Self-esteem So that's wrong with me. This is something I've wanted to get off my chest for a while now and I'm glad I did. I can breathe again. This is not the lowest I've been in my life, that was 2010-2014. Now before you ask, no, I don't need your help. It's not like you can come to my house and hug me (though that would be nice.) These are things I should deal with on my own. Sorry for my incessant rambling but I felt like I needed get this out of the way. Woohoo out. 
  8. Woohoo
    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...

    #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!
    #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... 
    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...
    #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...
    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... 
    #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...
    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...
    #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...
     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. 
    #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... 
    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.
    #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."
    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.
    #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...
    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...
    #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...
    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...
    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...
    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.

    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.

  9. Woohoo

    Woohoo Watches: Hey Arnold Season 1

    By Woohoo,


    woohoo
    Pip pip da doodly doo, Woohoo here with... it's be how long since I've done a blog?! Wow, I've been really uninspired this past year. Thankfully, I've finally gained the inspiration to make a new entry. Now that I'm done rambling, let's begin.
    Years ago, when I used to be a Brony, I used to make review blogs of every season of My Litle Pony: Friendship is Magic. However, I never completed the project as my interest in the show tanked after season 8. Those entries have since been deleted. Fast forward to 2021 and I've been wanting to do another season review series. But with what show? It didn't take long to find one. This year is the 25th anniversary of a show that I fondly remembered as a kid.
    And that show is...

    Yep, Hey Arnold! The slice of life Nicktoon created by Craig Bartlett about a football-headed boy and his daily misadventures in the city. Man, my nostalgia is exploding right now. Anyways, much like my old now deleted MLP: FIM season reviews (for those who actually remembered them), I'm gonna rewatch every episode of this blog's season, rate them, and finish it out with my final thought and a pie chart (much like PieGuyRulz when he used to review SpongeBob's seasons.) Now let me show the ratings I'll be using...
    Bold - An episode that I enjoyed all the way through with little to no issues. It's a reference to Gerald often calling Arnold a "bold kid." Good - An episode that I still enjoyed but I felt had some issues or it wasn't that memorable. Meh - An episode that I didn't find either great or terrible, just mediocre. Bad - An episode that I had major gripes with, but it got a little enjoyment. Raspberry - An episode that I absolutely despise. It's a reference to Grandpa Phil complaining how raspberries give him diarrhea. You might also notice these symbols...
    S - Indicates the episode is a special, whether 22 or 45 minutes. * - Indicates the episode was aired much later than the original season it was produced in. A lot of these episode had this happen. (WTF, Nick?) I'll be starting of Season 1 because that's where the show starts, which originally aired from October 7, 1996, to February 12, 1997. (Though some episodes weren't aired until S2 and even 3.) There are 26 episodes consisting of 48 11-minute segments and 2 22-minute specials. One more thing, the episodes will be listed in the original production order instead of airing order (mostly because of Nick's nonsensical airing.)
    Can the first season of Hey Arnold hold up? Could my own nostalgia blind me? Brace yourselves, we're going in!

    1a. Downtown as Fruits: Bold | 1b. Eugene's Bike: Bold
    2a. The Little Pink Book: Bold | 2b. Field Trip: Bold
    3a. Arnold's Hat: Bold | 3b. Stoop Kid: Bold
    4a. Helga's Makeover: Bold | 4b. The Old Building: Bold
    5a. 6th Grade Girls: Good | 5b. The Baseball: Bold
    6a. Heat: Bold | 6b. Snow: Bold
    7a. Operation Ruthless: Bold | 7b. The Vacant Lot: Bold
    8a. The List: Good | 8b. Haunted Train: Bold
    9a. Mugged: Bold | 9b. Roughin' It: Bold
    10a. Door #16: Meh | 10b. Arnold as Cupid: Meh
    11a. Benchwarmer: Good | 11b. Cool Jerk: Meh
    12a. Das Subway: Bold | 12b. Wheezin' Ed: Good
    13a. Tutoring Torvald: Bold | 13b. Gerald Comes Over: Bold
    14a. Spelling Bee: Bold | 14b. Pigeon Man: Bold
    15a. Olga Comes Home: Good | 15b. Sally's Comet: Bold
    16a. Abner Come Home: Good | 16b. The Sewer King: Meh
    17a. False Alarm: Bold | 17b. World Records: Meh
    18a. Magic Show: Bold | 18b. 24 Hours to Live: Bold
    19a.* Part Time Friends: Bold | 19b.* Runaway Float: Good
    20s. Arnold's Christmas: Bold
    21a.* Helga's Boyfriend: Meh | 21b.* Crush on Teacher: Bad
    22a.* Hall Monitor: Bold | 22b*. Harold's Bar Mitzvah: Bold
    23a.* Coach Wittenberg: Good | 23b.* Four-Eyed Jack: Bold
    24a.* Tour de Pond: Good | 24b.* Teachers Strike: Bold
    25s. Arnold's Valentine: Good
    26a.* Biosquare: Meh | 26b.* Partners: Meh
    ...And that was every episode of Hey Arnold Season 1 reviewed. Now let's look at the chart.

    Wow... just wow. Look at all that blue! To say that the first season has held up well would be a massive understatement. Trust me, I wasn't blinded my nostalgia. Normally with any show's first season, there's a lot of growing pains... I guess not. I do have one "critique" and it's the animation. It's quite rough and inconsistent, especially since the season was produced by two different studios, but I think it does have a charm here. S1 did a stellar job in establishing the setting and the characters. However, this also kind of worries me a little. Since the first season scored so high, I fear the later seasons won't be nearly as good... but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.
    For this season's rating, it's quite obvious that Hey Arnold Season 1 is definitely a BOLD Season.
    Now for my Top 5 Episodes. Aside from my number one, it was really hard pick since there were so many great episodes...
    Haunted Train Pigeon Man Arnold's Christmas Tutoring Torvald Operation Ruthless Now for my "Bottom" 5 Episodes. I put "bottom" in quotes because, aside from my number one, the episodes here just meh...
    Crush on Teacher Arnold as Cupid Biosquare Cool Jerk Helga's Boyfriend That concludes my review of Hey Arnold Season 1. At the time of this blog's release, I have already watched all of Hey Arnold Season 2 and I just need to type out the upcoming blog. This is Woohoo signing off... or is it out? What's the difference?!

  10. Woohoo

    Woohoo Watches: Hey Arnold Season 2

    By Woohoo,


    woohoo
    Gunter glieben glauchen globen, Woohoo here once again, not torn into pieces but continuing my project of rewatching and reviewing every episode of Hey Arnold. Last time, I reviewed Season 1 of the show and held up extremely well, perhaps a little too well. That made me worry that the following seasons would be inferior. Now that I've got that out of the way, we have now reached the second season of Hey Arnold, which originally aired from September 29 to October 27, 1997 (although the Season 1 holdovers were aired as late as December.) This season is much shorter, only 14 episodes consisting of 26 11-minute segments and one 22-minute special, as I already reviewed the S1 holdovers. Alright, enough of my rambling...
    As with my last entry, I will be rating the episodes either Bold, Good, Meh, Bad, and Raspberry. Will S2 be just as good as S1? Will it be worth a deuce? Let's dive right in...

    27a. The Big Scoop: Good | 27b. Harold's Kitty: Good
    28a. Arnold Saves Sid: Bad | 28b. Hookey: Meh
    29a. Save the Tree: Bold | 29b. New Teacher: Meh
    30a. Ransom: Good | 30b. Ms. Perfect: Bold
    31a. Monkey Business: Good | 31b. Big Caesar: Good
    32a. The High Life: Good | 32b. Best Friends: Good
    33a. Longest Monday: Raspberry | 33b. Eugene's Pet: Good
    34a. Mudbowl: Bold | 34b. Gerald Moves Out: Good
    35a. Freeze Frame: Bold | 35b. Phoebe Cheats:  Bold
    36a. Helga's Love Potion: Meh | 36b. Gerald's Secret: Bold
    37a. Steely Phil: Bold | 37b. Quantity Time: Bold
    38a. Eating Contest: Bold | 38b. Rhonda's Glasses: Bold
    39a. Eugene Goes Bad: Bold | 39b. What's Opera, Arnold?: Bold
    40s. Arnold's Halloween: Bold
    ...And that was every episode of Hey Arnold Season 2 reviewed. Let's look at the chart.

    After watching Season 1, I was a little worried that Season 2 and every season after would be inferior to S1. Turns out, I was wrong... mostly. S2 retained a lot of the boldness from S1 despite being a much shorter season. One major thing S2 improved upon from S1 is the animation as it's much more consistent and much less rough looking. (S3 would also have the same animation as well.) However, this season has the dishonorable distinction of having the first episode to earn the Raspberry rating. Just a little fair warning, every season after S2 will have at least one Raspberry rated episode. 
    As for this season's rating, I've debated on this for a bit. Even though it's a step down from S1, S2 just barely gets a BOLD Season rating.
    Now for my Top 5 Episodes. Just like S1, it was really hard to fill the slots, even with fewer episodes...
    Arnold's Halloween Steely Phil Eugene Goes Bad Freeze Frame Mudbowl Now for my "Bottom" 5 Episodes. This was a whole lot easier since only five episodes that rated below Good...
    Longest Monday Arnold Saves Sid Hookey New Teacher Helga's Love Potion That concludes my review of Hey Arnold Season 2. At the time of this blog's release, I've already finished Hey Arnold Season 3 and just started watching Season 4.  Until next time, this is Woohoo signing off... or is it out? Will I ever know the difference? Anyways, enjoy your Halloween.

  11. Woohoo

    Woohoo Watches: Hey Arnold Season 3

    By Woohoo,


    woohoo
    Heeeeeeere's... Woohoo! I'm back once again with my continuing project of rewatching and reviewing every episode of Hey Arnold. Welp, we're halfway there... or three-fifths there. While I was rewatching Season 2, I was worried that any subsequent season after the first would be inferior. Turns out I was mostly wrong. Not long after rewatching Season 2, I started rewatching Season 3, which originally aired from September 1998 to March 1999 (although the season finale didn't air until Season 5. Again, WTF Nick?) This season consists of 20 episodes of 34 11-minute segments and 3 22-minute specials.
    As with my last entries, I will be rating the episodes either Bold, Good, Meh, Bad, and Raspberry. Will S3 be bold like S1 and S2? Let's dive right in...

    41a. The Aptitude Test: Good | 41b. Oskar Gets a Job: Meh
    42a. Curly Snaps: Bold | 42b. Pre-Teen Scream: Good
    43a. Stinky Goes Hollywood: Bold | 43b. Olga Gets Engaged: Meh
    44a. Crabby Author: Good | 44b. Rich Kid: Good
    45a. Helga Blabs It All: Bold | 45b. Harold the Butcher: Good
    46a. Arnold Betrays Iggy: Raspberry | 46b. Helga and the Nanny: Meh
    47a. Dangerous Lumber: Bold | 47b. Mr. Hyunh Goes Country: Bold
    48a. Arnold's Room: Meh | 48b. Helga vs Big Patty: Good
    49a. Career Day: Good | 49b. Hey Harold!:  Bold
    50a. Casa Paradiso: Meh | 50b. Gerald's Tonsils: Good
    51a. Phoebe Takes the Fall: Bold | 51b. The Pig War: Bold
    52a. Best Man: Good | 52b. Cool Party: Bold
    53a. Sid's Revenge: Bad | 53b. Roller Coaster: Good
    54a. Grandpa's Birthday: Good | 54b. Road Trip: Good
    55a. Arnold and Lila: Bad | 55b. Grand Prix: Good
    56s. Arnold's Thanksgiving: Bold
    57a. Girl Trouble: Bad | 57b. School Dance: Meh
    58a. Helga's Show: Bad | 58b. The Flood: Bold
    59s. School Play: Bold
    60s.* Parents Day: Bold
    ...And that was every episode of Hey Arnold Season 3 reviewed. Let's take a gander at the chart.

    *sigh* Looks like Season 3 wasn't as bold as I thought it would be, not saying S3 was terrible though as it had many fantastic episodes. I also noticed the chart looks like a crooked peace symbol with the Bold and Good making up the "top parts." Much like S2, S3 only had one Raspberry episode (and probably the most infamous in the whole show.) However, the Meh and Bad episodes have increased from S2. It kinda makes me fear for Seasons 4 and 5. Alright, I've rambled enough. Time to give this season a rating.
    What would I rate Hey Arnold Season 3? Even though it lost some boldness, it's still a very GOOD season.
    Now onto my Top 5 episodes of this season. Once again, it's hard to choose.
     Parents Day  Helga Blabs It All  Dangerous Lumber  Curly Snaps  Hey Harold!   Now for my Bottom 5, which is much easier since they episodes here ranked Bad or lower.
     Arnold Betrays Iggy  Girl Trouble  Sid's Revenge  Helga's Show  Arnold & Lila That brings us to the end of my review of Hey Arnold Season 3. Wow, I can't believe how fast I'm going through this. At the time of this blog's release, I've already finished watching Season 4 and I'm trying really hard to savor Season 5. This is Woohoo signing off or signing out. I still don't know the difference. -_-

  12. Woohoo

    Woohoo Watches: Hey Arnold Season 4

    By Woohoo,


    woohoo
    And his name is John-- I mean Woohoo here continuing my project of rewatching and reviewing every episode of Hey Arnold. We're getting close to the end, folks. After finishing Season 3 did I start Season 4, which originally aired from March 1999 to June 2000 (mostly due to a few holdouts airing in S5.) Much like Season 3, S4 has 20 episodes but broken down to 32 11-minute segments and 4 22-minute specials. Also during this season and the next one, the animation was changed to being digitally painted (much like a lot of shows during the late '90s-early '00s.)
    As with my last entries, I will be rating the episodes either... Wait, you should know the rating system by now! Sheesh! For many fans, S4 is viewed as the "worst" season of the show so I myself have some low expectations. Will S4 be as bad as most people make it out to be? Let's jump right in...

    61a. Eugene's Birthday: Meh | 61b. Stinky's Pumpkin: Good
    62a. Dinner for Four: Meh | 62b. Phoebe Skips: Bad
    63a. Full Moon: Raspberry | 63b. Student Teacher: Raspberry
    64a. Big Gino: Bad | 64b. Jamie O in Love: Meh
    65a. The Beeper Queen: Bold | 65b. Oskar Can't Read?: Good
    66a. Headless Cabbie: Bold | 66b. Friday the 13th: Meh
    67a. Helga's Parrot: Good | 67b. Chocolate Turtles: Bad
    68a. Love and Cheese: Raspberry | 68b. Weighing Harold: Bold
    69a. It Girl: Good | 69b. Deconstructing Arnold:  Bad
    70a. Grudge Match: Bold | 70b. Polishing Rhonda: Bold
    71s. Veterans Day: Bold
    72a. Back to School: Meh | 72b. Egg Story: Bad
    73a. Weird Cousin: Bad | 73b. Baby Oskar: Raspberry
    74a. Helga Sleepwalks: Good | 74b. Fighting Families: Good
    75a.* Monkeyman!: Meh | 75b.* Buses, Bikes, and Subways: Bold
    76a. Grandpa's Sister: Good | 76b. Synchronized Swimming: Good 
    77a.* Helga's Masquerade: Meh | 77b.* Mr. Green Runs: Bold
    78s. Helga on the Couch: Bold
    79s. Dino Checks Out: Bold
    80s.* Summer Love: Bold
    ...And that was every episode of Hey Arnold Season 4. Bring up the chart!

    *sigh... again* Oh have the mighty have fallen... maybe that's a stretch. Season 4 is definitely a very... mixed season. While half of the season was made up of Bold and Good episodes, over a quarter of the season made of Bad and a whopping FOUR Raspberry episodes, more than S2 and S3 combined! Also, during this season is when the show's formula starts getting a little stale. Hell, a few episodes were just rehashes of ones in previous seasons, a practice that some shows do that I absolute hate (though it's not as bad here as in MLP's later seasons.) Now with the negative stuff aside, Season 4 produced quite a few fantastic episodes, including four stellar specials. 
    Now for S4's rating. I've pondered about this for a bit and, even though the Bold and Good just barely outnumber the rest, the four Raspberry episodes unfortunately give Season 4 a rating of a MEH season.
    Onto my Top 5 for this season. I really didn't want to have all the specials take up nearly every slow so I tried really hard to diversify...
     Helga on the Couch  Veterans Day  Headless Cabbie  Buses, Bikes, and Subways  Grudge Match Now for the Bottom 5, which was much easier as nearly every entry was a Raspberry episode...
     Student Teacher  Full Moon  Love and Cheese  Baby Oskar  Egg Story That pretty much wraps up my review of Hey Arnold Season 4. I can't believe I'm almost to the end. If you're wondering about my rewatch progress, I am almost finished with Season 5 and already watched the 2002 theatrical film. This is Woohoo... doing something involving exiting. Enjoy your Thanksgiving.

  13. Woohoo

    Woohoo Watches: Hey Arnold Season 5

    By Woohoo,


    woohoo
    It's the final countdown... I mean Woohoo here continuing my project of rewatching and reviewing every episode of Hey Arnold. Welp, we've reached the last season, guys. I started S5 not long after finishing S4, albeit very slowly to savor it. The final season originally aired from March 2000 to June 2004... wait, 2004? Unfortunately, quite a few of the episodes aired years later after being produced and out of order (WTF, Nick? You seriously have a holdover problem.) Much like Season 3 and 4, S5 has 20 episodes but broken down to 32 11-minute segments, 2 22-minute specials, and 1 45-minute special. This season also has the same animation quality as S4 (though the last two specials have higher quality animation.)
    You all know my rating system by now. Since Season 4 was somewhat of a letdown, will S5 be an improvement? Let's jump right in...

    81a. Sid the Vampire Slayer: Meh | 81b. Big Sis: Bad
    82a.* Gerald's Game: Meh | 82b.* Fishing Trip: Bold
    83a. Bag of Money: Raspberry | 83b. Principal Simmons: Raspberry
    84a. New Bully on the Block: Bad | 84b. Phoebe Breaks a Leg: Good
    85a. Stuck in a Tree: Bold | 85b. Rhonda goes Broke: Good
    86a. Helga's Locket: Good | 86b. Sid and Germs: Meh
    87a. Beaned: Good | 87b. Old Iron Man: Meh
    88a.* Ghost Bride: Bold | 88b.* Gerald vs Jamie O: Meh
    89a. Suspended: Meh | 89b. Ernie in Love: Good
    90a. Arnold visits Arnie: Meh | 90b. Chocolate Boy: Bold
    91a. Harold vs Patty: Good | 91b. Rich Guy: Good
    92a.* The Racing Mule: Bold | 92b.* Curly's Girl: Raspberry
    93a.* On the Lam: Bold | 93b.* Family Man: Good
    94a.* Phoebe's Little Problem: Bad | 94b.* Grandpa's Packard: Good
    95a.* A Day in the Life of a Classroom: Bold | 95b.* Big Bob's Crisis: Bold
    96s. Married: Meh  
    97a.* Timberly Loves Arnold: Meh | 97b.* Eugene, Eugene!: Bold
    98s. April Fools Day: Good
    99s & 100s. The Journal Part I & II: Bold x 2
    ...And that was every episode of Hey Arnold Season 5. Let's see that chart.

    In a way, Hey Arnold Season 5 was a decent improvement over S4; with a few less Bad, one less Raspberry, and a couple more Good episodes. However, there were a few more Meh episodes this season, including probably the only time that a special episode got a rating lower than Good. I don't know what was going on with the writing during the last two seasons, but it feels like something from the previous three seasons was missing. I guess this reinforces my belief that the show's formula was going stale. This also makes me feel very relieved that the show didn't get renewed for more seasons; much like Rugrats back in the day or SpongeBob and The Loud House in the present day, with those shows dragging on and on with no end in sight. Now that I've gotten the critical stuff out of the way, S5 still produced a fair number of Bold episodes; in fact, the same number as S4... weird, huh? Ugh, I'm rambling. Better wrap this up...
    As for this season's rating; while the series didn't end on a perfect high note, it did end on a pretty good one. Season 5 is a pretty GOOD season.
    Onto my Top 5 for this season, blah-blah-blah had a hard time filling the slots...
     The Journal Part I & II  Ghost Bride  Eugene, Eugene!  Chocolate Boy  The Racing Mule Now for the Bottom 5, yadda-yadda-yadda had an easy time filling the slots...
     Curly's Girl  Bag of Money  Principal Simmons  New Bully on the Block  Phoebe's Little Problem  That concludes this entry, as well as my whole saga into rewatching and reviewing every season of Hey Arnold. I hope you enjoyed coming along for this ride down memory lane. Man, I still can't believe this is over... Wait, it's not over. There's one more Hey Arnold thing I still need to review. Yep, I'm talking about The Jungle Movie... which I still haven't seen yet. I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to review it as well as the 2002 theatrical film. Until then, this is Woohoo... well since I already mentioned "The Final Countdown," I'm blasting off!

  14. Woohoo
    Should old acquaintance be forgot... how does that song go again? Oh, uh, Woohoo here still continuing my project of rewatching and reviewing Hey Arnold. It's been how long since the last entry? A month? That's not bad. Damn it, I'm rambling... onto the blog.
    Welp, I did it. I watched all 186 episodes and both movies of the show, all within a span of a few months. Now some of you are probably expecting me to review both movies... and yes, I will review them, just right now. I want to do a short blog where I give my final thoughts on the show and combine all the scores on each season's pie chart.
    Speaking of that, here's every pie chart. 


    Now let's combine all the pie charts to make one big, amazing, spectacular, fantastical, extraordinary, extra special, extra dip, extra cheese, extra...

    Fine... After combining all the scores of the charts, here's the final pie chart of Hey Arnold overall...

    Eeyup, it's absolutely no surprise that Hey Arnold the series overall has held up quite well in my eyes. I mean, look at all that blue and green. Do I really need to say any more? Okay, one thing I am surprised on is the amount of Raspberry rated episodes. A while back when I was starting this project, I commented that there would be less than ten Raspberry episodes... and I was right. 
    That concludes this short entry. For those wondering when I'm going to review both of the movies, I will get to them eventually. I'm still trying to figure out how to review them, but I am going to do both movies in a single blog entry. Until then, I'll see ya next year.

  15. Woohoo

    Woohoo's 2014 Recap

    By Woohoo,

    As the year 2014 is winding down, I'll do a recap of it. It's like nobody else is doing it. Anyways, this year actually has been pretty good for me, both on the forums and real life. I feel I actually accomplished more this year than any past year of my life. Sure, I've had my low points this year, but they were relatively minor.
     
    Last Year's Resolutions
    Get a paying job: ✓I now have a job working as a busboy in a Courtyard Marriott hotel. Lose some weight: ✓ Last year, I weighed about 176 lb. but this past year, I've shed about 15 pounds, now my weight is 161. Though I did get as low as 159, but the damn holidays bumped it back up. -_-

    This Year Highlights
    Finally getting a paying job. My team, the Seattle Seahawks, winning the Super Bowl. Being a part of the Rarity Fan Club. Going on a cruise to the Bahamas. Listening to AC/DC's new album, despite being a tumultuous year for them with Malcolm Young's dementia and Phil Rudd's legal troubles.

    Shoutouts
    The Rarity Fan Club, especially ghostfacekiller39 and Obsidian Sky: Not to long ago, Rarity was just a "meh" character to me. Now, thanks to all of you, I can't get enough of her. Daring: Because I can! Gone Airbourne: You have great taste in music and you've always been kind to me. Also, thanks for the sig. MrBrunoh1: One of the best artists here on the forums and a really good friend.

    This Year's Resolutions
    Lose some more weight: Yeah I know it's a clichéd resolution. My goal now is 155 or lower. Get more hours at work or get a second job: I'm only working 4 hours a day for three days of the week. I need more money! See AC/DC live in concert: I've never been to a concert so I want my first concert to be AC/DC. For all I know, it could be their final tour.

    Happy new year, everyone. Here's to 2015...

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