A Rabbit Out Of Season.
Nickelodeon/Snee-Oosh Inc, 1998
When considering bringing Tooncrap back in any form, I wanted to come up with something that is fitting of such a return. And what better show to christen this new era of Animated Agony than with the show I just finished rewatching in full. That being the Nickelodeon classic, Hey Arnold! And, for a 90s cartoon, it still holds up extremely well. The characters are still great, the stories are still entertaining, Helga is the best character by far, and the music and atmosphere still hit strong. It's also a show with very few really bad episodes. By which I mean episodes that have a lasting stench to them. But there is, of course, one exception. An episode so bad that it had been a long standing rumor that Craig Bartlett, creator of Hey Arnold, hated it so much, he tried to get it off regular rotation. That episode is the infamous Arnold Betrays Iggy. Why is it bad? Well, move it, Football Head! Let's review this thing.
The episode opens as Arnold is tasked with delivering homework to Iggy, who is home sick. Iggy was a background character throughout the show who got maybe a line or two, but despite that, Sid and Stinky both believe him to be the coolest kid ever. And that the simple task of handing him homework is an honor. As we learn on this show, a good seven times out of ten, Sid and Stinky's opinions kinda suck. Regardless, Arnold heads to Iggy's and hands him his homework, only to discover...
Iggy, adorn in bunny pajamas. Iggy is in a panic, as he's nine and still wearing pajamas, which really isn't a big deal, but the episode is gonna make it so. Arnold, in a bit of douche move, I'll admit, can't stop chuckling over the ordeal. But, he promises Iggy that he'll keep his secret. ONE DAY LATER...
Arnold is still laughing over the bunny incident, and mentions to Sid and Stinky that something did go down at Iggy's place. He doesn't mention the pajamas, but ultimately, the two come to that conclusion. So, technically, the episode title isn't lying. Arnold royally screwed up and he betrayed Iggy. But everything post that, that crap's on Sid and Stinky, as, shocker of shockers, they blab to the entire school.
Iggy is pissed, especially since Sid and Stinky pass the blame squarely on Arnold. Arnold tries to explain that he never explicitly said it, but the fact remains, he's responsible for... well, I'd call it "Bunnygate", but the word gate's kinda lost all meaning these past few years. Arnold continues his attempts at apologizing, but Iggy gives him the cold shoulder.
Arnold explains his situation to his grandpa, but he too finds the situation to be extremely hilarious. It also doesn't help that his best advice on the matter is that it should ultimately come down to good old bribery. That fails, so Arnold just keeps bugging Iggy to accept his apology. Though by this point, is it just Arnold genuinely apologizing, or is it simply to get this nagging issue off his back? I'd point a bit to column A and column B. Though Iggy still believes that Arnold purposely blabbed, despite all evidence pointing to the contrary. This whole thing's been a six minute mess so far. And it's going to get worse.
Arnold's next plan is to do Iggy's chores for a week as an attempt to make things even. Iggy accepts the deal, but still doesn't accept the apology. Iggy does however have a way to make things even, and here's where most people's good will with this episode dies in a fire.
Iggy decides that the only way Arnold can be off the hook is if he walks outside in the bunny pajamas, being humiliated by the entire town, and even filmed. Which is such a case of "punishment doesn't fit the crime" that it almost makes one's head explode. And of course, it's here where he overhears Sid and Stinky bring up that it was them that got it out of Arnold and it was them who told the school, so Arnold gets humiliated for absolutely nothing.
The episode ends, fittingly, with the tables now turned. Iggy tries to apologize to Arnold, but now Arnold ignores him. Arnold, usually the most easy going kid who is willing to forgive, has reached his breaking point.
Arnold Betrays Iggy is a bad episode for a plethora of reasons. On one hand, the episode lacks any of the charm or wit that the show was known for. Everyone ends up looking bad on this, even Arnold, despite the fact that he suffered for this, he still screwed up. But the punishment, as said, does not fit the crime. What befell Arnold was far worse than what happened to Iggy, even if he was being picked on for it. And even worse, the best moral we can come up with is "two wrongs don't make a right?" On a show like Hey Arnold, that often embraces the strangeness of others?
A far stronger moral would be that we all have things we're embarrassed of, but we still enjoy. The episode would have benefited from the message that yes, Iggy wearing bunny pajamas is considered weird, but if it makes him happy, what's the harm? Is Iggy a different person because of it? Why does this one isolated issue change one's total opinion of him? It wouldn't have made this slog of an episode move any better, nor would it fully absolve Iggy, but at the very least it wouldn't have crapped the bed like it did. Iggy never got a focused episode again, shocker of shockers, but got one more speaking role in Season 5's Gerald's Game.
Nah, still not a fitting enough punishment.
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