Arthur Megathread - A thread for all fans of the critically acclaimed PBS children's show

[ZsaZsaBinks]

That gay marriage episode pissed me off. Not because they made Ratburn gay, that's something the fandom had suspected for years, but because it was so rushed and underdeveloped. The kids don't have any thoughts or opinions on it, and they guy Ratburn married just came out of nowhere and I don't think he ever appeared again. Usually the show was good about dodging the whole "This is so totally normal so no one bats an eye" attitude that I hate.

I don’t like how everyone acts so nonchalant about the wedding. You’d think that most people would have questions about a gay wedding. Especially children. It’s not normal to see a gay marriage and it naturally brings up a lot of questions.

 

[Trilby]

I don’t like how everyone acts so nonchalant about the wedding. You’d think that most people would have questions about a gay wedding. Especially children. It’s not normal to see a gay marriage and it naturally brings up a lot of questions.

Now you see how I feel about pushing this acceptance on children without giving reasons why.

 

[Kari Kamiya]

Straight or gay, it just doesn't make sense for an entire fourth grade class to attend their teacher's wedding, I don't care how popular or beloved they are. Least with the Reads, I get it because the parents clearly befriended Ratburn when he was staying over for a time. Think he stayed with Buster or Binky for a time after that, too, but that's still iffy.

Elwood is friendly, but not that friendly.

 

[ZsaZsaBinks]

Straight or gay, it just doesn't make sense for an entire fourth grade class to attend their teacher's wedding, I don't care how popular or beloved they are. Least with the Reads, I get it because the parents clearly befriended Ratburn when he was staying over for a time. Think he stayed with Buster or Binky for a time after that, too, but that's still iffy.

Elwood is friendly, but not that friendly.

I rewatched the episode. Mr. Ratburn invited his students because he considered them his family.

The animation looks like that Russian stop motion where the characters’ body parts move unnaturally because they are connected by hinges.

 

[Kari Kamiya]

Mr. Ratburn invited his students because he considered them his family.

That's not weird at all, no siree.

Also Flanderization much? Mr. Ratburn was once rumored to be the boogeyman of fourth grade, he was tougher than nails (and would eat them for breakfast) and stricter than a prosecutor. He was very serious about his profession and ensured his students would get a good education and discipline, he was very respected for that. No fucking way would he ever think of his students as "family", that's more like what Principal Haney would've done, as he's screams "pushover".

 

[ZsaZsaBinks]

That's not weird at all, no siree.

Also Flanderization much? Mr. Ratburn was once rumored to be the boogeyman of fourth grade, he was tougher than nails (and would eat them for breakfast) and stricter than a prosecutor. He was very serious about his profession and ensured his students would get a good education and discipline, he was very respected for that. No fucking way would he ever think of his students as "family", that's more like what Principal Haney would've done, as he's screams "pushover".

More like character derailment. If he were flanderized, he’d be strict to the point of evil.

 

[ZsaZsaBinks]

I have the answer; faggots took over.

Going on too long didn’t help either.

Anyway, I liked the episode where Binky's parents adopt a baby from China. It was cute.

I saw that too. They should have made her a panda bear. Missed opportunity.

The Autism one had me rolling. The kid was into trains and everything.

So they created a character based around stereotypes they found online and got praise. Lmao

Sia did the same thing. We all know how that went.

 

[Xarpho's Return]

Late but here’s why Marc Brown made Mr. Ratburn gay:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=H9oQZ1k8peo

I didn't know that Marc Brown was in support of that (and frankly he looks like a gay man himself). I assumed that the gay wedding was a desperate compromise to appease the turbo-woke people on staff who were interested in far, far worse.

 

[Amber the Hedgehog]

Straight or gay, it just doesn't make sense for an entire fourth grade class to attend their teacher's wedding, I don't care how popular or beloved they are. Least with the Reads, I get it because the parents clearly befriended Ratburn when he was staying over for a time. Think he stayed with Buster or Binky for a time after that, too, but that's still iffy.

Elwood is friendly, but not that friendly.

Much better plot would have that only Arthur is going to be at wedding (because his parents are friends with mr Ratburn and the invite allows them to bring kids) and that causes drama in class. Some accuse him of being a teacher pet, others pity him for having see the teacher outside of class and Arthur isn't sure how supposed to be about the wedding. Maybe they scare him that now he has spend all of his free time with mr Ratburn and he is going to be put on a spot at the wedding as mr Ratburn's example student. After Arthur conferences feeling wierd about being at his teacher's wedding his parents say that he stay at home if he wants to. Being invaded doesn't mean you have to go, it's just permission to come. Mr Ratburn will understand if he can't make it. After thinking about it Arthur goes but before the wedding he arranges the whole class to make a card for mr Ratburn that they give to him at school together taking the extra attention away from him.

In the end the wedding is pretty boring. Lots of sitting and adults talking but the cake is good so Arthur isn't sorry he came. Mr Ratburn is so busy with the all of the guests that he pays practically no attention to Arthur.

 

[ZsaZsaBinks]

I didn't know that Marc Brown was in support of that (and frankly he looks like a gay man himself). I assumed that the gay wedding was a desperate compromise to appease the turbo-woke people on staff who were interested in far, far worse.

It feels like they shat out the gay wedding story in an attempt to be relevant again.

 

[TVB]

It feels like they shat out the gay wedding story in an attempt to be relevant again.

And yet wanting to end his creation three years later

 

[Yamamura]

The animation looks like that Russian stop motion where the characters’ body parts move unnaturally because they are connected by hinges.

Truly by the end of Arthur the show went out on its deathbed begging to be put out of its misery. The epilogue was so lazy it's not even funny. As a kid I always wondered what the ending of Arthur would be like and what the characters would become as adults.

Though the fact that DW became a cop was pretty funny considering it happened after the George Floyd shit.

 

[ZsaZsaBinks]

Truly by the end of Arthur the show went out on its deathbed begging to be put out of its misery. The epilogue was so lazy it's not even funny. As a kid I always wondered what the ending of Arthur would be like and what the characters would become as adults.

Though the fact that DW became a cop was pretty funny considering it happened after the George Floyd shit.

And this:

 

[AlmightyMagichan]

I remember people saying that it would have made more sense for DW to be the writer/comic maker and Arthur being a cop. DW was the one coming up with creative stories, and I guess Arthur was enough of a narc. Thank God they ended the show when they did, I remember there was some video where Arthur and Buster were discussing BLM and why everyone needs to support it.

It would have been much better if they had done a 2 part finale special so we could see what everyone was up to as adults. And you know they would have made Francine the black lesbian to tick that box off.

 

[ZsaZsaBinks]

I remember people saying that it would have made more sense for DW to be the writer/comic maker and Arthur being a cop. DW was the one coming up with creative stories, and I guess Arthur was enough of a narc. Thank God they ended the show when they did, I remember there was some video where Arthur and Buster were discussing BLM and why everyone needs to support it.

That video made no sense. I thought everyone was an anthropomorphic animal so that race didn’t exist in the universe. But there were multiple times that race was discussed and sometimes the creators even forgot that the characters were animals. Like how did Arthur keep his glasses up if his ears were on top of his head?

It would have been much better if they had done a 2 part finale special so we could see what everyone was up to as adults. And you know they would have made Francine the black lesbian to tick that box off.

They made her a lesbian in the series finale.

 

[Yamamura]

And this:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=u8HK8n62tVU

This made me laugh harder than I probably should have.

That video made no sense. I thought everyone was an anthropomorphic animal so that race didn’t exist in the universe. But there were multiple times that race was discussed and sometimes the creators even forgot that the characters were animals.

At some point IIRC they made The Brain black by showing him and his family celebrating Kwanzaa and made Francine Jewish for some reason.

I remember there was some video where Arthur and Buster were discussing BLM and why everyone needs to support it.

It makes me miss the old days when they would find creative ways to explain a topic more tactfully by using allegories like with the 9/11 episode. Part of the genius was that they were able to cover a complicated sensitive topic without having to directly address it.

Now would a George Floyd episode be an absolute trainwrek, yes. But it just goes to show how far the show has fallen near the end turning into a propaganda piece targeted toward kids.

 

[AlmightyMagichan]

They made her a lesbian in the series finale.

I guess what I mean is that they would have outright said it instead of just implying. Now that I think about it someone would have had to troon out too. Wonder who would have been picked for that glorious opportunity. Maybe they would have done it to DW since she had some tomboy aspects and had male voice actors.

 

[Kari Kamiya]

They made her a lesbian in the series finale.

I've known straight married women who had that look. I say it's still up in the air.

 

[Yamamura]

Now that I think about it someone would have had to troon out too. Wonder who would have been picked for that glorious opportunity.

You never know, I would laugh if it was some minor character like James like how they made Martin trans in one of the future episodes of the Simpsons. Be thankful the show died before we ever got a trans or a drag queen storytime episode.

 

[The Nothingness]

And you know they would have made Francine the black lesbian to tick that box off.

That video made no sense. I thought everyone was an anthropomorphic animal so that race didn’t exist in the universe. But there were multiple times that race was discussed and sometimes the creators even forgot that the characters were animals. Like how did Arthur keep his glasses up if his ears were on top of his head?

If I recall from the Christmas Special, The Brain was revealed to be black since his family "celebrated" Kwanzaa while Francine was Jewish. Her last name Frensky was probably a clue, but I don't think this was planned out when the show first started considering her dad is a garbageman