Episodes of Arthur that Got Real
On Monday, February 21st, 2022, the popular PBS KIDS show Arthur aired its last episodes, officially ending after 25 years on the air. The episodes of this beloved kids show ending was a “childhood over” moment. What made Arthur stand out from other children’s shows was the array of serious issues it presents in each episode plot. By using different characters to address and react to various issues and topics, such as bullying, illness, and ignorance, the beloved PBS KIDS show could educate its viewers in a way that was not only educational but genuinely entertaining. With that said, here are some impactful episodes of Arthur that I would recommend going back and watching, whether you are a kid or an adult, in no particular order.
Season 14 Episode 9b: In My Africa
This episode follows D.W. befriending a kid named Cheikh from Senegal. D.W. realizes that she does not know much about Africa except for the safari and jungles. After being called out by Cheikh, she decides to write a song about all 54 countries in Africa, with the help of Cheikh and Brain. She then performs the song at her school with Cheikh and viewers get a wonderful song full of facts about each African country accompanied by pictures and videos.
This is probably one of the most underrated episodes of Arthur. When we see Africa portrayed in Western media, the typical depiction is either a jungle, a safari excursion, or the pyramids in Egypt. In addition, I have unfortunately heard too many people think that Africa is a country rather than a continent. With that said, ‘In My Africa’ made me feel represented as an African American by educating people on all the countries in Africa in a positive light through song, picture, video, and fun facts but imperatively teaching people a lesson. If a four-year-old fictional aardvark can take the time to educate herself, there is no reason that anybody else should not.
Season 13 Episode 1: The Great Macgrady
In this season 13 opener, it is announced that Lakewood Elementary Teacher Mrs. Macgrady has been diagnosed with cancer. This heartbreaking news causes the Elmwood City community to act differently towards Mrs. Macgrady. For example, Francine refuses to see Mrs. Macgrady because she can not bear the thought of seeing the beloved lunch lady sick, and Arthur and D.W. shower her with gifts out of pity for her. Fortunately, the episode ends on a high note as Mrs. Macgrady can work again.
This episode does an exemplary job in not only addressing serious medical issues, but show the physical impact it can have on the individual diagnosed and on the people around them. It is scary when someone you care about is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, and how to react can be very confusing. Do you avoid seeing them because you can not bear the thought of them sick? Are there feelings of guilt around not being able to see the individual? How do you work through that guilt? Additionally, do you shower the individual with gifts out of pity, guilt, or fear? Is it a combination of all three? Either way, ‘The Great Macgrady’ shows viewers that there is no right or wrong way to deal with such frightening news.
Season 13 Episode 6a: When Carl Met George
When George is sent to a classroom to get glue, he meets Carl, a kid with Aspergers Syndrome. At this point, George is not aware of Carl’s syndrome until he pulls out, which causes Carl to have a panic attack. This is when Carl’s mom makes George aware of Carl’s Aspergers. George goes to Brain to educate himself more on what Aspergers is and promptly apologizes to Carl, in which a friendship begins.
As someone who is not neurotypical, this episode has always touched my heart. From what I have seen in the media, neurodiversity is portrayed as comical (i.e. Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory). I have been compared to Sheldon in the past for my inability to pick up on sarcasm, a symptom of my neurodiversity. My point is, this episode shows a non-comical portrayal of neurodiversity as well as showing viewers how to approach a friend who may be neurodivergent. Also, can we applaud George, a child, for going out and educating himself on this condition rather than stigmatizing Carl? I think that these children could teach some of these adults a lesson in allyship.
Season 16 Episode 6a: The Last Tough Customer
In this season 16 episode, we follow one of the less followed characters, like Molly. For context, Molly is a member of a group of bullies known as “The Tough Customers”, and this episode reveals to us why Molly became a bully. It turns out that as a child, Molly got bullied herself and adapted that mentality onto other children after being a “Tough Customer” for so long. So when fellow customer Binky alerts the group that he no longer wants to bully people, Molly strongly disagrees. That is until Molly’s little brother starts adopting the same behavior to another girl until she cries because he has seen his sister do it. Molly remembers the pain she felt as a child and not only reprimands her brother, but decides to stop bullying people herself.
This episode teaches viewers a lesson on generational trauma. Molly was bullied by older kids as a young girl and developed a harmful way to cope. When her brother watched her sister become a bully, it made him think it was okay to repeat his sister’s behavior onto others, to which Molly had to be the one to stop him. This episode shows that when a person does not take the time to heal their trauma, they become used to the toxic behavior without realizing how it can pass down to younger generations until someone along the line has to break the cycle. Fortunately, Molly unlearned her toxic behavior and broke the cycle.
