October 7, 2021 will mark the 25th anniversary of Hey Arnold! Here’s a look back at some of the best and worst episodes of the series:
WORST EPISODES
Helga’s Masquerade
Helga enlists the help of Lila in order to act a certain way to get Arnold’s attention. Aside from Helga acting out of character, the episode comes to a head when Helga arrives at Rhonda’s costume party dressed exactly as her adversary. A cringe-worthy experience and an unpleasant watch.
School Dance
In this season 3 episode, Arnold gets Dino Spumoni to sing at his school dance. While not an offensive episode, the plot is so barebones and straightforward, one has to question why they bothered to make this episode at all.
Love and Cheese
Remember “Operation: Ruthless”? In Season 4, the writers retread old ground and repeat the same plotline, swapping out Ruth with Lila. Helga comes off as much worse in this version, as there’s a scene where she puts both Arnold and Lila’s lives in mortal danger in the Tunnel of Love. Unnecessary and uninspired.
Bag of Money
Arnold and Gerald’s friendship is put to the test in this season 5 episode. Arnold, Gerald and Sid stumble upon a large sum of money in a bag. They entrust Arnold to hold onto the money, but through an unlikely series of events, the bag gets misplaced and Sid accuses Arnold of pocketing the money for herself. While many point to Arnold Betrays Iggy as the ultimate injustice toward Arnold, Bag of Money is just as bad, if not worse, with the mean-spirited vibes. A skippable watch.
Phoebe’s Little Problem
With a title like that, one may be forgiven in assuming Phoebe’s problem is her perfectionism, or perhaps her alluded crush on Gerald. Not so much: in Phoebe’s Little Problem, Phoebe inadvertently farts into the microphone during an assembly and is teased mercilessly afterwards, to the point where she vows to never go back to school again. Between the unnecessary toilet humour and the fact that THIS was the last brand-new episode fans of Hey Arnold! got to see before The Jungle Movie in 2017, this is easily the worst of the worst.
BEST EPISODES
World Records
I’ll admit my bias on this one; this season 1 episode is my favourite episode of Hey Arnold!, and not without good reason. Arnold and Gerald recruit friends and the rest of the neighbourhood in an attempt to break a world record. It has all the charm of the pilot episode, 24 Hours to Live, and them some, giving us an accurate snapshot of all the characters and sets the tone for the rest of the series.
Parents Day
Arnold reminisces about his mother and father in this bittersweet special episode. This episode marks the first appearances of Stella and Miles, and provides an explanation for why Arnold lives in the boarding house with his grandparents. The somber, beautiful score by Jim Lang makes this episode a genuine tear-jerker, and a must-watch.
The Journal
In the 5th season, Arnold gives up hope of every seeing his mother and father again, and decides to move on by placing their belongings in the attic. In the process, he stumbles upon Miles’ old journal; and the rest of the episode focuses on how he met Stella and the birth of Arnold. One of the best looking and well-crafted episodes of the entire series, fans would unfortunately have to wait 15 years to receive closure on the whereabouts of Arnold’s missing parents.
What’s Opera, Arnold?
What’s Opera, Arnold? is a musical episode from the second season. Because much of the episode takes place in Arnold and Helga’s dreams, the writes are allowed to have fun with the characters and inject them into the backdrop of the opera Carmen. It’s catchy, it’s fun, and it’s a standout episode from the rest in the series.
Arnold’s Christmas
The quintessential holiday episode. Arnold selects Mr. Hyunh for Secret Santa. When he asks what he wants for Christmas, Hyunh explains that he just wants to be reunites with his daughter, Mai, who he lost contact with during the Vietnam War. The episode hops between Arnold and Gerald — who do a government employee’s shopping to convince him to search for Mai — and Helga, who is determined to find the perfect gift for her beloved. A timeless classic that can be watched every year during the holiday season.