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Author Topic: D.W. Always Off the Hook  (Read 1533 times)

LovingBeagles

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D.W. Always Off the Hook
« on: March 28, 2013, 05:55:36 pm »
This was sort of inspired by/recreated from a TV.com message board that I found.

http://www.tv.com/shows/arthur/forums/least-favorite-arthur-episodes-2099-3311559/

It has been noted that, in the earlier seasons, D.W. often didn't get in as much trouble as many thought she deserved, despite all the things she does. Arthur's Big Hit is a notorious example. Even though Arthur tells her many times not to touch his plane, he gets punished much more severely after he hits her. What irritated me is that some of his friends really couldn't see his side of the argument; I have to admit, when Muffy said, "Because you're wrong," I didn't understand how she could say that, so that kind of ticked me off because it's like they're trying to intentionally side with D.W. just because she's his little sister. And, at the end of the episode, D.W. plays the little girl card again.
I somehow liked Arthur's talking to Fern. Fern offered probably the most logical idea of all of his friends ("But she's just a little girl", with which I have to agree and can see some reasoning in there, as opposed to just condemning him with "Apologize to your sister" or "You're wrong"). Arthur replies with "Saying D.W. is just a little girl is like saying a tornado is just a little wind!" I thought that quote was funny.
Some say that D.W. got off scot-free, but remember that Mrs. Read said, "We'll deal with what she did. But what you did was wrong, too." So that implies that D.W. was also punished in some sort of way, but it took place outside of the time frame of the episode and it wasn't emphasized as heavily as Arthur's punishment was.

Play It Again, D.W. was another instance. D.W. constantly plays her Crazy Bus CD, much to Arthur's annoyance. When Arthur says that he's going to wreck her CD, he gets punished, while D.W., once again, gets to play Crazy Bus day in and day out. I kinda felt like they were torturing Arthur and forcing him to listen to the very song he hates. Not to mention how little Mr. and Mrs. Read do to try to stop D.W- they are practically totally OK with her playing the song over and over, and don't really sympathize much with Arthur.

So, yeah, D.W. really seems to be playing the "little girl/little sister" card at times, tends to get what she wants (also evident in Cast Away), and doesn't really receive as much punishment as some of us feel she deserves.

What do you think?

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Snowth Woogle

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Re: D.W. Always Off the Hook
« Reply #1 on: March 28, 2013, 07:43:55 pm »
I think we've had this discussion before, but yes, at times, especially "Arthur's Big Hit", D.W. practically got away with murder. It was very one-sided: Arthur told D.W. REPEATEDLY not to touch it, that it wasn't a toy, it was a model, and that it wasn't meant to be played with, and what does she do? As soon as he finishes it, she takes it, tries to fly it out the window, and breaks it. After he told her time and time again, not to touch it. And the thing that kills me the most is this exchange:

D.W.: And I'm sorry I broke your plane, but what kind of a airplane doesn't fly?
ARTHUR: A MODEL airplane?
D.W.: Well I didn't know that, I'm just a child, gimme a break!

Uh, she DID know that! Arthur TOLD her that, SEVERAL times, it's a MODEL airplane... and she doesn't need a break, she already got one when she barely (if even so) got punished for breaking it.

And likewise, with "Play it Again, D.W.", it really wasn't fair for their parents to punish Arthur simply for threatening to wreck D.W.'s CD, but not give her a talking to about her constantly playing it to the point of annoying her brother, until AFTER they took the CD by mistake, and returned it to her.
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LovingBeagles

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Re: D.W. Always Off the Hook
« Reply #2 on: June 01, 2013, 03:54:39 pm »
I somehow liked Arthur's talking to Fern. Fern offered probably the most logical idea of all of his friends ("But she's just a little girl", with which I have to agree and can see some reasoning in there, as opposed to just condemning him with "Apologize to your sister" or "You're wrong"). Arthur replies with

Scratch that, the fact that D.W. was a little girl still doesn't justify her action. I think I liked this short exchange the most, only for the fact that Fern is more gentle, soft-spoken, and not too quick to condemn Arthur, unlike Francine or Muffy (both of whom I just can't stand, because of Francine's hypocritical moralizing and Muffy's snobbish disposition). So, yeah, Fern's probably one of the more tolerable of Arthur's friends during times like these.

When Arthur says that he's going to wreck her CD, he gets punished, while D.W., once again, gets to play Crazy Bus day in and day out.

Scratch that, too, I just rewatched the episode, and it turns out that her Crazy Bus CD was gone (accidentally taken by her parents). Though I'll bet anyone can say that she had that coming...I mean, SOMEONE had to take her CD, she deserved it!

Roabe

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Re: D.W. Always Off the Hook
« Reply #3 on: June 03, 2013, 12:03:22 am »
This was sort of inspired by/recreated from a TV.com message board that I found.

http://www.tv.com/shows/arthur/forums/least-favorite-arthur-episodes-2099-3311559/
LOL, I forgot about that forum! I even participated in that thread too.

Anyway, yeah, D.W. did get off light in "Arthur's Big Hit." That whole episode was a mess, IMO (how it came from Joe Fallon is beyond me... I mentioned that in the TV.com forum as well). It would have been alright if it just focused on Arthur and D.W. dealing with what happened, but for whatever reason it had to go off on a tangent and become an episode about Binky dealing with peer pressure from the Tough Customers.

Snowth Woogle

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Re: D.W. Always Off the Hook
« Reply #4 on: June 03, 2013, 11:42:45 am »
I reluctantly looked at the thread provided in the link (I have outright refused to have anything to do with TV.com ever since the former owner stabbed us all in the back back in 2005 and sold TV Tome to CNet), and I'm surprised by some of the posts in it, because a lot of the episodes people say are the worst are actually some that I personally really enjoy. Go figure.  :-\
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Jekyll Jekyll Hyde

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Re: D.W. Always Off the Hook
« Reply #5 on: October 19, 2013, 10:19:59 am »
In the earlier seasons, D.W was also kind of insulting. I rewatched "Arthur's Treasure Hunt" one of my favorite episodes, and I was practically crying with laughter on the bit where Arthur dug up the Roman city. Another bit that I laughed at was when D.W asked Arthur if he was burying his report card. Then, I watched "Buster Baxter and the Letter From the Sea" and it was so boring and blatant. There was practically no humour, D.W was the most boring part of the episode, and the part where Buster cleaned up the beach seemed very goody-goody. A lot of episodes from season 14 are like that for some reason.
Why did the writers change D.W from the source of humour in an episode to the worst part of it? After the Time Trouble episode, she was basically a different person, until Baby Steps in Season 16, when she again insulted Arthur.
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JAO93

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Re: D.W. Always Off the Hook
« Reply #6 on: October 25, 2013, 07:50:48 am »
D.W., SIT! YOU CAN HAVE A HOT DOG TOMORROW WHEN WE'RE ON THE BEACH!

NO MORE RESTAURANTS FOR YOU, YOUNG LADY.

I don't think she was as much of a karma-houdini in the earlier episodes. It more of less changed by Season 4 which also gave us the abominable "Arthur's Big Hit". At the very least, her parents were capable of punishing her before then...

ralfsmouse

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Re: D.W. Always Off the Hook
« Reply #7 on: October 27, 2013, 11:00:04 pm »
In the earlier seasons, D.W was also kind of insulting. I rewatched "Arthur's Treasure Hunt" one of my favorite episodes, and I was practically crying with laughter on the bit where Arthur dug up the Roman city. Another bit that I laughed at was when D.W asked Arthur if he was burying his report card. Then, I watched "Buster Baxter and the Letter From the Sea" and it was so boring and blatant. There was practically no humour, D.W was the most boring part of the episode, and the part where Buster cleaned up the beach seemed very goody-goody. A lot of episodes from season 14 are like that for some reason.
Why did the writers change D.W from the source of humour in an episode to the worst part of it? After the Time Trouble episode, she was basically a different person, until Baby Steps in Season 16, when she again insulted Arthur.
Totally agree, D.W.'s early personality was amazing. The constant rivalry between her and Arthur was also a favorite of mine.