Arthur and his dog, Pal, are like peanut butter and jelly; no one can imagine them apart. This cartoon centers around the disastrous events that occur when Arthur tries and fails to properly care for Pal. For this concept, I found myself going back and forth about it, because while the antics Pal causes easily produces a laugh or two, you also feel bad for Arthur because after his parents had had enough with the chaos, they sentence Pal to live in the garage full time until he's properly trained, which makes Arthur sad because the two have developed a close bond. Arthur becomes determined to work with Pal so that he can start living in the house again. And after showcasing the tricks he taught Pal to his family, his dad allows him to be kept in the house. This cartoon the strongest display of Arthur and Pal's relationship. Through humor and outstanding emotional bits, it delivers a great message, and is another strong addition to the series. 8.5/10
8B: Arthur Bounces Back
This cartoon sees Arthur trying to earn ten dollars so he can buy moon boots, the trendy new shoes that let you bounce to incredible heights. (AND that gives you broken ankles quickly and efficiently if you just so happen to land improperly) Throughout the episode, Arthur tries numerous ways to get money. He brings flowers over to Grandma Thora to sell, only to be informed that his parents called her earlier about the moon boots. He then tries selling lemonade, only to have a dog run off with his bag of lemons. Afterwards, he opens a kissing booth, but after getting made fun of by passers-by, he turns it into a fortune teller stand. But then a thunderstorm hits, leaving Arthur to lose any last sliver of hope that he had of getting those moon boots. It's hard not to sympathize with Arthur, because he worked hard to try to earn some cash, but time after time he'd always fail, losing some value in this cartoon. Eventually, Arthur volunteers to sweep the garage, but Mrs. Tibble comes along and thinks it's a garage sale. After she offers to buy a necklace from him for ten dollars, Arthur finally gets his moon boots, but the story doesn't end there. In a nice little twist, when Mr. Read comes out to ask Arthur if he put everything back where it belonged, it's revealed that the necklace Mrs. Tibble purchased earlier was actually a special birthday present for Mrs. Read. So he volunteers to rake every last leaf in Mrs. Tibble's yard in exchange for the necklace, ending the episode. Arthur Bounces Back was a lot of fun, what with the enjoyable scenes of Arthur setting up his own business and the unexpected but very clever plot twist tossed in near the end. Not exactly a season highlight, but still, I definitely recommend it. 7/10
Season 1 Ranking
1. Arthur Accused
2. D.W's Imaginary Friend
3. D.W. All Wet
4. Locked In The Library
5. Arthur's New Puppy
6. Arthur's Spelling Trubble
7. Arthur's Teacher Trouble
8. Arthur Bounces Back
9. Buster Makes The Grade
10. D.W. The Copycat
11. Francine's Bad Hair Day
12. Arthur's Lost Library Book
13. Buster's Dino Dilemma
14. Arthur's Pet Business
15. Arthur Goes To Camp
16. Arthur's Eyes
Be sure to tune in next time to see the adventurous aardvark take on the two most badass preschoolers in the world when "Arthur Babysits", then watch as he tries his best to avoid his annoying cousin Mo at an upcoming family reunion in "Arthur's Cousin Catastrophe".
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