While I think a lot of people do oversell the grittiness of Hey Arnold, I think it's pretty telling that even a mostly working-class city neighborhood is pretty out there for a kid's show setting. There were definitely some pretty rough parts shown. Oscar's trek through the city and Arnold's trip to Torvald's house…

The way the fantasy mirrors the reality is so upsetting. And the fact that he reads the script as it's going and tears up is a nice touch. It makes you wonder how many times he's played out that fantasy in his head, and how many times he's been disappointed

She really is. It's such a shame they were never able to get that spinoff and get more into Helga's character. It would have been so interesting to see her grow up and work through all of those issues that popped up in that episode

Yeah, I've really found myself both connecting to the episodes/characters as well as I did as a kid and getting more out of the show now than I did then, and not just "adult" jokes. I think they did a really excellent job of choosing stories and characters that covered a lot of bases for what kids see/experience, but…

I think I've said it before, but Hey Arnold is one of the few shows that has actually stuck with me and, looking back, influenced me a lot more than I really realized. I remember watching this for the first time as a kid and while I certainly didn't get all the things from it that I get now, it was just nice to see…

I was actually okay with how the Gang was for the most part because they've never been shown to be particularly functional when high, especially on inhalants. The way the Waitress was threw me off, but it did make me realize how little we actually know about her and how she is when she's not drunk/angry/being…

It's also pretty interesting that all of them had relatively realistic depictions of the rest of the gang. They were just as likely to fuck each other over, not care, or demean the person imagining

I'm really not surprised Charlie sees everything like a Disney/Pixar movie (didn't they imply in the Christmas special that the stop-motion animation was all from Charlie's imagination?). That sequence made me feel weird though. His obsession with the Waitress always creeps me out, but seeing it from his super-warped…

Oh, I know it is. But when insomnia kicks in, you gotta waste your time somehow

Also, that tape made me start questioning the show's timeline, since I was thinking they've been using 1 tape for almost a decade, but it's less time? They're about 28 in the 1st season but should be about 33 by the end of the 7th for their high school reunion. Season 5 ends late 2009, because of the World Series.…

The bad movies just get funnier when you see the end of them and realize that they've been using the same crappy tape all this time. That tape is their legacy. I wonder how many Project Badass stunts that tape has seen

I'm genuinely very happy that I picked this as my "crappy summer tv" show, because it's turned out to be so much more than that, and I've really enjoyed watching it all unfold. I could see a season 2 of a similar length if it was more of a post-Siberia thing tbh. Like, if they wanted to keep up the faux-reality show,…

I feel like both those pairs play off the shared childhoods/pasts of their characters enough to make it work just a little bit better. Like, Dennis and Dee always step up the sociopathy factor to a perfect level

Same. And because they're willing to make Jack so obvious, I can't help but think that the "Dennis is a (serial) killer/rapist" thing might actually end up happening at some point, and not just be implied (repeatedly and obviously).

Yeah, I think they've made it abundantly clear without actually saying it. Though in the season 5(? I think?) outtakes Charlie does come right out and say it in one take

Yeah, I went back and checked and the meat's definitely brown, so cheesesteak's most likely right. It's just awfully flat to be a cheesesteak. But who knows, I wouldn't put it passed Frank to be walking around with it in his pocket or something equally ridiculous

Nah man. I'm pretty sure it was just a hoagie, but I wouldn't put it past Frank to be carrying around a cheesesteak everywhere

That idea just made me really sad :(

Jack Kelly consistently creeps me out on a level that honestly amazes me.

Dennis' speech to Dee at the plane was so perfect and so painfully uncomfortable, which is pretty much him throughout the whole episode. Though, at the end when they were all saying he might kill himself, I can't help but think he might kill someone else tbh. Breaking Dennis honestly sounds like a Very Bad thing to do…