Everybody's been saying that the gay Ratburn episode was the worst of this season, but honestly, aside from it being a little preachy and forced, it wasn't really bad. I didn't mind the gay marriage thing, which is at least groundbreaking and generates discussion - but climate change propaganda? That's where this show is going now? First of all, the environmental protection thing's already been done on this show in at least five other episodes. It was boring in the 90's, and it's still boring now. Secondly, it sounds like a PSA. The dialogue, particularly Mrs. McGrady getting up on her soapbox to give some hokey doomsday speech reminiscent of Extinction Rebellion, was very poorly written. Of course the Crosswire Family is bad here, because god forbid they not be the rich scapegoats for the millionth time in a row, and protesting local businesses is the hip new thing all the kids are doing.
Finally, the characters just act too mature for their ages. They behave like college freshmen, and this has been an ongoing issue with the show since at least Season 14, that D.W. and her friends act more like eight-year-olds, while Arthur and his pals act like grown adults. I should've come to expect nothing better after episodes where Rattles drinks "soy milk fro yo's" and the Tough Customers think it's fun to protest outside a fried chicken joint in their spare time, but this latest episode on climate change takes the cake for being the biggest example of why we need to keep politics out of children's shows. The show goes after a young audience who have no understanding of the economy or politics, and then it gives them a one-sided portrayal of the subject matter. If you want to reach kids and give them a deeper show that teaches about the importance of preventing ecological pollution, show them the 1970's version of The Lorax, which shows that making a difference starts locally at home, not with youth protests and hatred for small businesses.
Finally, the characters just act too mature for their ages. They behave like college freshmen, and this has been an ongoing issue with the show since at least Season 14, that D.W. and her friends act more like eight-year-olds, while Arthur and his pals act like grown adults. I should've come to expect nothing better after episodes where Rattles drinks "soy milk fro yo's" and the Tough Customers think it's fun to protest outside a fried chicken joint in their spare time, but this latest episode on climate change takes the cake for being the biggest example of why we need to keep politics out of children's shows. The show goes after a young audience who have no understanding of the economy or politics, and then it gives them a one-sided portrayal of the subject matter. If you want to reach kids and give them a deeper show that teaches about the importance of preventing ecological pollution, show them the 1970's version of The Lorax, which shows that making a difference starts locally at home, not with youth protests and hatred for small businesses.
