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Where to start . . . Hmmm

Aha!

Warning--

Not For The Faint Of Heart.

So before I completely explode, here's some important information.

According To tvtropes.org --

"Steve Viksten wrote a whopping one third of the show's 180+ stories."

Including the episode
Helga On The Couch!

Tell me, how could someone who wrote so many great episodes for the series, write this??

Who thought that it was a brilliant idea to air this episode??

Who in their right mind would take the time to animate this until it was complete?!

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Blasphemous Title:

To start with the obvious.

The title Arnold Betrays Iggy grabs the attention of the viewer almost immediately.

Why?

Because no one would ever expect "Arnold" and "Betrays" to even be in the same sentence.

Controversy:

This episode had such a negative reception, that Iggy was reduced to an extra in the background for the remainder of the series.

Except for Gerald's Game, where he is shown to be the "fool" and is treated poorly.

The episode was also supposedly banned for a decade by Craig Bartlett who hated it so much that he made all of the writers apologize to viewers for it.

But that last part is more of a rumor than actual fact.

My Arnold Side:

Will go in with an open mind. Stay positive because somebody has to.

My Helga Side:

Burn it with fire!
I can't believe that this atrocity exists!!

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A Slap Of Dramatic Foreshadowing:

All Stinky and Sid jabber on about in the beginning is Iggy The Cool Boy.

Of how "cool" he is.

Of how he may not even be sick, making him even more cool.

Of how Arnold received the privilege to give Iggy the homework that he couldn't get himself.

So cool.

Oh, did I mention how cool Iggy is?

Well, the more they seem to stress the fact, the more it hints to Arnold learning that Iggy isn't "cool" whatsoever.

Plus a series of events that compels people to want to bash Iggy upside the head with a metal baseball bat.

Iggy isn't cool at all because he wears . . .

Bunny Pajamas?

Am I missing something here?

Does this mean that I'm the only one who believed that these pajamas were cool?

Why is he freaking out so much?

He was the one who wore them, so it's his fault!

He's overreacting. This is very awkward, since the viewer doesn't know this character at all.

Hey! News flash, it's Arnold!

If it had to be anyone who would find you in that position, Arnold would be the best choice.

He's extremely loyal and a keeper of promises.

Wait . . .

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Iggy practically begs Arnold to not tell anyone about what he saw while Arnold does this:

While it's good to see that Arnold is a human being and will also laugh at other's humiliation, it just causes Iggy to doubt Arnold's credible promise.

Which begins the disaster that the viewer is forced to watch.

Unbeknownst to them that they are going to suffer.

Look Iggy, now I'm overreacting!!!

Or am I?

What's So Funny?:

Just as Stinky finishes his favorite story about Lemon Puddin', Arnold, from out of the blue, begins to think of Iggy in his pajamas again.

Sid and Stinky immediately believe that he's chuckling due to something related to Iggy.

So they practically strangle the information out of him by playing the infamous game from childhood.

The Guessing Game.

The Worst Part Is When Arnold Slips:

"It was just something Iggy was wearing."

Because Sid has the ability to read minds, he comments that it's not like Iggy was wearing bunny pajamas or something.

I'm gonna take a guess and say that:

Iggy's "coolness" reputation was partially related to not being a sissy.

And that bunny pajamas would label him as such.

Now we all know that Arnold's terrible at lying and keeping secrets.

Darn, if only he was good at certain devilish things like that.

He's a very open person.

Is that a bad thing, writers?

See, he even regrets what happened.

He does look kinda cute when blushing though.

Problem is, he didn't tell them directly and he denied it and pleaded for them not to tell anyone else.

For some reason, they decide not to listen to Arnold (a great friend who helps them out all the time).

They "promise" not to tell anyone right before they go and tell the whole school in ten minutes.

Wow, that's record timing.

Those jerks!

Their characters were so mean-spirited in this episode.

They weren't like themselves at all.

However, they're not the only ones.

Harold becomes overly annoying, appearing to have lost any of the character development he had work so hard to receive.

Heck, even Helga is off.

I will say that that moment where she lifts her hair to resemble bunny ears is rather hilarious.

Quick Reason Why: It kinda plays fun at how her hair always defies gravity.

I still can't figure why wearing bunny pajamas is that funny.

Iggy is now convinced that Arnold told all the kids about his secret, and refuses to forgive him.

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Winner Of Most Out Of Character Award:

Grandpa! WTH?!
(to maybe be continued)

So Arnold is regretting everything and asks Grandpa for advice.

Which starts off well with:

Apologize to him.

Then takes a downturn with:

Win him over with presents and favors.

If this was meant to be a joke, it fell flat, because Arnold takes it seriously.

Furthermore, is that really a good lesson to teach kids? >:(

Arnold first attempts to apologize to Iggy.

Iggy refuses.

Arnold gives Iggy his favorite chocolate.

Iggy refuses.

Arnold does all of Iggy's chores for a week.

Iggy still refuses?!

Arnold apologizes over the course of months.

IGGY REFUSES!

Seriously, having everyone find out that you wear bunny pajamas is NOT THAT BAD.

No wonder people like Helga are so conflicted. The people in this school would brand you for life if you tripped over a snail.

When Arnold becomes desperate and asks Iggy how he could make it up to him:

Honestly, he could not look like more of a douchebag.

Here comes the most infamous scene of the entire series.

Brace Yourselves.

Since everyone knows that Iggy wears bunny pajamas (why was he wearing them?), Arnold has to make it up to him by letting everyone see him wear bunny pajamas.

It's one of the most soul-crushing scenes to watch.

Every time I watch it, I feel like ripping my hair out, tying it into a rope, and strangling myself.

Sorry for the imagery.

I've only watched it twice.

The only reason for why I'm ranting about it now, is because I made the mistake of watching it again.

Let's just say, the second time was worst than the first time.

It breaks my heart . . .

The potential lost for Iggy, the fact that absolutely no one is on Arnold's side, the embarrassment Arnold had to go through even though he didn't intentionally tell anyone about Iggy's secret.

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The next day we see Iggy has gathered nearly fifty people to stand outside Arnold's house.

Why do these people care so much?

You've got to be kidding me!?!

There's a freakin' long, red carpet stretched down the steps of his house into the street.

Iggy's sitting in a lounge chair, so full of himself, at the end.

Because watching another person's misery is a marvelous thing to watch. To watch them squirm and blush and cry from humiliation or torment.

Was he like the king or something before people found out his secret?

For God Sake, there's even a sign put out that reads: "Grovel Here."

Iggy, go to Hell you worthless piece of trash.

Even Arnold's own grandfather is looking forward to see him humiliated, and tells him he'll be "taking pictures for the album" and proceeds to laugh at him.

He says "You're gonna look great."

That's a bunch of BS!

Arnold's Grandfather would never do that. He's a kindhearted old man who wants the best for Arnold.

Not an antagonist who helps beat Arnold into the ground like everyone else in this episode.

An interesting note to add, is that Gerald didn't come to see Arnold's humiliation.

This is one of the only good points about this scene, because it shows just how much of a good friend Gerald is to Arnold.

But that's not good enough.

Who would let a friend suffer like that?!

Honestly . . .

His greatest friends and the boarders and even the flipping News come to witness the event.

Did the news not have anything to film that day? What's so shocking about a boy wearing bunny pajamas?

Except for maybe the outrageous hype put into it.

This is effing betrayal.

This Is What Betrayal Actually Is Iggy!

It's when your family and friends gather together to mock you for something you were forced to do because of something that wasn't really your fault.

Ok . . . That oddly reminds me of Jesus's crucifixion . . .

If we're drawing comparisons now, I'd say that Iggy is Judas.

You wanna know what Judas did after he betrayed Jesus, Iggy?

He hung himself.

What's twisted, is that this isn't the worst cartoon episode out there.

The story is not complete gibberish or trash. It still has that Hey Arnold! feeling to it.

However, that feeling is ripped a part and stomped on by an angry elephant.

It's still there though. Which makes it worse in some ways.

Now some would say that I'm overreacting, and that's fine because it is a cartoon and they are entitled to their opinons.

But look at it this way for a moment.

What if this happened in real life? . . .

Iggy finds out that Arnold wasn't really at fault at the worst possible time.

Now people will forever have pictures and video film of him walking that aggravatingly slow-paced walk of shame.

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Y'know that an episode's bad when a character like Arnold becomes furious.

Yippee! Everyone has officially went out of damn character.

Except for Iggy. Who will be forever known as a completely heartless, douchebag.

What Was Learned About Iggy's Character:

He only cares about himself and his so called reputation. He over-exaggerates everything and places the blame on others.

He'll let others take the bullet to protect his outrageous ego. And would keep a grudge for possibly years.

To top it all off, the viewer is not even given a chance or a reason to sympathize with him. Nor is it explained as to why he is wearing bunny pajamas in the first place.

I'd say this needs some relief.

Lessons learned:
Two wrongs don't make a right.
Some people are complete monsters.
Reputation should not be held above friends.