So Funny I Forgot to Laugh (Arthur)
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 This episode is so funny that we forgot to laugh.
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"So Funny I Forgot to Laugh" is the first part of the season finale of season 16 of Arthur.
Plot
When Sue Ellen gets a new sweater, Arthur makes jokes about her looking like a sheepdog with it, but drags it on for too long.
Why It Made Us Forget to Laugh
- It is a rehash of "Arthur's Eyes", the series' premiere episode, but done wrong.
- That episode involved Arthur wearing glasses and getting bullied so much to the point that he tried to stop wearing glasses all together. Here, it involves a similar concept, but instead of Arthur getting bullied for wearing glasses, Sue Ellen is bullied by Arthur for wearing a jacket.
- Arthur comes across as very unlikable and out of character in this episode. He repeatedly makes jokes about Sue Ellen wearing a jacket that supposedly makes her "look like a sheepdog," even though the jacket hardly resembles one. It's not just a single joke—Arthur continues to tease Sue Ellen, even after she asks him to stop. To make matters worse, this upsets Sue Ellen so much that she nearly switches classes.
- In addition to making mean jokes about Sue Ellen looking like a sheepdog, Arthur goes as far as creating posters titled "Sheepdog Appreciation Day" and emailing Sue Ellen a picture of her with a sheepdog's head photoshopped onto her. Making jokes is one thing, but Arthur definitely crosses the line with these actions.
- It would be more understandable if someone like Binky, Muffy, one of the Tough Customers, or even a new character was bullying Sue Ellen. Having Arthur play the role of the bully feels very out of place, as he is typically portrayed as a kind and likable character.
- Sue Ellen, though likable and sympathetic, doesn't do much to stand up to Arthur's bullying, which makes her seem spineless and weak—an inconsistency with her usual tough exterior. Additionally, in earlier episodes, she had no trouble standing up to Binky, so it's unclear why she can't do the same with Arthur.
- False advertising: This episode is included on the DVD, Arthur Stands Up to Bullying, which makes no sense, as Arthur is the one involved in bullying.
- Hypocrisy:
- While it is understandable that Sue Ellen wishes to change classes due to her frustration with Arthur's behavior, she did not switch classes because of Binky. Instead, she confronted him herself.
- Francine and Muffy contradict themselves by scolding Arthur for bullying Sue Ellen, considering that they themselves sometimes pick on others.
- Arthur's friends, while tolerable (aside from Francine and Muffy), are rather ineffective in this episode as they handle the situation poorly. Instead of confronting Arthur about his behavior in a constructive way or involving an adult if necessary, they resort to giving him the silent treatment. This only worsens the situation and makes them seem petty.
- Francine and Muffy, while not as unlikable as Arthur and understandably scolding him for bullying Sue Ellen, come across as petty since they avoid being anywhere near him. Therefore, it doesn't make sense why they would inform him about Sue Ellen wanting to switch classes, though it's likely they were trying to make him feel bad for his actions.
- Mr. Ratburn is also rather ineffective in this episode, as he does little to stop Arthur from bullying Sue Ellen, aside from telling him that it's wrong and having him write an apology letter. He also doesn't take the necessary step of informing Arthur and Sue Ellen's parents or Principal Haney about the situation.
- Arthur's apology letter to Sue Ellen is insincere and backhanded. Instead of taking responsibility for his actions and acknowledging that they were wrong, he tries to shift the blame onto Sue Ellen, claiming that she overreacted.
- Sue Ellen, her mother, Mr. Ratburn and Arthur's friends never even think about telling Arthur’s parents or the principal about Arthur’s behavior as Sue Ellen only reports to her mom to ask her about switching classes. Because of this, the episode does not have Arthur face the severity of his actions until the end of the episode.
Redeeming Qualities
- The beginning of the episode is decent, until Arthur starts bullying Sue Ellen.
- The ending was okay as Arthur did learn his lesson in the end and apologizes for being rude to Sue Ellen.
- To be fair, Francine and Muffy being mad at Arthur was justifiable as they were mad about Arthur bullying Sue Ellen.
- Sue Ellen was likeable for the most part and can also be treated as sympathetic, due to her getting bullied by Arthur.
- The other characters are tolerable as they didn't bullied Sue Ellen at all.
- Even though Arthur didn’t get any severe punishment for bullying, he did got a little bit of comeuppance as his friends turning against him, give him the silent treatment while Mr. Ratburn have a talk with him and getting scolded by Francine and Muffy.
- He also at least feels remorseful for what he did at the ending.
- There are humorous moments, such as Binky criticizing Arthur's sheepdog posters and Buster failing at giving Arthur the silent treatment.
Reception
This episode was highly panned by fans and critics alike, mainly due to Arthur non-stop joking to Sue Ellen about "looking like a sheepdog". It is even considered to be one of the worst episodes of the series, with some saying that it is even worse than "Arthur's Big Hit", "D.W.'s Very Bad Mood", "Cast Away", "Play It Again, D.W." and "Nerves of Steal".
The episode along with "The Best Day Ever" received a 2.7 on IMDb, making this pairing the lowest rated Arthur episode ever on that website.
Trivia
- As shown, despite Mr. Ratburn scolding Arthur for bullying Sue Ellen. He was unaware of when he was bullied, although Arthur did not tell.
- This is by far the most controversial episodes in the series.
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