Student Teacher (Hey Arnold!)

"Student Teacher"
Even if you despise Helga for being a total jerk to Arnold, she doesn't deserve what's happening to her in this abortion of an episode.
Series: Hey Arnold! Part of Season: 4 Episode Number: 1b Air Date: March 10, 1999 Writer: Michelle Lamoreaux Steve Viksten Director: Frank Weiss (animation) Previous episode: Full Moon Next episode: Big Gino

Student Teacher is an episode from the Nickelodeon show Hey Arnold!.

Plot

Helga's sister Olga comes home for spring break and becomes a classroom aid in Helga's class, much to Helga's chagrin.

Why It Deserves an F-

1. This is pretty much a torture episode for Helga, as she’s constantly embarrassed by Olga who tries to get closer with her as sisters, which makes it very uncomfortable for her.
2. Helga, while understandable because of being embarrassed and uncomfortable, is unlikable, because of the parts where she tries to sabotage her sister’s teaching skills, like when she flats the tires of her sister’s car, when she tried to give a rotten apple with a worm to her sister, only for Mr. Simmons to eat it and have him suffer instead, and then she takes her sister’s work papers.
3. This episode is also pretty mean-spirited, like when the kids laugh at Helga when learning from Olga she used to be a bedwetter, and Helga’s attempts to sabotage her sister’s work papers.
4. Olga, while she’s still likable in this episode, was making Helga very uncomfortable for trying to spend time with her, but makes it embarrassing for her.
5. As mentioned above, the part where Mr. Simmons eats the apple with the worm in it was mean-spirited, and also very gross.
6. This, along with "Full Moon", was an awful way to start Season 4.
7. Watching Helga confronting Harold after he hollered "LOOK! IT'S HELGA THE BED WETTER!" was so terrifying that she wanted to pound him so much until Olga gave her detention for the rest of the week. Making Helga's embarrassment level rise even worse than ever.
8. Helga was completely out of character because of Olga making her uncomfortable throughout the entire episode. If she wasn't jealous of her, Helga would be nice.
9. This episode is a rehash of "Olga Come's Home" when Helga changed the grade on her report card from an 'A' to a 'B+". But in this episode, she sabotages her sister's reputation, tried to make her sick from eating an apple with a worm in it, and fiddled with her car so that the oil spills out from the bottom so she cannot come to teach her class again.
10. This episode marks the beginning of Olga's flanderization to an over talkative type of character who can't learn to keep her big mouth shut throughout the entire episode.

Redeeming Qualities

1. Some of the characters are still likable in this episode. Olga, because she was sweet, helped the students out, and tried to spend more time with her sister, even if she was embarrassing her, and Arnold, as he gave Helga good advice on what to do with her situation, and just talk with Olga on how she feels.
2. We can at least understand Helga’s bad actions, as she was getting embarrassed and feeling uncomfortable by her sister, which can be relatable.
3. Helga got a punishment when Olga saw her trying to bully Harold, by giving her detention for the rest of the week, which she deserved for trying to sabotage her sister’s teaching skills, and also for some of her past bad actions, like going too far with bullying Arnold in "Girl Trouble".
4. The ending was good as Helga took Arnold’s advice and told Olga the truth that she’s embarrassing her and it’s only making them grow further away. Olga understands, but it saddens her, thinking she ruined their sister bond. Helga told her there was one way to make it up to her, by having her go to Alaska and be a student-teacher there, to help the kids who need it. And she tells her the further they are physical, the closer they will be emotional. The scene where Olga and Helga say goodbye and hug was emotional. Then, they write letters to each other, with Olga saying she’s having a good time with the Alaska kids and tells her sister she loves and misses her. Then, Helga writes back to her sister, saying she’s glad she’s doing well, and that everything back home is well too, and says most of her classmates have forgotten about the bedwetting incident she had, and after seeing a picture of her sister in Alaska, she finishes her letter with "Love, Helga", which was very sweet and heartwarming.

Reception

Many fans considered this episode to be the downfall of the entire series, due to Helga getting annoyed and embarrassed by Olga in the entire episode and getting detention for the rest of the week after being called a bedwetter by Harold.

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