Recap / Arthur S4E1 - "D.W.'s Library Card" / "Arthur's Big Hit"

Airdate: October 4, 1999

D.W.'s Library Card

After Arthur refuses to check out a "baby book" for her on his library card, D.W. decides to get her own so she can check out the book she wants herself.

• Character Development: D.W., on learning that she has to write her name to qualify for a library card, spends a few hours practicing. She finally gets it right while complaining about how hard it is over dinner.
• Disproportionate Retribution:
  • Arthur fears that he'll be dressed as a baby and banned from checking out "adult books" after checking out Hopalong the Frog.
  • Also, D.W. fears that her library card will be permanently confiscated if she damages one book.
• Goo Goo Getup: When Arthur refuses to check out Hopalong the Frog for D.W., saying it could go on his permanent record, an Imagine Spot is shown where Arthur is banned from checking out "Adult books" and dressed in a bonnet and diaper (with his picture of him in them being taken afterwards).
• Hidden Depths: This is one of the earliest cases where Binky shows his love of music. He reads a book about Fryderyk Chopin to D.W.
• Hypocritical Humor: Arthur shouts that D.W. isn't allowed to speak in the library.
• Imagine Spot:
  • Arthur has one where he is banned from checking out "Adult books", dressed like a baby, and having his picture taken for checking out Hopalong the Frog for D.W..
  • D.W. has one when the Tibbles tell her that her library card will be taken away if she damages a book.
• Irony: Lampshaded. After Arthur reads her "Hopalong the Frog", D.W. bemoans how she wasted an entire week keeping the book preserved, a week she could've enjoyed reading the book. And now that she's had a chance to enjoy, she'll have to return it soon.
• Jerkass Has a Point: When D.W. kept annoying Arthur on reading a book title, Arthur told her there’s a sign that said no talking. D.W. pointed out how if she can’t read a book title, how does Arthur expect her to read a sign.
• Library Episode: In this episode, D.W. decides to get her own library card so she can check out Hopalong the Frog. Unfortunately, when she finally gets to borrow the book, the Tibble Twins tell her that if the book is damaged, her library card will be taken away forever.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Arthur has this reaction after he tells D.W. she can check out Hopalong the Frog as many times as she wants in an attempt to cheer her up.
• Pet the Dog: When the Tibble twins brag how they can write their names, D.W. is worried about writing it because her name is long. Timmy says that at least her name is actually quite easy to write and should be glad she doesn’t have a long (and silly) name like their classmate Aloysius Zimmerplotz, who is always running of space to write his name.
• "Reading Is Cool" Aesop: The episode starts with Arthur talking about how cool the library is.
  Arthur: I love the library! There are so many books to read and great things to find out.
• The Reveal: Hopalong the Frog was Arthur's first library book. Once Arthur realizes this, he stops dismissing it as a "baby book" and is happy to read it to D.W.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: D.W. learns that other people can check out books as well, and must wait a week before someone returns the book she wants.

Arthur's Big Hit

Arthur loses his cool and hits his sister, D.W., in a fit of rage, after she plays with a model plane he repeatedly told her not to touch.

• Adults Are Useless: Zigzagged. Though Mr. and Mrs. Read are only shown punishing Arthur, they do say they will take care of D.W. later^note Given that D.W. does apologize to Arthur for what she did (albeit rather insincerely), it's likely they actually did. That being said, they do nothing when Arthur himself gets punched by Binky and tell him it serves him right for punching D.W. instead of confronting Binky's parents on it.
• Asshole Victim: Both D.W. and Arthur respectively. D.W. is punched by Arthur for ruining his model plane, and Arthur gets assaulted for what he did to her.
• Berserk Button: For Arthur. Do not touch his model plane or he will put in a incredibly bad mood at the point of hitting you.
• Blaming the Victim: Considering Arthur was basically punched by Binky unprovoked - as far as anyone In-Universe knew - Arthur's parents saying "Well maybe that's how DW felt when you punched her!" comes off as if they think Arthur deserved to get punched.
• Both Sides Have a Point: The episode rightfully puts Arthur in the wrong for hitting D.W. instead of helping her understand why she messed up, but let's also not forget that she walked into Arthur's room to play with his plane after explicitly being told not to (though Arthur should have also put it in a safe spot where D.W. could never reach).
• Broken Aesop: The moral of the episode is that violence is never justified, but when Binky punches Arthur, Arthur's parents show Arthur little sympathy, with his father outright justifying it by saying "Now you know how D.W. feels". Furthermore, the episode is also supposed to teach that "violence is never the right solution", but Arthur only learned that hitting D.W. was wrong because Binky hit him. Arthur even thanks Binky for doing it because it taught him how bad he made D.W. feel, showing that, yes, violence can be the right solution. It also doesn't help that Binky was about to hit some random kid to prove himself to his Jerkass friends before Arthur showed up (definitely not a justification for violence by any sane standard), but he is never called out for that.
• Cast as a Mask: The Cold Open has Binky disguising himself full-body as D.W, perfectly imitating her voice. It's made funnier when you know that D.W. is actually voiced by a boy.
• Circular Reasoning: When Sue Ellen spots Binky hiding from Arthur in the bushes, she asks what he's doing there. Binky answers that he's avoiding Arthur so he doesn't have to hit him. Sue Ellen then asks why Binky wants to hit Arthur, to which Binky replies that he doesn't, which is why he's avoiding him. Since Binky never explains that his friends have threatened to kick him out of the club if he doesn't hit Arthur the next time he sees him, Sue Ellen is left confused by what appears to be this trope.
  Sue Ellen: Hmm. [walks away] Boys...
• Clip Its Wings: Both wings on Arthur's model plane break off when it smashes onto the ground.
• Contrived Coincidence: Binky gets peer-pressured into punching the next kid he sees to prove how tough he is... which ends up being Arthur.
• Delayed Reaction: D.W. doesn't cry in pain until three seconds after she gets hit by Arthur, likely out of shock.
• Disproportionate Retribution: While Arthur's anger is justified, hitting D.W. would very much qualify.
• The Dog Bites Back: After being constantly harassed by D.W., culminating in the destruction of his model plane, Arthur finally punches her in a fit of rage.
• Double Standard: Arthur is treated as in the wrong for punching D.W. because she broke his model plane (though admittedly, he was in the wrong for doing so). Meanwhile, Binky is treated as if he did the right thing by punching Arthur, even though he never actually wanted to punch him and only did so because his friends pressured him to. Later on, he did call his friends out for making him do something he didn't want to do.
• Everyone Has Standards: Despite that Binky can be a bully at times, even he finds it wrong and dumb to make someone do something they don't want to do and went as far as dissolving his club when the Tough Kids came along and offer Arthur to join their club since he survive a punch from Binky.
  Binky: There is no club. I founded it and I'm de-founding it. Any club that makes you do something you don't want to do is dumb. Anybody want to make something of it?
• Exact Words: Binky is ordered by his friends to hit Arthur the next time he sees him. Binky doesn't want to, so what's his solution? Do everything he can to keep Arthur out of his sight, so he can claim he never actually saw him! He eventually does it, but it didn't stop the fact that he felt guilty afterwards.
• Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!:
  • D.W. complains to Arthur that he didn't build his model plane correctly, as it doesn't fly at all. Arthur starts explaining that he built it properly, then realizes with horror what she had done.
  • Binky constantly agrees with Rattles asserting that he doesn't fear anyone and has no need to provide an example of his strength...until Rattles claims he can simply hit the next kid who walks by them to do so.
  Binky: That's right—WHAT!?
  • As Binky leaves the school at the end of the day, he breathes a sigh of relief at making it through a whole day without seeing Arthur, before it dawns on him that he's gonna have to do that every day for the rest of his life. Somewhat mercifully, he's forced to go through with hitting Arthur later that same afternoon, so he doesn't have to strenuously keep his guard up again and again.
• Freudian Excuse: While D.W. and Arthur reconcile, the former claims she didn't know the difference between a model plane and a real one because she's the younger child and didn't know better.
• Full-Body Disguise / Latex Perfection: The Cold Open features Arthur in a boxing match against D.W., but then he notices another D.W. in the audience. When that D.W. explains there's only one of her, the D.W. on stage pulls off her rubber mask and suit to reveal Binky! Cue the Oh, Crap! look from Arthur.
• Full-Name Ultimatum: Arthur's full name is said for the first time in this episode.
  Jane Read: Arthur Timothy Read, come here!
  Arthur: Uh-oh! Middle name!
• Gasp!: Arthur's stock gasp is used when he finds his wrecked plane on the driveway of the Read house.
• Hand Gagging: Binky is forced to resort to this when Buster sees him and calls out to Arthur to come over. He also drags Buster into his hiding place and out of Arthur's sight for good measure. It works.
• Hand-or-Object Underwear: Or rather, Hand-or-Object Eyesight Blocker. During his time in Mr. Ratburn's classroom, Binky uses his hand to ensure Arthur stays out of his "sight". Later, as the students are let out at the end of the day, Binky has one of his schoolbooks open and hoisted up behind his head, presumably as a precaution despite Arthur not being nearby.
• Humiliation Conga: Arthur gets hit with this. After punching D.W., he gets grounded, then all his friends get angry with him for what he did. Afterwards, he gets punched out by Binky (only because he gave into the peer pressure).
• Hypocrite:
  • Arthur's parents ground him for punching D.W., telling him that violence is never justified, yet they don't do anything when Binky hits him. His father tells him "Maybe that's how D.W. feels", and when Arthur sees Binky the next day, there is no indication that Mr. or Mrs. Read informed Binky's parents or that Binky got punished.
  • Arthur's friends berate him for being a bully for punching D.W., though they themselves have bullied Arthur a couple of times before, like making fun of his glasses in "Arthur's Eyes" and calling him a baby for still having baby teeth in "Arthur's Tooth".
• Idiot Ball: D.W., having been hit on the mouth thanks to the Tibble Twins in the previous episode, doesn't realize that her Never My Fault speech is causing Arthur's fists to shake when he confronts her for breaking his plane. She keeps rambling until Arthur's fist meets her shoulder.
• If You're So Evil, Eat This Kitten!: Rattles and Molly challenge Binky to punch Arthur in order to prove his toughness. Binky does. Eventually.
• Immediate Self-Contradiction: At the very end, Binky talks about creating a new club of friends where hitting isn't allowed...and promises to clobber anyone who breaks that rule.
• Implausible Deniability: When Arthur's friends try to tell Binky, who has already been dared by his own friends to hit him, what he did to D.W., Binky denies that Arthur's even present in a desperate attempt to avoid "seeing" Arthur and thus having to go through with punching him.
• Jerkass Ball:
  • Arthur's parents show little sympathy for Arthur when he's hit by Binky, with Mr. Read outright saying "Maybe you know how D.W. feels."
  • His friends are no better, treating Arthur as if he's the bad guy instead of empathizing with him and realizing that both sides were ultimately guilty for the resultant actions. Even Arthur keeps trying to tell his side of the story, albeit greatly exaggerated, to no avail. Buster, in particular is a bizarre example as he earlier joked that it's good to be an only child after seeing D.W. get her fingers covered in paint and blame Arthur for it.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Arthur angrily states calling D.W. a "little girl" is like calling a tornado "a little wind". Given just in the episode she spills his paint, gets her fingers covered in paint, and then destroys his model plane, can you blame him for saying this?
• Jerkass Realization: D.W. to her credit gets one at the end of the episode after Arthur gets hit when they apologize to each other, though still insisting that she didn't know any better. In later episodes, she has at least learned not to touch the model planes that Arthur builds, so the lesson has stuck.
• Karmic Protection: Similar to the poorly-handled moral, Binky never gets any kind of punishment or karmic comeuppance for hitting Arthur for three main story reasons: he very much didn't want to; he did everything in his power to prevent his hand from being forced; and he apologized to Arthur after external factors forced it anyway.
• Never My Fault: After D.W. throws Arthur's plane out the window, she blames him for it breaking because since it couldn't fly, Arthur must have built it wrong, ignoring the fact that he warned her not to touch it. She later does apologize, but still insists that the plane was stupid for not being able to fly and insists she couldn't have known it wouldn't because "she's just a kid".
• No Sympathy:
  • This exchange occurs after Arthur gets punched by Binky and they give him ice:
    Arthur: And the next thing I knew, I was on the ground! It hurt, and it was embarrassing, and it...
    David: Well, maybe that's how D.W. felt when you punched her.
  • Arthur's friends don't even try to understand his feelings leading up to him hitting D.W., instead preferring to villainize him for even thinking of the act. This is doubly strange for Buster, who earlier understood Arthur's frustrations with D.W. in this episode, but then goes on to shame him like the rest of his friends.
• Offscreen Karma: Arthur's parents say they will talk to D.W. about what she did, but we don't get to see it.
• Ordered Apology: Arthur's mother tells him to apologize to D.W. for hitting her. Arthur has none of it and says she should apologize to him instead since he told her multiple times not to touch his plane.
• Peer-Pressured Bully: Binky doesn't want to punch Arthur (especially after hearing about how he punched D.W.), but does so anyway out of peer pressure from his friends.
• Rage Breaking Point: Arthur puts up with D.W. constantly pestering him over his plane, and when she throws the plane out of the window, he only gets slightly mad. But when she keeps explaining that he built it wrong (instead of apologizing for what she did), he outright snaps and punches her.
• Right for the Wrong Reasons: Francine takes Binky's desperate attempts to "never see" Arthur to mean he's so ashamed of Arthur hitting his sister that he can't even bear to look at or eat with him. While Binky was shocked when he first heard about Arthur's actions, his refusal to face or go near Arthur is him trying to skirt around the dare his friends made.
• Rule of Symbolism: A storm rolls upon a normally sunny day during Arthur's hit.
• Suddenly Shouting: "I told YOU NOT TO TOUCH IT!"
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
  • Sympathetic or not, D.W. is only four-years-old, so getting punched by her older brother who is obviously much stronger than her gave her a rather nasty bruise on the arm.
  • While D.W. was indeed being a jerk for smashing Arthur's model plane and not taking responsibility for it, Arthur immediately gets grounded for punching her because what he did was still wrong, no matter what D.W. may have done to him beforehand. His parents do say they'll take care of D.W. later, but they still needed to talk about how his actions were just as wrong as D.W.'s was.
  • Arthur may be more mature than his bratty little sister, but he's still only eight years old. When D.W. smashes his plane and refuses to apologize, Arthur naturally doesn't handle it in the best of ways and punches her in the arm out of impulse.
• Talk to the Fist: Played for Drama and Deconstructed. When D.W. has her Never My Fault speech over the model plane being destroyed, Arthur punches her straight in the arm, only to get himself grounded for this act.
• A Taste of Their Own Medicine: Binky, who was dared by other students, hits Arthur so he can feel how D.W. felt when he punched her after touching his plane. Even Arthur thanked Binky for what he did.
• Tempting Fate: Binky gets through a whole school day without seeing Arthur, and he tells his friends, "I never saw that kid, and probably never will." Guess who shows up a second later?
• A Very Special Episode: This episode is implied to teach us that violence is not the answer. But this is generally regarded a Broken Aesop as Arthur's parents don't care when Arthur gets struck himself.
• What the Hell, Hero?:
  • D.W. and Arthur's parents, obviously, but even Arthur's friends are unsympathetic to him hitting his sister:
  Francine: Arthur, why didn't you just apologize?
  Arthur: Oh, come on! She wrecked my plane! Why can't anybody see my side of this?
  Muffy: Uh, because you're wrong?
  • This pretty much goes on all day.
  Arthur: She broke my plane.
  Fern: But she's just a little girl.
  • Arthur also calls his parents out at the same time for showing little sympathy on what D.W. did on her end.
    Arthur: "Maybe"?! But what's that got to do with this?
• You Are Grounded!: After Arthur punches D.W. and refuses to apologize to her, their parents ban him from watching TV for a week.
  David: Arthur, this means no TV for a week!
  Arthur: What?! That is so unfair! You don't even care what she did to me!
  Jane: We'll deal with what she did, but what you did is wrong too!
• Zany Scheme: After the other Tough Customers order him to hit Arthur the next time he sees him, Binky decides to "never see" Arthur again. About half of the second act is devoted to showing how he goes about this, keeping his back to Arthur, eating lunch outside when Arthur's in the cafeteria, and diving into the bushes when Buster drags Arthur out to find him, among other things. He makes it all the way through the school day, but it falls apart later that afternoon when Arthur runs up to him to return a pen Binky dropped.

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