Airdate: January 28, 2003
Timberly develops a crush on Arnold, much to his embarrassment
Tropes found in Timberly Loves Arnold
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Timberly is once again this for Gerald, so much so.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Timberly's crush on Arnold started because of Arnold agreeing to allow her to accompany her and Gerald on their activities and teaching her to throw a Frisbee. Gerald immediately catches on when Timberly calls him "the nicest boy ever".
- Continuity Nod: Lila mentions she gets sick on the big amusement rides in "Love and Cheese". After riding the coaster in this episode she's seen throwing up.
- Here We Go Again!: The episode ends with Timberly developing a crush on Sid after he lets her tag along just like Arnold did earlier.
- Jerkass Ball: Once Lila expresses how "ever so sweet" she finds Arnold and Timberly as a couple (and hanging out with them more as a result), Arnold decides to use Timberly's crush to try and win Lila over, even after Gerald points out how insane and ridiculous this is. He does feel guilty about it in the end and confesses to both girls what he did.
- Kissing In A Tree: Not used outright, but Arnold's friends to laugh and mock Timberly's crush on him. Even Gerald finds it amusing, referring to Arnold as "Romeo".
- Luminescent Blush: Arnold blushes when Timberly draws a picture for him and gives it to him in front of his friends. And when she wants to hold hands with him when they cross the street. And again when Lila sees the Lemonade stand. He does this a lot here.
- Hopeless Suitor: After one final failed attempt to woo Lila by using Timberly's crush on him to make Lila like him, she expresses her disappointment in him. Arnold seems to realize that his pursuit of Lila is pointless, as by "Eugene, Eugene!", he no longer shows any romantic feelings for her when they are acting in a play together. In fact, this episode was made specifically to end the Arnold/Helga/Lila love triangle and Lila was Demoted to Extra after "Eugene, Eugene!".
- Precocious Crush: Timberly develops one for Arnold, hence the episode title.
- So You Were Saying...?: In "Timberly Loves Arnold", Arnold is about to tell Gerald's sister, the titular Timberly, not to hang out with him anymore when Lila passes by saying that she thinks they look cute together.
- Stalker with a Crush: Not too extreme, but Timberly does follow him everywhere and open up a lemonade stand in front of the boarding house, giving away "Arnold poems" to customers.
- What Is This Thing You Call "Love"?: Part of the episode's conflict is that Arnold doesn't want to dump Timberly out of the fear that it will hurt her feelings. When he finally does so, however, Timberly goes into a cheerful tangent about waffles before going inside for a snack and offhandly telling Arnold that he "doesn't have to be [her] boyfriend if he doesn't want to". Though it may have seemed like a big deal, Arnold had forgotten that Timberly is a first-grader and that romance doesn't matter that much to her.
Airdate: January 28, 2003
The children of P.S. 118 participate in a musical with Eugene as the head star.
Tropes found in Eugene, Eugene!
- The Bad Guy Wins: Almost happens thanks to Mr. Leichliter's revised ending (as a way of taking out his aggression following a bad breakup). Fortunately the cast decide to do the original ending instead.
- Continuity Nod: Arnold showing no signs of having a crush on Lila seems to be out of character at first glance. However, Word of God confirms that "Timberly Loves Arnold" was made with the intention of squandering Arnold's unrequited crush on Lila. This, being the following episode, confirms this, as Lila becomes a voiceless background character in the subsequent episodes and movies.
- Cynicism Catalyst: Leichliter changed the ending of the musical Eugene, Eugene for his adaptation into a Downer Ending because he never got with a woman he loved named Betty. Fortunately, in addition to his play still being applauded when Eugene and Arnold restore the original ending against his wishes, he also reunites with Betty.
- The Danza: In-universe. Eugene Horowitz plays the character of Eugene.
- Death by Adaptation: Mr. Leichliter attempts to invoke this as part of his revised ending involves Eugene dying to a runaway trolley, but Arnold and Eugene was able to sabotage this by having the latter dodge the trolley at the last second.
- Stepford Smiler: As this is Lila's final appearance as a prominent character, some cracks begin to show, with her audition song hinting at the repressed dark side that Word of God has brought up in interviews.It's not easy being perfect
It's not easy being sweet
To be constantly amusing
And have dainty size six feet
I'm Little Miss Perfect, or so people say
Nonetheless, I must confess
That it's hard being me
And in spite of what you see
I'm perfectly sad, today - Mean Character, Nice Actor: Arnold is cast as the villainous Romantic False Lead Lawrence, and does a damn good job.
- Relationship Sabotage: Helga has no interest in this play and gets a job doing stage crew work, but when she discovers how Mr. Leichliter changed the ending to where Arnold and Lila's characters end up together (rather than Lila's character ending up with Eugene's charactere), she tries yet again to screw everything up for them, even though Arnold has gotten over his crush on her at this point. But when Arnold and Eugene decide to perform the play's original ending, Helga aborts her own sabotage attempt, but not before it backfires.
- Shout-Out: Sid's audition is a scene from A Streetcar Named Desire, while Rhonda's is from Gone with the Wind.
