The Series:

Arnold is raised by his grandparents Phil and Gertrude. Arnold is an orphan in the sense that he does not have his paternal parents but there is much love shown and given to him by his grandparents. They make up a family unit that works and it's wonderful to see this display of a child's upbringing on a children's television series. There are many kids these days that end up being raised by grandparents instead of their natural parents for one reason or another. This element of the series brings a positive message that needs to be shared with youth. It could encourage understanding among young peers of the different ways in which fellow classmates or friends are being raised, and for children who are raised outside of the typical social norm it brings greater understanding of their own situation. Family is Family. That is one of the core elements to Hey Arnold! It is a message that helps the series to be all the more valuable to youth.  

The series has the benefit of being simplistic without ever being simple. This is the kind of development that takes a huge amount of talent on the part of the entire creative team. The plotlines are always secondary on this series. There are no continuing storylines to really bring viewers back for more. The reason people will enjoy this series so immensely (above everything else) is the characters. There are some reoccurring character-based elements though: Helga is a fist-wielding girl with a massive crush on Arnold (she seems to want to beat him up constantly and bullies him around but then she professes her love for him... to herself). Most of the show is character based and while the storylines are always quite involving and worthwhile they also allow viewers to jump in whenever they want to without production continuity problems.

The show brings young audiences a sense of racial acceptance that isn't always as common in children's shows as one might hope to see. Arnold's best friend Gerald is as close to him as a brother would be and he is African American. There is never anything said on the show to make it seem out of the ordinary at all, which is wonderful, as it isn't out of the ordinary. Tons of kids these days become close friends with people of all races. Yet there is always a need to keep youth educated of how friendships and relationships are based upon character, who a person truly is inside, and not upon appearances: no cultural boundaries need apply at all.   

Craig Bartlett did a wonderful thing in creating this show. It's contains lessons for kids to learn and it has solid craftsmanship that makes it entertaining for viewers of all ages (including adults). The characters are distinctive, memorable, and downright wonderful. Viewers grow to like Arnold, Gerald, Helga, and the rest of the characters because they speak to viewers of all ages through the expertise of the genuine writing. Hey Arnold! is thematically rich, entertaining, and emotionally rewarding television that is worth owning and sharing with others.

Video:

The audio quality for Hey Arnold! Season 2, Part 1 manages to match the picture quality... in that it seems disappointing and inconsistent the entire time. The Dolby 2.0 tracks are certainly listenable and effective in reproducing the dialogue but the audio tracks aren't dynamic at all. The series will never sound that amazing, but it was unfortunate that it ultimately sounded so uniformly average.

Extras:

There are no extra bonus materials on this Season 2, Part 1 DVD release. I wish there was but there's absolutely nothing extra at all. Zip. Nada.

Neil Lumbard is a lifelong fan of cinema. He aspires to make movies and has written two screenplays on spec. He loves writing, and currently does in Texas.