u/Hamiltonfan25

This is seriously a contender for my favorite Luan episode of the whole series…it’s a close call between this episode and “Head Poet’s Anxiety” but I do really enjoy that in the former episode, Luan is at the center of a full Loud family episode.

When you think about it, the sisters very rarely get to be the actual lead in a whole family episode. It’s almost always Lincoln, and I really admire that these arcs haven’t been scared to let the sisters be the leads on family adventures.

Anyways, the really cute little detail I love comes from the moment where the family gives Luan a group hug before she returns Mr. Coconuts. There are a few frames that show that while Luan is fighting a losing battle with her tears, her whole family is giving her a tiny smile…as if to say everything is going to be okay (even if it doesn’t feel like it).

What’s great is, the family only resets to looking sad after Luan steps forward and can’t see them anymore. I think it’s a subtle, but meaningful nod towards Luan’s role in their lives. At Luan’s core is a desire to lighten any mood and to bring joy to those around her (especially her family). She doesn’t always succeed, but she NEVER stops trying for them.

I like to think that in this moment, her family was trying to return that joyful energy to Luan when she needed it most.

Okay, so I’ve gone on record many times as a kind of Dodie defender. I like to think I don’t ignore her wrongdoings or pretend she’s a saint, because that would just be inaccurate, however, I do have a soft spot for her and I finally feel ready to confess why in full detail. Please be advised that this will be a longer post and I will try to keep it relevant to ATBG, but if it ends up not being allowed by mods…I’ll honor that too.

I want to go on record confessing something openly. Not only do I empathize with Dodie, but unlike some of you who grew up to realize that you were unfortunate enough to have a Dodie for a friend…I unfortunately have to take it one step further and confess that I WAS a Dodie.

What’s especially bad is that I technically didn’t even have Dodie’s horrible home life to excuse my behavior. My parents were reasonably loving and involved (my dad could have a short fuse and occasionally become temperamental, but never to the level of Joann Bishop).

Just a little background for this story (I got approval from the real friend who inspired this story to post it, but I won’t be using his real name or anything). I was in eighth grade at the time, the year was roughly 2008 and the setting was rural west Tennessee (that does become relevant eventually).

I was never one to have many friends. I was born with a few disabilities that kept me in and out of doctors offices and hospitals during my formative years. I always did better communicating with adults since that’s what I did at the doctors…I had a vision impairment so strong communication was key to getting me the best treatment. I’d honestly consider my parents my closest friends through a lot of childhood. Growing up as kind of a weird girl too, I struggled with never really finding my cliche.

Like Dodie, I also didn’t get much male attention…although I do standup comedy now and one of my favorite jokes to tell is “my dad used to say I’m not much of a looker, which is a great way to describe both my lack of attractiveness and my disability at the same time,”

So when I got my first “boyfriend” in eighth grade, I got a little obsessive and a lot cringey. I was convinced we’d be together forever and really latched on to the attention. Not only did I find him attractive but he was an extremely kind and charming guy as well…I was beyond smitten.

We “dated” (I put dated in parentheses because we never actually “went out” we had lunch together and occasionally played video games together but that was it) for about four months, which felt like an ETERNITY way back then. One day, out of the blue, he gave me the whole “we have to talk” news and broke it off, but didn’t tell me why. He insisted on wanting to stay friends, and as we’ve established, I wasn’t drowning in those either, so I went along with it.

About a month later he asked if he could tell me why he broke up with me…being a cringey eighth grader I was like “heck yes, I wanna know! I’m the literal best!” It was then that he bravely confided in me that he was gay…something that takes a ton of guts even now, but back in 2008 west Tennessee…it took a level of guts that even invader zim would be intimidated by.

This is where geography and time period really comes into play. This was the type of community where literally everyone attended church and knew each other’s business and LGBTQA+ support and education was BEYOND minimalist, and if it ever was spoken about, it was ALWAYS negative. I actually had better resources than most simply because I was raised Presbyterian, where we never had hell fire and brimstone and I’d never heard an anti-gay sermon in my life, but at the same time, it was still an unspoken negative and the only real representation I saw was Randy from “Say Yes to the Dress” or Michael from “Extreme Makeover Home Edition”

To say I took the news poorly would be an understatement…not helping was my pesky little sister saying that my friend probably only dated me for as long as he did because I “looked like a boy” I didn’t see a friend who entrusted me with a vital piece of themselves…who he had courageously shared something about himself that he KNEW would elicit negativity from his community…I saw a traitor who broke my heart and actively decided he’d rather be with a boy than with me.

And I pulled a Dodie…I pulled out my crappy flip phone and I messaged the only few girls in school I had managed to get their numbers prior. I knew if I started with them, in no time it would spread, that he’d feel as hurt and humiliated as I felt.

And it worked, he became the biggest outcast around, and he KNEW exactly who had stabbed him in the back. The whole time I was performing this betrayal I thought I would feel so cool and powerful, that I could finally BE the bully as opposed to the victim…but it didn’t feel good at all. I knew I’d done the wrong thing, and internet friends, I wish I could tell you I called and apologized instantly…that I had the virtues to instantly right my wrongs, but I didn’t.

The truly screwed up thing is, I was bullied before I pulled that stunt AND after I pulled that stunt. I was basically bullied by everyone…except the one person who would have every reason on earth to hate my guts and make me miserable.

It wasn’t until a few years later, when we were sophomores, that I finally got my head out of my butt. I wish I could say I came to that conclusion on my own, but I can’t. I came to that conclusion after HE publicly defended me to a classroom bully. Here he was, having every reason to hate me, yet he protected me when it seemed no one else would.

I spent that period writing him a note where I apologized for everything (including how long it took me to apologize) and even though we now live on opposite sides of the country, we still consider ourselves best friends. I’d like to think that I became a perfect friend after we made up, but the reality was I still likely made a million mistakes…I’m just lucky I’m no longer judged for who I was back then.

TLDR: sometimes people can make Dodie Bishop level mistakes when they are dumb teens, and still turn things around.

I know other shows like Hey Arnold were maybe a little more overt in showing just how bad some kids have it…showing things like poverty, alcoholism, abuse and neglect, and from the outside, it’s valid to say that this take is wrong. Dodie and Hoodsy both have plenty to eat and clothes to wear and they clearly want for nothing from a financial standpoint, but the degree to which Joann Bishop controls that house is just sickening in a way that I think will truly hit close to home for many people.

Just off the top of my head, Dodie comments that her mom hates when they do homework together and she turns the page too loudly. It’s made painfully clear their father is a spineless man who has never once fought against his wife. Both Hoodsy and Dodie begged for friends to come on their family vacation and it’s kind of made clear it’s because they literally live in fear of Joann and that she makes vacations so miserable for them that they feel like the only way to feel security is to have other people around.

That’s not even getting into the utter trauma of having your own mother work at the school and having her literally demand you keep your distance because she doesn’t want you “embarrassing her in front of your peeps.” It’s one of the few times I actually think that Dodie crying dramatically would have been beyond valid because I can’t even fathom my mother making it clear that she thought I was a loser.

Also, even nice moments with this family have such a sad connotation. Like their dad playfully cooking mashed potatoes and Hoodsy saying “dinner is fun when you cook it,” and then it’s instantly followed by him saying, “don’t tell your mother” like…what?? Joann literally outlaws any form of joy and fun and it’s so screwed up.

Even Helga’s parents have SOME moments of humanity towards her…it’s heartbreaking to think of the real kids who live like this.

I don’t know that Rugrats quite went through “seasonal rot” in the traditional sense, but it definitely had a noticeable dip in quality especially after Rugrats in Paris.

No disrespect to the living legend Nancy Cartwright, but her chuckie voice was painfully inferior to the OG voice actress. That’s not the only thing that made the rot happen…some stories were too short, others were too long, Dill got a little better but was still a bit obnoxious. Again, I don’t think any of this can be quite enough to destroy Rugrats stellar legacy, but the changes weren’t all welcome.

One of the other changes I found kind of cringey was how Tommy kept his season 1 design for the most part, but in other ways he was expected to grow up extremely fast once Dill was born. He’s put in a big boy bed, is basically Dill’s full time baby sitter (despite being a baby himself) and continually getting way less attention from his parents, despite still really needing it.

Didi especially I think became significantly worse of a mother towards Tommy once Dill was born. Most fans point out how awful it was of her to get rid of all of Tommy’s reptar stuff because she thought he was too scary for Dill (and therefore basically banned TOMMY from his favorite toys because of it).

Anyways, sorry I said this was about Gimmie an A! It was really sweet to get an episode that focused on a baby’s misinterpreting the world around them. It was really nice to see (even though they were causing chaos) the babies going back to wanting to do something legit nice for Didi.

The conclusion between Tommy and Didi was also incredibly sweet, with her telling him he always makes her happy and comments about how it’s the most important A she’ll get all day.

Even the last frame of Tommy smiling in his sleep is super cute.

I like how Dodie is typically portrayed as generally chipper and friendly with EVERYONE. Granted, she knows everyone’s gossip and her big mouth often gladly spreads it, but it would have been really easy to ONLY care about who the popular kids are, but that’s not how I interpreted her character.

She really did try to earnestly get to know EVERYONE and tried being friendly towards them. I just rewatched “Kiss Today Goodbye” and she wasn’t a perfect friend there by ANY means, but there was a sincere try hardness there that was actually sort of admirable.

I liked her friendly greeting to the grounds keeper at the very beginning, and yes, she was absolutely being a butt kisser to Coach Candice and the pep squad girls…but for one thing, I kind of fault the coach for ALLOWING this freshman to continually do her favors and really taken advantage of Dodie’s work ethic. That is a ROTTEN thing for an adult to do to a child, and I get her annoyance at Dodie’s…enthusiasm, but she is still the adult in the situation. Having Dodie literally hold an umbrella over her head during practice and scrub uniforms by hand is absolutely ridiculous and disgusting behavior.

I also think the episode did a decent enough job of explaining WHY Dodie would feel so pulled all over the place. Simone WAS genuinely helping try to make things better for Dodie, but you could also feel Dodie’s disgust at how Darren was treating Ginger.

I don’t know…I just feel like this episode was a good example of how Dodie being a try hard does also include her putting forward actual effort as opposed to expecting an opportunity to just find her.

It does kind of add a layer to recognize that while Ginger is afforded lots of opportunities just by virtue of natural talent and charisma, and even Macie herself seemingly having more opportunities naturally passed along to her, Dodie clearly has to work the hardest to get whatever scraps of hope come into her life.

Okay, yeah…it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense that she’s running this giant amusement park and seemingly hates children with every fiber of her being, and she DEFINITELY took things entirely too far with the kidnapping and literally ordering Jean Claude to more or less eliminate them, but…

When we really examine how these kids were behaving, she did legit have a valid reason to not be fond of these particular kids in general (or at least not being fond of the parents entrusted to watch over them).

They go into her office and cause non-stop HAVOC. They could have legit KILLED those coy fish, Dill ripped the string off her lamp, Angelica ate all of her bon bons, just generally having zero regard for her property.

And yes, they are just babies and their level of responsibility has always been reasonably low and more blame absolutely belongs with the parents and caregivers, but still, the babies kind of have some audacity thinking she’s mean and pointy for getting reasonably put out and not being happy to see her property getting destroyed.

Something minuscule I’ve noticed that’s happened twice in the series (so not quite a pattern, but getting there) is Lori winking at either one of her younger sisters on a date or winking at the sister’s actual date.

It’s a very cute and sweet maternal sibling response to watching her little siblings finding love. Kind of her way of showing her support and how she wants to be part of their love stories and lives going forward.

The first time she does it is when Luan finally actually takes Lori’s advice and comes clean about her pimple. I like that Lori not only helps give Luan and Benny some privacy, but that little wink seemed to say, “I knew he’d like you just the way you are”

Lori was precious to Luan all the way through that episode. I like to think that seeing Luan successfully pull off playing a serious (and steamy) role like Juliet helped Lori see Luan as more than a constant jokester. I could totally see her and Leni and Luna bombarding Luan later that night in a group hug while the older sisters sob that “their baby sister is all grown up”

Then, she winks at Sam as a greeting when she comes home to visit in “Lori Days” the entire family being so accepting towards Luna and Sam is actually significantly more interesting than Luna and Sam themselves (I said what I said). I really love this side of Lori because it’s simultaneously very natural…but also very far away from the tyrant she was occasionally portrayed as in season 1.

I had this kind of funny idea for a deleted scene in “Undercover Mom” where Lori and her mom are talking and Rita complains that the other high school girls won’t tell her anything about what’s going on in school, and Lori is able to instantly rattle off some information about all three of her high school aged sisters and their love interests and such. It makes Rita feel worse to know the kids are going to Lori but not to her.

It was fine for what it was. Mostly a clip show, but not a bad one as far as clip shows go. I really hope it’s not the series finale, simply because I’d like for the final episode to actually tell its own story, and I think there’s about a million better ways that this show can actually end.

I’ll admit based on what I heard I was kind of going in ready to not like it. I’m a huge Luan fan and it kind of sounded like all of her flashback moments would just be of her pulling pranks…and that was part of it, however, funnily enough, most of her flashbacks in the pranking montage came from the first April Fools Day episode, which I’ve gone on record as saying was easily the most tame one.

I’m also glad Luan wasn’t the only one made to apologize and have her worst moments put on display…funnily enough, Lisa easily had the longest “you done screwed up” montage, which is well earned because she’s easily the most dangerous Loud family member no one talks about!

I also liked that even a couple of siblings that most of the fandom think are really good people (like Lucy and Lana) still had some of their worst moments put on display. Major points also go to the fact that Luan and Leni played the biggest role in saving everyone (and Lincoln of course, but that’s a given).

If I have any solid criticisms, it would have been nice for a few more emotionally charged flashbacks (Luna choosing to sing her own song, her and Luan teaming up to perform together, Lucy and Luan in head poet’s anxiety, Lincoln in any one of the movies).

It’s also kind of weird that Lola (who was just as uppity as ever the entire episode, and who basically admitted she’s not really grown into a better person) got to be the center of a group hug…when she couldn’t even bother to say the word “love”

I do hope it’s not the end and nothing about it really indicates that it is, but for what it is, I’m glad I gave it a chance. It felt good going in with super low expectations and to actually feel like they were exceeded.

This is a pretty good special all things considered. You couldn’t really tell where the plot was going, it had a nice twist, plenty of heartwarming moments, gave birth to hundreds of early ships and fanfic potential, but there’s something about it that conflicts me.

Okay, I’d like to think of myself as kind of a Dodie defender, but please don’t think I’m trying to downplay how horrible she acted when Ginger was first given the opportunity. I give a lot of grace to the fact that she’s 12/13 and at that age, hormones are going crazy, your brain isn’t fully developed, and you aren’t always going to act logically. Dodie has a right to feel her feelings over Ginger leaving and to struggle to process it, but there’s no reason to guilt trip your supposed friend and make it seem like she didn’t earn it.

If Dodie wants to vent to Macie or whatever, that’s fine, do it away from Ginger if you need to, but don’t add stress to your friend who is about to have her whole life uprooted (albeit temporarily).

Here’s the part where I’m conflicted, Dodie is actually ultimately proven to be CORRECT in her assumption that this offer was essentially a setup. Her suspicions were founded and that is really depressing. Yes, it can be assumed that Ginger was talented enough to not really need that setup, and she did THRIVE out there, but it basically being a scam is still messed up.

Dodie does ultimately admit that Ginger truly did earn this opportunity, but I think it would have been better without the scam element. It’s one of the only times I feel like Dodie did something bad as a friend and was still ultimately shown as being correct.

In an episode like “Attention Deficit” it seems like the Loud kids ALL yearn for some extra attention from adult figures. To the point where all the girls go over to the McBride house and traumatized Clyde’s dads…two people the sisters barely know outside of them being the dads of their brother’s best friend.

But in an episode like “Insta-Gran” they all more or less panic when Gran-Gran starts smothering them with love and attention. I get that the thing they really disliked was how she came into their spaces and started switching things up on them (painting Lucy’s room, killing her spiders, washing Lynn Jr’s clothes, giving them sweaters, planning to come to all of their events, etc.)

Here is kind of the sad thing about it…this really is more or less typical grandparent behavior and arguably should also kind of be typical parent behavior. Making sure your face is clean, washing your clothes, making sure your room is tidy, cheering you on at your events, etc.

I do understand the inherent weirdness of someone who is not blood related to you suddenly coming in and doing all this stuff for you, but I can’t help but feel sad for all of these kids at the realization that they aren’t used to having adults in their life who smother them, because they are such a big family.

One last totally random note, one of the reasons I really like Luan as a character and person is how slow she is to show anger during those family group shots. When all the kids looked angry wearing those ugly sweaters, she just looked kind of sad. She keeps that sympathetic look on her face the whole episode and I think it’s sweet how she almost never defaults to anger.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a teacher seeing potential in a student. It also makes sense that Ginger would be extra close to her English teacher since writing is her area of passion, but Ms. Zorsky made her favoritism of Ginger a little TOO obvious at times.

Like, “Hello, Stranger,” she apparently promised the school board that Ginger would perform an original poem without even really asking Ginger about it. Then, when Dodie and Macie expressed interest in they themselves maybe doing something for the show, Ms. Zorsky kind of automatically volunteers them for a role as ushers without even giving much thought to giving them a chance to perform for themselves.

Then, she had zero patience for anyone besides Ginger during the “I Spy A Witch” episode. Again, here comes my Dodie defense, which it’s okay if it’s not popular, but it is mine…unlike something like morning announcements where she just used that pretend power to hurt other people, I actually think Dodie did a pretty good job with her role. Yeah, she was asking a bunch of questions about portraying a part traditionally played by a man…but that isn’t a crime. If I’m a 13 year old playing a major part where I’m not even the right gender, but still wanting to do a decent job, I’d have questions too.

I get that the joke is that Dodie’s constant questions were annoying, but again, every kid this age deserves someone who will take time to build them up, and it kind of seems like Ms. Zorsky is using any and all spare energy on just Ginger.

I think what really makes this harsh in hindsight is how it impacts both Ginger and Carl when they move up to high school and junior high school respectively. It’s impossible for Carl to truly make a fresh start because Ginger set the bar so incredibly high to the point where Carl is screwed before he does anything, and Ginger goes into her high school classes with a little bit of cockiness because she’s so used to teachers absolutely adoring her.

Again, on the list of crimes that a teacher can commit, believing in a student TOO MUCH is pretty tame, and I also know because this show is from gingers point of view, that the narrative is going to be skewed, but I still think the favoritism shown could have been a tad less pronounced.

Dodie does have good moments as a friend and person. Don’t get me wrong, it does NOT excuse or forgive the wrong things she has done, but she really is not the she-devil some people paint her as.

She was actually quite decent in Summer of Camp Caprice. She FINALLY actually gets some acknowledgment and positive attention as a junior counselor, but she still willingly risked it all to help Darren and Miranda.

She was also the one who started the speech at the end when everyone was defending each other. Even though she was sad to lose her whistle and authority, she was willing to use her big mouth to speak up for what she felt was right.

She was pretty loyal to Ginger in the Christmas episode too when Ginger got overwhelmed with her Jewish heritage. She actually also gave great advice to Ginger when Macy was having drama with her parents.

She and Ginger both were protective of Macy during the Little Seal Girl arch.

She actually stood up to both the popular kids AND HER MOTHER (who is the REAL villain of this series) and yes, her advice is not always good, but more often than not, it does come from a good place. I actually think she is pretty brave to be as generally chipper as she is despite her upbringing.

You also have to remember that her canon age at the very end of the series is still only 14-15 years old. She definitely had A LOT to learn, but she did also have time to learn it.

Please don’t get me wrong, when she’s bad, she’s BAD but I also think it’s more from a place of ignorance, misunderstood teenage hormones, a lack of family support, etc. Ginger is so well-rounded by comparison that it is easy to hold these kids all to her standards of maturity, but adolescence just doesn’t work that way. Everyone learns and grows differently, and it really is annoying when people write off Dodie as this one-note villain when she really is more complex than that.

I’ll never understand why she’s held to a higher standard than her mother who is pushing forty, definitely should know better, and who is actively pushing this poor girl down a dark path.

Dodie being generally chipper is just downright miraculous when her mother is just the walking embodiment of “I hate my life”

Is there a reason she just…disappeared when DW decided to run away in THAT episode? Like, she’s part of DW’s own psychie…wouldn’t DW insist that she maybe stay with her? Is DW so sad that she’s given up on her own imagination?

Believe me, it is the very least of my problems with THAT episode, but it is still a little weird. Yeah, we’ve seen Nadine disappear on DW before (mainly in Bleep when DW knows she’s about to get chewed out) but I would think that DW would be in a headspace where she needs Nadine more than ever.

Also, believe it or not I worked up the guts to actually rewatch the episode, and I still utterly hate it, but I do have to give it some credit…David’s VA didn’t sound quite as angry as I remembered…although Jane sounded MORE angry than I remembered when DW finally shows back up at home. She almost sounded irritated that her four year old that is basically being forced to be a live-in nanny (at least at night time) dared to disappear…if I’m a mom and my FOUR YEAR OLD who has been gone for hours comes home, I’m dropping to my knees and hugging her desperately, not acting ANNOYED.

I’ve said a couple of times that I really enjoyed the first Loud House movie and actually think it’s the best of the trilogy. Now that the Netflix contract is up, they can make it canon in the show proper.

I would really like it if the emotional rollercoaster episode mentioned the Louds battle against Morag. It’s actually a phenomenal climax all things considered. I’ve said before that the thing I like most about the first movie is the obvious closeness of all the siblings throughout it.

More than just about any other piece of media in this franchise, I think the first movie captures the notion of not only the fact that the siblings love each other, but that they also earnestly LIKE each other too. It’s always satisfying to see the Loud kids working as a unit and the battle against Morag is that unity at its very best, while also showing what makes each family member special.

On top of that, it’s just a fun climax! No Time to Spy had some good action scenes too, but not every sibling got to do something in the same way as the first movie.

In honor of the symbolic end of summer, I wanted to briefly highlight what is easily my favorite short comic from the official Loud House comic book.

It’s from the Back to School comic and it’s the one where before school, Luan leaves an apple for Mr Coconuts, then the other kids start leaving snacks for him to see if he’s actually going to eat them while they are at school (a hungry Lynn Sr is shown too implying he’s gonna be the one to eat them), but when school gets out, they all rush upstairs and are amazed that the food is gone.

I really don’t even like Mr. Coconuts but I LOVE this comic! I love how the kids are more amazed and amused by him and the belief that he’s alive as opposed to being nervous and scared of him…I also much prefer the notion that Luan leaves him at home when she goes to school.

I honestly do not mind Mr. Coconuts at home because I do like the idea of Luan having a “friend” to talk to and work off of on in a home environment that still tends to be kind of hostile towards her, but at school, work, drama club, I much prefer the Luan who is able to just be herself without Mr. Coconuts.

Anyways, just some fun and funny musings!

I mean this post to not be attacking or insulting to members of this fandom who like Lincoln and/or are still unhappy about his apparent treatment in this show, but some parts of it really are kind of ridiculous.

Yes, this series has moments where Lincoln is not treated kindly or fair. There are times where he’s punished and it’s unwarranted or blamed for things that are not his fault.

Here’s the thing though…I truly feel that this is only the case because Lincoln is our main character. He has BY FAR the most episodes/screen time out of ANYONE else on this show. It is due to this fact that it can maybe seem like the universe beats him down…but it REALLY is not the case.

For every one moment of Rita or Lynn Sr or any of the sisters being toxic to Lincoln…there are AT LEAST five scenes, moments, where they are treating him like he’s the most crucial and special member of their whole dang family.

Yes, Lynn Sr does appear to be SOMEWHAT closer with some of his daughters, but even then, there are SEVERAL episodes of Lincoln getting time with just him and his dad (competing on a cooking show, going on legends of the hidden temple, going camping).

Yes, Rita has moments where she says cold things to him (she has been cold and distant with all her kids at one time or another), but there are also tons of episodes where she is shown deeply valuing and protecting her son…she arguably favors him more than several of her daughters. She takes him to work with her, does wood working projects with/for him, helps with homework, etc.

Let’s also not forget that Lincoln’s been the star of all three movies and all three movies end with him being in the center of a group hug. His whole family clearly adores him above all else and it’s beyond frustrating when people want to bring up the same couple of scenes and moments and argue about how Lincoln needs to be adopted by different parents or having cringy AI art of his older sisters friends cuddling with the boy like he’s some decrepit street urchin whose constantly used and abused.

I know this went a tad off the rails and I know this isn’t the majority of this fandom, but it’s honestly exhausting to deal with this one kid being treated like an untouchable messiah child.

First off, this is a fantastic episode. It’s very heartwarming to see the closeness of DW and Thora and how much DW clearly cherished the doll, Clarissa.

It’s also an episode where no one is really at fault. DW grew up in a generation where toys were designed to be loved and played with more roughly. Even when DW wasn’t “taking care” of Clarissa, she was certainly cherishing her.

It also speaks very highly of DW’s morals that she was so very distraught when she realized she’d messed up something so important to her grandmother. It’s the type of story where DW being more dramatic actually makes her character look better morally. She’s desperate to do whatever she can to make things right and the depth of her love for grandma Thora cannot be understated.

It was also very nice seeing Arthur and Jane trying so hard to help DW solve this problem. It’s one of those times where everyone is more hands on in trying to help DW because they know how upset she is. It was also nice of David to calmly explain why Clarissa was so precious to Thora. He did a good job explaining the time period Thora grew up in and why these older toys need to be treated differently than the toys DW is used to.

My only complaint is that this is a story that should have been told the first night Clarissa was brought home. DW insisted on giving the doll a seat at the dining room table and again, it’s made very clear that right from the start she wants to cherish the doll…she just doesn’t know how.

But okay, if David HAD told the story the first night, we probably wouldn’t have an episode, so I can’t fault him too much. The one and only thing I wish was added was maybe giving David one line or phrase of comfort while DW is spiraling. Yes, because it’s DW, it probably would go in one ear and out the other, but I still think he could have attempted to comfort her.

This poor kid is talking about her grandma “firing” her from being her grandmother (essentially saying grandma is gonna disown her). It would have been nice for David to have a line where he says something like, “don’t you think you are more important to grandma than a doll? Even a special doll like Clarissa?”

I also wonder if David knew that Thora had broken and repaired Clarissa before? Heck, he was a kid once too…he might have broken it before himself. I don’t know, please don’t think that this is a “David is a bad dad” post because it isn’t…I just think one little line could have gone a long way.