While reflecting on my favorite shows, I had a hard time because I realized there are very few shows I like EVERY episode from. Do these random little episodes keep me from enjoying these shows? Nah. But I had fun finding the ones I HATED. Sometimes I disliked them for a silly reason, other times it was legitimately founded. So let’s deep dive into those I hate!
They aren’t in any particular order, which is unusual for me. Oh well. Let’s just assume I hate them equally.
“Twenty-Four Hours to Live“- Hey Arnold! (1996)
The basic premise of this episode is that Arnold accidentally hits Harold in the face with a baseball, and with some goading from Helga, Harold decides to wait until the next day to beat Arnold up. To avoid his eventual pounding, Arnold dances and sings to this crazy song and Harold decides not to go through with the beating. What?
This is from season one of this show, and I have never liked it. I get secondhand embarrassment watching Arnold dance crazy in the street to keep Harold from beating him up. Also, why did everyone just go along with it without trying to stop the event from happening?
“Little Muriel“- Courage the Cowardly Dog (1999)
Courage the Cowardly Dog has some really wacky premises. This one involves a tornado that reverts Muriel to a 3 1/2-year-old child. The overall idea doesn’t really bother me that much. It’s the execution.
I HAAAAATE Muriel as a child. She is so obnoxious, whiny, and stupid it drives me crazy! This might be one of the few Courage episodes I actively SKIP if it comes up.
“Bato of the Water Tribe“- Avatar the Last Airbender (2005)
I am one of the few Avatar fans who is fine with “The Great Divide” and other disliked episodes from the show. This is the only episode I actively skip and pretend doesn’t exist. It has a fairly simple concept: Katara and Sokka reunite with Bato, bond a bit, there’s a misunderstanding about them leaving Aang, Aang lies. . . they break apart. . . they come back together when Zuko attacks. . . they make up, and THE END.
This episode is dull and I can’t stand it when there are confrontations like this in stories. It creates unnecessary drama and dishonesty has always been a core pet peeve of mine.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t parts of this episode I enjoy but those are easy to watch without enduring the rest of the mess.
“Royal Pain“- Kim Possible (2003)
So this is a standard Kim Possible episode. Kim goes to some made-up country that still has a monarchy and promises to protect a prince from the Knights of Rodegan (not to be confused with Ratigan. I confuse them all the time). But. . . he’s a prick and runs against her during elections at school and people just vote for him because he’s royalty. Eventually, she saves him and he decides to make his government into a democracy instead.
Do you know who was the “royal pain”? The stupid prince in this episode who doesn’t really learn anything by the end of the episode. Every time he came on screen I wished I could reach into the TV and hit him.
There are other early Kim Possible episodes I also don’t really like but this is the only one I can passionately rant about.
“Slow Love“- Adventure Time (2010)
I am not the only person who hates this episode. The picture above makes it seem like this is a romantic episode with snail/human hybrids but. . . its not. Finn and Jake try and help this slug without a shell find a lady snail and it’s so uncomfortable to watch. And GROSS. REALLY GROSS. The smooching happy juice was the clincher for me. UGH. . . . bad memories.
“Donny“- Adventure Time
This episode doesn’t make sense. Supposedly, Donny being a jerk releases a pheromone that keeps Why wolves from attacking and eating these house people. . . so Finn and Jake ruin all these creatures’ lives by teaching Donny to be a nice person.
What kind of lesson does this teach anyone? I hate this stupid episode. Also, Donny’s design is really bad.
“The Witch’s Garden“- Adventure Time
Sigh. . . this episode initially kept me from watching this show. It is also why I hated Jake for a LOOOOOONG time. Apparently, Jake loses his powers to a witch because he steals a donut. He learns NOTHING. He returns to the witch’s garden, begs the witch for his powers back, doesn’t apologize, steals ANOTHER donut, and remains a huge jerk. Hurray.
Again, what on earth does this teach anyone? Jerks are unlikeable and it’s a miracle the creators changed their minds later and switched Jake’s personality around.
“Hug Wolf“- Adventure Time
The premise of this episode is creepy. A hug wolf must hug other people when touched by the full moon. They have “heart hands” and hug people at night, no matter who it is. Finn gets hugged, turns into a hug wolf, and becomes a terror for most of the episode. To cure himself, he hugs the original hug wolf until they both return to normal. Huh. . .
Is this a play on the wolves from fairy tales who symbolized and warned little children of pedophiles? Maybe? I don’t know. Regardless, it is blech.
“In Your Footsteps” Adventure Time
Finn and Jake are dumb in this episode. The bear tries to take Finn’s place and eventually, Finn gives it the Enchiridion so the bear can learn to be a hero? That is so irresponsible! That is how the Lych gets the book. Because the heroes were stupid.
That aside, the bear is just a really unlikeable character. He’s not a redeemable character like Lumpy Space Princess, who has great one liners. I’m SOOOO glad he doesn’t really come up again in later episodes.
“Bee Story“- Phineas and Ferb (2007)
I could only think of TWO episodes in this show I don’t like at all. This is one of them. The Waggle song with the girls as bees is just. . . off-putting and I don’t care about Pinky enough to watch episodes with her and her arch-foe. All in all, this is skippable.
“The Beak“- Phineas and Ferb
Welcome to the other episode I hate. The 3D animation for the Beak’s suit is jerky and I don’t understand why the boys thought splitting the suit the way they did with the torso and butt working separately was a god idea. Granted, they really seem like children in that moment but they are so capable with their other inventions! Why not this one?
Also, why did Phineas and Ferb need to lie to the others about being the Beak? They told their friends about everything else. Oh well.
“I am Ice Bear“- We Bare Bears (2010)
So. . . Ice Bear is my favorite character in this show. During this episode, he gets knocked in the head, talks “normal”, gets a man bun, and tries to leave with his new cooler friends. That is until he’s knocked in the head again and goes back to normal.
I hate stories like this, as I’ve mentioned in the Avatar episode. I think people really like this episode, but it gets on my nerves within four minutes. Jerky characters, if you couldn’t tell, grind my gears.
“Dipper Versus Manliness“- Gravity Falls (2012)
Much of this episode I enjoy. Like Grunckle Stan and Mable doing their shenanigans off in the side story. HOWEVER, Dipper’s quest to be more manly was painful to watch. I did like that he eventually left the manotaurs after refusing to kill the multi-bear and calling them out on being toxic idiots. But, as a whole, it’s an uncomfortable watch.
Also, some old guy is just straight-up murdered as a sacrifice. . . how did Hirsch get away with that?
“First Episode“- FMAB (2009)
This episode is useless. It’s not canon in the original manga, but the creators wanted this show to be different from the 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist series. I understand why they included it, but as a manga fan, I found it ridiculous to change the story’s beginning.
I may be snooty by thinking this, but I stick by what I’ve said! Normally, I skip this episode and begin in episode 2 instead.
Easter Yeggs – Looney Tunes (1947)
This cartoon just feels cynical and mean-spirited. The Easter Bunny, apparently, tricks bunnies to do his work for him because he’s a lazy bones. So Bugs Bunny goes off to do the dirty work and meets a bunch of grumpy Eastergoers.
I remember as a kid BEGGING for this episode to end so I could watch other ones. This is one of the Bugs Bunny cartoons I am only grateful for because it helped generate the iconic Chuck Jones and Maltese cartoons from the 1940s-1960s.
“Fractured“- Teen Titans (2003)
I didn’t think there was a Teen Titans episode I genuinely hated. But, in my most recent watching of the show, I came across THIS MONSTROSITY. My goodness, the chibi Robin is the most annoying prick ever! The minute he’s on screen I felt myself internally cringe and remember again WHY I hated Teen Titans Go! (2013).
Side note though, I was very impressed with the motorcycle chase at the beginning of the episode.
Arnold Betrays Iggy- Hey Arnold
This episode needs some context. Arnold discovers that the cool kid Iggy wears bunny pajamas at home and promises not to tell anyone. However, Sid and Stinky accidentally find out Iggy’s secret, and Iggy assumes Arnold told everyone. Arnold tries everything to make amends, but Iggy refuses to forgive him.
Near the end, Iggy agrees to forgive Arnold if he wears bunny pajamas in front of the whole neighborhood. Arnold does it, and everyone watches and records his humiliation ON LIVE TELEVISION. Iggy then finds out that Arnold didn’t tell anyone and tries to apologize, but it’s too late. The end.
This was so mean-spirited. I got triple the amount of second-hand embarrassment watching this and felt so bad for Arnold by the end of the episode. Kids can be mean. I think it’s important to remember where to draw the line when trying to please or fall back into people’s favors.
“Fairly Odd Baby” Fairly Odd Parents (2001)
Many people don’t care about this episode but I remember it vividly. I was seventeen and watching the new episode with my younger brother Marty Jr. When it first started I thought “How cute! They are finally going to have a baby.” Then. . . it got WIERD. Cosmo gets pregnant instead. . . and the whole of the fairy world rebels against the baby’s birth.
This episode was as Ron Stoppable would say, “Sick and Wrong!”. I didn’t like what they did with it and actively avoid it to this day. It’s no wonder the show lost its popularity after this episode.
Thank you for reading! Hope you have a wonderful day and I’ll see you again soon.
From the Perspective of an Old Soul 