MovieChat Forums > Hey Arnold! (1996) Discussion > Did anyone else NOT like the Sid episode...

Did anyone else NOT like the Sid episodes?


His episodes weren't really special, he was either jumping to hysterics and wouldn't listen to reason or would get himself into a jam (like the Big Gino episode).

Anyone else, agree?

I would always rather be happy than dignified. 😁

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Sid was always one of my favorites. He's so neurotic and and weird yet he's still somewhat realistic unlike the other more outlandish characters.

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Okay he was kinda bothered me when he didn't listen and repeated the advice giveb from the beginning but one thing I loved about Sid is that when he cried it was THE FUNNIEST THING lol maybe that's more credit to the actor but in the end I didn't hate Sad at all.

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I really hate the episode where Arnold saves his life.

Little Mikey Myers that lived across the street.

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I can't believe that he even wanted to follow Arnold into the bathroom! What was he thinking?

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I was most annoyed with Sid in Arnold Saves Sid. I came super close to hating him in Bag of Money.

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Like I said earlier, I'm so glad that Arnold at least stopped Sid from following him into the bathroom! Yikes...

But in the bag of money episode, you have to remember that even Gerald had problems with believing Arnold's story. Sid was the worst though.

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Yeah, it was pretty disturbing that Sid would go as far as follow Arnold into the bathroom if Arnold hadn't stopped him. It's one of those episodes where you really suspect there is a screw loose in Sid's head. He can't take "no" for an answer, he claims that he "knew" Arnold didn't mean for him to stop being his slave. What exactly is Sid trying to prove here? Is he trying to make Arnold feel guilty? If that chicken sign fell on Arnold instead, and Sid pushed him out of the way, would Sid make Arnold feel guilty for not being his personal slave? I'm no psychologist but it seems to me like Sid is manipulative. I think he knew Arnold was sick of him being his slave, because Arnold couldn't get in a word in edgewise. It went from annoying to creepy to downright stalker.

And then when he doesn't listen to Arnold telling him straight up that he wants him to stop, and Arnold just gives in and lets Sid be his personal slave...and then Sid tells him a few weeks later that he's sick of Arnold taking advantage of him, reiterates everything Arnold had said to him about how Arnold saving Sid's life wasn't a big deal, and has the GALL to claim Arnold is in the wrong here??? Can you believe this TWAT?!?!?...I have no words.

AND he tries to end their friendship and claim he has a life of his own?! No. No, no, no, no, no. No. Arnold, if I were you, I'd walk right out. Just walk out. No dumping your ice cream on his head, no cursing him out, just walk. Keep all your dignity and just walk away, never to speak to him again.

And then what does Arnold do? He gives in to Sid's delusions and makes it up to him by getting him a gift card to that Mr. Chicken place. And thus, they're even. FUCK THAT.

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Yes, I realize Gerald had problems believing Arnold's story, and I have an issue with that too. Yes, under normal circumstances, Arnold’s story would be hard to believe, but out-of-the-ordinary characters are a norm for this show’s universe. Some of them like Stoop Kid, Pigeon Man, and Monkeyman have even had their own cartoons and that’s not even mentioning the abundance of eccentric supporting characters seen on a regular basis. This might have worked a little better if we didn't see Arnold come across that old lady on the bus, but that's obviously not the case.

And let's not forget, Arnold has a solid track record of honesty and great character. The worst thing about this situation is how everyone believes Sid and turns their back on Arnold. It’s like they conveniently forget about Arnold’s track record and that Sid is normally a paranoid nut just to make the story meaner than it already is. Remember, Sid turned everyone against Arnold over money that wasn't even his. The final straw is when Sid rallies everyone to angrily grab Arnold and tie him to the tetherball pole…in a public school yard…and no adult authorities stop them even though the police do show up. This is a legitimately harmful move that shouldn’t be allowed to happen, even if the rumor is true, and Sid's malicious expression in this scene makes it a whole lot worse.

Yes, everyone realizes Arnold was telling the truth, but it's hard to forget how far these people would have gone to harm him had this misunderstanding (if you can even call it that) not been cleared up. It's hard for me to say whether it was Sid who was the worst in this episode or everyone else for believing him knowing his reputation and Arnold's.

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And thus, we can agree that Sid had a screw loose. Not quite as much as Curly, but not far from it.

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I tell you, man. Arnold so did not deserve any of Sid's bullshit. I mean, why did he even pretend to have taken advantage of Sid? If that was really the only way to get that big-nosed headcase to shut up, then he is so not worth hanging around with. Sid needs to see a psychiatrist. Fast.

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To be fair though, Sid was never anywhere close to being Arnold's best friend.
Sid would rather hang out with Stinky and Harold, who were a bit morally ambigious as well.
And even though Arnold was such a nice guy, that he would still help him sometimes if he would get into trouble, I don't believe that Arnold fully trusted Sid or even liked him that much in the first place.
Gerald was undoubtedly a much better friend.

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Out of those three, I probably would have rather hung out with Stinky. Harold was very funny at times and I enjoyed watching him, but I most likely wouldn't have been able to stand him in person. Stinky, on his own, seemed to be a pretty decent guy IMO. I know he partakes in mischief when he's with Sid and Harold, but I can't think of a time where he engaged in anything "morally ambiguous" by himself, as you put it.

I do think that Sid would have benefited with more background, but the most we see of his family life is his messy bedroom. We see his dad in Fishing Trip but he doesn't really stand out as a character and we don't learn much about him. Was he or Sid's mom in Parents Day?

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I agree with you with Stinky was the most likable out of that trio.
Like you said, he seems to simply join Sid and Harold into mischief without thinking.
And when I wrote "morally ambigious" in my last post, I referred to Sid and Harold rather than to Stinky.
He seems to be a nice but not so bright kid, who is too much under the Influence of others.
We don't really find out much about Stinky's background, I think.
Except for that his family is country bumpkins, despite the fact that they must have lived in the city for years.
(We know at least that they have lived in the same neighborhood since Stinky was a toddler.)

Here is more info about the character: https://heyarnold.fandom.com/wiki/Stinky_Peterson

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Right. We see a little more of Stinky's background, and definitely quite a bit of Harold's, but Sid's? Not so much.

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Sid has of course gotten an entry in the "Hey Arnold" wiki as well: https://heyarnold.fandom.com/wiki/Sid
And it shows us that Sid wasn't all bad after all despite his flaws.

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I realize that. I just wish we would have seen more of his home life, maybe it explains why he's so paranoid. I find it hard to believe he had a normal upbringing.

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Well, there is the episode about Sid borrowing Arnold's room.
It is implied there that his family was poor.
We never got to know Sid's parents though and see what they were like.

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I found his nose to be highly inappropriate for children's programming.

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I do like some of them.

But he did come off as a jerk many times. I didn't like his character much.

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