Ladonna is becoming Arthur's second best friend, it seems.

Never really thought about that, but you do have a point. Recent writers have sort of scuttled the accord they used to have, though. I don't mind, much. I sort of prefer there to be interaction between characters who've not had much to do with one another before, like when Buster P.I. teamed up with Fern. The current writers probably couldn't do justice to the classic Francine/Arthur episodes anyway.

There could be a point there. I've just been assuming that the writers have been shoving Ladonna down our throats to make up for lost time since she was introduced so late in the series.

"I ate a pear. I ate three pears." - Lizzie Borden

I can't stand Ladonna. Every character has their established place and quirk, but Ladonna is just so awkwardly shoehorned in. She would have been okay as a one-time character, but she pretty much takes over every time she appears.

Don't get me started on her fake Southern Belle accent. I live nowhere near the South and even I can tell that accent is phony.

Another thing that annoys me is that so many of Ladonna's extended relatives got introduced in such a short amount of time, yet we never got to see any relatives of the established characters in the years the show has been on the air. I don't think even Arthur has had as many relatives introduced to us as Ladonna has. Heck, it took them about 12 years to finally show Muffy's brother Chip, who originally appeared in one of the Arthur books way back in the 80s.