MovieChat Forums > Hey Arnold! (1996) Discussion > Helga on the Couch

Helga on the Couch

posted 8 years ago by saikano_75
10 replies | jump to latest

Saw this episode again last night and it just clicked that Helga is mean to everyone but mostly to Arnold because she likes him. But he was the only one who ever showed her any kind of kindness and yet she bullies him the most.

I would like to think it's the other kids' fault because they were to her the very first day when she showed any sign of liking him. She couldn't really push her parents around so she decided to push the other kids around. But even so I really don't feel like this episode fully and actually explained why she is mean to him to that extent. To say that she likes him and doesn't want him to know sounds like a cop out. And she can't possibly think he is going to start crushing on her if she keeps acting that way.

I wonder what would have happened if she kept on being nice despite being bullied.

Little Mikey Myers that lived across the street.

[–] Takedi21 8 years ago

But even so I really don't feel like this episode fully and actually explained why she is mean to him to that extent. To say that she likes him and doesn't want him to know sounds like a cop out. And she can't possibly think he is going to start crushing on her if she keeps acting that way.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks this. Why should Arnold settle for a girl who really likes him yet treats him like crap all the time, when he can have a girl who really likes him and treats him nicely all the time. I get that Helga would obviously start treating Arnold nicely once they got together, but again, why should Arnold have to settle for that when he can just have a girl who treats him very well from the start?

I get that Helga has issues and all but look at Lila for example, her life isn't all peaches & cream either yet she was always nice to Arnold from the start. Arnold deserves so much better than Helga.

Helga is lucky that Arnold is such a really nice guy because in the real world no guy would tolerate her crap at all let alone put up with it for so long. Arnold being such a nice guy is even more of a reason as to why he really genuinely doesn't deserve not one ounce of Helga's crap at all.

[–] SelenaQP 8 years ago

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks this. Why should Arnold settle for a girl who really likes him yet treats him like crap all the time, when he can have a girl who really likes him and treats him nicely all the time. I get that Helga would obviously start treating Arnold nicely once they got together, but again, why should Arnold have to settle for that when he can just have a girl who treats him very well from the start?

I get that Helga has issues and all but look at Lila for example, her life isn't all peaches & cream either yet she was always nice to Arnold from the start. Arnold deserves so much better than Helga.

Yes, Helga has issues, but she ISN'T all that bad. You guys make it seems like Helga takes Arnold's kindness for granted which isn't the case at all. She is just deeply afraid of being too nice with him might make people suspect that she's crazy about him. She's just masking her inner feelings for him. There are times when Helga shows that she deeply cares for him..."Arnold's Christmas" and "Summer Love". I bet no other girl, especially Lila and Rhonda, would ever thought of giving up their Nancy Spumoni boots the way that Helga did in Arnold's Christmas, or go out of their way to tell Arnold that he's being used by some girl in "Summer Love". That's real love right there.

I think Helga does need a guy like Arnold. If you look at Helga's home life, you would see that she doesn't get much attention that she deserves from her parents. Arnold is the only guy that understands her and gives her all the attention that she so desperately needed.

Yeah, Lila's life isn't perfect either, BUT at least she has an openly loving father that gives her attention and support. Helga never got any of that from her parents.

RIP IMDb 

[–] Takedi21 8 years ago

I think Helga does need a guy like Arnold.

I agree with that, but you don't treat a guy like Arnold like crap. Helga is her own worst enemy. This was made clear in the episode where the Pataki family got that nice nanny. Helga didn't like her so she set her up & got her fired, then at the end of the episode the nanny said something to Helga (I forget what was specifically said?) that made Helga realize that the more she acts like a bitch the more she pushes away really good people from her life. And can you honestly blame those good people for leaving? Like I said in my other post, even the nicest of people have their limits in real life & no one would put up with Helga's crap for very long.

[–] saikano_75 8 years ago

No, she isn't a bad person. But like I said, I don't think the episode fully explained why she does what she does. Okay, you have a crappy home life, as does Lila but that doesn't mean you should be mean all the time.

All the other kids are nice and no one throws around "oh, you like him because you're nice to him" comments. No one is going to think she likes him just because she is nice. I mean if she was only nice to him and mean to everyone else or vice versa, yeah it would be obvious. But she treats everyone pretty bad but in Arnold's case, it's just too much half the time. She could turn to her left to throw spitballs at the person but instead, she aims straight which is where Arnold sits.

And since she does treat him and everyone around her like crap, there is nothing to really mask because, since their pre-k days, the kids have seemed to forgotten about her dreamy look at him after he gave her his crackers.

In the Christmas episode, she did a nice thing but it's not like she went to Arnold himself to do that. She did that without being known. She was the only one who knew of his situation anyway so you can't put Lila and Rhonda on the spot like that.

Summer Love, she also went out of her way to sabotage their time together then had to go out of her way to make up for it. That's not love in my opinion.

And there are some episodes where she bonds with her parents one on one.

Right, he gives her attention she needs and she is mean to him. You would think someone, the very first person, to show you kindness, you would be grateful and nice to them.

Little Mikey Myers that lived across the street.

[–] Takedi21 8 years ago

Yep. Like I said Helga is her own worst enemy. She even treats her own best friend Phoebe like crap. SMH!

[–] SelenaQP 8 years ago

But like I said, I don't think the episode fully explained why she does what she does. Okay, you have a crappy home life, as does Lila but that doesn't mean you should be mean all the time.

Well, it's just like in real life there are mean people and there are nice people. You can't expect everyone to be the same. I don't condone Helga for her rude behavior, but to be fair, she got that mean streak from her dad who also acts mean to everyone. Plus, you would be an angry person too if your parents were constantly neglecting you in favor of your older sister and mistaking your name. The situation with Helga's homelife is different than Lila's homelife, so it's incomparable. Lila never have to compete with anyone for attention and love because she gets that fully from her father. I'm not expecting anyone to find Helga a likeable character. She can be a bit bossy and manipulative at times like Angelica Pickles from Rugrats, but I feel like Helga is one of those characters that is hard to love but you just can't get enough of. Unlike the rest of characters on Hey Arnold, I feel that she has more duality in her persona why I feel so connected with her. She acts so tough and confident on the outside, but she seems so insecure and passionate on the inside. It's amazing that Arnold can be able to sense that as well at his age. In one episode, he says that he knows that deep down inside Helga has a good heart.

I'm not going to sit here and act like the moral police. In some ways, I can see that Helga and I are alike. I can act petty just like her, and I did had some bratty moments as a kid myself. I like how she doesn't try to act too perfect and ladylike. Yes, she's mean but she doesn't take crap from anyone and she tells it like it is. She's like Madonna.

All the other kids are nice and no one throws around "oh, you like him because you're nice to him" comments. No one is going to think she likes him just because she is nice. I mean if she was only nice to him and mean to everyone else or vice versa, yeah it would be obvious. But she treats everyone pretty bad but in Arnold's case, it's just too much half the time. She could turn to her left to throw spitballs at the person but instead, she aims straight which is where Arnold sits.

Not really, not ALL the kids were nice. There are countless times when the kids at P.S. 118 would act so mean to each other, not just Helga. Harold made fun of Phoebe when she accidentally farted into the microphone at the school's auditorium. Plus, he had bullied Arnold in 24 Hours To Live. He also wasn't very nice to Big Patty once he saw that Sid and Stinky were teasing him about hanging out with her. Sid and Stinky told everyone about Iggy's secret that he wears bunny pajamas. Iggy made Arnold wear those bunny pajamas in front of people just to get revenge. Rhonda wasn't very nice to Big Patty when she had accidentally tripped on Rhonda's shoes. Rhonda wasn't also very nice to that girl who wore glasses. She made the girl sit in the back of the bus because she thought she was too geeky.

In real life, believe it or not, there are people out there who can tell you at one point in their lives they had acted mean to their crush just to mask their true feelings. There's even an episode where Arnold's grandma was just like Helga when she was a kid.

And since she does treat him and everyone around her like crap, there is nothing to really mask because, since their pre-k days, the kids have seemed to forgotten about her dreamy look at him after he gave her his crackers.

It doesn't change the fact that some of the kids still display immature behavior...they even taunt the stoop kid for not leaving his stoop. What makes you think the kids wouldn't make such a big deal if they found out Helga likes Arnold? They would still be taunting her the same way in preschool abd when Sid and Stinky would taunt at Harold for hanging around with Big Patty.

Harold also treats everyone around him like crap and bullies people. Rhonda also has her own faults with people because she can be pretty arrogant and self-centered. She even made her own list of people that she considered to be "cool" and "geeky".

In the Christmas episode, she did a nice thing but it's not like she went to Arnold himself to do that. She did that without being known.

In Arnold's Hat, She felt guilty for keeping his little hat after Arnold had lost it. She decided to return it to him in person.

Summer Love, she also went out of her way to sabotage their time together then had to go out of her way to make up for it. That's not love in my opinion.

Obviously, Helga wanted Arnold for herself and was jealous of the other girl being around him. I agree with the poster who had said on here that Helga does get jealousy get the best of her.

Right, he gives her attention she needs and she is mean to him. You would think someone, the very first person, to show you kindness, you would be grateful and nice to them

Obviously, Helga has emotional issues where she struggles to display her true feelings openly. Her parents never give her any emotional support when its been needed. In "Helga On The Couch", her parents went even further to say that Olga never needed a psychologist as if it say that she's too perfect for that and that some things are better left unsaid. It tells me that Helga's parents would rather sweep their own problems underneath the rug rather than openly discuss their feelings. If you think about it, Helga is just an insecure, lost girl that needs some guidance in her life.

RIP IMDb 

[–] saikano_75 8 years ago

I don't get why you have to bring up real life when talking about a cartoon. In real life, kids would tell their parents of Harold and Helga bullying them and their home life would be questioned and some services would have to get involved.

I agree with you with a lot of what you said. But it still makes no sense in the Summer Love episode. She first sees him and tells him to stay away from her, turns around and sabotages his time with that girl and then has to convince him to trust her that the girl is using him. There is no excuse for that.

Little Mikey Myers that lived across the street.

[–] SelenaQP 8 years ago

I don't get why you have to bring up real life when talking about a cartoon. In real life, kids would tell their parents of Harold and Helga bullying them and their home life would be questioned and some services would have to get involved.

That's true. I know it's a cartoon, but I was making a point that it's not uncommon when a girl harasses and teases a boy they like..

But it still makes no sense in the Summer Love episode. She first sees him and tells him to stay away from her, turns around and sabotages his time with that girl and then has to convince him to trust her that the girl is using him. There is no excuse for that.

I'll say that Helga can be a complicated person to understand. She can be a bit unpredictable, I'll admit that. She says one thing, but does another. Just like in the movie, she told Arnold how she felt about him, but retracts everything she had said in the ending.

[–] saikano_75 8 years ago

I get that she harasses him but I just tink the extent of it is a bit much half the time. I mean he has only snapped once but in real life, someone would do more than throwing paint back at her.

I never saw the movie but I have read that at the end they both agreed her confession was a heat of the moment thing but Arnold is not fully convinced. I liked that April Fool's episode, it was cute when he found out the truth to her blindness.

Little Mikey Myers that lived across the street.

[–] SelenaQP 8 years ago

I understand. The things that Arnold had tolerated, I just don't know how he does it, especially in that episode where he had to work with the Jolly Olly Man for career day. In that episode "Crabby Author", he kept on insisting to get to know more about his favorite author so he could do a school report on her, even though the woman acted so hostile and nasty to him. She clearly didn't want to be bothered at all. He kept on coming back to her house. I don't know how he had the patience to deal with that woman. I would have been instantly turned off and just decide to do a report on someone else.

I never saw the movie but I have read that at the end they both agreed her confession was a heat of the moment thing but Arnold is not fully convinced. I liked that April Fool's episode, it was cute when he found out the truth to her blindness.

Yes, they did. I guess they felt pretty awkward about the whole thing, lol. I thought that episode was cute as well. I've read that creator of the show had confirmed that he was flirting with her when they were dancing. In some ways, her crazy antics remind me of Lucy Ricardo from I Love Lucy.