The ‘Arthur’ Finale Is On YouTube, Complete With a Weird Adult Version of Arthur
No one asked for this, but we're not mad either.
It’s hard to say goodbye, especially when something’s been in our lives for a long time. Unfortunately, after 25 seasons, we’ve had to say goodbye to Arthur. The show aired its final episode, and it included some closure for those of us who have followed along on all the adventures.
Arthur’s final chapter, titled “All Grown Up,” premiered on February 21 on PBS. However, if you missed the episode on TV, PBS Kids uploaded the full episode to YouTube, and reading the comments there and on social media, it’s clear this episode hit differently.
Unlike many other kids’ shows, which typically just quietly end by no longer making new episodes, Arthur planned its wrap-up. In doing so, the show probably did the kindest thing it could for the millennials who grew up watching all the adventures the citizens of Elwood City got to experience – closure.
The final episode was a flash-forward looking 25 years into the future and revealed how Arthur and pals were doing as grown-ups. Arthur grew up to be a graphic novelist and finished his first book. Turns out his first book is the story we’ve been watching all this time. Buster became a teacher, Muffy runs for mayor, George is the new owner of Sugar Bowl Café, D.W. is a police officer, Francine works at a sneaker company, and Binky is a news reporter now.
This is probably the first time we’ve had a flash-forward in a cartoon we grew up watching as kids gave us the closure of the story as adults. Now we don’t have to wonder what happened or imagine the worst because it looks like they all grew up to be exactly what they wanted to be.
This is an interesting tactic for the creators to take. The finale wasn’t for our kids, but it was for us, and it’s both weird and adorable at the same time. This route reminds us of the way Blue’s Clues marked its 25th anniversary with the original Steve returning in a viral video to say his final goodbye and apologizing for not giving closure to those of us who watched him as a kid at the time.
If you missed the final episode, check it out on PBS Kids YouTube, or below.
