There will be some minor changes after this season for a few reasons. For one the child actors will have different voices next season. In season 4 I will discuss the other small changes to format and creators.
Some recent news is not great for the fandom. For one Studio B (they have renamed to Wildbrain since) just sold their rights to Peanuts to Columbia. The bigger one is on November 17th, 5 days after my last post, the broadcasting rights to the show ended. This also ended the website on PBS Kids, and yes, I discovered that by turning it on to watch the show. Oh, well.
This season will be the final speaking appearance of some minor recurring adults like Truman’s mom, TD’s mom, and The Janitor. In contrast 7 year old Milo is introduced this season. Thankfully they keep his appearances rare, which ironically helps him to feel important to the show.
The show was doing great in the ratings with over 1 million viewers per weekday. By this point the show had a large fanbase, and was supposedly the top PBS Kids show in the ratings. Time to look into the final episodes of the first three seasons.
6A- “TD’s Magic” where he seemingly makes an elephant disappear and thinks he has actual magic powers. Poor beginning, and it got good in the second half mainly due to Truman and Milo’s dad, Terrance. While everybody else accepts the craziness they are trying to find the rational explanation, and I enjoy how good of a dad Terrance is. Overall very underwhelming for a TD centric episode.
First appearance of Milo giving him a little introduction before he meets everybody else. I know PBS Kids is known for introducing really bad to terrible new characters, and he is probably the most entertaining of the group. Part of that is his appearances were rare, and this helped his appearances to feel important instead of forced. I do find it annoying Milo has Lily when he will adopt her later, but not much. Apparently this episode takes place after the season finale. The incorrect words of the episode match three episodes later, and this was probably foreshadowing.
6B- “Scaredy Cat” when they hide at the Boxwood house during a storm, and the local cats pretend to be a ghost. This is a good episode. Sure, I wish they kept Nelson’s friends hidden for a while to make it scarier, but that is normally too much to hope for PBS Kids. TD has an entertaining story about power corrupting Martha, and I see why it would scare Helen, especially as she scares easy. Helen’s has some nice details showing what inspired it. It is combining Alice getting hit in the head with a volleyball and The Headless Horseman (implied her dad told it to her). Being a Sleepy Hollow fan I was really happy for a surprisingly loose adaptation of it, as Nelson’s friends being the “ghost” matches that Brom Bones was releasing his inner Scooby-Doo villain. Another key detail is a rewatch shows the door never locked. They just panicked when it got stuck for a little while.
Another nice detail is facing the ghost. Skits volunteers guilting Helen and Martha, the two capable of doing something, into trying to save the day despite their fear. Between the mid episode scene and second episode Martha twice stole Helen’s sandwich this episode. Before doing a full rewatch I do not think I ever saw this one in its entirety, and it was entertaining.
7- I never saw this episode before going through every one.
7A- “The Opera Contest” Where they enter an opera contest about episode 1. These musical episodes are normally really good or really bad. In contrast to “Martha Sings/TD Makes the Band” I really like this one. Like most episodes the songs feel like ten year olds made them up on the spot, but these have some more prep time. Again I think the actors have very good singing voices. Up until this point they have not summarized a previous episode yet, so that helps make this stick out. I see Helen has completed overcome her stage fright. I have reread the first book and rewatched the first episode multiple times for this retrospective, and I liked seeing a third version and comparing Helen’s vocal evolution (she sounded very different in episode 1).
Overall a very solid episode. I have never known much about the technical details of music, so the words were actually educational to me, a full grown man, this time.
7B- “Maestro Martha” where Pablum and Otis learn a mad science music performance to freeze humans and rob them. I saw the tail end of this one once. Feels like forever since Pablum and Otis were written by someone other than Joe Fallon. It is refreshing they are targeting humans instead of Martha this episode. This episode has a great score, which fits it being music focused.
Again, Helen is a great dog owner. She tries to help her dog find an instrument for a week, holds them when needed, and deals with the terrible noise while never complaining.
I love The Janitor, Mr. Stern so much. How he apologizes for kicking Martha out of school, does not let her in, and then says how she can listen from outside. He has consistent goals, but he is so bad at explaining them. Being a music lover gives some depth to him, as he loves culture and making others happy even if his job requires saying “no” frequently.
Last speaking role of Truman’s mom. For the first time since “Bye Martha” Pablum and Otis are actually intimidating. Pablum knows very practical dark science and Otis can play the audience like Count Olaf. Maybe Truman should take notes from Pablum. I am sure it is just an animation shortcut but many of Martha’s friends are in the audience and do nothing to help. I guess they just really want to hear Otis’s music. This is a really good episode. Plenty of stakes, and I like these more fantastical episodes.
8- Alice is only in the closed opening and closings, but never talks this episode.
8A- “Skits and Mr. Scruffles” where Skits and Milo meet, and everybody thinks they made the other one up. This is a very tired premise I normally do not like at all. This and Andy Griffith Show are the ones I enjoyed. A lot of it is the fantasy elements and characters not knowing they are in a low fantasy. A lot of it is how Helen, Martha, and Terrance are really trying to help and making reasonable assumptions.
“This is a very confusing town you got here.” “Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it.” Another episode from Peter K. Hirsch, and another one that feels distinctly different from Arthur. Milo is 7 years old. Martha now gets bathed twice a week instead of every other month. I guess Helen got tired of the smell in her bed. In the mid-episode scene Skits somehow beat TD in chess. Is it not enough he already lost checkers to a mannequin?
8B- “Brave Truman” Where Truman is too scared to use his new sled, so Helen, Martha, and TD try to brave him up with failed results. Joe Fallon episode. Martha did not want to pull the sleigh. I presume that is a reference to “Sled Dog Martha” where she learned she did not want to be a sled dog. I have already theorized Helen is an adrenaline junkie. I think that is supported by how she is too focused on the steep hill being fun instead of helping Truman. TD suggested hitting Truman with a snowball to cheer him up. I think that is a reference to “The Dog Did it” where he and Helen were pelting each other while listening to the frame story.
Like always I enjoy the different art styles in the frame stories. TD’s sketchy, black and white, and detailed backgrounds, style is contrasted with Helen’s cleaner style with simple backgrounds. I am surprised they are not getting frustrated with Truman for not letting them finish after they already drew everything. Then again they both love drawing. They are used to critique some moralistic stories. I also like the detail Helen and TD just ran into each other one time. It helps make them feel like children.
I really like the ending even if it was predictable. I think this is better on a rewatch, as it was easier to notice the tiny details.
9A- “Martha Acts Up” Where Martha performs as The Cheshire Cat. Quick callbacks to both “Martha Treads the Boards” and “Starstruck Martha.” First and final return of Kitten from “There goes the Neighborhood.” I am surprised Helen is not performing too.
How many clothes has she made Martha? How did Ronald think he was stealthy? I love that Martha’s motivation is pure selfishly hurting Nelson. Some commentary on method acting. Pretty good but more memorable than good.
9B- “Ronald is in” Where Ronald fake diagnoses Helen, Alice, and Truman with disorders resulting in them trying to cure themselves by emulating TD. Early mention of Curious Crystal books before Helen tries roleplaying the lead.
This is a great episode. Lots of comedy and running gags, mostly involving TD. There are some great visualizations of their fears.
10A- “Patrol Dog Martha”- where Martha fills in for a police dog and discovers a smuggling ring. I feel bad for Officer O’Reilly. Martha is right she helps, but it always makes his job more chaotic. Not to mention she tried to get him arrested once. For a gruff Bullock type cop he is very forgiving. I think Helen is a much bigger fan of “Courageous Collie Carlos” than Martha. I guess his fear of flowers did make her feel less of him (next season Martha sings over the show when Helen is trying to watch). Nice change of pace that Martha’s dream about her new job is a nightmare. Why does Helen know so much about food smuggling? I guess CD the farmer told TD who told her. I enjoy the meta joke where Martha reminisces about all her old jobs. Officer O’Reilly is awful with figures of speech even compared to Martha. Martha states she is part pit-bull this episode for the first time. Really good episode.
As somebody with a mom that loves cop shows I really enjoyed this episode tearing them down as repetitive. They put Helen to sleep from boredom.
10B- “The Crooning Crook Caper” where Helen and Martha investigate what they think is a robbery. Again it is a wackier than usual episode from Peter Hirsch. It took me a while to figure out what was different about Helen’s “Heroic Helen” look besides the head. She wears jeans for it. Why did TD get a mop stuck in a boot? Helen just thought it was normal for him. When red herring was defined the word never appeared on screen. Nice detail the criminal has multiple names, as that is a key part of many real life mysteries (I enjoy the Nimrod stories). Great episode and great mystery. It has many hidden details to help solve it, it rationally comes into place, all the motivations fit on a rewatch, and a dual motivation helps hide the culprit. Ambitious of him to unlock the window with two cops in the room. I guess he is a kleptomaniac.
Helen is so devoted she never complains about the wet dog smell. She ditches the Heroic Helen look the entire second half. Either it was too hard to animate or it was to show a disguise is not necessary to resemble Dupin.
11- “Myth Me/TD’s Myth Take” They reenact Greek Myths, and TD hates them and tries to fix them. Not officially a two part episode, but it is one. Joe Fallon episode. Great details on explaining moral and origin myth. Helen’s acting has really improved since “Starstruck Martha.” Nice detail Orpheus got the best reception. It is a great story, and they got it right that Orpheus doomed Eurydice by looking back. Normally I hear she looked back.
Lots of meta jokes to the show. TD thinks they should reset status quo every 22 minutes (length of an episode). They early on dismissed the idea of doing a Martha Speaks show due to not being able to use the word “A.”
Sometimes Helen was enjoying torturing TD too much (especially as she briefly left Martha in the rain).
As a critic with a blog, the exploration of media criticism appeals to me. TD’s complaints feel like an elementary aged student’s reviews of media. As shown by his reaction to Icarus it is not the never-ending part that bothers him but the unhappy endings. Could have changed that one easy. It gets into how different people have different tastes, and one person’s ruined story is another person’s fun. Probably the first time TD has been called “a stick in the mud.” I love this episode. I think this is my favorite episode of season 3.
He says laugh tracks are the successors of the Greek Chorus, and that is a real theory.
To add to the fun the closed opening and closings (and midscene about Narcissus) are really funny. Somehow PBS paid for Martha and Helen to fly to Greece first class with no way home. Helen just casually says they will walk back, and Martha goes along with this. Good thing she has those fat reserves and loves swimming. It is not like next season where PBS leaves them stranded orbiting Saturn.
12- Before the retrospective this is one of the episodes I rewatched to make sure I can still enjoy this show as an adult.
12A- “Wagstaff Races” Where they are in a renewable fueled go-kart race, and the Ronald/Reginal team cheats. Helen set up a solar cooker just to make snacks for her dogs. Poor Wishbone is wishing Joe was like that. This show was really pro-internet for 2010. They normally then portrayed it as evil and false. Here it is portrayed as a great backup to books. Continues running gag from the newspaper episode Ronald forgets about it.
I love Ronald this episode. For a middle schooler he is so over the top evil, and Helen is so friendly with him. I am used to Ron Holsey’s episodes feeling too boring and grounded, but not this one. I am surprised TD and Alice teamed up. I cannot recall them doing anything together other than finding a way to break Spanish class. I guess they bonded over it.
Truman and Milo do an algae powered kart. I know the smell is bad if Helen is covering her nose when Martha sleeps in her bed. Milo clearly has no idea what Truman is doing. No wonder Alice/TD won. OG helped make it. I love the fourth wall joke when Ronald stops the camera from seeing his cart. It also foreshadows it is gasoline powered. Helen did all that research and asked TD about weather forecast for his cart, yet she forgot to see if it would be a sunny day. Sure it has an obvious villain they would beat, but plenty of red herrings on how it happened and options for victory, and a nice twist at the end. Most shows would have made the main characters, Helen and Martha, win. Great episode again.
12B- “The Missing Metal Mystery” Where TD discovers he and the junkyard’s metal is being robbed. He decides it is the person he least suspects, himself. TD takes “Last person you suspect” literally and thinks he is the culprit without knowing. Fern he is not. It makes many funny scenes, but it can drag at times. You want to be a detective Helen, go help your crazy friend. Not as good as the last 1.5 episodes, but it is really funny like most of the TD/Martha episodes.
The monkey TD imagines is Professor Monkey. The policeman has been incompetent in his other appearances, but here he is good at his job. Last speaking role of TD’s mom.
13- “Martha’s Slumber Party of the Weird/Return to Martha’s Slumber Party of the Weird” Where they tell science fiction stories in a tent. Again a two part episode in all but name. Ken Scarborough wrote the first half, and Fallon wrote the second half.
Bad animation, as Helen keeps smiling when she should not be. On the other hand, we get a good image of Martha and Helen being mad at TD for not thinking an alien invasion through (what did they expect).
The stories offer wish fulfilment to their tellers. In Helen’s the day is saved by TD being lazy I think it is about her fears of him failing school. Martha’s has aliens not acting like people, and I presume it is about how humans and dogs have different values. TD’s has the unhappy ending ironically. Alice is about fun of being small due to her having a bully older brother, and it makes Helen, not her, the klutz. Truman involves him overcoming his fear of bugs. I like seeing the different art style for Helen’s story. Nice detail Daniel’s story has them in black and white. Daniel’s story is about hoping the younger generation like his favorite old shows and following instructions. Okay episode. It has some major highlights but very slow paced for this show.
14A- “The Long Rotten Summer” Where TD spends Summer in school to make it feel longer. I was not surprised to see this was written by Joe Fallon. It spoofs fellow Joe Fallon episode “The Short Quick Summer” from Arthur.
Very good closed opening with Martha being impatient for the show to start. I like that they have different Summer clothes in the flashback. Wait, the flashback takes place in the Summer before episode 1. How is Martha talking in it? Many funny background details, but I find it odd Martha can fly a kite, and I find it sweet Helen skates while towing Martha. Great dialogue that fits Fallon’s wacky style. Great peer pressure again. Last speaking appearance of The Janitor. I will miss this guy, but he went out on a bang. Great episode.
14B- “The Case of the Shattered Vase” A retelling of the parable where blind men describe an elephant. It is okay. The best part is the twist at the end. Nice detective work Helen.
15A- “Alice Covers Up” Where the dye from her sunscreen gives her orange skin.
Ronald is a psychopath this episode. It is really funny and surprisingly sweet. I enjoy seeing how they mix and match common games, as it adds realism. Similar to Magic School Bus episode “Goes Cellular” in basic plot and nothing else.
15B- “Carolina Picks a Lily” Where Carolina impusivly adopts a dog that is part Rotweiler and bulldog and then tries to find a home (and by that makes Helen do all the work).
Technically first appearance of Lily. Really good episode. Last episode with Alice’s original voice actress, Christina Crivici, and I never got used to the next two. Fittingly her last words are “woah!”
One thing I only appreciated as an adult is Mariella clearly does not want another dog. Especially, as it will not stop at three if Helen’s friends keep leaving dogs with her. Martha was not the first choice for a pet. Then one of Helen’s friends left her Skits when he could not keep him. Now Carolina is getting her to foster another future large dog, so Mariella is making sure she does not become their dog as well.
As the owner of two pit-bull hybrids this episode appeals to me.
Thus ends the first three seasons of Martha Speaks. Next is season 4, which will be notably different from this season and the others.
The Animation Historian 