Top 5 Best ATBG Episodes

You've seen my top 5 worst As Told by Ginger episodes. Now, let's move on to the best the show has to offer:


#5: "The Nurses' Strike"

Initially, this episode got on my nerves because of how Ginger was acting. She was so humiliated over Lois "lowering" herself to cleaning peoples' houses in order to get by while the nurses' strike runs its course. My question is: what exactly is so humiliating about Lois being a housemaid? Is it the connotation of being dowdy and poor? Is it the stereotype that house cleaners are only good for cleaning and nothing else? It was never outright explained why Ginger was actually embarrassed (other than the fact that she thought people would feel sorry for her), but at her age, I can sort-of understand.

What makes this episode great is how much closer Ginger and Lois grow after spending all this extra time together. Lois has no shame in cleaning, and she never shows it, because she knows a job is a job, and that there's nothing wrong with making money by benefiting other people. When I first watched this episode, I felt a lot less contempt for janitors, dishwashers, and other maintenance staff. Not that I scoffed at those jobs before, but I started appreciating them more for the work they put in. And it's not like cleaning is a scornful job in the first place. Do you realize that, without people to maintain cleanliness and order, every store, school, and office we walk into would be a filthy dump? Considering people like Lois enjoy cleaning, if we had more people appreciate blue-collar work in general (you know, the behind-the-scenes people), we might be more apt to do it ourselves.

My favorite line from this episode is when Lois tells Ginger that Courtney's family can't make her feel bad about cleaning because she doesn't feel bad about it. There is just so much power in that one line. I love it. And I love how Lois never put down janitorial work, but rather embraced it. I also think that's why I felt great every morning after leaving my college's printmaking studio. I'd remember this episode, and remind myself I'm doing a good job so other people could work in a clean environment. Who would have thought such fantastic words of wisdom one could use the rest of their lives would come from an episode about starting up a cleaning business?

tl;dr Version: There is no shame in doing grunt work of any kind, and no one should make you feel bad about doing it.


#4: "Hello Stranger"



This is one of the first sequential episodes that really showed As Told by Ginger's depth. Just to refresh your memory, Lucky Junior High is hosting a fall festival where students can exploit their own talents for their parents to see. Ginger decides to write a poem, and decides she wants her dad, Jonas, to be there. Why? Because she misses her daddy-o.

She had called Jonas and left him a message inviting him to the festival, but he never returned her call. Still, Ginger had hoped he would show up. And thus begins the all-too-depressing facts of life.

In this episode, we learned that sometimes people are just flaky, and they're not part of your life for a reason. I believe I mentioned that this was a good lesson for Jonas to have not shown up, because if he had, there wouldn't have been any point to the episode. Dad sends letter to daughter. Daughter invites dad to festival. Dad shows up. Daughter reads poem about how much she missed Dad. Hugs. Boooooring! It's fantastic how the show wasn't afraid to elicit an emotion other than the brain-dead stare of neutrality whenever we watch TV. What made it even better is that Lois sent Ginger flowers in Jonas's name to try to make her feel better, even though Ginger knew they weren't from him. There's just so much excellence in this one episode that I cannot believe the show decided to eventually bring him out and make him try to be part of Ginger's life again.

tl;dr: Some people are just unreliable, and that's something you have to accept.


#3: "Losing Nana Bishop"



Ah, Nana Bishop! Not many cartoons do a death episode, but when they do, there are certain standards that must be met, and As Told by Ginger executes them beyond my expectations. Whenever a loved one dies, the focus is usually on the people who were closest to the person who died. But what about the family members who feel nothing? As in, the people who feel bad about the death, but don't have that everlasting lump in their throat and overwhelming hole in their heart? I consider this to be a Hoodsey-centered episode, as the focus is really on him and his unorthodox reaction to hearing about the death of Nana Bishop.

I'm sure we've all been to a funeral for someone we didn't know very well (or will go to one eventually), and painfully watched as the people closest to the dead person cried their hearts out. Recently, I went to a funeral for a cousin of mine who I never met, and felt rather distant because I wasn't mourning as deeply as others. That feeling--that disconnection from a dead relative and awkwardness of not feeling as bad as everyone else--is the exact mindset of Hoodsey in this episode.

What I loved most about this episode was that both the main plot and the side plot interwove together somewhat (with funny results), yet the episode still managed to keep its somber, bittersweet tone. It's important for people to realize that they are not wrong for not feeling as heartbroken as others when they die, as everyone handles death differently. Not to mention, Carl uttered one of the best lines of advice in the entire series: "You don't have to like your family. You just have to respect them." Despite the fact that Carl doesn't take his own advice when it comes to Jonas, it's reassuring for Hoodsey that his feelings (or lack of) matter too, and just because he doesn't feel as bad as his father and Dodie, doesn't mean there's anything wrong with him. Now, Joann, she's a different story.

tl;dr: Hoodsey's muted feelings about Nana Bishop's death are just as valid as anyone else's.




#2: "And She Was Gone"

Another Emmy-nominated episode (and an episode that just so happens to be based on a part of Emily Kapnek's actual life), we explore the concept of depression as deeply as Nickelodeon will allow (that is debatable, though).

When Ginger writes a heavy poem about a girl wanting to disappear for the Emerging Author Award contest, Ms. Zorski mistakenly believes that the girl in the poem is Ginger because of how strong and well-written the piece is. Now, one thing I've noticed is that if someone is writing fiction, and you can feel the emotion in it, it's the sign of a good writer. Much like how you can hear someone's emotion in a song, the more passion and energy you put into your work, the more "real" and powerful it will seem. So, while Ms. Zorski maybe went a little too far in assuming Ginger had depression based on a single poem (and considering she already knew how good of a writer she was), this episode really explored the perks and consequences of being a fantastic writer:

The perks: your writing is so good, people can actually feel the emotion put into it.
The consequences: your writing is so good, it's realistic, and a cause for concerns because it's so realistic

The simple moral here is to not judge someone's mental state based on their writing. Art is subjective, and not a judge of character. It's interpretive--Ginger interpreted her poem as simply a girl wants to disappear. Ms. Zorski and the psychiatrist, Dr. Leventhal, interpreted Ginger's poem as a cry for help. The complex, real moral is that art is powerful. The things that people can create with their own two hands--whether on a piece of paper, or on film, or through clay, whatever, is merely an interpretation of one person's view of the world.

Also: the subplot with Carl believing he made Noelle disappear was great, too, as it showed that everyone could be really interesting if you get to really know them.

tl;dr: Don't judge someone based on what they create.


Before I reveal my #1 pick, here's my honorable mention:

Come Back Little Seal Girl - For Macie to finally stand up for herself and show Lucky Junior High what she's all about, that must have taken balls the size of Neptune, because she would never go up on stage and sing The Little Seal Girl ever again. Good on her for standing up for what she loves and not giving a shit what anyone else thought of her doing her thing. If more people did what they loved without caring what others thought, we'd be a happier society.


#1: "A Lesson in Tightropes"

The most dramatic episode in the entire series just so happens to be the best. And no, before you say, "You cheated; this is your favorite episode!", keep in mind that it's my favorite episode for a reason.

What launched this episode into the #1 spot was the various B-plots. And "Splinter in My Heart" is a decent song. Carl played the most significant role in this episode. See, like I mentioned in my other picks for best episodes, this show likes to focus on other points of view that other shows don't normally consider. Interestingly, Carl struggled with his belief in "The Big Guy Upstairs" as well as his worries about Lois and Jonas rekindling their feelings for each other now that they were in close quarters. For Carl to be a straight-up atheist and then turn to "The Big Guy" in a last moment of desperation for Ginger to survive the operation shows his vulnerability--a side of Carl we rarely get to see since he's normally calm and collected on the outside. I can also understand his fear of Lois and Jonas considering getting back together because that would mean he'd be forced to accept the father he's shunned all his life once again and lose the relationship he built up with Doctor Dave. This is pretty heavy stuff for an 11-year-old.

Lois also shows her vulnerable side in this episode because of the reverberating "What if?" bouncing around in her head. What if she wasn't home to find Ginger blacked out on her bed? What if she decided to stay at the hospital an extra few minutes--would Ginger have died in those few extra minutes? And then there's her qualms with Jonas: what if she started to garner feelings for him again? What if Jonas suddenly becomes more involved in her life? Lois's constant anxiety makes her seem paranoid because Ginger did make it, but it's still haunting for Lois to realize that she made it just in time to bring Ginger to the hospital; had she waited longer, she would have found Ginger dead. That's every parent's worst nightmare.

Speaking of Jonas, we get to see him wrestle with the fact that Doctor Dave is a better man than he is in every shape and form. Sure, he gave Ginger half his chromosomes, but he's not the one who saved Ginger's life. He's not the one who makes Lois and the kids happy. He's also not the one with a good job and a family waiting for him after marrying Lois. Jonas seems depressed that he's being fazed out of Lois, Ginger, and Carl's lives and is being replaced by a seemingly perfect man. That's got to do a number on Jonas's self esteem.

Last up is Darren's extreme guilt. Not only did he break up with Ginger to date Simone, he also feels responsible for her bursting appendix, as if it's karma biting him in his newly-chiseled ass. Not only that, but we can also see that he still cares about Ginger, but wants Simone more at the moment.

Four mini stories on top of Ginger's break up and burst appendix, all under 24 minutes. While this episode is rushed for obvious reasons, it tells its story, elicits all the right emotions, and ends with a thought-provoking statement from the nurse: "But he did finish it; it just doesn't have an ending," in response to Ginger reading Darren's half-finished get well card. Such quality writing. That's why I am in utter shock that it stands side by side with horribly-written hogwash for episodes.

tl;dr: Actually, with this one, I'd rather you read the whole text. 


Now, it's your turn, fans. What do you think are the best episodes?