The sixth episode of the third season of Hey Arnold!.
Arnold Betrays Iggy
When Arnold is tasked with delivering a homework assignment to a sick Iggy, he discovers that Iggy wears bunny pajamas. Iggy makes Arnold promise not to tell anyone, but the next day, Sid and Stinky make an eerily accurate guess on the secret. Iggy finds out and refuses to forgive Arnold.
Helga and the Nanny
Bob hires a nanny named Inga to help Miriam around the Pataki household and care for Helga while Miriam serves community service. Helga is not happy to have Inga around, especially when she tries to make her act more proper, so she tries to get Inga fired by framing her for stealing Bob's lucky belt.
Tropes found in "Arnold Betrays Iggy":
- An Aesop: Sometimes people will just never forgive you, no matter how sorry you are, and it's better to accept their terms than forcing forgiveness.
- Beyond Redemption: After everything Arnold did to earn Iggy's forgiveness, he's eventually reached the point where there is nothing Iggy could do to properly make up for the humiliation he put Arnold through.
- Butt-Monkey: Iggy when his secret is revealed by Sid and Stinky. Arnold when he publicly humiliates himself in order to earn Iggy's forgiveness.
- Death Glare: After Iggy pathetically tries to ask for Arnold's forgiveness for the humiliation he put him through, Arnold silently responds with a glare that makes it clear he is done with Iggy.
- The Dog Bites Back: After being constantly humiliated by Iggy, Arnold calls off his friendship with him for good.
- Downer Ending: And how! Let's count the ways: 1, Arnold is completely humiliated in front of the entire town. 2, Iggy learns one second too late that he wrongly blamed Arnold, leaving him unable to stop said humiliation in time. 3, Iggy feels guilty about what he's done at the end, but by this point Arnold is so fed up with Iggy that he now wants nothing to do with him and refuses to accept any apology. And 4, Stinky and Sid completely get away with telling Iggy's secret and letting Arnold take the blame.
- Everyone Has Standards:
- Stinky and Sid told everyone about Iggy wearing bunny pajamas, getting Arnold into trouble with Iggy. However (even though it's subverted as they laugh at him with the others), they felt bad when Arnold had to walk down wearing bunny pajamas while everyone laughed at him.
- There was only so much Arnold was willing to do for Iggy's forgiveness before eventually realizing Iggy's friendship isn't worth it.
- Exact Words: Iggy still accepts Arnold's gifts and lets him run himself ragged trying to accept his forgiveness...but still refuses to accept his apology afterwards, defiantly claiming he never specifically said he would. This is the final straw for Arnold, and he angrily demands to know just what exactly Iggy wants to call off the grudge.
- Hard Truth Aesop: Forgiveness shouldn't come at a steep price. If you have to get hurt (physically or emotionally) just to get back into a friend's 'good graces', then that "friend" isn't worth keeping.
- Honor Before Reason: Rather than accepting that Iggy will never forgive him, Arnold endures humiliation just to earn his forgiveness. Now, Arnold is the one that will never forgive Iggy.
- Humiliation Conga: Arnold humiliates himself at the end in order to earn Iggy's forgiveness by wearing the bunny pajamas while walking out of his apartment in front of everyone.
- Jerkass: Iggy for mistreating and humiliating Arnold even when the latter tries to earn his forgiveness by doing his chores for a week. Sid and Stinky for revealing Iggy's secret to the other kids despite promising Arnold that they wouldn't tell.
- Jerkass Has a Point: While Sid and Stinky figured out Iggy's secret by themselves, they figured it out from Arnold's behaviour and doing such a transparent job covering it up. Arnold indeed accepts Iggy has a right to be upset with him for being a bad Secret-Keeper, especially when it makes Iggy the target of constant bullying at school. It is only Iggy starts actively exploiting and humiliating Arnold over his grudge that the latter finally loses patience with Iggy.
- Karma Houdini: Iggy gets off more-or-less scot-free with his Disproportionate Retribution, and Stinky and Sid don't get any punishment for their actions in this episode.
- Kick the Dog: Arnold is the subject of this, due to him suffering a lot just to get Iggy to forgive him.
- Kids Are Cruel: In Iggy's defense, the revelation does leave his reputation in tatters and the other kids relentlessly bullying him.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Iggy gets his comeuppance for mistreating and humiliating Arnold when the latter refuses to accept his apology and ends his friendship with him.
- Misplaced Retribution: Iggy spends the entire episode blaming Arnold for what happened, up until the very end when he overhears Sid and Stinky talking about how they're the ones who really blabbed.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Upon overhearing Sid and Stinky discuss about them being the ones who blabbed, Iggy is struck with guilt over wrongly blaming Arnold and unsuccessfully attempts to tell him not to go through with walking out in public wearing the pajamas. The episode ends with him attempting to seek his forgiveness, only to be rejected.
- Never Trust a Title: "Arnold Betrays Iggy"? More like "Sid and Stinky Betray Iggy, But Iggy Becomes a Massive Jerk Towards Arnold"!
- Oh, Crap!: Two that involves Sid and Stinky:
- When they wonder if Iggy was wearing bunny pajamas as one of the guesses in response to Arnold stating he saw him wear something funny, Arnold freezes in shock, cluing them that they guessed correctly.
- As they lament getting Arnold in the humiliating situation he's in by telling everyone about the secret, Iggy overhears and realizes he went too far with punishing an innocent Arnold, but it's too little, too late as Arnold walks out wearing Iggy's bunny pajamas, getting publicly humiliated in the process.
- Rejected Apology: Pretty much the basis of the episode. Iggy refused to forgive Arnold for months, even after Arnold did his chores for a week. The only thing Arnold could do to actually earn Iggy's forgiveness was to humiliate himself in public by walking around in bunny pajamas. It wasn't until Iggy overhears Sid and Stinky when he realizes that not only did he get the wrong guy, but he also went too far. In the end, he begs Arnold for forgiveness, but Arnold gives him a Death Glare and leaves him, giving Iggy his just deserts.
- Trauma Conga Line: Arnold suffers this at the end when he goes outside wearing Iggy's bunny pajamas in order to earn the latter's forgiveness.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Despite Arnold giving Iggy presents and doing his chores for them, Iggy still doesn't forgive him and forces him to be humiliated with the bunny pajamas. Understandably, that last one leads Arnold to decide he's had it with him.
- Vengeance Feels Empty: It's one thing to humiliate Arnold to retaliate him for "divulging" about the bunny pajamas. But all that satisfaction goes out the window once it's discovered the anger towards Arnold is completely misplaced. And just seconds before Arnold goes through with the walk of shame. At the end of the day, all revenge earned was Arnold's silent resentment, and unresolved regret for hurting him.
Tropes found in "Helga and the Nanny":
- The Ace: Despite her flaws, Inga proves to be remarkably adaptable when Helga tries to throw a few metaphorical curve balls her way. Helga spilt glue on the couch? No problem, Inga can clean it up. Helga burnt dinner? Fear not, Inga had pre-made dinners in reserve. Helga put Miriam's irreplaceable table cloth in Heavy Wash? Why it's nothing Inga can't fix with needle and thread. Not once does she ever lose her cool or composure, despite Helga being Inga's "little rain cloud". Up until Helga frames her of stealing, Inga's on top of things.
- Control Freak: Inga's rather strict efforts to help Helga can be viewed as this, even when they come from a place of good intentions. She changes up Helga' breakfast diet, makes her wear frilly dresses and flower-adorned braids, puts up a strict homework curfew, and insists on Helga showing her father respect.
- Disproportionate Retribution: So Helga didn't appreciate Inga changing up her lifestyle or making her wear dresses or setting up some strict rules. Fair enough, any kid in her position probably wouldn't like it either. However, the way Helga ultimately gets Inga out of her life is to frame her for stealing her dad's belt, essentially getting her blackballed from ever getting employment in America.
- Downer Ending: Helga successfully gets Inga fired, and her family becomes dysfunctional once again, with Inga's words leaving Helga guilt-ridden.
- Dreaming of Things to Come: Downplayed. After Inga is fired, Helga dreams of walking through the park and meeting her former nanny, homeless and starving. Inga bemoans that nobody will hire her because her chances of being hired have been tarnished by her reputation as a "thief". The poor woman has sunken so low that she has to resort to stealing food from pigeons. When Helga wakes up, she convinces herself to look for Inga to convince herself none of it will happen. The very next day at the park, Helga is startled to see her dream coming true in the near-exact configuration. On the surface, the more exaggerated parts of the dream like Inga starving and eating pigeon food aren't there. Sadly enough, though, elements like Inga telling Helga she's been blackballed from working in America are very much real, if to a more grounded extent. Even if the damage isn't apparent like in Helga's dream, it's there all the same.
- Drunk Driver: The episode's plot starts because Miriam is doing community service for an unspecified reason, heavily implied to be a DUI.
- Easily Forgiven: Played with in the beginning of the episode, where Helga kept orchestrating events to try and make Inga look bad. While Inga clearly has the idea that Helga's doing it, she doesn't punish her for them. For that matter, Helga's legitimately surprised Inga doesn't. Helga's first "accident" has her spill glue on the cushion of Bob's favorite recliner. Inga's in fact relieved when she learns what happened, admitting when she heard Helga cry out that she was worried Helga was hurt or something. Towards the end, it's averted, as Inga can't abide that Helga (despite her remorse) did actual damage by framing her of stealing.
- Everyone Has Standards: Even Phoebe, who normally doesn't object to most of Helga's erratic behavior, is disgusted and leaves with the kids after Helga tells them that she got Inga fired by framing her. Their reaction is what plants guilt in Helga and makes question if she really was justified in getting Inga fired.
- Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: Inga does a more gentle, sympathetic version of this trope at the end. When Inga acknowledges she knows Helga framed her, Helga justifies that she didn't appreciate how she was going about drastically changing up her lifestyle. Inga soberly argues that even so, it doesn't excuse what Helga did.
- Guilt-Induced Nightmare: During their first dinner without Inga, when Bob says he misses Inga, Helga tries to shrug off that perhaps Inga will soon find employment elsewhere, and life will go on. That night, Helga is tossing and turning to a fitful dream where she's wandering through the park and encounters Inga. Only, the once elegant and kindly Inga has been reduced to a cold and starving vagabond. Inga soberly remarks that unfortunately, nobody wanted to hire a "thief", so she's forever blackballed from her profession. The dream ends with a desperate Inga being forced to snatch food from pigeons just to stay fed. Helga wakes up so shaken by the dream, she resolves to find Inga, if only to make sure her nightmare doesn't come true.
- Karma Houdini: Deconstructed. Helga never receives any punishment for her actions, and she even notes that she's essentially gotten away with it. But at the end of the day, she is an angry and sad kid who chases away those who care about her, and if she keeps it up, she'll never be happy. Inga puts it best that even if she doesn't pay for her actions, Helga must still live with the guilt.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Helga can be thinking this at the end.
- Nutritional Nightmare: One of Inga's first actions as a nanny is to tell Helga that her intended meal of donuts and soda is far too much sugar for breakfast. Fair enough, but her alternative was homemade bread and jam, which aren't a whole lot better in terms of sugar content, especially on top of the junk food Helga already ate.
- Parental Substitute: Inga at least tries to act like a proper caregiver to Helga, and though she does come across as overbearing at certain points she proves she legitimately wants Helga to be okay. Helga herself is momentarily shocked when Inga doesn't yell at her or get mad when Helga spills glue on Bob's chair, assuring her simple accidents aren't something to get mad at a child about (though Helga did spill it on purpose, Inga didn't know at first).
- Pet the Dog: After she makes Helga return home abruptly from a ball game to do her homework, Inga offers that if Helga's so upset to be pulled away from her friends, she can make it up to her by bringing them cake tomorrow to share. Sure enough, Inga follows through and brings the cake herself. Although Helga doesn't exactly appreciate it, the gesture is a rather generous one that indicates Inga's kind-heartedness despite her controlling tendencies.
- Pyrrhic Victory: Helga wanted Inga out of her life so her life could return to the way it was, no strict rules or changed lifestyle. After many attempts, she successfully gets Inga wrongfully fired for "stealing", winning back her old life and even getting away with the frame-up. But at the end of the day, Helga has to wonder if her 'prize' is really a good thing. Her dad is yelling how nothing in the house works, the only person who cared for her is out of her life, and she has to live with the guilt that she black-balled Inga from working in America. Helga won, but tragically enough, it came at a great cost.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Inga gives a rather sad one to Helga regarding what the 'consequences' are for framing her of theft, even if she does get away with it:Inga: You are such an angry girl, Helga. And you won't let anyone help you. So now you must live with your unhappiness.
- Rejected Apology: Interesting variation in that Inga doesn't reject Helga's apology out of anger or spite, but out of disappointment.
- Secret Secret-Keeper: Played for drama. Towards the end, Inga soberly reveals to a guilt-ridden Helga that she knew all along who really took Big Bob's belt and planted it in her room. The only reason she didn't come forward with the truth then is because it would've made matters worse to directly accuse her employer's daughter of such an act. If anything, she earlier gave Helga a low-key chance to come clean, and she instead doubled down on making Inga look like a thief.
- Status Quo Is God: Played for Drama. Now that Inga's out of Helga's life, things are indeed back to "normal" in the Pataki household. And by "normal", we mean dysfunctional and falling apart. So yes, Helga's home is back to the way it was before.
- Stealth Insult: Downplayed. In the end, Helga receives a letter from Inga about how she's returned to the Alps. In the letter, she asks something along the lines of "I trust everything in your house is the same as before?" While not as backhanded or sarcastic as it could've been, there's something ironic about how such a sincere question seems to pointedly ask Helga "Was this what you wanted?"
- Symbolism: Helga is introduced to the concept of cross-stitching by Inga as a form of relaxation. Helga rejects it and is outright reluctant to try it. Later, after Inga's been unjustly fired, Helga finds her at the park and cross-stitching. Following their sobering conversation concerning Helga's inability to let others help her, she leaves behind her cross-stitching. It's a cross-stitch of a house with a heart in it, as though signifying Inga's sincere goal to give Helga a happier home life, and Helga's missed chance for what might've been. Towards the end, Helga is seen cross-stitching (implied to be the same one Inga left behind), as though symbolizing the only optimistic part of the ending: that perhaps Inga did partly influence Helga for the better, and Helga in turn strives for that happier home life.
- Tempting Fate: A sobering variety. When Bob brings up Inga during their first dinner without her, Helga tries to play up that she'll hopefully find work somewhere else. The next scene is Helga having an uneasy dream about Inga remaining unemployed because of her tarnished reputation. Later, in the waking world, Helga indeed learns that Inga is returning to her country since she can't get employment in America.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Or rather "What The Heck Helga?"; the kids feel disgusted when Helga admits she framed Inga for theft.
