The ninth episode of the third season of Hey Arnold!.
Grandpa's Birthday
Grandpa Phil thinks he's going to die on his 81st birthday like all of the other men in his family.
Road Trip
Miriam tries to bond with Helga while on a road trip.
"Grandpa's Birthday" provides examples of:
- An Aesop: After learning he has at least 10 more years to live, Phil comes to the conclusion that rather than dwell on how little time he has, life is better spent savoring it and making good memories with the people you love.
- Birthday Episode: This episode's events take place on Phil's 81st birthday.
- Cool Old Guy: It's said in this episode that Phil can bench press 210 pounds, even at his old age. According to Dr. Steiglitz, Phil is in such great shape for a man his age that he could, theoretically, live to the age of 150.
- Deadly Euphemism: Phil uses the phrase "Buying the farm" to Arnold, which Arnold takes literally at first.
- Died on Their Birthday: Phil believes in a family curse wherein the male relatives of his family die as soon as they turn 81. On the eve of his 81st birthday, Phil awakens alive and well, and after doing some math based on Phil's family history, Arnold points out that his relatives died at age 91, meaning Phil has another decade left to live.
- Disney Death: On the eve of his 81st birthday, Phil believes that he's going to die, and everyone in the boarding house gathers around for his funeral. When Phil awakens alive and well, he wonders how it could be possible. Arnold does some math and finds out that Phil's ancestors actually died at the age of 91, meaning Phil has another decade left to live.
- Drives Like Crazy: Discussed; Phil gives Arnold the keys to his car, despite the fact that Arnold isn't old enough to drive yet. When Arnold brings this up, he asks Phil why he can't just give the keys to Gertie, to which Phil asks Arnold if he would trust his grandmother behind the wheel of a car. Just then, Gertie comes in, singing a western song while wearing an inner tube, proving her senile nature.
- Gilligan Cut: To ensure that he's not going to die on his 81st birthday, Arnold tells Phil that they're going to the doctor for a check-up. Phil tells Arnold that he hasn't been to the doctor in 25 years and he's not going today. Cut to Phil at Dr. Steiglitz's office, with Steiglitz examining him.
- Good-Times Montage: Invoked. Arnold decides to take his grandpa out on the town to help him forget about how he'll allegedly die on his 81st birthday. The two share activities like skating and going out for hotdogs. It seems to work. ...until Phil reveals that dying is still on his mind.
- Grumpy Old Man: This episode begins with Phil in a bad mood despite Ernie folding his newspaper for him, Gertie making a breakfast of pancakes, and Oskar offering to eat them when he doesn't want them. The reason for his grumpiness is because he feels he's going to die on his 81st birthday.
- Hypocritical Humor: Phil keeps insisting that he's in very poor health to Arnold as he does such things as batter a punching bag, run on a treadmill, and pull himself up on a bar.
- Ignored Epiphany: Phil feared going to the doctor's because he figured it would only confirrm his worst fears of dying. ...only for the doctor to say he's so healthy he could theoretically live to be 150 years old. And yet, Phil shrugs it off, still believing he's going to die by his 81st birthday.
- It Always Rains at Funerals: It rains on the night of Phil's funeral. The storm clears when Phil finds out that he still has another decade left to live.
- It's All About Me: Oskar is the only resident of the boarding house who isn't broken up about Phil dying (besides Arnold, who doesn't believe Phil is going to die), because once Phil kicks the bucket, he will win the pool from his will. He's not happy to lose it when he finds out that Phil has another decade left to live.
- Last Day to Live: When Phil believes he will die the moment he turns 81, he and Arnold spend a grand day out together. He turns out to still have another decade left to live after Arnold does the math and points out that Phil's ancestors actually died when they were 91.
- Milestone Birthday Angst: Grandpa Phil dreads his upcoming 81st birthday because he believes in a family curse where various male relatives from his side all died at the age of 81. Arnold tries convincing him that he'll be just fine, but Phil refuses to believe him. On the eve of Phil's birthday, Phil's still alive and he questions how this could happen. After Arnold does some mental math, he points out to his grandfather that he made some miscalculations and that the relatives he claimed fell victim to the family curse all died at the age of 91, not 81. Hearing this, Phil's excited that he's going to be okay for another decade and he, his family and the rest of the boarders (minus Oskar) celebrate.
- Ominous Pipe Organ: Gertie plays gloomy organ music on the night of Phil's funeral, much to Phil's dismay.Phil: Well, the end draws near, Shortman.
Arnold: Grandpa!
Phil: Now, now, Arnold, we've all got to face the music sometime. Unfortunately, I have to face this music. - Shout-Out: During Arnold and Phil's day out together, they see a movie about a man hanging from a clock tower.
- This Isn't Heaven: When Phil wakes up after believing he's dead, he remarks about how he must be in heaven... until he sees Oskar, declaring "Oh no! Oskar's here! This must be the other place!" Arnold assures him that he's at the boarding house and he's still alive.
- Waxing Lyrical: At one point, Phil says "I"m knock, knock, knockin' on Heaven's door!", a reference to the Guns N' Roses song of the same name.
"Road Trip" provides examples of:
- All Girls Like Ponies: Miriam reveals to Helga that when she was a kid, she wanted to learn to ride horses, but her dad refused to let her, fearing she'd get hurt. Her response to this, surprisingly enough, was to become a champion mechanical bull-rider.
- Car Ride Games: Miriam tries to bond with Helga by playing a spot-the-car game, where each of them picks a color and they see how many cars of the same colors pass by, as Helga used to love that game when she was a little girl. Helga reminds Miriam that she's not a little girl anymore, she's nine years old now, but Miriam tells Helga she'll always be her little girl.
- Freudian Excuse: One of the reasons why Helga acts so mean is because Miriam isn't exactly a great mother to her. Helga even mentions to Phoebe that she'd like to have a mom that did great things, or even one that just did the things she said she was going to do, but instead she has a flawed mom who always messes things up and makes mistakes.
- Hidden Depths: This episode reveals that Miriam won a bull-riding competition as a girl, and she uses that skill to win a mechanical bull-riding contest so she can earn the money to repair her car.
- Hollywood Tone-Deaf: Helga is clearly annoyed by Miriam's terrible, off-key karaoke.
- Parental Neglect: Helga makes Miriam an unprofessional-looking card for Mother's Day. When Phoebe criticizes it, Helga points out to her that Miriam isn't exactly World's Greatest Mom material, as she has forgotten to pack food in her lunches, sleeps behind the sofa instead of making dinner, and keeps forgetting to pick her up from soccer practice.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Helga delivers one to Miriam for getting them stranded.Helga: Well, you've done a great job so far, Miriam. You lost the map, you ran us off the road, you left your purse on top of the car again and we're stuck in the middle of nowhere. I'm nine years old, mom. You're the parent. You're supposed to take care of me, but you couldn't even do that. Face it, Miriam. You're a lousy mom.
- Rebuilt Pedestal: At least in this episode, Helga has a chance to see a whole new facet to her usually incompetent mother. In most circumstances (which includes most of the episode), Miriam is (well) Miriam, and one wouldn't blame Helga for having so little respect for what her mom is. But after Miriam uses her bull-riding skills to win them money to repair their car, Helga's rather impressed of what her mom is capable of when she puts her mind to it.
- Road Trip Plot: This episode's plot involves Miriam taking Helga on a road trip to visit her grandmother in South Dakota.
- Shout-Out: The mechanic who's set to fix Miriam's car is based on and sounds like Karl Childers.
- Would Rather Suffer: Helga tells Arnold that she'd rather have a root canal than go on a road trip with Miriam.
