Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone
Arthur's teacher Mr. Ratburn marries a man named Patrick.
In the Arthur episode "Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone," the kids initially worry their teacher is marrying a strict woman, but he actually weds a kind man named Patrick. This was the show's first same-sex wedding, airing May 13, 2019, though two PBS stations in Arkansas and Alabama skipped the premiere.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Arthur
- Season
- 22
- Episode
- 1a
- Director
- Greg Bailey
- Production
- 2201A
- Writer
- Peter K. Hirsch
- Air date
- 13 May 2019
- Guests
- Jane Lynch as Patty
Facts from the source article.
Plot
When a phone call from someone named Patty interrupts his class, Mr. Ratburn announces he is getting married. Later, at the diner, Arthur, Francine, Buster, and Muffy wonder who would possibly want to marry their teacher. When Mr. Ratburn and Patty arrive, the kids overhear Patty say she plans to take over the wedding planning and intends to toughen Mr. Ratburn up. Worried that a stricter teacher will make their lives harder, the friends decide to make Mr. Ratburn seem extremely relaxed—the opposite of Patty’s personality—so she will call off the wedding. Arthur and Buster trick Mr. Ratburn into recording himself reading a children’s book, then edit the audio over a doctored photo of him dressed as a hippie. Francine gives the video to Patty, who just laughs, surprising the kids. Next, Arthur and Francine try to set Mr. Ratburn up with the town librarian, Ms. Turner. They visit a chocolate shop and meet its owner, Patrick, who is skeptical that chocolate can spark romance but agrees to help. Their plan to lure Mr. Ratburn to the library fails. When he asks them to return a book of love poems for him, they slip in a romantic note supposedly from Mr. Ratburn to Ms. Turner. She spots the typos and returns the note, unconvinced. Out of ideas, the kids decide to object at the wedding. At the last second, they back out, but in doing so they realize Patty is actually Mr. Ratburn’s older sister, not his fiancée. Just then, Mr. Ratburn walks down the aisle with his real partner: Patrick the chocolatier.
Production and broadcast
Peter K. Hirsch, the head writer for Arthur, penned the episode "Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone," which first aired on May 13, 2019, paired with another episode called "The Feud." In this installment, actress Jane Lynch lent her voice to Patty, Mr. Ratburn's sister. This episode was a milestone for the series, presenting its first gay wedding in the 23 years the show had been on the air by that point. However, it wasn't the first time the Arthur universe had included gay characters; a 2005 episode of the spin-off Postcards from Buster, titled "Sugartime!," had already featured a girl with two mothers. Maria Vera Whelan of PBS explained that the network thinks it's crucial to show the diverse range of adults that children encounter in their daily lives, especially those who watch PBS Kids regularly. The episode faced censorship in some areas. Alabama Public Television, a PBS member station, chose not to broadcast it, instead airing a repeat of a different Arthur episode. Mike McKenzie, the station's programming director, justified this by noting that some kids might view the episode without a parent present, and that younger children not in the intended age group might also see it. This wasn't the first time Alabama Public Television had rejected such content; they had also declined a 2005 Postcards from Buster episode featuring a same-sex couple. Similarly, the Arkansas Educational Television Network skipped the initial May 13 airing, though they later ran it multiple times in late May and June 2019 on their PBS Kids subchannels during evening, overnight, and early morning slots. In response, the First United Methodist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, organized a public screening of the episode, which drew over 100 RSVPs.
Reception
The episode "Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone" was widely praised by critics, though it also drew some negative reactions. Many reviewers highlighted how the show handled the revelation that Mr. Ratburn was marrying a man as completely ordinary. One critic noted it was groundbreaking because the character's sexuality was revealed without any fanfare, while another said the episode refreshingly avoided treating the wedding as different or non-traditional, instead showing it as worthy of celebration like any happy marriage. On the other hand, the conservative group One Million Moms started a petition against the episode, gathering over 13,000 signatures and demanding it be removed from TV schedules for promoting same-sex marriage. The segment was nominated for Outstanding Kids and Family Programming at the 31st GLAAD Media Awards in 2020, but lost to two other shows. Writers for The Atlantic called the episode a poignant moment in children's TV history, noting that LGBTQ characters were still rare in children's programming, especially on public-access television. They compared the reaction to this episode with the controversy surrounding a 2005 episode of Postcards from Buster, which PBS pulled from its schedule after pressure from the U.S. Department of Education, a funder of the show. One critic said PBS had fumbled LGBTQ representation back then, but described Mr. Ratburn's wedding as a quiet yet groundbreaking moment.
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