Written by Steve Viksten and Rachel Lipman
Supervising Director: Jamie Mitchell
Storyboard Direction by Tuck Tucker and Stark Howell
Animation Direction by George S. Chialtas (credited as "Chiatas" in the broadcast) and Larry Leichliter
(only Jamie Mitchell received a "Directed By" credit)
Storyboard Artists: Derek Drymon, Rob Porter
Cast:
Arnold - Toran Caudell
Gerald, Peapod Kid - Jamil W. Smith
Helga - Francesca Marie Smith
Ruth - Lacey Chabert
Cecile (the real one) - Kath E. Soucie
Miss Slovak - Tress MacNeille
French tape voice, man in salon - Lloyd Sherr
Cecile's father, Jacques (Chez Paris waiter) - Maurice LaMarche
Stewardess - Danica Ivancevic
Chez Pierre busboy - Michael Bacall
uncredited: Carla
* French lesson - "On The Chez Paris Menu" (er, uh, this might not be absolutely accurate):
o Escargot Chez Paris - Chez Paris snails
o Cervelles Braisees avec les Ouefs Brouilles - braised brains with scrambled eggs
o Turkis En Creme - (something) in cream
o Couque du Vin - I think they mean "Coq au Vin", which is chicken in wine sauce
o Steak Tartare - raw hamburger meat
o Duck L'Orange - I think they mean "Duck a l'Orange", or duck in orange sauce
o Oxen En Brouchette - ox (?) cooked on a skewer
o Bouilliboise - I think they mean "bouillabaisse", which is a fish/shellfish stew of some sort
* "Haven't I heard Ruth somewhere before?" You have if you watch FOX's Party of Five (Lacey Chabert is Claudia) or Nickelodeon's The Wild Thornberrys (she's the voice of Eliza)
* When Ruth smiles in the first scene, she doesn't have braces on her teeth, unlike in other appearances (for example, when she skates by in "Snow")
* When Peapod Kid is talking, the two other kids in the scene aren't regular characters, but after that, neither Peapod Kid nor the other two kids are in the class any more
* P.S. 118's ZIP code (on Helga's letter) is 96374-0171, which is listed as an Army Post Office code (and a number beginning with "96" usually means it's somewhere in the Pacific or Asia)
* There's no such place as "Baghdakistan"
* Arnold's steak tartare was hot - which is not a good sign for the restaurant when you consider that steak tartare is raw hamburger meat!
* Cinderella in reverse: If Helga ever does want to tell Arnold what really happened, all she has to do is show him the shoe she kept, since Arnold has the other one
* There's no credit for Carla (the girl Gerald talked to who gave him the brush-off), nor for the girl who called for Ruth at the beginning
* "I don't remember the waiter's name being mentioned" - that's because it's not, until "Dinner For Four"
* Jamie Mitchell got the directing credit, yet he's not credited as either a storyboard director or an animation director
* Somebody Call The Animators: look carefully at Helga's head in the dinner scene just before Ruth arrives, and you'll notice that her face moves around but her hair stands perfectly still, as if she's wearing a wig
* Quick Change Artist: when Helga is in the restaurant, there is a man sitting behind her dressed in white. However, when they show Helga close-up, the same man is suddenly wearing black.
* Bad Hair Day: "Peapod Kid" has brown hair, but usually it's black
* Bad Hair Day Is One Thing, But This: in the classroom, while Gerald is working on his valentine, if you look behind him, you see Nadine - with white skin
