"24 Hours to Live" is the second segment of the eighteenth episode of Hey Arnold! It is a remake of the show's pilot episode, titled simply "Arnold", which itself was adapted from the comic "Arnold Narrowly Avoids a Thrashing". The original pilot version appeared right before Harriet the Spy in theaters and was eventually released as a bonus feature on Paramount's Hey Arnold!: The Ultimate Collection DVD set.
Synopsis[]
Arnold Goes Crazy Hey Arnold! NickRewind
Arnold and his friends, are playing a game of baseball, and Arnold is up to bat. He misses the ball twice, but his third swing sends the ball flying... and beans the catcher, Harold, in the head. Harold threatens to beat Arnold up for this, but Helga says to give him 24 hours to live, to "let him dangle a while".
Later in the day, Arnold and Gerald are discussing over his supposed death. Gerald says he also made a list of "things I'm keeping my eye on" after he "dies". He also reassures that he probably isn't really going to die, but Arnold explained that "it sounded like he meant it". He also reassures that everyone probably forgot by now. Just then, a bus passes by, and one of the passengers, Helga, reminds him that he has "23 hours until you die". However, when she's out of Arnold's sight, Helga soliloquizes over the everlasting crush she has on him.
When Arnold enters the house again, Helga calls him on the phone, and notes that he has "22 hours, 46 minutes till you die". Just then, Grandpa enters the room and gives him advice that doesn't really help the situation. He asks Grandma, and she tells "Kimba" (Arnold) to "always stay down end of your price, carry plenty of ammo and eat everything you kill". The phone rings again, this time she writes down Helga's announcement, "22 hours and 3 minutes till you... die".
Once Arnold enters his room and turns on the stereo and lights and drops down his pullout couch, the phone rings again but doesn't answer, so instead, Helga calls out the message instead: "16 hours, 21 minutes and 12 seconds until you die! 16 hours, 20 minutes and 59 seconds until you die!"
When sleeping, he has a dream about Harold, Helga and Stinky as giants chasing after Arnold, so he grabs a "bat" in defense, leading the trio to believe he's crazy and run away. Once he wakes up from the dream, he knows precisely what to do, not before his alarm clock intones, "It's 7 o'clock on K-I-L-L. This one goes out to Arnold who's going to die in 2 hours, 6 minutes and 47 seconds from Helga who hates you." He grabs his boombox, meets up with Gerald outside of the Sunset Arms, and walks to the area where he had beaned Harold. Helga still is calling out the time in which he has ("New morning line, Arnold goes down in 6 seconds! Any takers?"). When he shows up, Arnold reminds Harold "I'm crazy and you should never hit a crazy person." So, to prove that he is, he turns on his boombox and sings the song, "I'm Crazy". Afterwards, Arnold successfully dodges the beating and Harold asks him if he wants to join their club. The episode leaves off with Gerald winking at Helga, and Helga then remarking, "Boys are so stupid."
Home video releases[]
- DVD
- Hey Arnold!: Season 1 (both versions)
- iTunes
- Hey Arnold!: Volume 2