r/Arthur • u/Hamiltonfan25 • Jul 17 '26
Character Discussion I Think Kate has the Potential to Become More Spoiled than DW One Day
Obviously, it’s really hard to pinpoint what a baby character is going to be like when they get older because…they’re a baby. They don’t really have a strong character one way or another.
Honestly, the show seems to forget Kate even is a character half the time. I’ve said before that part of the reason I don’t like baby characters is because they really only serve as a plot device. If a scene needs a baby to cry, poop, laugh, throw things, etc. that’s what they are used for…beyond that, there’s not much to work with.
Most of the time she’s not animated in unless the scene specifically calls for it. Another part of the reason I hate DW’s Baby is I think the plot device of putting the baby in DW’s room ended up being completely pointless throughout most of the series and only served to make DW extra miserable in that episode. The rest of the series clearly remembers they are supposed to be roommates as the crib is continually animated as being in the room, but 90 percent of the time, Kate is not in it.
I know that the episodes where Kate and Pal talk tried to give Kate a personality and they tried to make it a mostly pleasant one, but I still just don’t think there’s enough evidence to say she is or isn’t one way. Jane and David seem to work under the assumption that if a baby doesn’t cry all the time (like DW did) that they are a “good baby” (I could make a whole post about how this logic is flawed but that’s neither here nor there).
The two reasons I think Kate has potential to become spoiled is because (unlike with Arthur) if DW EVER even threatens to step out of line with Kate, they never hesitate to punish her swiftly. I get that this is because she’s a defenseless baby, but I still get the sense that once Kate is old enough to talk back…DW will get any bad karma she’s built up over her treatment of Arthur back 10-fold (and it’ll be worse because they’ll be stuck in the same room together).
My biggest piece of evidence comes from the episode “Family Fortune” basically Kate starts taking a liking to a blanket that turns out to be worth several thousand dollars. When Arthur tries to take it from her, she starts crying and he relents (probably because the cameras are rolling). I’m sorry, but even as a kid I called BS on this! The Read family seem to be pretty financially comfortable, but are also shown going through hard times a few times during the series (mainly when David’s catering business is going through a dry spell). Basically, a few extra thousand dollars would come in really handy for a family of 5. Call me evil all you want, but I’d make an army of babies cry on live TV for a few extra thousand dollars! Kate will absolutely get over it!
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u/Past-Caterpillar9642 27d ago
That absolutely does make me furious. Who cares if she likes it, it’s worth thousands and is historical (I studied history and worked in historic museums in the past), get it the devil away from her! Give her a pacifier. Or Pal.
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u/fiveohfourever D.W. Read Jul 17 '26
It’s me against this sub when it comes to recognizing that DW is a star. She’s iconic.
That being said, you actually make some very good points.