Ep 9. Helga's Love Potion/Gerald's Secret

In Hey Arnold! season 3 episode 9 titled "Helga's Love Potion/Gerald's Secret," Helga Pataki is determined to make Arnold love her. She concocts a love potion and slips it into Arnold's drink during lunchtime at school. However, things don't go quite as planned when Helga accidentally drinks the potion herself. As a result, she becomes obsessed with Arnold and starts following him around, much to his annoyance.

Meanwhile, Gerald Johanssen has a secret of his own - he can't swim. His friends have no idea, and he's been able to keep it hidden for a long time. However, when the class takes a field trip to the pool, Gerald is forced to confront his fear and learn how to swim.

The episode is divided into two storylines, with Helga's love potion plot taking up most of the screen time. Helga's obsession with Arnold is played for laughs, but there are moments where her behavior comes across as creepy and stalkerish. Arnold is understandably freaked out by Helga's sudden change in demeanor, and tries to avoid her as much as possible. Helga's friend Phoebe tries to talk some sense into her, but Helga refuses to listen.

The love potion plotline is resolved fairly quickly when Helga accidentally splashes cold water on herself, which snaps her out of her love-fueled haze. All in all, the love potion storyline feels a bit rushed and underdeveloped, and it's hard to shake the feeling that the writers could have done more with it.

Gerald's swimming plotline is a bit more solid. We learn that Gerald has been avoiding the pool for years and has come up with various excuses to get out of swimming lessons. However, when his friends start teasing him about his fear, Gerald decides to face his fear head on and take swimming lessons.

The swimming lessons are a source of comedic relief, as Gerald flounders around in the pool and has trouble getting the hang of swimming. However, by the end of the episode, he's made significant progress and is able to swim a few strokes on his own. His friends are impressed and supportive, and Gerald is proud of himself for overcoming his fear.

Overall, "Helga's Love Potion/Gerald's Secret" is a decent episode of Hey Arnold! It's not the strongest episode of the series, but it has its moments of humor and heart. The love potion plotline feels rushed and underdeveloped, but the swimming storyline is more fleshed out and satisfying. Fans of the series will enjoy seeing Helga and Gerald take center stage in this episode, and the episode does a good job of showcasing the different personalities of the various characters.