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"Big Gino" is an episode in the Hey Arnold! TV Series.
Synopsis[]
Sid does business with a loan shark.
Plot[]
During recess, an intimidating boy asks Arnold if he’s seen Sid around? When Arnold says he hasn’t, the boy says when he does, tell him that Big Gino is looking for him. Sid motions for Arnold from behind the nearby bushes and admits that he’s hiding from Gino and explains his situation.
Sid made a deal with Gino that he would buy chocolate from him on credit and pay him back later. Sid would then sell the chocolate at half price to Chocolate Boy and others. With all the money he made, Sid went on a toy buying spree and bought a wooden rocking pony. But when everything was looking great, Gino’s goons confronted Sid telling him he owed Gino $50 for all of the chocolate he bought on credit from Gino. Having spent all the money and with no way to repay the debt, Sid tried to hide and avoid Dino. But when he woke up the previous morning, he found his wooden rocking horse’s head cut off and placed in his bed.
Arnold tells Sid to go to Gino and settle the debt. Sid panics and refuses to go unless Arnold goes with him. They go to Gino’s hideout and meet Gino who is much shorter than his name implied. Speaking on Sid’s behalf, Arnold tells Gino that Sid knows he made a mistake and wonders if there is a way for Sid to work off the debt. Gino accepts the plan and agrees to have Sid work off his debt by doing odd jobs for two weeks.
Sid does jobs for Gino like shine his shoes, make him lunch, and ride him places. While sweeping at Gino’s hideout, Sid overhears Gino and his goons wondering how they can get Torvald to respond to their threats. Sid pipes in to say that Torvald likes keeping his Mom happy and she would be upset if he was doing something bad. Gino loves the idea of threatening Torvald with telling his Mom on him and tells Sid they should have a little talk.
The next day, Arnold sees Sid in a suit with a lollipop. Sid explains that he worked off his debt and Gino made him one of his crew. Arnold is skeptical of Sid still hanging out with Gino after everything Gino did to him, but Sid says it’s different this time. Gino pulls up and asks about what Sid was talking about with Arnold, but Sid brushes it off.
Gino then shows Sid how he does business like threatening 3rd graders to buy fake hall passes and throwing a kid into a dumpster. Sid soon spends more and more time with Gino than his actual friends.
Arnold overhears Sid threatening Chocolate Boy to pay up in another room and asks him what he was doing which Sid dismisses as business. Arnold reiterates his belief to Sid that Gino isn’t his friend and that he’s doing to other kids what Gino did to him. Sid dismisses Arnold’s worries with Arnold repeating that Gino isn’t his friend. Unbeknownst to Arnold, Gino was right around the corner and overheard everything he just said.
While playing pool in the hideout, Gino tells Sid he wants Sid to prove his loyalty to him by giving Arnold a swirly and taking a picture of it. Sid goes to Arnold’s house and asks him if he’d be willing to do it but Arnold adamantly refuses despite Sid’s begging. Sid begins to avoid Gino much to Gino’s irritation. Gino confronts Sid outside Sid’s house about if he gave Arnold a swirly or not. Sid tries to stall and make excuses but Gino tells him he wants the swirly to happen soon.
The next day at school, Sid again pleads with Arnold to let him give him a swirly with Arnold telling Sid he’s on his own. Gino and his goons then appear and grab Arnold and Sid and drag them to the boy’s bathroom for the swirly. After being asked by Gino who his friend is, Sid finally realizes that Arnold was his real friend and tells Gino that he’s not his friend and he won’t give Arnold a swirly. When asking Gino what he’s going to do about it, Gino has one of his goons give Sid a swirly and takes a picture of it. Gino tells Sid that he threw away the opportunity of a lifetime while leaving Sid the swirly picture. Arnold remarks that picture actually came out well and Sid decides to go home and wash his head because it was in the toilet.