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"Dino Checks Out" is a special half-hour episode in the Hey Arnold! TV Series.
Plot[]
Dino Spumoni fakes his own death to increase his record sales, but when someone else makes it big off of Dino's songs, he realizes that his life isn't over yet.
Synopsis[]
The episode opens at the seashore as somber music plays. A shoe washes ashore, implying that there has been a death. Scene changes with Arnold walking home to see the boarders gathered around the TV to watch the news as Arnold’s grandpa explains the news is about Dino Spumoni being involved in an accident. Watching the news, it’s reported that Dino is presumed missing or deceased as he fell overboard from his yacht. Before anything can be further announced, Dino’s career is revisited on the news.
Dino’s career was at its peak in the 60’s. He once had a stint in prison for punching a photographer. Trying to maintain his popularity, Dino tried to chase the fads and compose music to whatever type of music was popular at the time. But that didn’t stop his career from tanking in the 70’s and 80’s. Dino’s latest marriage to a former beautician named Candy ended six months ago. When longtime friend and songwriting partner Don Reynolds is interviewed, he angrily says that he always hated him and he hopes Dino is dead. The reporter then breaks the news the Coast Guard called off the search and they’re declaring Dino dead. Arnold asks his Grandpa if they can go to Dino’s funeral and he agrees hoping he can get shrimp cocktail.
While Arnold was expecting a somber affair at Dino’s funeral, there were no kind words from Don Reynolds and Candy only had a few words for Dino before inviting everyone to Dino’s house for the reception. Arnold got summoned by Dino’s lawyer for the reading of Dino’s will. Surprisingly, Arnold got the rights to the royalties for all future sales of Dino’s records along with Dino’s suits and a box of personal items. Arnold doesn’t understand why Dino left him all of this stuff and Phil thinks that maybe Dino was just getting senile. While walking back from the beach where the search for Dino occurred, Rhonda tries to console Arnold about Dino’s death and fails miserably.
When Arnold gets back to the boarding house, Arnold hears someone talking to him from inside the trash can next to the front door and to his utter shock, it’s Dino Spumoni who is still alive. He tells Arnold he’ll explain things if Arnold gets him a room in the boarding house. Once in the new room, Dino says that he faked his death and that he secretly took swimming lessons in preparations for it. Dino explains that he’s trying to utilize the Van Gogh effect where an artist can gain a massive increase in sales of their work after they’ve died, but decided to fake his death so he could still rake in the cash. Dino gave Arnold the rights to record royalties so that he can cash out all the money his record sales would bring in and give it to him while cutting in Arnold 10%. When Arnold asks about the life he gave up, Dino complains that his life barely amounts to anything because his career is in the toilet, he has five ex-wives, and a house he can barely pay for. Arnold still doubts Dino’s plan despite Dino’s assurances.
The boarders start complaining that food is disappearing and they’re hearing weird noises which is all because of Dino. Even though Dino promised to be quieter, he starts singing in the boarding house shower which everyone overhears. Dino comes out and Dino and Arnold think the secret is out that Dino is actually alive. But it turns out the boarders are so gullible that they think the Dino they’re seeing is actually Dino’s ghost. Dino goes along with it saying he’s a ghost and he’ll be living in the boarding house now and to leave him alone.
In Dino’s room, Dino thinks that being a ghost is the perfect cover and now he can do whatever he wants while Arnold still thinks this is ridiculous. The boarders try to offer a fish to Dino so that he can depart to the afterlife, but Dino scares them off with a simple boo. On the roof, Dino happily reminisces about his career beginnings while playing a new song he is working on. When Dino says he can’t wait to play it at the palace, Arnold bursts his bubble by pointing out that Dino is considered dead. Dino gets frustrated but rationalizes that if nobody wanted to listen to his music when he was alive, they wouldn’t if he was dead. At night, Arnold talks to his Grandpa that Dino is still alive which Phil already figured out. Phil tells Arnold Dino is a big baby and to give Dino time and he’ll come around and announce he’s not dead.
At school Rhonda shows off the poster of a brand new Dino Spumoni impersonator which Arnold brings back to Dino and he dismisses as a bunch of crap and that the impersonator was actually a two-bit wedding singer. While Dino thinks people will see through the impersonator soon, Mr. Hyunh bought tickets for all the boarders to see the impersonator in concert. The news reports that the impersonator is named Ray Doppel and is skyrocketing in popularity doing cover songs of Dino’s songs and selling out concerts much to the real Dino’s annoyance. However, Doppel is also taking over Dino’s old life by living in Dino’s old mansion, dating his most recent ex-wife Candy, and is playing with Dino’s dog which infuriates Dino and he turns off the TV. Arnold tries to talk Dino into doing something about it while Dino says he’s a ghost and has a good thing going which Arnold points out is a small room in a boarding house and a hot plate and one person that knows he’s alive. Arnold observes that now that someone is living his old life, it sounds like Dino is jealous which Dino denies. Before leaving for the impersonator’s concert, Arnold asks Dino if his old life was really so bad that he’d be willing to give it all up? Dino contemplates what Arnold said while looking outside at a billboard of the impersonator before looking at a photo of himself in his prime. Dino then prepares his suit to make his comeback and goes to the impersonator’s show.
At the impersonator’s show, Arnold and the boarders are all taking their seats. Dino gets to the palace and tries to walk in while the security guard stops him. Dino tries to explain who he really is while the guard thinks he’s just another half-baked Dino impersonator like the others that tried to get past him. The impersonator, Ray Doppel, works the crowd while Don Reynolds tearfully reminisces about Dino at his table. The impersonator begins to sing “You Better Not Touch My Gal” while the real Dino crawls in from the air vent outside. While crawling through the air vent, Dino falls into the showroom. Dino walks on stage and punches the impersonator to the shock of the crowd and says he stole his act. Ray Doppel says that he’s the new Dino and the real Dino pushes him to the ground and says in your dreams.
Talking to the crowd, Dino confirms it’s really him and he’s not dead. Dino confesses that he faked his death as part of a cockamamie plan of his until Arnold made him realize his life was still worth living, if the people would be willing to have him again. The crowd doesn’t respond so Dino thinks he got his answer until Arnold starts applauding followed by Don and then the rest of the audience. Reinvigorated, Dino gives the audience a performance of the new song he was working on. Outside, the poster for the impersonator blows off the pole to show a poster for the real Dino Spumoni.
Trivia[]
- Mr. Hyunh's plan to make Dino's "ghost" go away by feeding him fish is likely an allusion to hungry ghosts, a Buddhist and folk religion concept that many people in Asian countries believe in. In Mr. Hyunh's native Vietnam, as in other parts of Asia, there's even a festival where offerings are made to the hungry ghosts, including fish.