Some of the most touching episodes

I thought the most touching episode was Doug's Christmas Story where Doug almost loses Porkchop because of a misunderstanding.):

Doug Rocks the House.

The undercurrent of that episode is pitch black. There's nothing Doug can do about the fact that Patti's mom is dead. Death is final. They just have to live with it.

For me, though, one of the most heartwarming moments was Doug's conversation with Mrs. Wingo towards the end in Doug's Doodle. The resounding message was, "you'll survive your childhood." Doug had been so worried about what was going to happen, panicking, and beating himself up over his mistake. In showing Doug all the drawings of her that other students had done in her class over the years that she had confiscated, including two done by adults he knew or knew of (Mr. Dink and Chalky's dad), she is illustrating to Doug that all kids screw up in every generation. Doug wasn't the first kid to screw up in this way and he won't be the last. Doug had been thinking as though he was the first kid to ever have this happen to him, and he found out this was not the case. And just as they survived, he will too.

The message is for kids not to beat themselves up and worry so much over screwing up.

And it illustrates that many adults have seen and understand much more than you think. Mrs. Wingo, being a veteran teacher, has seen it all before. There isn't anything Doug could do that would shock her or be the first time she's ever seen it.

It also illustrates the dichotomy between Doug and his hero, Smash Adams. Doug wants so badly to be like Smash Adams, but in this episode he demonstrates that he lacks so many of the Smash Adams qualities he wishes he had. He's not cool under pressure, he's not physically gifted/a great martial arts fighter, he's not suave with women.

But in the end, he finds that while he lacks the aforementioned qualities, he does share one attribute with his idol - that being integrity. Just as Smash Adams wouldn't let someone else go down for something he was responsible for, neither would Doug. And Doug is able to again feel he is worthy of seeing himself as the character and continue drawing parallels at the end as he fantasizes about making a dramatic escape from the classroom while he's polishing the desks.

you know, its ironic how you mention "touching" episodes...

because so many things about this show REALLY hit home to me and touched my life in my childhood in more ways than I can count...

for example... I watched this show when it first premiered in the summer of 1991... I literally saw the premiere episode when it first aired and there was just something about it that resonated with me... in the summer of 1991 when this show first premiered, I had just turned 11 years old and I was about to start 6th grade... Doug HIMSELF was an 11 year old just starting 6th grade too... just like Doug, I had a close bond with my childhood dog... Teela was MY Porkchop and I miss her EVERY DAY...

also, just like Doug, I was a dreamer... I lived in my head alot, i had my fantasies of how I envisioned everything... and thats probably why im NOW a writer...

and like Doug, i was NOT the most popular of kids... I wasn't part of the in crowd, I didn't have too many friends... but I had 1 kid as a best friend and he was kinda my Skeeter... he wasn't very popular either but we had each other... and he ended up moving away the following summer... so unlike Doug, MY best friend actually DID move away... his dad was in the navy... and it seemed like EVERY time I formed a close friendship with someone, theyd soon move away... and that was ALWAYS hard for me... I had a buncha fairweather friends whod hang out with me and be nice sometimes, but when they weren't in the mood, theyd quickly dismiss our friendship... but it seemed like all the TRUE friends I had as a little boy always ended up moving away just as we were getting close...

and Doug had Roger Klotz as his bully... I had ALOTTA different Roger Klotz's in my life who bullied me and would sometimes act like a friend when it was convenient for them, but mostly they were jerks...

Doug had HIS crush on Patty Mayonnaise... MY Patty Mayonnaise was this girl Roxanne Clemens... I had SUCH a hopeless crush on her, she was the prettiest, most popular girl in my grade... but unlike Patty did with Doug, Roxanne didn't even know I even existed... Patty was at least nice to Doug... Roxanne just acted like she was too good for me, and once when we were paired up as lab partners for science, i was ecstatic! But I could tell she would have given ANYTHING to have anyone else but me as a partner lol... I was NOT good with girls back then... and I couldnt figure out WHY lol... I was NEVER ugly... i wasnt even an everyman type.... ive actually ALWAYS been blessed in the good looks department and at the time I always thought that would give me a leg up with the ladies... but I ended up finding out the hard way that it takes more than good looks to attract girls... most hot girls, especially at THAT age, are interested in guys who have confidence and popularity... at the time, I had NEITHER of those things... but I drooled over Roxanne the same way Doug drooled over Patty lol... but for the record, here's an interesting post script... although Roxanne's popularity remained strong all throughout middle school and high school (presumably college too?), it definitely did NOT last... in 2008, i saw her at our 10 year high school reunion and she looked TERRIBLE! She put on the pounds and her looks REALLY faded... and seeing her Facebook page, she has like 2 or 3 kids now, she's divorced, recovering from a drug addiction, she gained even MORE weight, she's working a dead end job and is barely making ends meat... talk about becoming a cliche... and not to brag, but I still look good... I mean, I work out regularly, take care of myself, still have a full head of hair, and im in really good shape... my confidence is better than it once was... ironically, in the 6th grade, Roxanne wouldnt give me the time of day, not even to throw me a bone as a friend... and NOW, she's the type of girl I would NEVER date... how the tables have turned lol... but I know thats here nor there, and Roxanne's current status in life has little to do with our topic at hand regarding Doug lol...

ANYWAY lol... also just like Doug, I was the comic book loving kid and still am... just like Doug had his fantasy about being Quailman, I had my fantasies about being the superheroes I read about in comics and saw in movies... I would frequently watch the Christopher Reeve Superman movies, as well as reruns of the old George Reeves Superman TV series, and id fantasize about having super powers and flying, saving people, etc... only 1 Batman movie was out back then and that was the Michael Keaton Batman movie with Jack Nicholson as the Joker, and I used to wanna be Batman too, especially since he got all the girls... I would read comic books with Spider-Man, the X-Men, Daredevil, Green Lantern, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, etc... and id iimagine myself having super powers and doing all the things THEY did... just like Doug would imagine HIMSELF as Quailman and Smash Adams... I would also imagine myself as characters like Indiana Jones and Batman because they always got all the girls and I always fantasized about having super powers and getting girls... I dreamed and I dreamed BIG lol...

...just like Doug, I had a sister too... only difference was Doug had an OLDER sister but MY sister was younger... but just like Judy never had time for Doug because she was always in her own little world, MY sister was always in her own little world as well... she was just a little kid into little kid things... and I was a pre-teen with pre-teen interests... even tho my sister and I are very close NOW, at the time we were obviously in 2 different places in our lives... and since our dad worked 80 hours a week, I hardly ever saw him cuz he was hardly ever home... and I did have a great relationship with my mom and weve always been close, I just wanted someone my own age who would understand the world I live in...

so basically, Doug, both the cartoon series AND its main character, helped me thru ALOTTA pre adolescent tough times... mainly because I pretty much WAS Doug Funnie... I was at least 90 percent Doug Funnie... in some ways, he had it easier than I did... but in other ways, I had it easier than HE did... so as you mention touching moments from the series, the series itself touched MY life in more ways than I can count... I almost felt like that was MY story being told in that cartoon show... and ill never forget the impact it had on my life at that particular time

I love Doug says Roger because Doug Doug is truly awesome in that episode as he goes out of his way to help a kid who often teases him and he also shows courage as a squares off against a kid who he knows could rip his head off.