“Fellow students, prepare to be dazzled! [walks to the front of the room]
Well, as Mrs. Krabappel already mentioned, the name of the book that I
read was
pirates. Pirates... with patches over their eyes... and... shiny gold
teeth... and green birds on their shoulders... [pause]
Did I mention this book was written by a guy named Robert Lewis Stevenson?
And published by the good people at McGraw Hill. So, in conclusion,
on the Simpson scale of one to ten, ten being the highest, one being
the lowest, and five being average, I give this book... a nine.
Any questions? [hands go up] Nope? Then I'll just sit down.”
Bart faked a last minute book report which just gets him a threat from his teacher. Apparently his grades had gone down from the beginning of the year. He tried to study that night, but fell asleep on his books. He gets false information from Sherri and Terri on the bus, which Martin points out to him. Thinking he won’t do well, he fakes a collapse outside the room and sees the nurse who sends him home with a case of “amoria phlebitis.” When he does take the test he did so bad Mrs. Krabappel meets with the psychiatrist, Homer, and Marge. “I recommend Bart retake the fourth grade,” the psychiatrist said. Bart takes this as a challenge and turns to Martin for help. In exchange for studying, Bart helps Martin become more popular. Martin develops his affinity for bad behavior and doesn’t care about an upcoming test, even though Bart asks him to study with him. The next day (test day) is a snow day, which Bart spends inside studying and concentrating…for the most part. He pictures himself as someone in the First Continental Congress in 1776 and sees the signing of the Declaration of Independence. He takes the test the next day and Mrs. Krabappel grades it immediately. He got a 59% and laments, saying that he knew how George Washington felt when he surrendered For Necessity to the French in 1754. The teacher is surprised and gives him an extra point, making it a D-. He’s so happy that he gives her a kiss on the cheek and gets it hung up on the fridge at home. His final exclamation: “Part of this D- belongs to God!”
Good Bart episode that really shows the development of his character. His behavior mimics the actions of students everywhere that go to absurd lengths to avoid doing work. Bart's working to both pass 4th grade and help Martin be popular show that behind the attitude he has a good heart. And he passed - yet years later he is still in 4th grade!
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