Bart Gets an F

“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 . It's about these... [describing the book jacket]

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!”

Behind the Laughter

The last episode of season eleven, Behind the Laughter is done in a unique style: VH1 Behind the Music. The episode goes into the Simpsons family history and how they got into the business of show business. Joking called a ‘mockumentary,’ it shows the problems that come with their fame. Referencing Bart’s accident from Bart the Daredevil and various injuries from Homer’s past, Homer becomes addicted to prescribed painkillers. Not only is he having problems, but Bart goes into rehab and Marge makes a bad financial decision. The IRS comes in and takes away the house, which was nicknamed “Homertime” after MC Hammer. After getting to the Iowa State Fair the Simpsons family gets into an argument and splits up, forcing Fox to put the show on break. The family goes off in different directions: Homer to theater, Bart to Renegade, Marge to a nightclub, Lisa to writing. Of course who other than Willie Nelson reconciles the family who puts everything behind them at the reunion. The ending of the episode leaves a bit of a cliffhanger. It hints toward the show having many more seasons, but leaves off with an argument. Obviously the show continued, though, to become one of the longest running primetimes shows ever.

Dead Putting Society

This episode is the sixth in the second season of the Simpsons, and is the first where the Flanders family plays a predominant role. But the episode doesn’t just follow Ned and Homer, but also their influences on their sons Todd and Bart in a mini-golf competition.

The episode begins with Homer mowing his lawn and flapping his gums. His loud complaining attracts Ned’s attention, who invites him over for some “ice cold suds in the rumpus room.” Ned, up until this point, has always been Homer’s annoying neighbor who knows too much and always points things out (like crab grass). Finally, after eight years of being neighbors, Homer goes to Ned’s house for the first time. After seeing the kids and interacting with Maude and seeing Ned’s house – Homer explodes. “Your family is better than my family! Your wife’s butt is hotter than my wife’s butt! You make me sick!” Homer yells until Ned has to, rather politely, kick him out. This shows that Homer is upset about how Ned is different and has the life that he wishes he could have. What makes things worse is that Marge says “I’ve never seen him be anything but the perfect neighbor.” Homer gets incredibly upset that she used the word perfect to describe Ned, even if she didn’t mean it in the way he took it.

That night, Homer tosses in bed because of how upset he is about Ned. Similarly, Ned is tossing, too. He feels bad that he threw his own neighbor out of his house, feelings like he “violated Matthew 19:19.” He calls the reverend in the middle of the night for guidance, quoting Matthew to him. The Reverend tells him to try to apologize, possibly through a letter.

Ned indeed writes a letter. He leaves it for Homer who then reads it in front of his family. Ned calls Homer his “brother” and says that he loves him. He writes “I feel a great sadness in my bosom,” which then shows the main difference between the Flanders and Simpsons. The Flanders take that as a sincere statement, completely serious; the Simpsons burst out laughing at it, thinking it silly. All except for Marge, who yells “I wish this family was as close as the Flanders!” Just one more reason for Homer to be jealous.

Flanders kids, Rod and Todd, are just like him, pointing things out to Homer – even telling him how to putt correctly. Homer and Ned agree to have Todd and Bart compete in a mini-golf competition where the loser’s dad has to mow the lawn in his wife’s best dress. Well, I shouldn’t say loser. Ned asks: “Loser is such a harsh word, couldn’t we just say ‘the boy who doesn’t win?’”

The competition ensues, with Ned being his always nice self at the beginning, saying “Well, sir, may the best man win.” The two sons compete with their fathers influences, Homer being the more oppressive of the two, of course. They learn their lesson and teach it to their fathers – both of them decide to call the match a draw. Thus, both fathers have to wear the dresses to mow the lawn. But unlike Homer, Ned finds the best in anything and finds a way to have fun.