Bart-Mangled Banner

Last updated

"Bart-Mangled Banner"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.Season 15
Episode 21
Directed by Steven Dean Moore
Written by John Frink
Production codeFABF17
Original air dateMay 16, 2004 (2004-05-16)
Guest appearance
Episode features
Couch gag The couch is replaced by a giant microwave. Someone puts a tray inside and presses a button. The Simpsons rise from the tray as it cooks.
Commentary Al Jean
John Frink
Matt Selman
Don Payne
Dana Gould
Michael Price
Tom Gammill
Max Pross
Steven Dean Moore
Episode chronology
 Previous
"The Way We Weren't"
Next 
"Fraudcast News"
The Simpsons season 15
List of episodes

"Bart-Mangled Banner" is the twenty-first and penultimate episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons . It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 16, 2004. The episode was written by John Frink and directed by Steven Dean Moore.

Contents

In this episode, Bart accidentally disrespects the American flag, and the situation escalates until the United States hates Springfield and the Simpson family is arrested. The episode received mixed reviews.

Plot

Homer and Marge take the kids to get their shots. Just before Dr. Hibbert is about to inject Bart, he escapes. After a chase through town, Hibbert finally outsmarts Bart, by having Barney (as well as Moe) wear a latex mask, and finally injects him. However, the shot causes Bart's earholes to swell shut as a side effect, making him temporarily deaf and Hibbert also tricks Homer into signing a malpractice waiver. Marge wants Bart to stay home from school; however, Bart wants to play in the donkey basketball game.

While at the Springfield Elementary School donkey basketball game, Bart taunts a donkey with a carrot, unaware that the school is reciting the national anthem. After he places the carrot in his shorts, the donkey takes it and literally eats Bart's shorts. While Bart is bent over to keep his privates covered with his shirt, the US flag is put up behind him and a photo is taken, which results in the crowd assuming that Bart is mooning the US flag. Shortly afterwards, the Springfield Shopper takes the story and completely turns it around, making it seem as if Bart had deliberately mooned the flag. Marge tries to convince Skinner that Bart was deaf at the time; however, because of Bart's history of similar pranks, Skinner is not convinced. Bart and his family soon are hated by all of Springfield.

The Simpsons are later asked to appear on a talk show and tell their side of the story. Homer advises Marge to not take it too far. However, due to the several misunderstandings, the host declares that Springfield hates the US. The US then turns their back on Springfield (though there is widespread celebration in praise of Springfield in the Middle East), so Mayor Quimby frantically decides to change the name of Springfield to "Libertyville." Everything in town is quickly patriotized; the traffic light colors are changed to red, white, and blue, everything costs $17.76., [1] Apu starts selling Homeland Noodles with Uncle Sam Balls and changes his octuplets' names to "Lincoln", "Freedom", "Condoleezza", "Coke", "Pepsi", "Manifest Destiny", "Apple Pie" and "Superman", claiming their previous names to be "pre-witchhunt", and the family's last name to McGillicuddy. While at church, Lisa speaks her opinion about patriotism, and the Simpsons are arrested by SWAT, in violation of the "Government Knows Best Act."

The Simpsons are taken to the "Ronald Reagan Re-education Center", a prison which houses Michael Moore, the Dixie Chicks, Elmo, Al Franken, and Bill Clinton, as well as a man who moans "My only crime was driving a van full of explosives in from Canada!". Marge feels bad that she took it too far after Homer warned her not to. With some help from the last-registered Democrat, the Simpsons escape the prison (in a parody of the escape scene from The Blues Brothers), but realize that the re-education center is actually Alcatraz Prison. [1] While they are swimming to land (choosing to swim to Oakland instead of San Francisco because they "aren't made of money"), they are picked up by a French freighter and are brought to France. They are well adjusted, but still miss the United States, mainly because it is where all their stuff is. They then move back to the US dressed as 19th century immigrants from Europe where Homer speaks of plans of integration into the United States.

Cultural references

At church, Lisa talks about the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, part of the United States Bill of Rights. After the family is arrested, they are made to watch a cartoon that describes the Bill of Rights as the Constitution's "crazy drunken cousin". [2]

The cable debate show Headbutt that the Simpsons appear on is a reference to the CNN debate show Crossfire with Nash Castor being a parody of then-current host Tucker Carlson. [3]

Reception

Viewing figures

The episode earned a 3.2 rating and was watched by 8.69 million viewers, the 46th most-watched show that week. [4]

Critical response

Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide thought the episode may have had more impact at the time it aired, but thought the episode was "heavy-handed and shrill" eight years later. He liked the episode until it started the social commentary. [5]

On Four Finger Discount, Brendan Dando thought the episode had "no direction" where the events spiral out of control while Guy Davis thought the episode reflected the time after the September 11 attacks where comedians thought they needed to comment on the aftermath. [6]

Themes and analysis

The episode was seen to be a reaction to the Dixie Chicks' remarks about George W. Bush in 2003 that were perceived to be unpatriotic. [7] [3] Matthew A. Henry writes that the episode was a satire of the incident with the Dixie Chicks that escalated to national news and their music being banned from radio stations. In this episode, a incident of Bart disrespecting the American flag leads to the Simpsons family being hated and Marge shocking the country by saying she hates Americans. [3]

Related Research Articles

"Catch 'em if You Can" is the eighteenth episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 25, 2004. The episode was written by Ian Maxtone-Graham and directed by Matthew Nastuk.

"Sleeping with the Enemy" is the third episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 21, 2004. To date, this is Jon Vitti's last episode as writer and Lauren MacMullan's last episode as director.

"She Used to Be My Girl" is the fourth episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 5, 2004. The episode was written by Tim Long and directed by Matthew Nastuk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simple Simpson</span> 19th episode of the 15th season of The Simpsons

"Simple Simpson" is the nineteenth episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 2, 2004. The episode was written by Jon Vitti and was the final episode to be directed by Jim Reardon.

"The Ziff Who Came to Dinner" is the fourteenth episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 14, 2004. This is the third of nine episodes to date written by The Simpsons voice actor Dan Castellaneta and his wife, Deb Lacusta, and the episode was directed by Nancy Kruse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mobile Homer</span> 13th episode of the 16th season of The Simpsons

"Mobile Homer" is the thirteenth episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It was first broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on March 20, 2005. The episode was written by Tim Long, and was the first to be directed by Raymond S. Persi.

"The Seven-Beer Snitch" is the fourteenth episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 3, 2005. The episode was written by Bill Odenkirk and directed by Matthew Nastuk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Fear the Roofer</span> 16th episode of the 16th season of The Simpsons

"Don't Fear the Roofer" is the sixteenth episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 1, 2005. The episode was written by Kevin Curran and directed by Mark Kirkland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Heartbroke Kid</span> 17th episode of the 16th season of The Simpsons

"The Heartbroke Kid" is the seventeenth episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It was written by Ian Maxtone-Graham and directed by Steven Dean Moore. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 1, 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Father, the Son, and the Holy Guest Star</span> 21st episode of the 16th season of The Simpsons

"The Father, the Son, and the Holy Guest Star" is the twenty-first and final episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 15, 2005. The episode was written by Matt Warburton and directed by Michael Polcino.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Bart of War</span> 21st episode of the 14th season of The Simpsons

"The Bart of War" is the twenty-first and penultimate episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 18, 2003. The episode was written by Marc Wilmore and directed by Mike Frank Polcino.

"Margical History Tour" is the eleventh episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 8, 2004. The episode was written by Brian Kelley and directed by Mike B. Anderson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treehouse of Horror XVI</span> 4th episode of the 17th season of The Simpsons

"Treehouse of Horror XVI" is the fourth episode of the seventeenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 6, 2005. In the sixteenth annual Treehouse of Horror, the Simpsons replace Bart with a robot son after Bart falls into a coma, Homer and various other characters find themselves on a reality show where Mr. Burns hunts humans for sport, and costumed Springfieldians become whatever they are wearing, thanks to a witch who was disqualified from a Halloween costume contest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Married Marge</span> 12th episode of the 3rd season of The Simpsons

"I Married Marge" is the twelfth episode of the third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on December 26, 1991. In the episode, Marge worries that she may be pregnant again and visits Dr. Hibbert's office. While anxiously waiting at home, Homer tells Bart, Lisa, and Maggie the story of his and Marge's marriage and Bart's birth. The episode was written by Jeff Martin and directed by Jeffrey Lynch.

"Marge's Son Poisoning" is the fifth episode of the seventeenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 13, 2005. The episode was the first one written by Daniel Chun and was directed by Mike B. Anderson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simpsons Christmas Stories</span> 9th episode of the 17th season of The Simpsons

"Simpsons Christmas Stories" is the ninth episode of the seventeenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 18, 2005. The episode was written by Don Payne and directed by Steven Dean Moore

"We're on the Road to D'ohwhere" is the eleventh episode of the seventeenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 29, 2006. The episode was written by Kevin Curran and directed by Nancy Kruse.

"The Mook, the Chef, the Wife and Her Homer" is the first episode of the eighteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 10, 2006. In the episode, Fat Tony is put out of commission by a rival family, and Homer and Bart take over the Springfield Mafia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Boys of Bummer</span> 18th episode of the 18th season of The Simpsons

"The Boys of Bummer" is the eighteenth episode of the eighteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 29, 2007. It was written by Michael Price and was the first episode to be directed by Rob Oliver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marge Gamer</span> 17th episode of the 18th season of The Simpsons

"Marge Gamer" is the seventeenth episode of the eighteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 22, 2007. The episode was written by J. Stewart Burns and directed by Bob Anderson.

References

  1. 1 2 Kane, Astrid (January 27, 2023). "Five Times The Simpsons Told Big Tech: 'Eat My Shorts!'". The San Francisco Standard . Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  2. "What we can learn about the Constitution from The Simpsons". National Constitution Center. January 14, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 Henry, Matthew A. (2012). The Simpsons, Satire, and American Culture. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 70–73. ISBN   9781137027795.
  4. "Weekly Program Rankings (May 10–16)". ABC Medianet . May 18, 2004. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  5. Jacobson, Colin (December 13, 2012). "The Simpsons: The Complete Fifteenth Season (2003)". DVD Movie Guide. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  6. Davis, Guy; Dando, Brendan (July 6, 2023). "Bart-Mangled Banner (S15E21)". Four Finger Discount (Simpsons Podcast) (Podcast). Event occurs at 1:10. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  7. Sweeting, Adam (June 14, 2006). "How the Chicks survived their scrap with Bush". The Daily Telegraph . London. Archived from the original on October 12, 2008. Retrieved February 25, 2022.