Mathlete's Feat

Last updated

"Mathlete's Feat"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.Season 26
Episode 22
Directed byMike Frank Polcino
Written by Michael Price
Production codeTABF16
Original air dateMay 17, 2015 (2015-05-17)
Guest appearances
Episode features
Chalkboard gag During the episode, Bart starts writing "I will not" before the chalkboard is taken away and replaced with an electronic one. Putting the chalk in his pocket, Bart writes "I will not fight the future" with his finger once, then copies it multiple times over and inverts the screen.
Couch gag Rick and Morty crash into the living room, killing the Simpson family, and attempt to clone them.
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Bull-E"		Next →
"Every Man's Dream"
The Simpsons (season 26)
List of episodes

"Mathlete's Feat" is the twenty-second and final episode of the twenty-sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons , and the 574th overall episode of the series. The episode was directed by Mike Frank Polcino and written by Michael Price. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 17, 2015.

Contents

Plot

The math teams from Springfield Elementary and Waverly Hills Elementary compete against each other in an event organized by Benjamin, Doug and Gary. Lisa boasts that Springfield Elementary will surprise everyone at the meet; her prediction comes true when the team fails to score any points at all. She laments the fact that Waverly Hills Elementary can afford the newest educational technology, while her school uses antiquated tools due to its inadequate budget.

The three sponsors make a large donation to Springfield Elementary, prompting Principal Skinner to install upgraded equipment in all the classrooms and have the old textbooks destroyed. However, electrical malfunctions in the computer servers cause all the new devices to overload and break down, leaving the teachers with nothing they can use to lead their classes. As Miss Hoover tries to show her students an educational video on her cell phone, Lisa notices Groundskeeper Willie using a knotted rope to measure the dimensions of a field outside. The sight inspires her to suggest that Springfield Elementary become a Waldorf school, with an emphasis on creative play and hands-on activities.

The children enjoy the new system, and Willie is named as coach of the math team. Upon realizing that he is being grossly underpaid for his work, he begins chasing Superintendent Chalmers around the school. Bart throws an egg and hits Chalmers in the head, causing him to run his car into a tree; Willie is so impressed by the accuracy of the throw that he names Bart as captain of the math team. During a rematch against Waverly Hills Elementary, Bart is shocked to find that he is expected to do actual math. With the score tied at 29-29, he nevertheless scores the winning point for Springfield Elementary by using the fringe of hair on Homer's head to solve the last problem. Lisa is overjoyed at the victory but also horrified when Willie explains that his measuring rope was originally created as a means to torture and kill sheep thieves.

Production

On September 26, 2014; while in a conference at the London Science Museum, Al Jean told that there would be a future episode with the following plot: "It will have Lisa on a math team and features the most complicated math jokes we [The Simpsons crew] can think of." [1] [2] This episode's couch gag features a crossover with the animated series Rick and Morty . [3] Dan Harmon wrote the first draft of the sequence with Justin Roiland performing rewrites. [4] A sequence during the second Mathlympics scene features a section of the Kate Bush song "π" from her album Aerial . [5] Busted song Year 3000 features during the sequence where the new technology is implemented in the school.

Reception

The episode received a 1.3 rating and was watched by a total of 2.82 million people. [6]

The episode received mixed reviews with praise going to the couch gag with Rick and Morty.

Dennis Perkins of The A.V. Club gave the episode a D, saying "as the final act of "Mathlete's Feat", the final episode of the 26th season of The Simpsons went to commercial, I was genuinely pissed at how disjointed, lazy, and downright lousy this season finale was." [7]

Jesse Schedeen of IGN gave the episode a 7.3/10, ultimately saying the episode was unfocused but was still amusing. [8]

Related Research Articles

"Bart the Genius" is the second episode of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 14, 1990. It was the first episode written by Jon Vitti. It is the show's first normal episode as well as the first to use the signature title sequence, though this version is much different from the one subsequently used, from the second season to the twentieth season. In the episode, Bart cheats on an intelligence test and is declared a genius, so he is sent to a school for gifted children. Though he initially enjoys being treated as a genius, he begins to see the downside of his new life.

"Whacking Day" is the twentieth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 29, 1993. The episode revolves around the fictional holiday "Whacking Day", celebrated annually, in which the citizens of Springfield drive snakes into the town square, then fatally club them. After Bart is expelled from school as punishment for injuring Superintendent Chalmers, he applies the knowledge he gains from Marge's homeschooling to help Lisa expose the fraudulent and cruel nature of the holiday.

Joseph Stewart Burns, better known as J. Stewart Burns or simply just Stewart Burns is a television writer and producer most notable for his work on The Simpsons, Futurama, and Unhappily Ever After.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Principal Skinner</span> Fictional character from The Simpsons franchise

Principal Seymour Skinner is a recurring fictional character in the animated sitcom The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer. He is the principal of Springfield Elementary School, which he struggles to control, and is constantly engaged in a battle against its inadequate resources, apathetic and bitter teachers, and often rowdy and unenthusiastic students, Bart Simpson being a standout example.

"Little Girl in the Big Ten" is the twentieth episode of the thirteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 12, 2002. In the episode, Lisa befriends two college students at a gym and attends college with them. Meanwhile, after being bitten by a mosquito from a Chinese-made toy, Bart is infected with the "panda virus" and is placed in a plastic bubble to prevent others from infection.

"'Round Springfield" is the twenty-second episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 30, 1995. In the episode, Bart is hospitalized after eating a piece of jagged metal in his Krusty-O's cereal and sues Krusty the Clown. While visiting Bart, Lisa discovers her old mentor, jazz musician Bleeding Gums Murphy, is also in the hospital. When he dies suddenly, she resolves to honor his memory. Steve Allen and Ron Taylor guest star, each in his second appearance on the show. Dan Higgins also returns as the writer and performer of all of Lisa and Bleeding Gums' saxophone solos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Girls Just Want to Have Sums</span> 19th episode of the 17th season of The Simpsons

"Girls Just Want to Have Sums" is the nineteenth 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 April 30, 2006. In this episode, a new school principal decides to segregating boys and girls classes, and Lisa is dissatisfied with the New Age-based girls maths class. So, she disguiseds herself as a boy called Jake Boyman to infiltrate the boys' classroom to be admitted to the actual maths class, and Bart mistakes his camouflaged sister as a new friend.

<i>The Simpsons</i> opening sequence Opening sequence of the TV series The Simpsons

The Simpsonsopening sequence is the title sequence of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It is accompanied by "The Simpsons Theme". The first episode to use this introduction was the series' second episode "Bart the Genius".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MoneyBart</span> 3rd episode of the 22nd season of The Simpsons

"MoneyBart" is the third episode of the twenty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 10, 2010. In this episode, Lisa coaches Bart's Little League baseball team to a record winning streak by using her book smarts in statistics and probability. However, when Bart questions Lisa’s coaching tactics and accuses her of taking the fun out of baseball, Lisa benches him from the championship game.

"Bart Stops to Smell the Roosevelts" is the second episode of the twenty-third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 2, 2011. The episode was the first to feature Superintendent Chalmers as the central character and Chalmers' flashbacks references the films The Breakfast Club and Fight Club. In the episode, Principal Skinner challenges Superintendent Chalmers to take over Bart's education after one of his pranks. Chalmers accepts and starts teaching Bart about Theodore Roosevelt and manliness. After he takes Bart and his friends on an unauthorized field trip which results in one of the children breaking an arm, Chalmers is fired. Bart and his friends then take over the school in an effort to save his job.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brick Like Me</span> 20th episode of the 25th season of The Simpsons

"Brick Like Me" is the twentieth episode of the twenty-fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons and the 550th episode of the series. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 4, 2014. It was written by Brian Kelley and directed by Matthew Nastuk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treehouse of Horror XXVI</span> 5th episode of the 27th season of The Simpsons

"Treehouse of Horror XXVI" is the fifth episode of the twenty-seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, the 26th episode in the Treehouse of Horror series of Halloween specials, and the 579th episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Steven Dean Moore and written by Joel H. Cohen. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 25, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barthood</span> 9th episode of the 27th season of The Simpsons

"Barthood" is the ninth episode of the twenty-seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 583rd episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Rob Oliver and written by Dan Greaney. It aired in the United States on Fox on December 13, 2015. The episode parodies the 2014 film Boyhood.

"Teenage Mutant Milk-Caused Hurdles" is the eleventh episode of the twenty-seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 585th episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Timothy Bailey and written by Joel H. Cohen. It aired in the United States on Fox on January 10, 2016.

"Orange Is the New Yellow" is the twenty-second and final episode of the twenty-seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 596th episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Matthew Faughnan and written by Eric Horsted. It aired in the United States on Fox on May 22, 2016. The title is a spoof of the book and the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treehouse of Horror XXVII</span> 4th episode of the 28th season of The Simpsons

"Treehouse of Horror XXVII" is the fourth episode of the twenty-eighth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, the 27th episode in the Treehouse of Horror series of Halloween specials, and the 600th episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Steven Dean Moore and written by Joel H. Cohen. It aired in the United States on Fox on October 16, 2016.

"Monty Burns' Fleeing Circus" is the twenty-eighth season season premiere of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 597th episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Matthew Nastuk and written by Tom Gammill and Max Pross. It aired in the United States on Fox on September 25, 2016. It's named as a parody of Monty Python's Flying Circus.

"Springfield Splendor" is the second episode of the twenty-ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 620th episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Matthew Faughnan and written by Tim Long and Miranda Thompson. It aired in the United States on Fox on October 8, 2017.

"Grampy Can Ya Hear Me" is the fifth episode of the twenty-ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 623rd episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Bob Anderson and written by Bill Odenkirk. It aired in the United States on Fox on November 5, 2017.

References

  1. ↑ Chivers, Tom (September 24, 2014). "The Simpsons: One big numbers game". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  2. ↑ Jean, Al [@AlJean] (January 24, 2015). "@87Loco87 @fred_malcolm yes on math team and math jokes. Prepare for a 50 share!" (Tweet). Retrieved June 21, 2015– via Twitter.
  3. ↑ Jean, Al [@AlJean] (March 10, 2015). "@justinchaney6 Mathlete's feat, season finale " (Tweet). Retrieved June 21, 2015– via Twitter.
  4. ↑ Couch, Aaron (May 14, 2015). "'The Simpsons': Matt Groening Dissects 'Rick and Morty' Opening Credits Crossover". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Simpsons, Episode 574, clip feat. Kate Bush's "π"". YouTube . May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  6. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (May 19, 2015). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Simpsons' & 'Billboard Music Awards' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers . Archived from the original on May 20, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  7. ↑ Perkins, Dennis (May 17, 2015). "The Simpsons: "Mathlete's Feat"". The A.V. Club . Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  8. ↑ Schedeen, Jesse (May 17, 2015). "The Simpsons: "Mathlete's Feat" Review". IGN . Retrieved December 13, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.