Mountain of Madness

Last updated

"Mountain of Madness"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.Season 8
Episode 12
Directed by Mark Kirkland
Written by John Swartzwelder
Production code4F10
Original air dateFebruary 2, 1997 (1997-02-02)
Episode features
Couch gag The couch is folded out into a bed with Grampa asleep on it. The Simpsons fold him into the couch (with Grampa shouting "Huh?" before he's folded in) and sit down as normal. [1]
Commentary Matt Groening
Josh Weinstein
Dan Castellaneta
Dave Thomas (as "Jim Denton")
Mark Kirkland
David Silverman [1]
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Twisted World of Marge Simpson"		Next →
"Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious"
The Simpsons (season 8)
List of episodes

"Mountain of Madness" (originally titled "The Most Excellent Snowy Mountain Adventure") is the twelfth episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons . It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 2, 1997. In the episode, Mr. Burns forces his employees of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant to go for a team-building hike in the mountains. Burns and Homer are paired together and trapped in a cabin that gets buried by several avalanches.

Contents

"Mountain of Madness" was directed by Mark Kirkland and written by John Swartzwelder. Swartzwelder's script underwent many rewrites, during which the story was completely rewritten from scratch. Several new designs and backgrounds had to be created for the wilderness scenes. The episode received mostly positive reviews.

Plot

During a fire drill at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, the employees panic and fail to evacuate the plant within 15 minutes. Outraged, Mr. Burns announces his workers must compete in a team-building exercise at a snow-covered mountain retreat. Due to a misunderstanding, Homer brings his family along, mistaking the team-building exercise for a vacation. The employees must work in pairs: Homer is partnered with Burns, while Smithers competes alone due to an odd number of participants (having originally thought the drawing was rigged so that he and Burns would be team-mates). The goal is to reach a cabin at the mountaintop, which contains food and champagne; the second last team will get a "Worlds Worst Employee" trophy, while the last team to arrive will be fired.

Burns persuades Homer to cheat by using a snowmobile to reach the cabin. Arriving early, they enjoy the comfortable surroundings and each other's company. They clink their champagne glasses and inadvertently cause an avalanche that buries the entire cabin. Burns attempts to contact the outside world with a telegraph, to no avail. Burns and Homer also try to dig out of the snow-covered cabin, which causes more avalanches. Homer and Burns start blaming each other for causing the avalanches. They realize it may take days to be rescued and pass the time by playing games and building snowmen dressed in their clothes. Meanwhile, Bart and Lisa attempt to help Smithers get to the cabin, but inadvertently waste time looking for food and searching for gold, much to Smithers' dismay. Lenny and Carl arrive at the right spot but find the cabin gone and unaware it is buried beneath them, so they leave. The other employees reach a ranger station, thinking it is their destination. When the workers realize that Homer and Burns have yet to arrive, they suspect something bad has happened to them. After a few hours in the cabin, Homer and Burns are beset by cabin fever and have paranoid thoughts. After a vicious struggle, Burns accidentally ignites the propane tank, launching the building from the snow and propelling it toward the workers, who are preparing a rescue operation.

When the fuel is spent, the cabin comes to a halt just feet from hitting the ranger station, and Burns and Homer emerge cold and disheveled. Burns reminds everyone of the contest, so the workers rush inside. Lenny is fired after being the last person in the cabin. After, Burns realizes his workers have learned the value of teamwork and announces that no one will be fired after all. Lenny prepares to harangue Burns for firing him, but falls in a pit of snow. The workers and Homer's family celebrate their shared victory while Homer and Burns eye each other suspiciously. [2]

Production

John Swartzwelder wrote the episode John Swartzwelder Retouched.png
John Swartzwelder wrote the episode

The script for "Mountain of Madness" is credited to John Swartzwelder, although it underwent many rewrites. According to Josh Weinstein, "a Swartzwelder script is like a finely tooled crazy German machine and if you have the wrong engineers try to fix it, it blows up. And that's the thing, 'cause it had great jokes but we sort of changed the story and went through a bunch of drafts." [3] The story was completely rewritten and as a result, the plot became odder and quirkier with the scenes of paranoia deriving from this. [3] The original script was "really crazy" but a lot of the more insane material was cut. [4] However, most of the rewrites were done during the script-writing and did not require any major animation changes. [5] One change was the ending, which was added after the animatic. [5] The episode features several pairings of established characters who had previously interacted little, such as Waylon Smithers with Bart and Lisa. Weinstein feels that this was one of the first episodes to notably develop Lenny and Carl as a duo. [3]

The episode was directed by Mark Kirkland and a lot of new designs and backgrounds had to be created for the wilderness scenes. [5] The backgrounds were designed by animator Debbie Silver. [5] The design of the forest ranger was based on then-Vice President Al Gore. [3] In the episode, Marge watches an old film which includes a comment from naturalist John Muir. The impression of Muir was done by Dan Castellaneta, who originally based the voice on an impersonator he met at Yosemite National Park. However, the producers asked him to make the voice older and crazier. [6]

The episode makes references to the Ritz Brothers, Bobbsey twins, John Muir and Bazooka Joe.

Proposed ideas for the episode

The episode was going to have Principal Skinner, Bart, and Lisa as the main characters trapped in the cabin, Edna Krabappel was going to be the one who competes alone due to an odd number of participants, and Homer as the one helping Edna get to the cabin. However, Mr. Burns takes over Skinner's role, Homer takes over Bart and Lisa's role, Smithers takes over Edna's role, Bart and Lisa take over Homer's role, and Marge has the same role. This idea would later turn into the season 12 episode "Skinner's Sense of Snow".

The episode was originally going to begin in medias res on a giant snow-covered mountain where the workers find Mr. Burns and Homer, heard them calling for help, and discover that they are trapped under the snow. Smithers then tells the viewer, "Oh, hi! I know what you're thinking. You were wondering how Simpson and Mr. Burns got into this mess. I can tell you, but it'll have to be quick before those two are frozen to death." and quickly goes back to the beginning of the story. The whole episode is used as a flashback narrated by Smithers until he says, "And that is how Simpson and Mr. Burns both got stuck in the snow. I sure hope that they are okay!" After that, Burns gives up and accidentally ignites the cabin's propane tank. But those scenes and Smithers' narration are deleted from the final cut.

Reception

In its original broadcast, "Mountain of Madness" finished 26th in ratings for the week of January 27-February 2, 1997, with a Nielsen rating of 10.5, equivalent to approximately 10.2 million viewing households. It was the fourth-highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following The X-Files , World's Scariest Police Chases , and King of the Hill . [7] Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, called it "an inventive episode, with several memorable moments". [1] Tim Raynor of DVDTown.com said there are some "good, sidesplitting moments to say the least for this witty episode". [8] DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson called the episode "a good show" and praised it for the "snowy setting [that] allows the other characters to expand as well". [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grampa Simpson</span> Recurring character in The Simpsons

Abraham Jebediah "Abe" Simpson II, better known as Grampa Simpson, is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He made his first appearance in the episode entitled "Grandpa and the Kids", a one-minute Simpsons short on The Tracey Ullman Show, before the debut of the television show in 1989.

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

Waylon Joseph Smithers Jr., usually referred to as Mr. Smithers, or simply Smithers, is a recurring character in the animated sitcom The Simpsons, voiced by Harry Shearer. He first appeared in "Homer's Odyssey", although his voice could be heard in the series premiere "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the consummate executive and personal assistant of Springfield Nuclear Power Plant's owner Mr. Burns, and is usually treated unfairly.

"Homer's Odyssey" is the third episode of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox Network in the United States on January 21, 1990. In this episode, Homer becomes a crusader for safety in Springfield and is promoted to safety inspector at Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. The episode was written by Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky and was the first Simpsons script to be completed, although it was the third episode produced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Burns</span> Fictional character from The Simpsons franchise

Charles Montgomery Plantagenet Schicklgruber "Monty" Burns, usually referred to as Mr. Burns or C. Montgomery Burns, is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced initially by Christopher Collins and currently by Harry Shearer. He is the mostly evil, devious, greedy, and wealthy owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and, by extension, Homer Simpson's boss. He is assisted at almost all times by Smithers, his loyal and sycophantic aide, adviser, confidant, and secret admirer. He is between 81 and 120 years old, though sometimes it's implied he's much older.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Weinstein</span> American television writer and producer

Josh Weinstein is an American television writer and producer, known for his work on the animated comedy series The Simpsons. Weinstein and Bill Oakley became best friends and writing partners at St. Albans School; Weinstein then attended Stanford University and was editor-in-chief of the Stanford Chaparral. He worked on several short-term media projects, including writing for the variety show Sunday Best, but was then unemployed for a long period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homer's Enemy</span> 23rd episode of the 8th season of The Simpsons

"Homer's Enemy" is the twenty-third episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It was first broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on May 4, 1997. "Homer's Enemy" was directed by Jim Reardon and written by John Swartzwelder, based on an idea pitched by executive producer Bill Oakley.

"Bart Gets Hit by a Car" is the tenth episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 10, 1991. In the episode, Bart is hit by Mr. Burns' car. Prompted by ambulance-chasing lawyer Lionel Hutz and quack doctor Nick Riviera, the Simpsons sue Burns, seeking extensive damages for Bart's injuries. Hutz and Dr. Nick exaggerate Bart's injuries to earn the jury's sympathy at the trial. Marge wants Homer to accept Burns' proposed settlement instead of asking Bart to lie on the witness stand.

"The Old Man and the Lisa" is the twenty-first episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 20, 1997. In the episode, Mr. Burns goes bankrupt and asks Lisa to help him get rich again. She agrees on the condition that he change his evil ways. They earn money by recycling cans and soon Burns has enough money to start his own recycling plant. Lisa is aghast when she learns the plant makes a slurry from liquefied sea creatures. When Burns sells the plant to a company that makes fish sticks, he offers Lisa 10 percent of his profits, but she declines for ethical reasons.

"Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily" is the third episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 1, 1995. In the episode, the Simpson children are put in foster care at Ned and Maude Flanders' house. Homer and Marge are forced to attend a parenting class to get their children back.

<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.

"The War of the Simpsons" is the twentieth episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 2, 1991. In the episode, Homer gets drunk at a dinner party and embarrasses Marge, so she enrolls them in marriage counseling at a lakeside retreat with Reverend Lovejoy.

"Bart the Fink" is the fifteenth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 11, 1996. In this episode, Bart inadvertently exposes Krusty the Clown as one of the biggest tax cheats in American history. With his career ruined, Krusty fakes his suicide and adopts an alias, until Bart and Lisa convince him to become a television clown again.

"Marge Gets a Job" is the seventh 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 November 5, 1992. In this episode, Marge gets a job at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant to pay for foundation repair at the Simpsons house. Mr. Burns develops a crush on Marge after seeing her at work and sexually harasses her. A subplot with Bart parallels the fable "The Boy Who Cried Wolf".

"Homer the Smithers" is the seventeenth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 25, 1996. In the episode, Smithers takes a vacation and hires Homer to temporarily replace him as Mr. Burns' assistant.

"Burns' Heir" is the eighteenth episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 14, 1994. In the episode, Mr. Burns has a near-death experience that prompts him to find an heir to inherit his wealth after he dies. He chooses Bart as his heir because he admires the "creature of pure malevolence". Marge convinces Bart to spend time with his benefactor, who allows his heir the money and freedom to do whatever he pleases. Soon Bart leaves his family to live with Burns instead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Day the Violence Died</span> 18th episode of the 7th season of The Simpsons

"The Day the Violence Died" is the eighteenth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 17, 1996. It was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Wes Archer. Kirk Douglas guest stars as Chester J. Lampwick, Alex Rocco as Roger Meyers Jr., Jack Sheldon as an anthropomorphic constitutional amendment, Suzanne Somers as herself, and Phil Hartman as Lionel Hutz. The end of the episode features Lester and Eliza, who resemble Bart and Lisa Simpson as they appeared in The Tracey Ullman Show in the 1980s.

<i>The Simpsons</i> season 6 Season of television series

The sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on the Fox network between September 4, 1994, and May 21, 1995, and consists of 25 episodes. The Simpsons is an animated series about a working class family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The show is set in the fictional city of Springfield, and lampoons American culture, society, television and many aspects of the human condition.

<i>The Simpsons</i> season 5 Season of television series

The fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on the Fox network between September 30, 1993, and May 19, 1994. The showrunner for the fifth production season was David Mirkin who executive produced 20 episodes. Al Jean and Mike Reiss executive produced the remaining two, which were both hold overs that were produced for the previous season. The season contains some of the series' most acclaimed and popular episodes, including "Cape Feare", "Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy", "Homer Goes to College", "Deep Space Homer", and "Rosebud". It also includes the 100th episode, "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song". The season was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards and won an Annie Award for Best Animated Television Program as well as an Environmental Media Award and a Genesis Award. The DVD box set was released in Region 1 on December 21, 2004, Region 2 on March 21, 2005, and Region 4 on March 23, 2005.

<i>The Simpsons</i> season 3 Season of television series

The third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on the Fox network between September 19, 1991, and August 27, 1992. The showrunners for the third production season were Al Jean and Mike Reiss who executive produced 22 episodes for the season, while two other episodes were produced by James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, and Sam Simon, with it being produced by Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Television. An additional episode, "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?", aired on August 27, 1992, after the official end of the third season and is included on the Season 3 DVD set. Season three won six Primetime Emmy Awards for "Outstanding Voice-Over Performance" and also received a nomination for "Outstanding Animated Program" for the episode "Radio Bart". The complete season was released on DVD in Region 1 on August 26, 2003, Region 2 on October 6, 2003, and in Region 4 on October 22, 2003.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Mountain of Madness". BBC. Retrieved May 2, 2007.
  2. ↑ Groening, Matt (1997). Richmond, Ray; Coffman, Antonia (eds.). The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family (1st ed.). New York: HarperPerennial. p.  236. ISBN   978-0-06-095252-5. LCCN   98141857. OCLC   37796735. OL   433519M.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Weinstein, Josh (2006). The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Mountain of Madness" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  4. ↑ Silverman, David (2006). The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Mountain of Madness" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Kirkland, Mark (2006). The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Mountain of Madness" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  6. ↑ Castellaneta, Dan (2006). The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Mountain of Madness" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  7. ↑ "NBC Leads Nielsen Race". The Orlando Sentinel. February 12, 1997. p. A2.
  8. ↑ Raynor, Tim (August 21, 2006). "Simpsons, The: The Complete 8th Season (DVD)". DVDTown.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
  9. ↑ Jacobson, Colin (January 5, 2006). "The Simpsons: The Complete Eighth Season (1995)". DVD Movie Guide. Retrieved December 1, 2008.
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.