The Winter of His Content

Last updated

"The Winter of His Content"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.Season 25
Episode 14
Directed by Chuck Sheetz
Written by Kevin Curran
Production codeSABF09
Original air dateMarch 16, 2014 (2014-03-16)
Guest appearance
Episode features
Chalkboard gag "My dad's already drunk for St. Patrick's"
Couch gag Homer is the patient from the board game Operation with other characters as the pieces (Lisa is "Brainy" (the brain), and Moe is "Elbow Bender" (the elbow)). When "Pain in the Butt" Bart is removed, he grabs the forceps and sticks it on the side, which causes Homer to buzz and scream in pain.
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Man Who Grew Too Much"		Next →
"The War of Art"
The Simpsons season 25
List of episodes

"The Winter of His Content" is the fourteenth episode of the twenty-fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons and the 544th episode of the series. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 16, 2014. It was written by Kevin Curran and directed by Chuck Sheetz. [1]

Contents

In the episode, when the Retirement Castle is closed for health violations, Marge invites Grampa and two other old people to live at the Simpsons' house, only to get frustrated with Homer embracing the "old person lifestyle". Meanwhile, Bart defends Nelson's decision to wear his mother's underwear, and ends up part of a bully gathering in an homage to the 1979 action film The Warriors . The episode received negative reviews.

Plot

Marge and Homer arrive home from a date when Lisa tells them the Springfield Retirement Castle has been shut down for massive violations, and Grampa has nowhere to live. When Grampa is picked up by the family, Marge sees that Jasper and the Old Jewish Man have no one, so she invites them to stay with them.

With Grampa and his friends annoying Homer, Lisa says she and Bart are getting cues on how they will take care of Homer when he is older. She asks her dad to be nice to Grampa, whom she calls a "treasure". Homer's efforts to be nice leads to him surprisingly enjoying the senior citizen lifestyle, and they induct Homer into their club. Unfortunately, Homer's appreciation for all things elderly irritates Marge, and she tells Patty and Selma that while she did not mind when he got bald and fat, she never expected him to act older than her.

At school, Bart and his classmates undress for gym class. Nelson changes, but his classmates laugh at him when they see he is wearing his mother's underwear. Bart says he is wearing Homer's hand-me-down briefs. The class is moved by Bart's kind act. To thank him, Nelson, Dolph, Kearney, and Jimbo induct Bart into their ranks.

The group goes to a meeting at the Bully Summit held by Chester, the leader of all bullies. They are required to turn in their weapons, but Bart forgets to turn in his slingshot. When a more rebellious bully uses Bart's slingshot during Chester's speech, he blames Bart, who with Nelson, Dolph, Kearney, and Jimbo, try to return to Springfield without getting beaten or killed by all the enraged bullies. The five make it to the subway, but the Baseball Furries are waiting. Bart uses his slingshot to break the street light and distract them. One stays behind, and Nelson sacrifices himself to allow the others to escape.

As the sun is rising, the four make it back to the Springfield beach, where Homer and the old men are taking a stroll. Homer sees his son is in trouble and wants his friends to help, but they demur in cowardly fashion. Homer confronts the enemy bully and punches him. The bully begins crying and runs off with his allies while Bart, Homer, and their crews walk back home. That night, Homer returns to normal and has sex with Marge.

Cultural references

The bully summit is a parody of the 1979 film The Warriors . [2] The song "In the City" by Joe Walsh, which appears on the film's soundtrack, plays over the episode's end credits. [3] The Itchy & Scratchy Show cartoon is a parody of Downton Abbey . [3]

Reception

Dennis Perkins of The A.V. Club gave the episode a C, stating "’The Winter Of His Content’ is the quintessential Simpsons episode for those seeking to argue the series’ late-run inconsequence. While there’s nothing less insightful than saying the show isn’t what it used to be, episodes like this are nothing but fuel for the argument—indifferent, lukewarm fuel." [3]

Tony Sokol of Den of Geek gave the episode 2.5 out of 5 stars. He stated that although there were some laughs, the episode was a bit tired. [2]

The episode received a 1.9 rating and was watched by a total of 4.02 million people, making it the second most watched show on Animation Domination that night. [4]

Related Research Articles

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

Nelson Mandela Muntz is a fictional character and the lead school bully from the animated television series The Simpsons, where he is best known for his signature mocking laugh "Haw-haw!". He is voiced by Nancy Cartwright. Nelson was first introduced in Season 1's "Bart the General" as an antagonist, but later became more of an anti-hero, continuing to bully those weaker than him while occasionally showing a friendly and sensitive nature underneath. Nelson lives in poverty with his mother in a run-down home, and often shoplifts from convenience stores to get by.

"The Telltale Head" is the eighth episode of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on February 25, 1990. It was written by Al Jean, Mike Reiss, Sam Simon and Matt Groening, and directed by Rich Moore. In the episode, Bart cuts the head off the statue of Jebediah Springfield in the center of town to impress Jimbo, Kearney and Dolph, three older kids he admires. The town's residents, including the three boys, are horrified and Bart regrets his actions. After telling Lisa and Marge, Homer and Bart head to the center of town, where they are met by an angry mob. After Bart tells the mob that he has made a mistake, the townspeople forgive Bart and the boy places the head back on the statue. The episode's title and premise is a reference to the 1843 short story "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe.

"Whacking Day" is the twentieth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox 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.

"This Little Wiggy" is the eighteenth episode of the ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on March 22, 1998. It was written by Dan Greaney and directed by Neil Affleck. The episode sees Ralph Wiggum becoming friends with Bart. Phil Hartman guest stars as recurring character Troy McClure.

"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">G.I. (Annoyed Grunt)</span> 5th episode of the 18th season of The Simpsons

"G.I. ", also known as "G.I. D'oh", is the fifth 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 November 12, 2006. It was written by Daniel Chun and directed by Nancy Kruse, while Kiefer Sutherland makes his first of two guest appearances this season. Maurice LaMarche does additional voices. In its original run, the episode received 11.43 million viewers. The episode is a critique of the U.S. military-industrial complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">24 Minutes</span> 21st episode of the 18th season of The Simpsons

"24 Minutes" is the twenty-first 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 May 20, 2007 as part of the one-hour season finale, alongside the episode "You Kent Always Say What You Want". It was originally promoted as being the 400th episode, but was broadcast as the 399th. It was written by Ian Maxtone-Graham and Billy Kimball. It was Kimball's first writing credit.

"Revenge Is a Dish Best Served Three Times" is the eleventh 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 January 28, 2007. The episode was written by Joel H. Cohen and directed by Michael Polcino.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milhouse Van Houten</span> Fictional character from The Simpsons franchise

Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten is a recurring character in the Fox animated television series The Simpsons voiced by Pamela Hayden and created by Matt Groening. Milhouse is Bart Simpson's childhood best friend in Mrs. Krabappel's fourth grade class at Springfield Elementary School. He is insecure, gullible, and is often led into trouble by Bart, who takes advantage of his friend's naivety. Milhouse is a regular target for school bully Nelson Muntz and his friends Jimbo Jones, Dolph Starbeam and Kearney Zzyzwicz. He has a crush on Bart's sister, Lisa, which is a common plot element.

"Specs and the City" is the eleventh episode of the twenty-fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons and the 541st episode of the series. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States on January 26, 2014. The episode was written by Brian Kelley and directed by Lance Kramer. The original title of the episode was intended to be "I Only Have My Eyes for You," a take on "I Only Have Eyes for You," but was changed to "Specs and the City," a take on Sex and the City. The Oogle Goggles were originally known as "MyEyes."

"Blazed and Confused" is the seventh episode of the twenty-sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and 559th episode in the series. The episode was directed by Rob Oliver and written by Carolyn Omine and William Wright. It originally broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on November 16, 2014.

"The Kids Are All Fight" is the nineteenth episode of the twenty-sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 571st overall episode of the series. The episode was directed by Bob Anderson and written by Rob LaZebnik. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 26, 2015.

"Bull-E" is the twenty-first episode of the twenty-sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 573rd overall episode of the series. The episode was directed by Lance Kramer and written by Tim Long. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 10, 2015.

"A Father's Watch" is the eighteenth episode of the twenty-eighth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 614th episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Bob Anderson and written by guest writer Simon Rich. It aired in the United States on Fox on March 19, 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.

"Bart's Not Dead" is the thirtieth season premiere and 640th episode overall of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It aired in the United States on Fox on September 30, 2018. The episode was directed by Bob Anderson and written by Stephanie Gillis.

"I Want You (She's So Heavy)" is the sixteenth episode of the thirtieth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 655th episode overall. The episode was directed by Steven Dean Moore and written by Jeff Westbrook. It aired in the United States on Fox on March 10, 2019.

"Screenless" is the 15th episode of the thirty-first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 677th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on March 8, 2020. The episode was written by J. Stewart Burns and was directed by Michael Polcino.

"Boyz N the Highlands" is the thirteenth episode of the thirty-third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 719th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on March 6, 2022. The episode was directed by Bob Anderson and written by Dan Vebber. The plot is inspired by the 2019 movie Get Duked!.

References

  1. ↑ "The Simpsons Episode Guide 2014 Season 25 - The Winter of His Content, Episode 14". TVGuide . Archived from the original on April 13, 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  2. 1 2 Sokol, Tony (March 17, 2014). "The Simpsons: The Winter of His Content, review". Den of Geek . Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Perkins, Dennis (March 17, 2014). "The Simpsons: "The Winter Of His Content"". The A.V. Club . Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  4. ↑ Bibel, Sara (March 18, 2014). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon A Time', 'Resurrection', 'America's Funniest Home Videos', 'Cosmos', 'American Dad' & 'Believe' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers . Archived from the original on March 18, 2014. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
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.