Bart the Lover

Last updated

"Bart the Lover"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.Season 3
Episode 16
Directed byCarlos Baeza
Written by Jon Vitti
Production code8F15
Original air dateFebruary 13, 1992 (1992-02-13)
Guest appearance
Episode features
Couch gag An octopus-like alien sits on the couch, and then disappears before the family arrives. [1]
Commentary Matt Groening
Mike Reiss
Jon Vitti
David Silverman
Al Jean (Easter egg)
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Homer Alone"		Next →
"Homer at the Bat"
The Simpsons season 3
List of episodes

"Bart the Lover" is the 16th episode of the third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons . It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 13, 1992. In the episode, Bart, playing a prank on his teacher Edna Krabappel, responds to her personal ad as a man named Woodrow. In the subplot, Ned Flanders asks Homer to curtail his swearing, so Homer starts using a swear jar.

Contents

The episode was written by Jon Vitti and directed by Carlos Baeza. Vitti had wanted an episode centered on Edna Krabappel that examined what it was like to have Bart as a student. It was the first episode of the show to feature her in a prominent role. The subplot where Homer tries to clean up his language was written partially in response to the complaints the writers had been getting about the amount of cursing on the show. Woodrow's voice was performed by Harry Shearer, who did an impression of Ricardo Montalbán. The picture Bart sends Edna is of NHL and WHA star Gordie Howe. The writers had originally wanted to use a picture of American football player Johnny Unitas, but were unable to get the rights to use his image.

Plot

Springfield Elementary School teacher Edna Krabappel, feeling increasingly lonely and isolated due to the lack of a male presence in her life, places a personal ad in the newspaper. Meanwhile, a yo-yo craze hits the school after a troupe of performers demonstrates the potential of the toy. Bart breaks the classroom's fishtank with a yo-yo, landing him a month's worth of detention. During a detention session where Edna is not present, Bart rummages through her desk for his yo-yo and discovers her personal ad, ultimately deciding to respond to it as a prank.

Bart sends Edna a romantic letter using the alias "Woodrow" after seeing a portrait of Woodrow Wilson on the classroom wall. Using dialogue from old romance films as well as Homer's old love letters to Marge, Bart tells Edna what she wants to hear, increasing her romantic interest in Woodrow. When Edna asks to meet Woodrow for dinner so they can finally meet, Bart, intending to end the prank, responds by asking her to meet with him at the Gilded Truffle restaurant. Unwilling to keep the date, Bart goes to the movie theater next door to see a movie. On his way there, Bart sees Edna waiting for "Woodrow" and laughs. When the movie ends, Bart returns to the restaurant and feels regretful when he sees Edna crying at her table.

Bart feels worse after being unable to console Edna. Not knowing what to do, he finally tells his family about his prank letters. Lisa suggests "Woodrow" write her a goodbye letter. Together, the family collaborates on a romantic letter for Edna, with "Woodrow" announcing that he must leave but will never forget her. Edna feels better after reading it and invites Bart to spend his last day of detention outside the classroom.

Meanwhile, Marge notices that Santa's Little Helper needs a new dog house. Homer tries to save money by building one himself, but his attempts fail and he curses loudly enough for Todd Flanders to overhear and repeat the curses at dinner. Ned complains to Homer, who criticizes his mustache. Ned promises to shave it off if Homer stops swearing. Homer agrees to Marge's suggestion of putting twenty-five cents for each curse in a swear jar (as her father used the same technique to cure his swearing problem as well). Homer's constant swearing eventually puts enough money in the jar for Marge and Lisa to buy a dog house as well as a six-pack of beer for Homer for his attempts to cut back on swearing.

Production

Hockey legend Gordie Howe's likeness is prominently featured in the episode Gordie Howe.jpg
Hockey legend Gordie Howe's likeness is prominently featured in the episode

The script for "Bart the Lover" was written by Jon Vitti, who wanted an episode centered on Mrs. Krabappel that examined what it was like to have Bart as a student. Executive producer Mike Reiss pitched the idea of having Bart answer Mrs. Krabappel's personal ad. [2] It was the first episode of the show to feature Mrs. Krabappel in a prominent role. [3] The subplot where Homer tries to clean up his language was written partially in response to the many complaints the show had been getting about its language. [4] Near the end of the episode, there is a montage where Homer has a series of bad experiences that cause him to curse, although the scene always cuts out before he can be heard swearing. While recording Homer's lines for that sequence, Dan Castellaneta was told to include the cursing. According to Mike Reiss, by coincidence, some eight-year-old children were allowed to visit the studio the day those lines were recorded. Reiss recalls that "their eyes were as big as saucers" after hearing Castellaneta curse. [3] The ending of the episode was largely pitched by James L. Brooks, who wanted a scene where the entire family got together to write Woodrow's final letter to Edna. [3]

The episode was directed by Carlos Baeza. [5] In the background of the classroom, there are several portraits of past United States presidents. These were added for the scene where Bart tries to think of a name for his fictional letter writer, and sees a portrait of Woodrow Wilson. [5] Woodrow's voice was performed by Harry Shearer, who did an impression of Ricardo Montalbán. [3] The picture Bart sends Edna is of NHL and WHA star Gordie Howe. The writers had originally wanted to use a picture of American football player Johnny Unitas, but were unable to get the rights to use his image for free. [2] Howe, their second choice, was suggested by Al Jean, who had been a Detroit Red Wings fan growing up. [6] Howe's wife Colleen convinced him to allow the show to use his image. [7] At the end of the episode, Howe's NHL and WHA statistics are shown because the writers decided to try something different in filling a slight time under-run. [3]

During the opening sequence in which Bart's class watch a film about zinc, a character in the film tries to shoot himself in the head. The Fox censors objected to this, so the producers had to claim that the character was not aiming at his head. [3] For the name of the yo-yo trick that Bart performs for Milhouse, the writers had wanted to use a term that was slang for masturbation. They proposed several names to the censors, and "Plucking the Pickle" was the term they deemed acceptable. [6]

Cultural references

The 1950s educational film at the beginning of the episode is a parody of the old science movies that were often shown in classes when the writers were in school; specifically it was a parody of the 1940s educational short A Case of Spring Fever (later featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000 ). [6] [8] The Twirl King yo-yo champions are based on groups that companies like Duncan sent to schools to perform tricks. [3] King Crimson guitarist Adrian Belew's name appears on a paper Edna Krabappel is grading during detention. Bart sees the fictional movie Ernest Needs a Kidney, feautring Ernest P. Worrell. [5] Mrs. Krabappel flips through an issue of Springfield Magazine, which features an interview with the reclusive J. D. Salinger. Her copy of Playdude features "Updike On the Martini."The episode features a running gag, Reverend Lovejoy's exasperation with Flanders; Helen tells him "Ned Flanders is on the phone" and he says "If this is about that stupid quarter again..." After hanging up he says "Damn Flanders!" Rod and Todd Flanders sing "Bringing in the Sheaves", because the writers liked having them sing "obscure religious songs". [6] Todd watches a show based on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. . Ned asks "Is this all he watches?" Maude says "He used to watch Davey and Goliath , but he thought the idea of a talking dog was blasphemous." [5]

Reception

Marcia Wallace won an Emmy for Outstanding Voice-Over as Mrs. Krabappel. Marcia Wallace at 47th Emmy Awards.jpg
Marcia Wallace won an Emmy for Outstanding Voice-Over as Mrs. Krabappel.

In its original airing on Fox during February sweeps, the episode had a 12.9 Nielsen rating and was viewed in approximately 11.88 million homes. It finished the week of February 10–16, 1992 ranked 29th, up from the season's average rank of 39th. [10] The Simpsons was the second highest rated show on Fox that week, after Married... with Children . [10] Since airing, the episode has received positive reviews from television critics. It was named the eighth best episode of The Simpsons by Sarah Culp of The Quindecim. [11]

Bill Gibron of DVD Verdict said "Bart the Lover" represents The Simpsons "at its apex as a well tuned talent machine grinding out the good stuff with surprising accuracy and skill". [12] Gibron added that the episode shows that the made-up romance between Mrs. Krabappel and Woodrow "works because it's so painfully true. [...] How the kiss-off to Mrs. Krabappel is created and handled shows that The Simpsons has heart to add to its humor." [12] Nate Meyers of Digitally Obsessed rated the episode a 5 (of 5). He thought the intertwining of the two plots in the episode "works very well, creating a fast paced story. Bart's alias, Woodrow, is a delight to hear in voice-overs and Homer's antics produce many laughs." [13]

DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson said "Bart the Lover" stands out as a "very strong episode" because it "steers clear of most potentially sappy material and offers a lively piece. [...] The 'B' story in which Homer tries not to swear also swings and creates some great moments." [14] The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, said they "loved" Homer's suggestion for the kiss-off letter from Woodrow: "Dear Baby. Welcome to Dumpsville, population: you. P.S. I am gay." [1] In 2000, the staff of the Star Tribune listed their top ten episodes. "Bart the Lover" was listed at number four. [15]

In the July 26, 2007 issue of Nature , the scientific journal's editorial staff listed an education film seen in the episode among "The Top Ten science moments in The Simpsons", writing: "'Thank goodness I still live in a world of telephones, car batteries, handguns and many things made of zinc,' says Jimmy, a character in an educational film. When confronted with a world without zinc he attempts suicide but fails, as his zinc-free gun cannot work." [16] In 2002, Bill Brioux of The Canadian Press ranked the episode and its use of Gordie Howe as the top reference to Canada on the show. [17] In 2004, ESPN released a list of the Top 100 Simpsons sport moments, ranking Gordie Howe's image in the episode at number 34. [18] Nathan Rabin praised Marcia Wallace's performance: "Edna easily could have been a shrill caricature of a man-hungry shrew but Wallace gets us to care about a woman with precious few redeeming qualities beyond a desperate need to be loved." [19] In 2013, a Wired article written in response to Wallace's's death described "Bart the Lover" as "the best Krabappel (and arguably best Simpsons) episode". [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edna Krabappel</span> Fictional character

Edna Krabappel-Flanders is a fictional character from the American animated sitcom The Simpsons, voiced by Marcia Wallace. A 4th-grade teacher, she teaches Bart Simpson's class at Springfield Elementary School. In the twenty-third season, she marries Ned Flanders.

Springfield (<i>The Simpsons</i>) Fictional city in animated TV sitcom The Simpsons

Springfield is the primary fictional setting of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons and related media. It is an average-sized, fictional city within an unknown state in the United States. The fictional city's geography, surroundings, and layout are flexible, often changing to accommodate the plot of any given episode.

"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.

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

Nedward "Ned" Flanders Jr., commonly referred to by his surname, is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced by Harry Shearer and first appearing in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire." He is the good-natured, cheery next-door neighbor to the Simpson family and is generally loathed by Homer Simpson, though there are numerous instances where the two are portrayed as good friends. A scrupulous and devout Evangelical Christian, he is among the friendliest and most compassionate of Springfield's residents and is generally considered a pillar of the Springfield community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa's First Word</span> 10th episode of the 4th season of The Simpsons

"Lisa's First Word" is the tenth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It was first broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on December 3, 1992. In the episode, as the Simpson family gathers around Maggie and tries to encourage her to say her first word, Marge reminisces and tells the story of Lisa's first word. Maggie's first word is voiced by Elizabeth Taylor.

"Lisa's Substitute" is the nineteenth 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 April 25, 1991. In the episode, Lisa's teacher Miss Hoover takes medical leave due to what she thinks is Lyme disease. Lisa finds the teaching methods of substitute teacher, Mr. Bergstrom, inspiring and discovers an entirely new love for learning. When Miss Hoover returns to class, Lisa is devastated to lose her most positive adult role model. Eventually, she realizes that while Mr. Bergstrom was one of a kind, she can find role models in other people, including her father Homer. Meanwhile, Bart runs for class president against Martin.

"Grade School Confidential" is the nineteenth 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 April 6, 1997. It was written by Rachel Pulido and directed by Susie Dietter. The episode establishes the long-term relationship between Seymour Skinner and Edna Krabappel. Bart witnesses a romantic moment between Principal Skinner and Mrs. Krabappel and acts as a gofer for them. However, they later embarrass him and he exposes their romance to the public.

"The Front" is the nineteenth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired in the United States on the Fox network on April 15, 1993. In the episode, Bart and Lisa decide to write an episode of The Itchy & Scratchy Show; after their script is rejected, they resubmit it under the name of their grandfather Abraham Simpson, resulting in Grampa being hired as a staff writer. Meanwhile, Homer returns to high school to retake a failed science course.

"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.

"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.

"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".

"When Flanders Failed" is the third episode of the third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 3, 1991. In the episode, Homer makes a wish for Ned Flanders' new left-handed store to go out of business. The wish comes true and soon the Flanders family is in financial trouble. When he discovers that Ned's house is about to be repossessed, Homer feels guilty. He helps the store flourish by telling all of Springfield's left-handed residents to patronize it. Meanwhile, Bart takes karate lessons but quits after it does not turn out to be as interesting as he had hoped.

<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 4 Season of television series

The fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on the Fox network between September 24, 1992, and May 13, 1993, beginning with "Kamp Krusty". The showrunners for the fourth production season were Al Jean and Mike Reiss, with the season being produced by Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Television. The aired season contained two episodes which were hold-over episodes from season three, which Jean and Reiss also ran. Following the end of the production of the season, Jean, Reiss and most of the original writing staff left the show. The season was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards and Dan Castellaneta would win one for his performance as Homer in "Mr. Plow". The fourth season was released on DVD in Region 1 on June 15, 2004, Region 2 on August 2, 2004, and in Region 4 on August 25, 2004.

<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.

"The Ned-Liest Catch" is the twenty-second and final episode of the twenty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. The episode was directed by Chuck Sheetz and written by Jeff Westbrook. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 22, 2011.

"Black Eyed, Please" is the fifteenth episode of the twenty-fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 523rd episode overall. The episode was directed by Matthew Schofield and written by John Frink. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 10, 2013. The name is a pun on black-eyed peas and the band of the same name.

"Left Behind" is the nineteenth episode of the twenty-ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 637th episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Lance Kramer with a story by Al Jean and teleplay by Joel H. Cohen and John Frink. It aired in the United States on Fox on May 6, 2018.

"Diary Queen" is the 12th episode of the thirty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 696th episode overall. The episode was directed by Matthew Nastuk and written by Jeff Westbrook. The episode follows Bart’s discovery of his former teacher's diary.

References

  1. 1 2 Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Bart the Lover". BBC. Retrieved June 7, 2009.
  2. 1 2 Vitti, Jon. (2003). Commentary for "Bart the Lover", in The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Reiss, Mike. (2003). Commentary for "Bart the Lover", in The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  4. ↑ Groening, Matt. (2003). Commentary for "Bart the Lover", in The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Silverman, David. (2003). Commentary for "Bart the Lover", in The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Jean, Al. (2003). Easter Egg commentary for "Bart the Lover", in The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  7. ↑ Prewitt, Alex (November 12, 2019). "Lisa on Ice: Inside 'The Simpsons' Iconic Hockey Episode". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  8. ↑ "A Case of Spring Fever". YouTube . Archived from the original on November 15, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Briefing–'Simpsons' score big in Prime-Time Emmys". Daily News of Los Angeles . August 3, 1992. p. L20.
  10. 1 2 "Nielsen Ratings/Feb. 10–16". Long Beach Press-Telegram . Associated Press. February 20, 1992.
  11. ↑ Culp, Sarah (February 19, 2003). "The Simpsons' Top 25 Episodes". The Quindecim. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
  12. 1 2 Gibron, Bill (December 15, 2003). "The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season". DVD Verdict. Archived from the original on June 29, 2009. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  13. ↑ Meyers, Nate (June 23, 2004). "The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season". Digitally Obsessed. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  14. ↑ Jacobson, Colin (August 21, 2003). "The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season (1991)". DVD Movie Guide. Archived from the original on June 29, 2009. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  15. ↑ Justin, Neal (January 28, 2000). "Homer's odyssey – What a long, strange trip it's been for TV's longest-running sitcom, 'The Simpsons.' Here are 10 of our favorite stops along the way". Star Tribune .
  16. ↑ Hopkin, Michael (July 26, 2007). "Science in comedy: Mmm... pi". Nature . 448 (7152): 404–405. Bibcode:2007Natur.448..404H. doi: 10.1038/448404a . PMID   17653163. S2CID   4393052.
  17. ↑ Brioux, Bill (February 17, 2002). "D'oh Canada". Jam! Television. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  18. ↑ Collins, Greg (January 23, 2004). "The Simpsons Got Game". ESPN. Archived from the original on November 2, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
  19. ↑ Rabin, Adams. "The Simpsons (Classic): "Bart The Lover"". The A.V. Club.
  20. ↑ Maloney, Devon (November 5, 2013). "The Simpsons Bids Farewell to Marcia Wallace, aka Mrs. Krabappel". Wired. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
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.