Donuts on the Couch: Growing Up on Evergreen Terrace
Former college roommates Thom Partridge and Dr. Andrew Murray revisit every episode of The Simpsons through the eyes of two dads in their 40s, exploring the humor, heart, and surprising depth of Springfield one episode at a time.
Donuts on the Couch: Growing Up on Evergreen Terrace
Bart Gets an "F" - S02E01
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Season 2 of Donuts on the Couch: Growing Up on Evergreen Terrace begins with “Bart Gets an ‘F,’” an episode that finds Bart facing the unthinkable: actually having to study. Andrew and Thom revisit Bart’s increasingly desperate attempts to avoid failing the fourth grade, from bluffing his way through a book report to recruiting Martin Prince as a study partner—and getting thoroughly distracted along the way.
They also look at the episode through adult and parental eyes, talking about school struggles, shame, the questionable wisdom of Springfield’s school psychiatrist, and what it means when kids are genuinely trying but still falling short. Plus: childhood arcade memories, “Big Gorilla Night,” soup skin, Bart’s refrigerator art, and one of the show’s earliest genuinely moving endings.
Grab a donut and have a seat on the couch. Welcome to Donuts on the Couch. Growing up on Evergreen Terrace. Yet another Simpsons Rewatch Podcast.
SPEAKER_00Just another Simpsons Rewatch podcast. Hey, yeah, welcome back. If you're joining us for the first time, welcome. This is uh Andrew Murray, Dr. Andrew Murray, and myself, Tom Partridge. We're old college roommates, and we um always enjoyed watching The Simpsons. And now we're dads in our 40s, and we're kind of looking back at uh the Simpson episodes to see what's changed from when we were a kid, what we appreciate now, how it relates to our life, the the dynamics of the characters in the show, and just just getting together to chat and enjoy the episode. Um, and we welcome everyone to listen in. Andrew, you have anything to add here? Nothing. No, nothing.
SPEAKER_01It's an opportunity for uh, yeah, Tom, Tom and myself to talk about this stuff and just sort of reconnect and um you know, thinking about the mental health benefits of male companionship without it getting too weird and all of that. So yes, we're here to you know kind of have a good time and talk about these things. It's just funny thinking about like the different stages of our life so that we we've watched The Simpsons and we watched episodes together in our early 20s. Um, and so we have these like complex relationships with these characters and the stories that were told through the years. So if you if you haven't had a chance, you can go back and listen to season one, which was an introduction uh to the show and uh the introduction to the Simpsons family, the Simpson universe, and season two kind of takes the ball from there and sort of runs with it and continues to to uh expand this world of Springfield.
SPEAKER_00There's gonna be a fun season, and today we get to dive into season two, episode one. Bart gets an F. Tom, I I have a confession. Oh no.
SPEAKER_01Did you think I got an F? I've seen you get Fs, Tom. Um, um we talked before about how on rewatches in the past we kind of skipped through season one. Um, and I mostly skipped through season two, I would say, for a long time. Um, thinking back to when I had them on DVDs, like I would usually only put the last DVD in. And for some reason, it should it is a shame. Yeah, I agree. In my 20s, it it did feel like the show hit its stride on the last episode of this season, Three Men in a Comic Book. So that would be the one that I would start with on my rewatches. And as we've sort of seen, uh again, rewinding back into season one, there's really so much like heart and writing that goes into that first season, the early storytelling, that I'm really excited to do this rewatch because a lot of these episodes in season two I really haven't watched in probably 15, 20 years.
SPEAKER_00Is this your long, elaborate way of saying I've prepped for the wrong episode?
SPEAKER_01No, I believe that we are on season two, episode one, Bart gets an F. Is that correct?
SPEAKER_00Uh yes, yes. Uh season two, episode one, Bart gets an F. Uh Yeah, it's uh it's you know, we start off, we start off every every one of our episodes talking about you know the intro with the shock gag and the couch gag, but this intro was more they changed it from Core. That's right. And I found that it I feel like it looks at the world through Bart's eyes.
SPEAKER_01I like that. Okay.
SPEAKER_00I've just you know, we see some of the major changes. We'll get to the couch and shock, whenever um some of the major changes is instead of you know taking a skateboard by the bus stop, he goes by uh storefronts and he passes by Maud Flanders at the Christian bookstore.
SPEAKER_01He passes by was it Maud Flanders or was that Lovejoy's wife?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you are correct, sir. My my my my mistake. We haven't met Maud yet. Um I just saw a random lady, and I was like, wait, is that Maud?
SPEAKER_01A really disappearing middle-aged woman.
SPEAKER_00Yes, yes. You are right. That is uh that is uh Reverend Lovejoy's uh wife. And I should what for one be thinking of the children as she should be thinking in later in later seasons. Uh we see a Pooh with a small dog, um, small angry dog on a little bit. Yeah. Uh Barney is burping with bottles next to him in front of Mo's Tavern. We see Jacques with the bowling ball. Jacques, which, you know, uh appeared in season one episode Life of the Facts. Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01But it makes it seem like an important character.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Exactly. Uh we see Krusty on all the TVs at some sort of electronic store. We see Bleeding Gums Murphy, who again we haven't seen very much of. Um, he was in Moaning Lisa of season one, and we see Chief Wigum, who has become a recurring character. And then very quickly, at towards the end of the I had to, I had to pause this thing three or four times. After you know, Maggie and um and Marge beep the horn at the same time, it quickly pans to The Simpsons House. It's a big flash. But in that big flash, we see a playground scene where it looks like some of the boys are playing baseball, but there's also Nelson, Jimbo, and Kearney bullying people, including Martin Prince. There's a there's a kid who's been stuffed into a trash can. You see Patty and Selma with their laying laying down next to these boys playing baseball in the park in their big in their bikinis on towels, which was reminiscent of season one when they were showing their vacation slides. You see Dr. Marvin Monroe standing next to Dr. Hibbert in front of the bus, and auto is there, and Wendell is popping out of the bus. Um and you and auto, yeah, yeah, auto's nearby, and then there's all the police officers, and then it finally pins, and you see the Flanders house, and then it gets to where Homer is running into the house, you know, pulling in and running into the house. So it feels very much like this is Burst World. These are all the adults in Bart's life. Um I don't know. I found it found it interesting.
SPEAKER_01It's more purposeful in having characters that you recognize. I think the first season there's more like, you know, basic generic characters. You don't know who they are, they never turn into characters in the show. Um, but they they've now built up enough that they can populate the background with all sorts of different characters that we actually know who they are. And that's part of the cool immersion into this world. Like you you know everybody in town.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. And you know, you might say in a way that we're growing up with Evergreen Terrace. In Springfield. Yes, yes. So I like what they say the name of the show in the show.
SPEAKER_01Another observation, Tom, is uh Howard's Flowers is gone. Uh along with semi-painless dentistry is gone. I replaced all yes. I I don't know, a candy shop that also says dandy, but I can't actually get what the act what the title of it is.
SPEAKER_00Yes, I think candy is dandy.
SPEAKER_01I don't know if it is or isn't, but uh I like that I overthought that. And you know, you probably got it square on the nose.
SPEAKER_00And I think it's I it it's I think it's very ironic and purposeful that maybe maybe semi-painless dentistry has gone out of business and they've replaced it with the sweet tooth. Ooh, okay. Replaced it there. You know, they're like, you know what, screw this, we can't deal with all this stuff. Let's just sell them what they want. Let's sell them to camp.
SPEAKER_01People follow their impulses, yes, don't they?
SPEAKER_00So uh I thought I thought that was really, really cool how they did that.
SPEAKER_01Um, so then we get a chalkboard gag?
SPEAKER_02No, I guess we do.
SPEAKER_01We see the evolution of chalkboard gags in the first season, and uh sometimes it's kind of relevant to the episode, sometimes not. This one it's I will not encourage others to fly.
SPEAKER_00Right, yes. Have you ever encouraged anyone to fly in inappropriate ways at on the schoolyard?
SPEAKER_01No, but I kind of think back to like as a kid, like having this idea of like, okay, I've seen people fly on TV, I wonder if I could. And then like trying to put the pieces together of like, could I make wings? And then like I would try jumping off my deck holding a box or something, and just not get uh not get very far.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I had a neighbor growing up who jumped out of his second floor window, and I think he broke his arm um, you know, because he thought he could fly. So that was very much okay, we don't fly.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, the gravity uh is consistently strong on this planet.
SPEAKER_00So yes, it certainly is. Um matter where you grow up. Um we see so to also we see a couch gag we do um where the family comes in. And this one, so last season, if you if you watched it with us or or didn't or need a reminder, it was very much it was a consistent theme of there wasn't enough room on the couch for everybody. Maggie would pop off, Bart would pop off, Homer would pop off. Like they were all fairly reality-based. Yes, they're you know, um, and now this one is still reality-based, but much more devastating. Um they all sit on the couch and the couch immediately crashes through the floor and goes down into the basement. Um, which, you know, we're talking some serious injury here.
SPEAKER_01This serious injury, yeah. Okay, I could see what you're saying as it's still reality-based, but I would argue that maybe they're trying to push it a little bit.
SPEAKER_00Oh, they definitely certainly are trying to push it a little bit, you know. But there's no aliens coming in through the window. There's no, you know, it doesn't pan out into a different space and time. Um but yeah, no, the the the chalk uh goes right down.
SPEAKER_01Yes, yes, which is good, which is what we want. That's right. So uh in the first season, you may remember that we we had kind of try to visit on the first line of each episode. Sometimes it was really telling of what was going on, uh, what the episode was gonna be about, some foreshadowing. In this episode, I I think it does sort of do that a little bit because we see the dynamic with Krebopel and Bart and even Martin. So you first thing we hear is is uh Mrs. Krebopel, the teacher in fourth grade, saying, Bart, and Bart saying, huh? And her replying, there will be no further interruptions during Martin's book report.
SPEAKER_00Yes, yes, and Martin is putting on quite the book report. Very dramatic, yeah. He has dressed up, he is talking about Hemingway. Um and it's it's wild. And Bart is uncomfortable, and he doesn't want to be doing this and and be brought on this.
SPEAKER_01But yeah, I love this like over-dramatic um old man in the sea telling that he's giving to uh the other students who like aren't that interested, but clearly Mrs. Krebopel loves it. Um a brief note uh sort of ties in maybe a little bit here with some of the themes that we've been talking about, was about Ernest Hemingway, who who uh passed away sadly by suicide um following a couple of hospitalizations at the Mayo Clinic. Um Yeah, so it's one of those things, sort of an interesting historical note. Um I I previously had worked for the Mayo Clinic as a psychiatrist. It wasn't anything that we like talked about there. I learned everything about it from Wikipedia or books or things like that.
SPEAKER_00Your training manual is just like reading the old manual.
SPEAKER_01Um anyway, great institution in uh uh Rochester, Minnesota. So excellent. Shout out to Minnesota. Hey, that's right, that's right. So uh so now it's Bart's turn to give his report, right? And his report's on Treasure Island. Treasure Island.
SPEAKER_00I read Treasure Island uh not as a child.
SPEAKER_01I read it a few years ago. Uh yeah, you you actually commented on this in uh in season one. You talked briefly about Treasure Island. I don't know if you remember that.
SPEAKER_00Um I I I went through a year where I started reading a bunch of the classics, and I think a bunch meant like two. Yes. I don't even remember what the other one was. Uh but yeah, it's a kid's book. It's you know, it's it's fun. But uh Bart is up there clearly he has not read it. Yes, and he's looking at and this is this is great because I feel like this is so relatable. He's trying to like give give a report or give a test about something that he's never done. Based on the cover. Yeah. Yes. Um, I actually did this in college. I don't know if you um know this. I had to I had to give some public speaking thing about ourselves or whatever and how it affected us and whatever. And I I gave a full-blown report about my summer on a lobster boat, um, taking photos from I think from our buddy Chris Curran um in college because he had done this, and I had all the photos up of the boat, none of me. Um, and uh I just told everyone all the life lessons I learned. Um and I got a good grade on it, and I didn't do it. So you never were on a lobster boat. I've never spent a minute on a lobster boat, let alone a summer. Um that's awesome. Yeah, no, I I think I gotta be, you know, I was pretty much a B student across the board, so I nailed it. So hit Yeah, hit it out of the park, then I'd say. But watching Bart sit there and be like, uh, he's holding up the book, and it's just a picture of a pirate with a uh with a parrot on it. It's just like, and the pirate, and he had a beard and an eye. He's clearly just looking at the cover, which is hilarious. Uh and Edna Krebopel, the teacher, is not she sees through it. She sees right through it. And she and she gives him the question of, well, who what was the pirate's name?
SPEAKER_01You said you read the book recently. Uh, who's the pirate in this book?
SPEAKER_00Uh Long John Silver.
SPEAKER_01Long John Silver. Okay.
SPEAKER_00And I only remember that because they say it later in this episode. They coach you through it. Um, I would I would have guessed Bluebeard as well. But I like the Bart goes in his brain and he starts thinking of all the pirates, all the famous pirates he can think of, which I think as a as a 10-year-old, famous pirates are a big deal, you know? Sure. Uh they're you know much less less of a big deal.
SPEAKER_01Did you ever have a pirate phase? Um, I think so. Yeah. Did you? I I didn't.
SPEAKER_00I don't remember having one. Um I I don't know, just the thought of treasure and gold and hunting down, like digging where you know X marks the spot is is a fun idea. Um I play on Xbox with some of my friends, and we play Sea of Thieves sometimes. And that's a pirate thing. It's a pirate game, yeah. Yeah, including naval battles with cannonballs and all this stuff. It's it's it's fun. It's very cartoony, but it's very fun. So maybe I'll have to you'll have to join us. Yeah, fun live streaming next week. Andrew or not. I will teach Andrew how to play Sea of Thieves.
SPEAKER_01So this earns Bart another detention. So we get a second sort of chalkboard gag, I guess, in this episode.
SPEAKER_00Which I liked, yeah. They had they have never done that before.
SPEAKER_01Um showing that it's a real consequence of uh when you know he either misbehaves or doesn't perform in class.
SPEAKER_00And he validates the chalkboard gag because you can now picture actually in these situations and then what he has to write. I will not fake my way through life. Yeah. Which uh sorry, Bart. We've all done it. I've done it. It's okay. I think most of us are doing it all of the time. It's okay. As a parent, as a parent, we're all faking our way through it. Come on. We the half the time I'm like, ooh, I was too hard on him. Oh, I wasn't hard enough, you know. Oh my god, what am I doing? You know, we all we always second guess.
SPEAKER_01This is you showing that you're thinking about what you do, though. And not everybody does that, actually. Uh you might be surprised. But you you reflect on these things and oh, should I have done that? Should I have not done that? And for me, I think that's what makes for a good parent. You know, you're gonna make mistakes, you're gonna yell. Um, it it happens. Uh, but but if you can learn from it and grow from it, I think that's important. The the other thing I get from it is um I apologize to my kids if that happens. Like if I if I've yelled or should have blew my top, which happens rarely, but it happens, and I talk to them about it. You know, I'm sorry, I shouldn't do that. I'll I'll keep working to do better.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_00No, I I I do the same. You know, it's we're not perfect. And um, I don't know. Maybe I guess I thought everyone kind of reflected, but you're you're probably right, people don't. Yeah, yeah, you might be surprised if I I like that our running gag is that uh this is just my own personal therapy session, and you're my doctor. This is great.
SPEAKER_01And he's accruing a massive bill. Uh anyway, so um Krabobels Krabobles is scolding him, sort of get you know, talking to him, and it quickly turns into the blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Bart stops hearing her.
SPEAKER_00Which I love, which is the very much peanuts and uh and the and and and yeah, just that type of the parents the adult world and the children's world are sort of different places.
SPEAKER_01There's also like a component of uh I think ADHD with this, where like attention just goes somewhere else and it just sort of becomes background noise, and it's not meant to be like disrespectful or anything like that. It just happens. Like people some people only have limited attention spans.
SPEAKER_00All I heard was all I heard was blah blah blah in my voice.
SPEAKER_01So she recognizes like maybe he's not tracking, and he and she asks, like, what was I said? What did I say?
SPEAKER_00Yes, and he goes, straighten up and fly right. She's like, it's a good guess. Lucky guess, yeah. But so funny. But you know, he's clearly been told to straighten up and fly right several times before.
SPEAKER_01And just saying that really doesn't do what uh people might expect it to do.
SPEAKER_00No, no, you can't you you know you can't just tell people to do things. Nobody wants to do better. Do better, tell them. Okay, I'll do better. I'll do better next time. I'll actually watch the episode next time.
SPEAKER_01You're still going on your uh memory from 1990. Yeah, yeah. But I have it all in the background.
SPEAKER_00Slow down, don't go too fast.
SPEAKER_01Oh, so so next it's sort of he's it cuts to him not studying. He's at the arcade playing Escape from Grandma's House. Yes.
SPEAKER_00And I would be playing that game too. That game looks great. He's in he's in the character has a little shotgun, he's in the grandma's house, he's trying to run away from his grandma, he opens up the closet door and he's like, Oh, evil mothballs.
SPEAKER_01Mothballs, yes. Yeah, I would say in the 80s that that was a big component of my grandparents' closets.
SPEAKER_00Uh so yeah, I I had a um, you know, we obviously just have two sets of grandparents just on the on the tree, um, whether they're in in our life or not. And uh I had I had grandparents on my father's side who were we were very involved with and went over there all the time and and everything. But on my mother's side, we didn't see them as much. And I remember that house was mothball central. Yeah. Oh my god. I I would just I I I I would I would be terrified of even going over there just because of the smell. Um and yeah, so I don't know. I don't like mothballs to this day because of that.
SPEAKER_01I just don't want anything to do with it. Yeah, important memories, things like it seared into our minds. So something dangerous about them. So so you know, he's he's kind of telling himself, okay, just a little bit more, and he puts five dollars into the machine to get change, which is a lot of quarters. I assume that plays you a fair amount of uh, you know, escape from grandma's house.
SPEAKER_00Well, yeah, especially back in 1990. We're we're talking this could be a five or twenty-five cent game. Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_01Well, um, all right, so then it cuts to them back at home, and the kids are watching uh probably the crusty show, but it's an itchy and scratchy episode. Yes, and Marge doesn't get upset about this.
SPEAKER_00Uh we've we've seen her upset with them watching this, um, but I think the family that has the kids have fully transitioned from the happy little elves to Krusty Clown show and and itchy and scratchy, uh, which is cool.
SPEAKER_01I think that's fair, yeah. So let them eat scratchy was the episode, right?
SPEAKER_00Yes, yes, and uh yeah, then there's a guillotine involved, there's all sorts of craziness thing happening. Like every episode, it's great.
SPEAKER_01Yep. And so Marge calls the family in because uh soup's ready and they don't want to get the soup skin. Um and then Omer's like, oh yeah, I don't like that.
SPEAKER_00I almost I almost like barfed when I uh when I heard that because I I'm not a soup guy. I know a lot of people like soups. Um my my ex-wife and her family are huge soup people. I was never a soup person. And but yes, that filmy skin that would get on top of soup, I just it makes me, you know, I I'd rather go to the mothballs. I just don't want to be involved in any way.
SPEAKER_01I would just like to say there's nothing wrong with the skin. It's just, you know, the um the liquid evaporating, which causes sort of uh concentration of the fats and proteins, and you can just kind of stir it in, right?
SPEAKER_00It's not a I will not listen to the the uh soup skin apologist over here today. This is this is not what I came here to talk about. That's my other podcast.
SPEAKER_02Uh skin apologists.
SPEAKER_01Uh so so during the meal, you know, but uh Homer's drinking his beer. Uh Lisa has some good news. You know, Marge wants her to be able to share. And you know, uh sorry, Marge wants to her to be able to share. And uh Homer is just focused on getting his next beer.
SPEAKER_00Yes, duff beer, uh the Springfield's finest. So um yeah, and I like how he she says, no, Lisa has stuff first. And he's like, I know, I want to listen, I want to enjoy just with a beer.
SPEAKER_01I just want to have a beer while I'm caring. Yeah. So she got another A on a vocabulary test. Really, no big deal, clearly, because all of her tests. They're all over the refrigerator.
SPEAKER_00Yes, except for one picture of a cat that Bart drew according to my calculations three years ago. Okay. Because it says first grade on it, and he's fourth grade. So and Homer puts it up there and you know says that oh, we can finally cover this cat picture up. And and Bart's upset because that's his crowning achievement, apparently.
SPEAKER_01It's a big deal. I mean, I know you got uh one one at home, but I've got three kids, and man, we have to be so judicious about the refrigerator space and like who gets uh what artwork up there.
SPEAKER_00Oh yeah, my house is just it's a bachelor pad. We just you know, we have just random stuff all everywhere. Um that's all his stuff, it's all my stuff. No wit no women live here. It's great.
SPEAKER_01I think that's uh there's some nice parts to that.
SPEAKER_00It's a mess. Come help me.
SPEAKER_01I'll send help to them. Um so and then uh Homer drags Bart after dinner to watch uh Big Gorilla Night on TV.
SPEAKER_00Yes, now Bart has to study, he has to hit the books, he's got a big test coming up, but he doesn't want to disappoint his father.
SPEAKER_01And um he tries to protest a little bit.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, he you know, but but Homer's not having it, you know. He's you know, this is it's girl, it's gorilla week, you know. Yeah, and and Gorilla the Conqueror is on tonight. Yes, which is like their version of uh um King Kong or whatever. Yeah, something like that. So yeah, and you know, he ends up at some point, he's like, Okay, I'll watch for another hour. You can imagine what time it's getting at the Simpson household, whether it's nine, ten, eleven o'clock at night. He finally goes upstairs to study, and Homer's like, Oh, burning the candle on both ends, eh boy?
SPEAKER_01Just I know, poor kid. And he falls right asleep as soon as he gets to his desk. Of course. And then Marge and Homer come up, and you know, Marge say, Why does he keep failing? And Homer's quick to say, well, maybe he's just a little dim, I guess. They're just so cruel. I mean, they they don't really give him a chance. Uh they they don't see that he's trying to study. Uh Homer's Homer's a distraction still. Um and and so it cuts to the next morning, and uh Bart's asking Otto for a favor.
SPEAKER_00Yes, yes, he is. And um, you know, he wants the he wants to see if he can crash the bus or something to get them to be late. And Otto has the perfect response for you know a cool guy role model, you know, and he says, no, I can't do that. Um they don't allow me to do that. But maybe you'll get lucky.
SPEAKER_01You'll get lucky, yes.
SPEAKER_00Which is kind of twisted, but I like it.
SPEAKER_01So so so Bart's still trying to get some answers from uh some of his classmates. He goes to Sherry and Terry, unfortunately, who give him uh incorrect answers um to the test, or uh potential answers to the test, I guess.
SPEAKER_00Yes, yes. They they see the entire thing coming, they know that he's not studying and they're gonna they're gonna mess with him. You know, they say uh instead of you know, they say one of the famous ships from the independence uh way back when, whatever they're talking about, who is the spirit of St. Louis, which we obviously know that's incorrect. Um they just load him up with wrong answers. And and a surprising twist when they get off the bus at school, Martin comes over to him and says, you know, very much like I know I'm your butt um they gave you all these answers that are erroneous, you know. You know, you have no chance at passing this test.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's unfortunate. I mean, first of all, he declares himself that they're enemies, which is so sad. Yeah. Um, but you know, he does the right thing and tells them, you know, you got the wrong answers. So then in the classroom, Bart's uh has to take the final straw and fake it, fake an illness again.
SPEAKER_00Yes, of course, which I'm sure we've all done. I do that, I do that at work constantly. You you do that on this podcast.
SPEAKER_01Oh, sorry, Andy. I'm not gonna be there today. I've got a moria phlebitis again.
SPEAKER_00Yes, amoria phlebitis. Um my favorite part of so they send him home and they and they diagnose him with this whatever a moria phlebitis is, but the um Marge goes up to the bedroom to check on him, and he can see whatever he wants. He's on his third bowl of ice cream. Oh, you must be feeling better. And they he she declares that his vision is back and makes Homer bring the television big body box of a television up the stairs to put it in his room.
SPEAKER_01In his room, yeah. Those are the moves he used to have to make back when there was only one screen in a house. And you know, if somebody was sick, they got the TV in their room. Yeah, I remember things like that happening. Yeah, crazy. Would you consider uh Miss Phipps, the school nurse, to be a character introduction at this point? Because it's the first time we see her. Uh, she does recur.
SPEAKER_00I think so, yeah. Um, you know, she's not, I don't, I don't ever have a lot of memories of her being a big character, but yeah, sure. She's she's in there, she's part of the uh administration working for Skinner, you know.
SPEAKER_01Um and getting back to Amoria phlebitis, it's a fictional illness, it's not a real thing. I know, I know.
SPEAKER_00Oh my gosh. You just all right. Well, you can just handle the rest of this episode yourself because I actually have whatever that phlebitis was called.
SPEAKER_01Um so yeah, uh Homer's still watching a gorilla show, which is also funny.
SPEAKER_00Um, it looks like a more comedic one, like a like a gorilla that's almost like a clown or something. Um but yes, so he brings it up and gives up his TV. Then there's a conversation with Lisa and Barton. I believe Maggie's right there, too. Yeah, um Maggie's Maggie's, they always just stick her in with the kids, uh, even when it kind of doesn't make sense that she's there. Yeah. Um, you know, and Lisa's like, everyone knows that you're faking. Yeah, yeah. You know, um which is valid because he is.
SPEAKER_01He also calls uh Mill House, right? Um to ask for the answers to the test. Um not directly, but sort of like trying to lead him into it.
SPEAKER_00Which is funny because I can't I can't imagine taking a test at school in that in that age range, yeah, having a friend call me and me being like, oh yeah, well, for number one, I got this, number two, I got this. That seems so, even at the time, just unrealistic. And maybe I was just wasn't that that bright of a kid, but I'd be like, oh, I don't know. I think there was questions. I it would be more vague. You know, I'd be like, do you have questions about this, there's a question about that. Not uh, what'd you get for number one? What'd you get for number two? I mean, this is this is hours ago. I mean, unless they took the test last period and they called him right after, who knows?
SPEAKER_01But I don't know. I mean, Milhouse does have glasses, so clearly he must be smart, right? He must be smart. So he quickly takes the test. They sort of show him in the classroom, like just checking off the not even reading it, just like writing in the letters or whatever. Um, Prabopo quickly grades it and and like can't believe he somehow did worse than Milhouse.
SPEAKER_00Right, which is funny because it it almost implies that he switched one of his answers just you know to to not be perfectly exactly like Milhouse. And it's the assumption that Bart thinks Milhouse got an A, you know, which is very not self-aware of his best friend, and and then to have switched one and still get it wrong, possibly switching the only one Milhouse got right.
SPEAKER_01Could be, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Geez.
SPEAKER_01Oh, so yeah, again, it does not pass. This this brings in the school psychiatrist again, Jay Lauren Pryor, who would a couple times in season one.
SPEAKER_00We've seen him a few times. Uh first time we've seen him without Skinner involved. Um I thought that was interesting. And but they're here to discuss that, you know, their solution for Bart's problem is to repeat the fourth grade.
SPEAKER_01Repeat the fourth grade. Oh my god, yeah. They do like he sort of points out that you know there's something wrong, he's underachieving, we're not sure why. Um, maybe it's a short attention span, and then it cuts to Homer listening to him, and all Homer hears is the blah, blah, blah. Blah, blah. Yes. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So it's clearly genetic.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. But the part that like makes me sad as a parent uh in this is they're asking him, hey Bart, what's wrong? What's wrong with you? Why aren't you doing well in school? And that's how they keep shaping it. Like they're supposed to be the professionals that are here to give guidance on how a fourth grader learns. And they're just asking him, why can't you learn?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. I mean, yeah, that's it's not that's some I worked in education for many years, and that's that's not how you do it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, but it makes him feel like he's dumb, and that's what he just confesses. I'm dumb. Um, and you know, that's a sad little moment for this kid because he's not dumb. He's just, you know, he's got issues, he's got some role model issues, all sorts of different things at home, and uh, there's all sorts of reasons that he's struggling at school.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, absolutely. And I do um I think at one point when they're talking about him repeating the fourth grade, I do like the comment that Homer makes where he's just like, well, at least he'll be bigger than the other kids. That that that will make them feel better, you know. Make up for it. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01I don't know if I like would have would appreciate that as a child, but I definitely found that funny as the adult watching this. So um so again, turns to his other male role model, Otto, right? Uh, telling him, like, oh my god, they're gonna make me repeat the fourth grade. And and Otto's trying to tell him to relax. I I repeated the fourth grade twice.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, twice. And look, and and and now he drives the school bus the school bus. As if that's like the achievement. Well, it's a it's a pretty good achievement, you know. It's uh it's a it's a very good profession.
SPEAKER_01It is, you know, it's a salary job, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I'm sure they'll all be, you know, automated and driverless at some point in our lifetime, but um just let the kids fed for themselves, you know. Exactly.
SPEAKER_01That's if they even go to school anymore. Uh yeah, we have had those windows of time where they didn't go to school, huh? I vaguely recall those days, but we won't talk about it. We're not here for that right now. Let's go back to the soup skin. I don't want to talk about that. But it it cuts to another daydream um where uh Bart's back in or sorry, yeah, Bart's in school, still with Mrs. Scrabopel, but now Bart's an adult. Mrs. Scrabopel is old, and she's again asking him what's the pirate's name in Treasure Island?
SPEAKER_00And uh, and and and uh it's very much like uh Billy Madison, just like an adult in the classroom. I mean he looks awful, you know. He's but he's but he says he's married, you know. My wife's nagging me, you know, he's got he's got real world problems, and he's just like, Why do you keep asking me about this stupid pirate?
SPEAKER_01Oh, he's grown up, he's got real problems, but still can't pass the fourth grade. His son Bart Jr. tries to help him by like telling him the answer, and then they both get detention.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, thanks a lot, son. And Bart Bart Jr. looks just like Bart, except I it feels like his head is a bit taller.
SPEAKER_02A little longer, yeah.
SPEAKER_00A little longer, he's a little skinnier. Yeah, I don't know why, but I think they were like, we gotta switch him up somehow. They did the old drag on on the animation.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, we don't know what the presumed uh mother looks like. You know, maybe she's tall and Nike. I'm I'm not sure. Maybe who knows? You could guess what they're trying to do from there. He comes too, and they're they're already outside in the playground. Uh, I like how that's like the daydream continues through like glass until they actually get outside. Right. Right. Um and then did he get hit by the ball? Is that what happened?
SPEAKER_00Um, I think it was like a oh no, I thought it just got tossed deep and it went over to Martin or something. He was reading in the grass.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and uh you know, by a tree, and Bart's like, throw the ball, throw the ball, and everyone laughs because Martin can't throw. Yes, of course. So he picks up the ball and does we don't see the wimpy throw, but it's clearly a wimpy throw. Everyone's laughing. But then Bart has an idea. You know, he's like, hey, this will work. I'll uh I'll Martin. Yeah, I'll ask Martin to help me pass this class and he will help me um no, he'll help me pass the class and Bart will help him be cool. Yeah, exactly. That's a fair trade, I'd say.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's brilliant. Um Martin doesn't really uh recognize it at first. He's not aware that he's not cool, but you know, Bart's saying I can make it so the other kids don't laugh at you as much. Um but Martin's like, oh well, I consider myself popular, and and then uh Bart retorts, like, no, you're not. Watch. And he just shoves them all. Shoves them in the ground and all the kids laugh.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, all the kids laugh. And he gets up, but he's still not sure. Uh and he's like, Oh, do you need another demonstration? He shoves them again and again and again. And then now it almost becomes like a okay, okay, I'll do it. You know.
SPEAKER_01Oh, so sad. I I was thinking about this as I was watching this, like as a kid identifying with Bart, right? Uh, because that's the point of the show and like where it sort of um was sort of customized for kids to watch and adults to watch instead of doing these parallel stories. I identified with Bart, but as an adult, like looking back at myself, like I was Martin. Like I was not Bart. I didn't do any of the cool things. Um, people would ask me for help in school and like you know, what are the answers on the test and all of that stuff. Yeah, I was clearly Martin and just did not know it.
SPEAKER_00Ah, see, I think I was more like Millhouse without the glasses, just you know, or maybe, maybe one of the other nondescript. I I felt like I was a background character in, you know, in the in the universe, you know, always there, always hanging out.
SPEAKER_01I I was the one laughing, you know, just enjoying what other people were doing. All right, you're you're like Lewis then, right? Yeah, yeah. I'll be I'll be Lewis.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Oh man. So so he brings Bart brings Martin back to his house uh to and Martin's wondering, like, well, what's your study area look like, and brings him up, and it's clearly a mess. Uh so he sort of starts by instructing him on like how to clean up and um and and they ride the bus together, and and Bart's trying to tutor Martin on, you know, you could if you sit in the back of the bus, nobody can see that what you're doing.
SPEAKER_00Yes, yes. Um, I I and I like I like uh Bart's tutorial kind of what to do with with Martin. Uh I wrote it down. I had to I had to uh um I had to put up the subtitles and whatever because he says that quickly, and it's oh so the potential for mischief varies inversely with one's proximity to authority figure. And he has written on his note card moc one over pa like it's an equation of how to be cool, yeah. Which, you know, controversially is the most uncool thing he could be doing right now. Uh in my opinion, if I'm your opinion, I think it's cool. Yeah, if I'm gonna sit here and make fun of an animated fourth grader, um, which I am, that's what we're here for. That's what we're here to do.
SPEAKER_01Because it's really uncouth to make fun of a real fourth grader, so we're gonna stick with the animated ones.
SPEAKER_00Yes, exactly. So um, yeah, so I don't know. It's it's kind of an interesting dynamic seeing Bart try to turn Martin cool and see Martin try to do a montage of it. Yeah, you know, and with on the other side, Martin is, you know, let me see your study space. And Bart's like, what are you talking about? Um, he's got a desk that's filled with dirty clothes and some stuff. Yeah. And Martin's like, You need a fern in here? Like, what do you have a fern in your office right there, Andrew?
SPEAKER_01I don't, not in this office. I I'm uh putting together my my professional office right now because I've had a virtual practice for a while and I'm transitioning back to a physical practice, uh, Andrew Murray Psychiatry and Psychotherapy in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Sponsor of this show. Yes.
SPEAKER_00Oh, unofficial or official? Do I get a check? Oh no, I'm I'm racking up my bill here. The company is donating time right now.
SPEAKER_01Um so um, yeah, so I I've I've sort of put together a plan for like where the plants will go in that space.
SPEAKER_00So excellent. So you will have some ferns. I'll have to get some ferns. I'm putting together my home office too, so I can do have a dedicated space for this. Nice. Um, yeah, so but no current ferns in my house. I don't have any plants. I have outdoor plants, but not indoor.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. I don't know. That's fair. You live in uh, you know, in Maine. There's plants around.
unknownYeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um, yeah, we've got some indoor plants, but they're none of it is my doing. Like my my wife brought them from wherever she was before we met and has continued to care for them and help them live.
SPEAKER_00Oh, nice. And they're still alive. That's good. Yeah, yeah. We have some at the office, and I I don't know. They don't look like they're doing very well. Your job is to not kill them. What is it with you and failing?
SPEAKER_01Oh, um, so the montage the montage going back and forth. They have like the gag where uh Bart's supposed to be studying and he has got a comic book on the inside, and Martin's supposed to be looking at a comic book and he's got the math book on the inside. Yeah. Um they do a montage in the mirror, they're making faces together. That was one of the things I remember sticking out as a kid. Like, that's funny that they're making faces. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um, and then spray painting or whatever. Spray painting the spray paint, and then he gives it to Martin, and Martin just makes this beautiful looking mural of the teacher.
SPEAKER_01Uh who he admires, yes. Uh I I also like when um uh Martin's like cracking the whip on Bart when he's highlighting in the book, and he says, you know, pretty soon you'll be able to try it with a real book.
unknownRight.
SPEAKER_01Just like learning how to highlight in a blank book.
SPEAKER_02I love that.
SPEAKER_00Um, yeah, no, it's it's a phenomenal little little uh pair they've got here.
SPEAKER_01But soon Martin learned too much, I think, is what happened.
SPEAKER_00It falls apart, which you know, Bart is a great teacher. Clearly, Bart's the better teacher, yeah. Yeah, so uh Martin becomes too cool, doesn't want to help with the schoolwork anymore. He, you know, because he's kind of the leader, he's taking the kid, taking his Bart's friend to the arcade, and they're all like over-exaggerating, like, yeah, Martin. Yeah, like um, yeah, let's hang with Martin. How quick they are, yeah. And that's kind of that's that age group, right? That's that's true. Things are fickle, very common. Um so Bart now has to take this test.
SPEAKER_01And he's got to study on his own, and he's trying to study into the night. Uh, feels hopeless and sort of turns to prayer.
SPEAKER_00Uh yes, he turns to prayer. Um, and uh what Lisa notices this overhearing it overhears it and she says, Ah, prayer, the last resort for a scoundrel. Um, you know, which you don't hear people referring to other people as scoundrels very often. Children rarely, yeah. Yeah. I uh I I'd like to incorporate the word scoundrel more in my in my uh It's mostly people talking about Utah. That's why you don't hear it. Oh no scoundrel Tom. Typical, typical. Well, that scoundrel Tom is is is in therapy right now. Give him give him some give him a minute.
SPEAKER_01We're free to have all sorts of uh identifications there. That's okay. But then then we see the snow start to fall, and then the hallelujah chorus starts to play. There's a miracle happening, you know, at the previous thing off.
SPEAKER_00Yep, he uh they get a blizzard. Uh you know, so there's no school. We don't know what time of school year it is. You know, they kind of it makes you know, but but that's that's gonna be a recurring theme for the entire entire series. Right.
SPEAKER_01The time and space is unclear.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01I think we're in this, it's almost like a groundhog day situation where kind of because they haven't aged in 40 years, right? Yeah, yeah. So the next morning, uh they're gathered around the radio again, right? Their Marge wakes up Bard and says, Hey, it's snowing, and uh they're listening to Bill and Marty on the radio. Two grown men who can't get enough of each other.
SPEAKER_00Which I uh I thought was great. Um, because I think it should be donuts on the couch. Two men who can't get enough of each other. Two grown men. Two grown men.
SPEAKER_01Maybe uh future seasons will be shifting that. I don't know.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I I immediately just saw that. Oh, that's like that's like me and Andy. That's what we do. Yeah, yeah, that's us.
SPEAKER_01Uh so the cancellations are getting read out, and you know, Homer's waiting, and they like slowly roll out the paper, the power plant is cancelled for whatever reason, which I don't think is actually a thing that can happen, right?
SPEAKER_00So then um, you know, the the very radio-esque, like, oh, and now for the school children, well, you've all been waiting for it. Take a look at this. Well, let's see. Springfield Elementary, uh, I don't know, I can't read it. Um, is closed. So of course everyone is all excited. Bart runs to go get his sled, and you see this mon you see this montage of all the kids running out and all the moms running out with mittens and hats, and being like, you know. Um but the kids don't care. Yep, no, they don't care out there. And then the mood is is shifted with this with this big force that's in front of the doorway. Um Lisa. Lisa Simpson is standing there and saying, You know, Bart, you prayed for this. Yeah.
unknownYou know.
SPEAKER_00You really can fade the tone of that very well, Tom. I appreciate it. It was very like, you know, such such a great moment of, you know, a snow day. We're gonna go out, we're gonna go play, everyone's gonna be out and having a snowball fight and sledding and all the things. And Lisa's just like Like, mm-mm. I don't think so. And Bart feels it. He stops. He's like, You're right. So he has to go up and study.
SPEAKER_01And he starts studying. Yeah. Because, you know, uh, again, uh Lisa's speech is is funny because it's uh she's a second grader, but talking about like I don't I'm no theologian, like uh God is a force more powerful than mom and dad put together. So again, that's like this mix of she's educated, but she also has the lens of a second creator where like mom and dad are still very powerful, like in in a in an impossible way, but God is even more powerful than that. Which is seems insane. Like, oh my god, how can you be more powerful than mom and dad? Yeah, I know. Um so he's Bark tries to convince himself he's not missing anything, and he gets to the books, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, he starts, you know. Um then we see him daydreaming about what he's studying, and it goes back to him being kind of in with the Continental Congress. Yes, right. Um, and there's some jokes in here too. I like where um it Benjamin Franklin invents the sled and it says, Don't don't sled on me or something on that, yeah. Yeah, instead of don't tread on me, um which is funny. And then of and then of course we we hear them breaking up because they've got a blizzard as well. So he's clearly studying and thinking about the blizzard, and they're like, Oh, blizzard in July, that's crazy. Um no.
SPEAKER_01Oh the the scene outside is uh it's massive, right? The everybody's just having the most fun that's ever happened. Uh, but they also revisit a lot of like the the minor characters from the first season, they sort of flash through a lot of these minor characters. Um, you see, you know, well, clearly there's the snowball fight between Homer and Burns. Kind of fun. Um, but uh you see Cowboy Bob out there, you see uh Jacques, you see Princess Kashmir, like all of these characters that you start to think as this is transitioning from season one to season two, like these are gonna be big players, I guess. They're always around, but we really don't see them again. Like there's a little bit parts for each of them as the time goes on.
SPEAKER_00Well, and it's similar to Dr. Marvin Monroe having like his own episode basically, and then be having bit parts that become smaller and smaller, like him being in the crowd during the Telltale Head episode is like, you know, oh, he's here. Yeah. Um but then you know, thinking back to when we were kids or so when we were now, there is one joke with uh at that Continental Condress day um, you know, daydream scene that is hilarious. There, someone from outside in the blizzard at that point is like, guys, everyone look. Uh John Hancock is writing his name in the snow, which you know, I don't I think I I don't think I caught that as a kid. I don't obviously don't clearly truly remember, but it's hilarious because we know John Hancock wrote his big famous signature, very big, and whatever. And and we also know what writing your name in the snow means. Yes. So just hilarious that that would be what's happening, and that's what they would be uh enjoying. And you and we forget these these a lot of the guys in that time period were very young. The Continental Congress representatives. They were they weren't they they weren't 40, 50, 60 year old men. Um they were, you know, they were they were in their 20s, if not younger, um or slightly older. But yeah, um just kind of a funny little gag they put in there.
SPEAKER_01So speaking of these like historical political figures, uh we get an introduction here, Tom, that I don't think we we have yet had of Mayor Quimby. I believe this is the first time we see him.
SPEAKER_00I think it's the first time we see him. He declares that it's uh officially snow day or something. Yeah. Um and yeah, they don't make a big deal out of it.
SPEAKER_01They just show him, but he's just there with his like sort of Kennedy-esque uh way that he speaks, and it's like it's it's distinct. His voice doesn't change as the show goes on. Uh they they like nailed it right there, and they just continue to use that uh thereafter.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, which is uh cool. It's you know, the they sneak him in and and they're gonna hold to it. They're gonna see him more and more I think probably as this season goes on, and and certainly future seasons.
SPEAKER_01So I I like how he declares it the funnest day in the history of Springfield.
SPEAKER_00Yes, yes, the funnest day, which funnest is not a word, but that's okay.
SPEAKER_01That's okay. It's a fictional world, it can be. I think there's something to that, actually, yes. Um, so yeah, you know, he he has this daydream, and basically he almost comes to like while he's taking the test, right? Yeah, yeah. Uh he so you know Kerbopel's quick to score it again. He gets a 59, which is another F. So high F.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. It is a high F, and she says that. Um, and she's kind of comforting him with like, there, there. I thought you'd be used to failing by now, you know. Like this shouldn't, like this isn't affecting him at all, and it's not different because he knows he's gonna have to repeat the fourth grade. Um, so you know, and then and then here is where we get um Bart saying, you know, he feels like George Washington and his defeat at Fort Necessity.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so well he's like actually like really crying about this, and he's really upset about it. Like this, like I think as we're doing this rewatch, this is the first time I really like felt something like visceral. Like, I feel very sad for this kid at this moment. Oh yeah, I mean, he's he's struggling, he's earnest, he was trying hard. Um, I don't know. As I think about that a little bit more, like, well, if he's trying hard and still fails, maybe that's more the reason that he should hold him back.
SPEAKER_00Well, that's true, that's true. Um, they don't hold kids back very much anymore, I don't think. There's a lot of social promotion. They think it's damaging to have a kid be much older than his classmates. Um, but at the same time, they do a lot more with, you know, individualized education plans and uh classroom supports, which is which is good um to help help kids get to be where they need to be. Um but yeah, did you did you did you know much about the um the battle at of Fort Necessity uh on July 3rd, 1754?
SPEAKER_01Beyond that topic? No, I did not know much about it.
SPEAKER_00No, no, I I didn't know I didn't know much either. Um it was a early skirmish in the I'm just reading this off Google. I didn't I didn't do a ton of ton of research, but I wanted to look it up. Your thesis was on this, right?
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yes, yes. I uh I also faked my way through that. Um early skirmish in the French and Indian War where young George Washington surrendered to the French and Native American forces, making his only military defeat. Um, you know, it was precipitated by Washington's earlier ambush of a French detachment at Jumonville Glen. The battle, the battle took place at a haste hastily built fort in present-day Pennsylvania. Um this is my favorite part. Um Washington signing a French document he couldn't read. Oh sign here, okay. Uh, which admitted to the assassination of Jumanville. Oh no.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you shouldn't sign something. You can't read.
SPEAKER_00Uh nope, no, you should not. Uh that's that's a good little bit of legal advice you'll get here. Uh, yep, just don't do that. Um but yeah, that was that was that. It's kind of interesting. It is 1954, though. I wonder how old, like, when was George Washington born? Let's let's go down the rabbit hole. He was born in 1732, so he was 22. Um, he it was you know, it was obviously late. Later on he was president, right? Yeah, but yeah, he became president in 1789. So what's 70, what's 89 minus 32, Andrew? That's how old he was. I don't know, yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_01That's a whole 50-ish. I don't know.
SPEAKER_00That's old enough, right? That's older than I thought. I thought he was a younger president, but you know, whatever. Well, he had all that that poofy white hair, right? Uh or is that a wig? I think it might be a wig. Did he have wooden teeth? I'm not sure.
SPEAKER_01He didn't cut down a cherry tree. Folks are we thinking of the same guy?
SPEAKER_00This is not a history podcast. I'm not saying anything we're saying as reality.
SPEAKER_01Um, we're do not use these for answers on your test. So getting back to the show, you know, Bart's now ecstatic. Yeah, or Koropol acknowledges, like, okay, you're using this in an applied way. I think that scores you some points. So now he gets a D minus, right? Yes, yes, he passes.
SPEAKER_00He passes. He immediately, and now this is it's jubilation. Yes, he jumps up out of this chair, he grabs the paper, he's excited, he kisses the teacher and runs out the door saying, I passed, I passed, I passed, I got a D minus, I got a D minus, I passed, I passed, and then the realization hits, and he's like, I passed, I kissed the teacher, which is which I remember as a kid. See, yeah, like that that line and that moment. Um, because yeah, as a as a tenth grader, kissing the teacher has got to be the most disgusting thing you can probably think of.
SPEAKER_01Just a quick correction, he was a fourth grader, not a tenth grader, because a tenth grader kissing the teacher is a whole other legal issue, I think. Um, yeah, yeah, yeah. We're here for it. Um uh this was my first like water cooler moment, I think. Like this is the first thing I ever saw on TV that I was talking about the next day with kids. I remember talking to uh Scott Fairbanks in uh third grade about this, and like that was the punchline of that was just so funny to me uh that we were just basically reliving the episode similar to what we're doing here now. Um but you know, it you know, as a kid, we were talking about what'd you see on TV last night?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well, back then we had what five channels and we all watched the same thing. So that's what happened.
SPEAKER_01Broadcast television in the Metro Boston area was uh pretty slim, right? Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00So uh but yeah, so that's that's the episode. Um I think it's pretty good pretty good.
SPEAKER_01Um huge transition, I would say, from season one to season two.
SPEAKER_00Yes, definitely. The the flow of this episode felt good, you know. The uh density to it. Yeah, the animation has stepped up. Um it's it's pretty good.
SPEAKER_01Uh even like thinking about it, like I I feel like you know, dissecting it kind of have to step back a little bit further than we did in season one, where we could kind of look at each line, but in this season, like they pack in like four or five jokes in each line, so you can't really recap every line the same way. You kind of just have to get sort of a feel for uh what's going on.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and um so one thing that we've we did for season one is we went over the IMDB rating of the show. I remember which isn't it, yeah. I don't know if you remember, but uh I'm sure our audience members remember. Um but they've just been waiting. Like, when are they gonna get to that part? Oh god, that part I could Google. Yeah, right. Um, so and it's obviously an imperfect system, it's voter-based, you can do whatever you want. Um, but for season one, the highest rated episode was both Simpsons Roasting on an open fire and Krusty gets busted, and those are both rated 8.3 out of 10. This episode, to lead things off in season one, got an 8.3 out of 10. So, you know, the the people have voted and say that this is this is right up there with the best episodes um of the first season, which I tend to I I tend to agree to because I think it's it's a good kicking off point. I know you said you start with the comic, um, three men in a comic episode, which I can't wait to get to now that you mention it. Um, but we'll get to that in months at this point. Um but uh yeah, like it's uh it's pretty pretty highly rated. And so for next week, when when we get there, uh we have Simpson and Delilah. Ooh. Which is an episode that I tr uh I don't remember as well as I should. It's the hair restoration episode for Homer. Right. Um, but that one again is another highly up highly rated episode. It's it's an 8.2, so certainly worth a rewatch and relook.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. So, you know, as you as you continue to join us on this journey, if you're listening in, you know, I don't know. Maybe you do you watch the episode first and then and then tune in, or do you tune in and then maybe revisit the episode if you want, or none of the above. I don't know. There's no right or wrong way.
SPEAKER_00No, there won't be a test at the end. No, there won't. Maybe people are just listening while we're uh while they're at work and we're keeping them giving them getting them through the day. I don't know. Giving them a reason to live, yeah. Yes, yes, yes, exactly. Um so yeah, so stay tuned next week.
SPEAKER_01If you want to keep going, turn tune back in next week. But yeah, fun. Uh I'm I'm so excited to get into really the meat of the second season as as we continue to move forward with this uh fun, fun project and podcast. Oh, donuts on the couch, growing up on evergreen terrace. Tune next, we'll talk to you guys next week. All right.
SPEAKER_03Growing up on Evergreen Terrace. Yet another Simpsons Rewatch podcast.