I'm actually jumping ahead and doing a post about a more recent episode of "The Simpsons" from like when I'm posting this- aired on the Sunday the same week. (Wow!) I'm going through the post season 9 episodes of the series since I was never a hard line it dies after season 9 person, but also lost some favor in watching it around season 27 or something around then. I've watched in and out and was looking for an episode from the current season (2022-23) season 34 to write about. This episode aired on Sunday and it's episode 15 of the season : "Bartless".
Interestingly the episode starts with Millhouse and Bart reading to younger children, and Bart is reading a story and doesn't like it and makes it better for her. The interaction is nice, he draws on the book and makes a story more entertaining for the little girl. This episode is going to be a fun outing for the character of Bart and charm of him that sometimes gets lost when talking about him.
They're reading the credits/ Copyright Disney
He does end up inspiring a bunch little kids drawing in books and he gets in trouble for that. Homer and Marge aren't happy. I kind of also find it kind of funny how Marge and Homer are mad at a really something that's wasn't like a super Bart prank that we've seen before. This episode weaves a story and it is doing it well, but the pieces have to come together to make it work. (Need to calm down a bit)
You'd think Bart's teacher, (Bart has new teacher, in case you are also walking into the Simpsons and wondering what they did after Edna and a few other things going on), would also be annoyed by that, she shows that Bart actually helped the little kids love books and reading. I like the play with the teacher also being helpful in this situation. (Love the old fashioned cartoon gag of Ralph drawing a stairway in a wall) Are Homer and Marge in the wrong? I'm going to say there's not wrong and right, it's more that they are used to Bart doing things wrong and reacted on the knowledge, but seeing that is very low level and not even a prank thing was helpful, they kind of needed someone else that wasn't Bart to tell them. I like that because that can happen and it's very well done here.
I then like how Marge and Homer are wondering if they like their son. There's a difference between like and love and it's showing they love him and want him to be his best, but they feel they don't like him. There's some good substance to this. They make a wish to see him like others do, and that's again something I think works well. It's a very well done look at these two characters as parents and how they view things.
The episode cuts to where the two wake up in a fancy house and only have two kids- Maggie and Lisa. This is like a "It's a Wonderful Life" plot but not fully it's around that ball park, but probably can't count it as a full thing and that's good, I like the idea being played around with.
The Simpsons.. minus one. yes I pressed it here/ Copyright Disney
Here's another puzzle piece, there's a lot that could go wrong with this plot, and it's a very thin line, so the idea has to be executed in a very interesting way or in away that doesn't feel like it's taking the character that's been removed and beating up on them, You could go mad like the Rugrats episode where Chuckie wishes he wasn't born. (That's a high tier episode) The episode shows The Simpsons without Bart have a way different life and seem to be doing better in money and stuff. There's some good touches to that. Older episodes showed that Homer had to take a job he didn't like because Bart un tactfully said was unplanned. This parallel world they'd have more planning and a different life.
You also should notice the little things in the episode , like Lisa having a doll in a box, when she sleeps and wakes up and puts them with other dolls in boxes. Marge has a job at a veterinary hospital and apparently it's like Grey's General ER Hospital. Where's she working as a doctor and wants to do actual doctor stuff. Homer runs the score board thing at a baseball stadium. He wants to have the noise reach 100.
They also do some slight other changes like how Homer doesn't drink so much and Skinner has a good life now. The episode did a good job of setting up their new lives or different lives. and then also showing some problems they have in this life. That's a good showing because it shows that there's maybe no such thing as a full perfect life. (except the life of a dog)
Then, Homer hits a boy.... Bart gets hit by a car. (Had to be done) This Bart is still Bart, but not a Simpson and has amnesia because sure. They decide to take Bart in until they can figure out his family and stuff. This is were the episode gets a bit more spiced up. Bart interacts as Bart but being brought into a Simpsons where he's not makes interesting interactions and reactions. He sees that Lisa doesn't play with her dolls outside the box. Other things, he's more disruptor and does some things they aren't used to.
So works well to show that Bart does some things that might be a little off the wall to bad, but they find a way to make it work and finesse to show a switch out. Bart is with Homer at work to press the scoreboard stuff and Bart helps Homer get to 100% noise. Marge handles her work problem by yelling at her co-workers and tells them to eat her shorts and gets some order. (We get Marge saying Eat my Shorts)
Later, Bart helps Lisa out and shows her "Itchy and Scratchy" short , a well animated one. The parents notice they've noticed Lisa have a genuine laugh before. It's thanks to Bart. The episode calls back to the start where Bart defaces a book for Maggie to be entertained. Then, Wiggum shows up to take Bart away. There's a nice moment with him saying goodbye. Later Marge and Homer run after the police car and the episode returns to normal world where Homer and Marge go to Bart's room and tell him they like him and appreciate him.
same / Copyright Disney
This is a great Bart appreciation episode. There's a lot of fun to his character and this episode also shows his layers and that he also brings a little spice to the family. They need him and he needs them. The episode did a great way of making sure it wasn't offering that the world was better without Bart and while The Simpsons had a good life without him, he brought them out of the problems they did have. The episode weaves together a great story and well done story with some heart and humor.
It's a good example of gems that the show can still put out and doing an interesting story that works well and puts its pieces together. If you are a big fan of Bart, this is your episode too. I think it did what it sought to do very well and made a nice episode that worked. Give it a watch you!
That's it for now , tune in next time when you see a world without ... uh olives.
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