"The Bart Wants What it Wants" is the eleventh episode of The Simpsons' thirteenth season. The episode aired on February 17, 2002.
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Plot
The episode begins with Homer in the car because he stole the Olympic torch and all the administrators are being persecuted. Marge finally, gives the torch to the administrators, but it hits the helicopters that the pursuers were in. The family go to a private school-held carnival, where Bart meets Greta, Rainier Wolfcastle's daughter (voiced by Reese Witherspoon). Greta develops a crush on the oblivious Bart, and the whole family begins enjoying the royal treatment her father, Rainier, provides them. However, Lisa discovers Bart not taking Greta seriously, after skipping her school dance to watch Principal Skinner bomb at an open mic comedy night. Upon Lisa's advice, Bart breaks up with Greta.
After losing her, Bart discovers that he actually wanted to be with Greta and goes to her house to asks her to come back to him. To his surprise, Greta had already started a new relationship with Milhouse. Greta goes to Canada with Milhouse during her father's movie shooting, and Bart follows her to Canada. At the movie set, Bart confronts Milhouse and they get into a fight, crashing into sets and ruining props. They end up in front of Greta, demanding her to choose between them, and Greta turns both boys down due to loss of interest in the two. The boys reconcile and join Canada's basketball team.
Production
Although the episode was written by John Frink and Don Payne, the idea was pitched by Joel H. Cohen and Tim Long, both of whom are Canadian.[1]
Cultural references
- Principal Skinner can be heard to say that the periodic table at Springfield Elementary "...has been cut back to 16 elements. All of them lanthanides!" However, there are in fact only 14 lanthanide elements. Whether this was a goof, an element of the bizarre humour common to The Simpsons, or a deliberate joke based around the low quality of the teaching at Springfield Elementary is unclear.
- Maggie can be seen playing with a plush toy of Bongo, the one-eared rabbit from Matt Groening's Life in Hell comic strip.
- When Marge makes a cooking suggestion to Wolfgang Puck, he immediately heads to the "Puck-mobile" to test it to the music of the 1960s Batman television series.
- Milhouse yells 'Whassup?' twice which comes from various Budweiser commercials. Milhouse can also be heard saying this during the Gracie Films logo in this episode.
- One of the studios Bart passes by is filming "Canadian Graffiti" which is a parody of the George Lucas movie American Graffiti. Graffiti consists of "Obey the Rules!"
- The first time Principal Skinner performs at the comedy club, a bass line plays much like many episodes of Seinfeld. The second time Skinner performs, a slightly modified version of the exact Seinfeld theme plays.
- Milhouse's line "Take off hoser!" is a reference to Bob & Doug McKenzie.
- The music playing when the family arrives in Toronto is "Take Off" by Bob and Doug McKenzie, featuring Rush lead singer, Geddy Lee.
- Rainier Wolfcastle saying "Remember when I said I would eat you last? I lied!" to the piece of pie on the dinner table, is a parody of the movie Commando when Arnold Schwarzenegger says "Remember when I said I would kill you last? I lied!"
- Lisa's determination not to be a "Gamecock" indicates her unwillingness to attend the University of South Carolina, whose mascot is the Gamecocks.
- The title is a play on Woody Allen's remark concerning his controversial affair with the adopted daughter of his ex-wife, Mia Farrow: "The heart wants what it wants" (also the title of the interview in which it appeared).[2]
- The "Paramountie Studios" logo is a parody of the Paramount Studios.
Reception
The episode received a mediocre review in the Toronto Star. Reviewer Hannah Sung said it "wasn't entirely bad, but the payoff didn't match the hype". She said that the third act in the city of Toronto was a disappointment and "really just a sloppy amalgamation of every Canadian joke we've ever been told by Americans that lose their punch after the millionth time."[3]
References
- ^ "Two Canadians suggested bringing Simpsons to Toronto". The Kithener Record. 2002-02-16. p. C6.
- ^ "The Heart Wants What It Wants" at time.com
- ^ Hannah Sung (2002-02-19). "The Simpsons in Toronto a boring cliché". Toronto Star. p. F02.
External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: "The Bart Wants What It Wants" |
- "The Bart Wants What It Wants" episode capsule at The Simpsons Archive
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