Bye Bye Nerdie
"Bye Bye Nerdie" is the sixteenth episode of the twelfth season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 11, 2001. In the episode, when she becomes the target of a female bully, Lisa discovers a scientific reason as to why bullies pick on nerds. Meanwhile, Homer goes into the baby-proofing business, which is threatening the businesses of pediatricians and greeting card salesmen. Kathy Griffin guest starred in the episode as Francine, the female bully. During its original broadcast, "Bye Bye Nerdie" was seen in approximately 8.8 million homes. Since airing, the episode has received generally positive reviews from critics.
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[edit] Plot
On an ordinary day at Springfield Elementary, Lisa attempts to make friends with a new girl, Francine (who is much larger than Lisa), but Francine beats up Lisa severely. Even attempting to share an interest in Malibu Stacy does not work when Francine steals and ruins Lisa's Malibu Stacy doll. Lisa hires the school bullies (Nelson, Dolph, Jimbo, and Kearney) to protect her, but they refuse since girls fight dirtier than boys. It is up to Lisa to investigate the reason why Francine is beating her up.
Meanwhile, Homer, fearing Maggie could die from touching things unsafe to her when he hears this from a baby-proofing saleswoman, starts his own baby-proofing crusade, selling cheap but safe and effective products and making Springfield safe for children. However, this causes the baby-injury-related industries in Springfield, such as pediatricians, to go in decline.
Lisa does scientific research on nerds, and finds out that the odor of chemical nerd pheromone "poindextrose" attracts bullies like Francine, proving that both nerds and bullies are predisposed to be what they are. Lisa then tests the "poindextrose" extracted from the nerds on Drederick Tatum when he visits the school, which causes Nelson to start punching him uncontrollably and also gives him a wedgie. Lisa demonstrates her experiment at Professor Frink's science contest, the "12th Annual Big Science Thing", using an antidote on herself and making Francine peaceful and friendly towards her, the antidote being just salad dressing which covers up the smell of the poindextrose. At the end, the salad dressing runs out and Francine goes on a rampage beating up all the scientists in the room.
[edit] Production
The episode was written by John Frink and Don Payne and directed by Lauren MacMullan as part of the twelfth season of The Simpsons (2000–2001).[1] American actress and stand-up comedienne Kathy Griffin guest starred in the episode as Francine.[2] The original idea for the episode, which the writers first pitched, saw Lisa attempting to punch Francine, but would miss and punch Principal Skinner instead, resulting in her being sent to juvenile hall where she would make illegal jeans.[3] The subplot of Homer entering the childproofing business was based on an instance when a salesman visited Payne and his pregnant wife.[3] In an interview with Star-News, he commented: "You hire this person to come into your home to look for changes you can make. They make you feel like the most horrible person in the world and that your house is the temple of doom."[4] NRBQ's song "Always Safety First" is played during a montage in the episode in which Homer is seen improving the safety of the infants of Springfield.[5]
[edit] Release
The episode originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 11, 2001.[1][6] During this broadcast, it was watched in approximately 8.8 households. It received an 8.7 Nielsen rating, ranking twenty-sixth in the ratings for the week of March 5–11, 2001. The episode was seen by a fourteen percent share of the television audience during the broadcast.[7] On August 18, 2009, "Bye Bye Nerdie" was released on DVD as part of the box set The Simpsons – The Complete Twelfth Season. Staff members Mike Scully, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Don Payne, Matt Selman, Tim Long, Tom Gammill, Yeardley Smith, Lauren MacMullan, and Steven Dean Moore participated in the DVD audio commentary for the episode.[8] Deleted scenes from the episode were also featured on the box set.[6]
Critics gave given "Bye Bye Nerdie" generally positive reviews. DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson commented that "While this isn’t saying much, 'Nerdie' provides one of Season 12’s better shows. Both plots work well, though I prefer the childproofing side of things; it peters out at the end, but it has some good bits. The episode keeps us interested and entertained."[6] Mac McEntire of DVD Verdict cited the scene in which the children imagine what kind of person the new student will be as the greatest moment in the episode.[2] In the July 26, 2007 issue of Nature, the scientific journal's editorial staff listed "Bye Bye Nerdie" among "The Top Ten science moments in The Simpsons", writing: "Lisa isolates the element in nerd sweat that makes them irresistible targets for bullies. She presents her data at a conference with luminaries including former surgeon general C. Everett Koop, a scene in which we find the true purpose of a science pole."[9]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Alberti, John (2004). Leaving Springfield: The Simpsons and the Possibility of Oppositional Culture. Wayne State University Press. p. 324. ISBN 9780814328491. http://books.google.com/books?id=n6vZJnxK1XYC&pg=PA324&dq=%22season+12+%282000%22&hl=en&ei=nhewTp_UF5SK4gT3y9HPAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22season%2012%20%282000%22&f=false.
- ^ a b McEntire, Mac (2009-09-09). "Buy The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season at Amazon The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season". DVD Verdict. http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/simpsons12.php. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
- ^ a b Payne, Don (2009). The Simpsons The Complete Twelfth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Bye Bye Nerdie" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Ballard, Allison (2005-08-21). "Wilmington Walk of Fame 'Simpsons ' writer Don Payne - Master of his D'oh-main Don Payne left the Port City years ago for Springfield, but he'll always be a celebrity in his hometown". Star-News.
- ^ Scully, Mike (2009). The Simpsons The Complete Twelfth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Bye Bye Nerdie" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b c Jacobson, Colin (2009-09-02). "The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season (1999)". DVD Movie Guide. http://www.dvdmg.com/simpsonsseasontwelve.shtml. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
- ^ DeMott, Rick (2001-03-13). "U.S. Primetime TV Ratings For The Week Of March 5–11, 2001". Animation World Network. http://www.awn.com/news/television/us-primetime-tv-ratings-week-march-5-11-2001. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
- ^ Lambert, David (2009-05-20). "The Simpsons - Season 12 Street Date, Detailed Contents & 'Comic Book Guy Head' Box". TVShowsOnDVD.com. http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Simpsons-Season-12/11928. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
- ^ Hopkin, Michael (2007-07-26). "Science in comedy: Mmm... pi". Nature 448 (7152): 404–405. doi:10.1038/448404a. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v448/n7152/box/448404a_BX1.html. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
[edit] External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: "Bye Bye Nerdie" |
- "Bye Bye Nerdie" at The Simpsons.com
- "Bye Bye Nerdie" episode capsule at The Simpsons Archive
- "Bye Bye Nerdie" at the Internet Movie Database
- NRBQ - "Always Safety First"; music used during episode
