Double, Double, Boy in Trouble

"Double, Double, Boy in Trouble"
The Simpsons episode
File:DoubleDoubleBoyinTrouble.jpg
Episode no.	Season 20
Directed by	Michael Polcino
Written by	Bill Odenkirk
Original air date	October 19, 2008
Episode features
Chalkboard gag	There is no such month as "Rocktober".
Couch gag	In a parody of The Wizard of Oz, the family gets in a tornado accident and go from color to black and white.

"Double, Double, Boy in Trouble" is the third episode of the The Simpsons' twentieth season, and first aired October 19, 2008. Bart meets the rich Simon Woosterfield, who happens to be Bart's exact look-alike. Because of this, the two decide to switch homes; Simon enjoys his time with the Simpsons while Bart discovers his rich new half-brother and sister are out to kill him, in order to inherit the vast Woosterfield family fortune. Former NFL football great Joe Montana guest stars as himself. In its original airing, the episode garnered a strong 8.09 million viewers.

Plot

The episode begins with Homer and Bart at the Kwik E Mart. Apu attempts to coax Homer to buy the last lottery ticket on the roll, while Bart jumps around on top of the shelves. Much to Homer's anger, Bart's acts caused him to lose the chance to buy the winning $50,000 lottery ticket. Lenny arrives in time to buy the ticket, and he gleefully invites a sullen Homer to a rich, posh party at the expensive Woosterfield Hotel. Before going to the party, Bart unintentionally sprays Marge's new dress with cat pee which Bart says "used to be" water, angering her as well as Homer. Whilst they are in the car Homer reminds Marge why Bart is naughty. It turns out that when Marge was pregnant with Bart, she had a sip of alcohol and it hit Bart, thus he became naughty. At the party, Bart hides in the back, concocting a plan to destroy the party. After opening all the gift bags, he releases the Vac-U-Bots, which run wild and cause mayhem, destroying everything. The police catch Bart; Marge, furious, confiscates Bart's dice-based board game privileges. Angry with his family, Bart rushes to the bathroom, ranting about how his family does not understand him. He is overheard by the rich Simon Woosterfield, a boy who turns out to be Bart's exact look-alike. Bart learns that Simon dislikes his family's attitude just as much as Bart hates his; in order to satisfy them both, the two decide to switch places, Simon going with the Simpsons, and Bart going to the Woosterfields.

Bart enjoys his new rich home, which appeals to him immediately (particularly Joe Montana, who hangs around the estate). Simon, however, is not used to the Simpsons' simple lifestyle; inquisitive Lisa begins to suspect that Simon is not Bart. Simon begins to dislike the Simpsons (particularly Homer) but upon going to bed, he soon begins to enjoy Marge's loving attention. Bart, meanwhile, meets Devan and Quenley, his new half-brother and sister, who do not like Simon. The next day, the Woosterfields host a magnificent party for the rich; upon meeting Mr. Burns and Smithers, Bart asks why Devan and Quenley always bully him. Mr. Burns understands; he tells about his childhood, growing up as the youngest of a large wealthy family, and that since his other siblings died (mostly of potato poisonings) he inherited the family money. With shock, Bart realizes that Devan and Quenley are plotting his death. Bart is angered when he realizes Simon set him up.

Lisa quickly figures out that Simon is not Bart, and forces him to admit to the family about his identity. Simon tells the Simpsons that Bart is in real danger: Devan and Quenley had taken him on a ski trip in Aspen, hoping to kill him there. After pushing Bart down the hill for experienced skiers, Devan and Quenley become excited that Simon will be dead, so they split the family fortune between themselves. The greedy Quenley, however, offers Devan a potato (implied to be poisoned). Homer successfully manages to rescue Bart, and takes him home. Simon tells Bart that he decided to return to his own family; when Bart asks what he will do to prevent Devan and Quenley's murderous attacks, Simon tells Bart not to worry about it. Upon going to bed, Marge tucks Bart into bed. After mulling it over, Bart decides "this is the life."

Cultural references

The title is a reference to the Double, Double, Toil and Trouble scene in Macbeth. Early in the episode, Homer makes a reference to Dennis the Menace. The plot is a parody of Mark Twain's novel The Prince and the Pauper. Apu makes a reference to Tales from the Kwik-E-Mart, appeared in issue #8 of the comic Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror. Lenny's generosity with his wealth is a reference to Timon of Athens. In a possible homage to the passing of Estelle Getty, Lenny sings the Golden Girls theme "Thank You for Being a Friend" by Andrew Gold at his party. Simon mentions his horse Shadowfax, which is a reference to Gandalf's horse in the The Lord of the Rings. Marge's song, Scrubbin' You, is sung to the tune of Minnie Riperton's Lovin' You. In Simon's neighborhood, full of McMansions, appear Grey's Anatomy characters Derek Shepherd (McDreamy) and Mark Sloan (McSteamy).

Reception

The episode had an approximate 8.09 million viewers, an improvement from the previous episode. Robert Canning of IGN said, "It was a far from groundbreaking episode, to be sure, but our familiarity of the characters and the fair amount of laughs made for yet another pleasurable viewing experience". He went on to say, "The story as a whole was interesting and the jokes were funny enough to elicit several audible guffaws" and rated the episode a 7.8 out of 10. Erich Asperschlager of TV Verdict said, "'Double Double' scores a solid B on the laugh-o-meter. While there weren't many guffaws, I chuckled more than a few times."