Little Big Girl
 |
| "Little Big Girl" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
 | |
| Episode no. | Season 18 |
| Directed by | Raymond S. Persi |
| Written by | Don Payne |
| Original air date | February 11, 2007 |
| Episode features | |
| Couch gag | The Simpsons are stand-up paper dolls in their underwear; a pair of hands puts clothes on them, after which they smile and sit on the couch. |
"Little Big Girl" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons' eighteenth season, which was originally broadcast on February 11, 2007. It was written by Don Payne, and directed by Raymond S. Persi. Natalie Portman guest starred as a new character, Darcy. The title is a play on the Dustin Hoffman movie Little Big Man.
Plot
Throughout the episode, when Lisa struggles to find excitement and intrigue in her family heritage for a school presentation, she decides to take creative license (a concurrent plot for which the episode is titled). Inspired by Bart's "Indian butter trick" and the well-known kitchen curtains (with their stalks-of-corn pattern) Lisa claims to be Native American, from the "Hitachee" tribe, a name Lisa selects based on the brand of the family's microwave oven. The embellishment turns into a web of lies when Lisa is chosen to represent the school and her "people" at City Hall, then as a keynote speaker for the National Native American Tribal Council. She eventually admits she lied about her heritage, which compels others to admit they are not true Native Americans. Homer compares his daughter to CBS News in a reference to the 2004 Killian documents controversy. Lisa is spared prosecution because all other speakers confess to lying about their heritage as well. As their leave, Homer casually mentions that his great-great-grandmother actually was a Native American, and Lisa angrily tells him that it would have helped to know that earlier, but Homer easily defends himself by stating that Lisa never asked him for help on her family tree nor informed Homer of her intent to discover her roots.
At his farm, Cletus is milking his cow when he accidentally kicks over a lantern, prompting a series of Rube Goldberg-esque events that leads to his cow starting a fire. In contrast to the famously-rumored origin of the Great Chicago Fire, Cletus's cow also succeeds in extinguishing the fire, but Cletus drops his smoking pipe, leading to a Rube Goldberg-type wildfire around Springfield. Everyone tries to extinguish it, but it is not enough. At Springfield Elementary, Principal Skinner asks Groundskeeper Willie to get the fire extinguisher, but all of them have been stolen, as Bart has taken them to propel his wagon. Nevertheless, while Bart rockets around town, the foam released from the extinguishers puts out the wildfire. Bart is cheered by everyone and rewarded with a driver's license by Mayor Quimby (Only this one's laminated unlike the one he had a Phony Drivers License).
Bart starts using Homer's car for his own pleasure, but is eventually tabbed for family errands (mostly chauffeuring Homer). Bart flees to North Haverbrook, where he meets a 15 year-old girl named Darcy (voiced by Natalie Portman), who believes Bart is older. They quickly begin a romantic relationship and Darcy soon proposes marriage. At the Court house, Bart reveals his age, whereupon a shocked Darcy reveals that she is pregnant. Darcy admits that Bart is not the father - the real father is a Norwegian exchange student, who moved back to "Norwegia", and she wants to get married because her parents would be angry with her unwed pregnancy. Bart agrees to marry Darcy, and they drive to Utah, where marriage restrictions are looser. Eventually, Homer, Marge and Darcy's parents catch up with them to stop the wedding. Darcy's mother reveals that she is pregnant herself, and the family agrees to pass the two babies off as twins. Darcy and Bart end their relationship, while Bart (in his own way) assures her they will meet again, to which she agrees. Later, Bart admits to Homer that he looked forward to being a father, and they both end up driving happily while singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star".
Cultural references
- The title of the episode is a reference to the film Little Big Man.
Soundtrack
- "Powerhouse" by Raymond Scott is used during the sequence where the fire is lit.
- "Low Rider" by War is played when Bart drives to North Haverbrook.
- "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets is played after Bart's visit in the comic book store.
- "Polovetsian Dances" from Alexander Borodin's opera Prince Igor is played during Bart's fantasy life in Utah. This melody is better known as the basis for the popular song Stranger in Paradise credited to Robert Wright and George Forrest. Tony Bennett had a hit with this song in 1954.
- "Jessica", by the Allman Brothers Band is played as Bart drives out of the school during the parody of the opening sequence.
- The ringtone of Bart's mobile phone is "Für Elise".
- "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" as sung by Homer and Bart is currently in the public domain.
External links
