Springfield Up

The Simpsons episode
"Springfield Up"
	Homer singing with Declan Desmond at the end of the episode.
Episode no.	391
Prod. code	JABF07
Orig. airdate	February 18, 2007
Show runner(s)	Al Jean
Written by	Matt Warburton
Directed by	Chuck Sheetz
Couch gag	n/a (original airing); The Simpsons are cockroaches, who all scuttle away when the light comes on (subsequent airings).
Guest star(s)	Eric Idle as Declan Desmond
Season 18
	September 10, 2006 – May 20, 2007
	"The Mook, the Chef, the Wife and Her Homer"; "Jazzy and the Pussycats"; "Please Homer, Don't Hammer 'Em"; "Treehouse of Horror XVII"; "G.I. (Annoyed Grunt)"; "Moe'N'a Lisa"; "Ice Cream of Margie (with the Light Blue Hair)"; "The Haw-Hawed Couple"; "Kill Gil, Volumes I & II"; "The Wife Aquatic"; "Revenge Is a Dish Best Served Three Times"; "Little Big Girl"; "Springfield Up"; "Yokel Chords"; "Rome-old and Juli-eh"; "Homerazzi"; "Marge Gamer"; "The Boys of Bummer"; "Crook and Ladder"; "Stop or My Dog Will Shoot"; "24 Minutes"; "You Kent Always Say What You Want";
	List of all The Simpsons episodes
Seasons
	1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12; 13 · 14 · 15 · 16 · 17 · 18 · 19 · 20 · 21

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"Springfield Up" is the thirteenth episode of the eighteenth season of The Simpsons, which originally aired on February 18, 2007. It is based on the Up Series, a British documentary series that has followed the lives of fourteen British children since 1964, when they were seven years old, and returns every seven years to document their lives since.

[edit] Plot

Eccentric documentary filmmaker Declan Desmond offers an inside look at his work chronicling some of Springfield's finest for his documentary. Titled Growing Up Springfield, his film follows the lives of several Springfield residents, returning to them after eight-year intervals to examine how their lives have changed. Clips from the film show a young Homer dreaming of growing up to live in a mansion, have a pinball machine with "infinity quarters," and eight pairs of peanut-butter-and-jelly pajamas. Sixteen years later, Homer is working as a manure salesman, infomercial question-asker, and open-casket caricaturist, but dreaming of being a rock star. In an interview with him and Marge, he says they plan to have no children. After the next eight year interval, Homer has given up on his dreams of fame and fortune to support his growing family. However, when Declan Desmond returns in the present day, he discovers that Homer has become extraordinarily wealthy, and the family is living in a mansion.

Eleanor Abernathy, also known as the Crazy Cat Lady, at age 24

Homer explains that his newfound wealth is due to an invention called the condiment pen, which dispenses condiments in the same manner as a writing pen dispenses ink. Declan interviews Marge about her family's unexpected success, but she is unable to explain why the mansion's medicine cabinet is filled with "old man ointments." Suddenly, Mr. Burns bursts into the house, demanding to know what the Simpsons are doing in his summer home.

Homer confesses that his story of wealth and success was a lie. Declan begins to follow him around, wanting to find out why Homer felt the need to lie. When he finally gets Homer on camera, Homer explains that he wanted to feel like a success instead of "the guy who makes everyone else look good." Marge tells Declan off for hurting Homer's feelings and orders him to stay away. Declan suddenly begins to feel sorry for Homer. When he realizes that Moe is envious of Homer's life, Declan is inspired to re-edit the film. Declan puts together footage of Homer's friends and family talking about what a good friend, husband and father he is. Homer sees the new movie and realizes that he is successful after all.

[edit] Material cut from the original American airing

A new trailer for The Simpsons Movie aired during the original American broadcast, so several scenes were cut from the episode that aired on FOX. The entire opening sequence was cut and begins with a cold open of Declan Desmond's introduction, the usual "created by Matt Groening" credits are then shown over a shot of a playground. In subsequent airings, the couch gag from "Ice Cream of Margie (with the Light Blue Hair)" where the Simpsons are cockroaches is used in the opening sequence. The final minute of the episode was also cut, ending after Marge and Homer hug in Desmond's recording studio. The extended ending features Homer and Desmond singing a duet, "Satan, You're my Lady". The version that aired in Canada on Global the same night did not feature the movie trailer and as a result, the full version of the episode was aired. When the episode reaired on April 15, 2007, the cut material was restored, along with the original opening sequence.

[edit] Reception

Robert Canning on IGN named "Springfield Up" as one of the three "outstanding" episodes of the eighteenth season.^[1]

The episode has become study material for sociology courses at University of California Berkeley, where it is used to "examine issues of the production and reception of cultural objects, in this case, a satirical cartoon show", and to figure out what it is "trying to tell audiences about aspects primarily of American society, and, to a lesser extent, about other societies." Some questions asked in the courses include: "What aspects of American society are being addressed in the episode? What aspects of them are used to make the points? How is the satire conveyed: through language? Drawing? Music? Is the behavior of each character consistent with his/her character as developed over the years? Can we identify elements of the historical/political context that the writers are satirizing? What is the difference between satire and parody?"^[2]