The Telltale Head

"The Telltale Head"
The Simpsons episode
A guilty Bart watches as Springfield residents discover the beheaded Jebediah Springfield statue while he carries the head with him in his backpack.
Episode no.	8
Prod. code	7G07
Orig. airdate	February 25, 1990
Written by	Al Jean Mike Reiss Sam Simon Matt Groening
Directed by	Rich Moore
Chalkboard gag	"I did not see Elvis"
Couch gag	Bart is squeezed off the couch, flies out of frame, and lands in front of the TV.
DVD commentary	Rich Moore Al Jean Mike Reiss
Season 1 December 17, 1989 – May 13, 1990 "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" "Bart the Genius" "Homer's Odyssey" "There's No Disgrace Like Home" "Bart the General" "Moaning Lisa" "The Call of the Simpsons" "The Telltale Head" "Life on the Fast Lane" "Homer's Night Out" "The Crepes of Wrath" "Krusty Gets Busted" "Some Enchanted Evening" List of all The Simpsons episodes
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"The Telltale Head" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons' first season, and it originally aired February 25, 1990. It was written by Al Jean, Mike Reiss, Sam Simon, Matt Groening, and directed by Rich Moore. In the episode, Bart cuts the head off the statue of Jebediah Springfield in the center of town to impress Jimbo, Kearney and Dolph, three older kids he admires. The town's residents, including the three boys, are horrified and Bart regrets his actions. After telling his family, Homer and Bart head to the center of town, where they are met by an angry mob. After Bart tells the mob he has made a mistake, the townspeople forgive Bart and he places the head back on the statue. The episode's title is a reference to the short story "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe.

Plot

The episode begins in medias res - Homer and Bart are chased through the streets of Springfield by an angry mob while carrying the head of the statue of their town founder, Jebediah Springfield. Surrounded by the mob, Bart begins to relate the events of the previous day. Bart suffers through a boring morning at church and is forbidden to see the violent new Space Mutants movie. After church he runs into local troublemakers Jimbo, Dolph, and Kearney, and, wanting to seem cool, sneaks into the Space Mutants movie with them.

After being thrown out of the movie by the manager, the troublemakers shoplift from the Kwik-E-Mart, throw rocks at the Jebediah Springfield statue, and watch clouds. Bart remarks that one cloud resembles Jebediah Springfield, but without a head. His new friends remark that they wish someone would cut off the statue's head, saying it would be funny to see the town so upset. Bart is conflicted and asks Homer whether it is okay to compromise your beliefs to be popular. Homer tells Bart that popularity is the most important thing in the world, as long as Bart is not talking about killing someone. That night, Bart sneaks out of the house and saws off the statue's head.

The town is shaken by the crime. Even Jimbo, Dolph, and Kearney are upset, telling Bart that if they met the person responsible, they would attack them critically, as they did not actually mean what they said about the statue before. Bart begins to feel guilty for what he has done, and his conscience manifests itself as the statue's severed head, which begins speaking to him. Unable to go on, Bart confesses his crime to the family, explaining that he thought that being popular was the most important thing in the world. It was then Homer realized that he inspired Bart of his popularity advice that caused him to commit the crime in the first place. It was then Bart decided to return the head back where it belongs, and a guilty Homer follows along, feeling responsible for this. They are found by the angry mob, returning the story to the beginning. Bart tells the mob that his act has actually brought the town closer together, to which the mob agrees. The head is returned to the statue and everyone forgives Homer and Bart for their actions. Homer and Bart then leave, with the former reminding the latter that "not all lynch mobs are this nice."

Production

The idea to have the episode in flashbacks was originally thought up in the color screening stage of production. This is the first episode directed by Rich Moore. This is the first time Jebediah Springfield is mentioned, as well as the first time the Simpsons go to church. The announcer of the football game Homer is listening to at church is based on Keith Jackson. Bart awakening and finding the head of Jebediah Springfield in bed next to him is a reference to the famous scene in The Godfather where Jack Woltz finds the head of his prize racehorse next to him one morning.

This is the first episode of the series in which Sideshow Bob, Reverend Timothy Lovejoy, Krusty the Clown, Jimbo Jones, Kearney Zzyzwicz, Dolphin "Dolph" Starbeam, Ms. Albright, and Apu Nahasapeemapetilon appear.

Reception

In its original broadcast, "The Telltale Head" finished twenty-sixth in ratings for the week of February 19–25, 1990, with a Nielsen rating of 15.2, equivalent to approximately 14.0 million viewing households. It was the second highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following Married... with Children. Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, said they enjoyed: "the Simpsons [being] grossly dysfunctional in church, Homer dispensing terrible advice, and a real moral dilemma for Bart." In a DVD review of the first season, David B. Grelck gave the episode a rating of 3/5 and added that "This is a strange episode, touching on many bizarre aspects of the show to come". Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide said "Good little moments abounded, and this was a generally solid episode. I liked the objects the boys saw in the clouds, and quite a few other funny bits appeared. “Telltale” wasn’t a great episode, but it was generally entertaining and clever."

External links

• "The Telltale Head" at The Simpsons.com
• "The Telltale Head" episode capsule at The Simpsons Archive
• "The Telltale Head" at the Internet Movie Database
• "The Telltale Head" at TV.com