Apocalypse Cow
| "Apocalypse Cow" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
 | |
| Episode no. | Season 19 |
| Directed by | Nancy Kruse |
| Written by | Jeff Westbrook |
| Original air dates | April 27, 2008 |
| Episode features | |
| Chalkboard gag | A person is a person, no matter how Ralph. |
| Couch gag | A medieval tapestry shows the Flanders stealing the Simpson family's couch. The Simpsons then take it back and kill the Flanders. |
"Apocalypse Cow" is the seventeenth episode of The Simpsons' nineteenth season. It aired on April 27, 2008.[1] After joining 4-H, Bart saves a cow named Lou and gives it to Mary (guest voice Zooey Deschanel), a farm girl. Her father, Cletus, mistakenly believes it as a token for Mary's hand in marriage, and attempts to get the two married.[2] It was written by Jeff Westbrook and directed by Nancy Kruse. All of Cletus' children from "Yokel Chords" return in this episode.[1]
Plot
The episode opens on a sunny Saturday. Bart and Lisa watch the Krusty the Clown show's opening show, "Transclown-O-Morphs". The show's main character begins dying, and pleas that the viewers would help him survive by texting, and buying the new Transclown-O-Morphs cereal. This prompts Bart and Lisa to bombard Marge with pleas to text the company and save its character. An annoyed Marge tells the two to change the channel, but after changing it to the golf channel, the two only get influenced to buy golf clubs. As a result, a frustrated Marge orders Lisa to make banana bread, and for Bart to buy beanbags from Shelbyville with Homer. While Bart and Homer drive to Shelbyville, Bart discovers Martin Prince driving a tractor. After questioning why someone like Martin would be driving a tractor, and Martin informs him he joined 4-H, and explains that his self-esteem became improved. This inspires Bart to join 4-H.
After giving the 4-H oath, Bart becomes an official member. He learns to drive a tractor, and creates many objects while working. The 4-H instructor introduces all members to a competition. All members would have to pick a cow, and raise it for the next couple weeks. Bart is unintentionally left with the runt of the litter, the misfit. He disappointedley goes to the milk shack, and meets Mary, a fellow member. After winning, he learns that Lou will go to the slaughterhouse and give it to Mary, a farm girl. Her father, Cletus Spuckler, mistakenly believes it to be a token of marriage, prompting Homer and Marge to attempt to break the two up and save the cow.[1]
Trivia
- Plopper the Pig, who was seen in The Simpsons Movie, He Loves to Fly and He D'ohs, and Treehouse of Horror XVIII, is seen on the promo image, and briefly within the episode itself.
Cultural references
 |
- The episode's title is a reference to the film Apocalypse Now.
- The opening credits couch gag is an homage to the Bayeux Tapestry, which explains the events leading up to the 1066 Norman invasion of England as well as the events of the invasion itself.
- "Transclownomorphs" is a parody of the 1980s Transformers cartoon.
- Bart teaches Lou to box by having him punch a side of beef, parodying a scene in Rocky.
- Mary's middle name Wrestlemania is a reference to the WWE's most famous supercard.
- Bart saying goodbye to Lou at the airport is a parody of Casablanca.
- Canon can be heard before Mary and Bart's wedding
References
- ^ a b c "Primetime Listings (April 20 - April 27)". FoxFlash. 2008-04-04. Retrieved 2008-04-04.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Dan Snierson (2008-01-25). "Zooey Deschanel, Glenn Close to guest on 'The Simpsons'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
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