Bart Gets Hit by a Car
| "Bart Gets Hit by a Car" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| File:The Simpsons - Bart Gets Hit by a Car screenshot.jpg | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 |
| Directed by | Mark Kirkland |
| Written by | John Swartzwelder |
| Original air date | January 10, 1991 |
| Episode features | |
| Chalkboard gag | "I will not sell school property." |
| Couch gag | Homer bumps everybody off the couch. |
| Commentary | Matt Groening Mike Reiss Mark Kirkland |
"Bart Gets Hit by a Car" is the tenth episode of The Simpsons' second season. The episode aired on January 10, 1991.
This episode marks the first appearance of Dr. Nick Riviera, Lionel Hutz, and the Blue-Haired Lawyer. Also, recurring guest star Phil Hartman and the show's then-script supervisor Doris Grau made their first performances in the show.
Plot
Mr. Burns' car hits Bart when he is skateboarding. Bart has an out-of-body experience, and rides a gold escalator and visits Heaven. On the way up, he sees Snowball the first residing in "kitty heaven". Naturally, Bart does the opposite of what he is supposed to do (hold on to the hand rail and not to spit over the side), and visits Hell. In Hell, he meets the Devil. He floats back into his body, waking up in Dr. Hibbert's room. Bart has minor injuries, a bump on the head and a broken toe, but nothing serious. In the room, an attorney named Lionel Hutz has arrived (after chasing Bart's ambulance) and suggests that Homer sue Mr. Burns. Burns offers Homer $100, but he refuses, and he goes to see Lionel Hutz. Hutz promises Homer a cash settlement of $1,000,000 (of which Hutz gets 50% as his 'fee'). They see Dr. Nick Riviera, who says that Bart is a very sick boy. According to Dr. Nick, an X-ray of Bart's head seems to show whiplash (a dark spot on the X-ray), and trauma (a smudge that seems to look like Nick's fingerprint). Marge, however, decries Dr. Nick for saying Bart is sick, arguing that he is not a real doctor.
Homer sues Mr. Burns, with Bart offering his (unbelievable) testimony that he was playing innocently, until the "Luxury Car of Death" hit him, and Burns saying in his (even more unbelievable) testimony that he was driving to the orphanage to pass out toys until Bart darted in front of him. The jury does not believe Mr. Burns's testimony, who yells at his lawyers and orders them to bring Homer and Marge to his house. At his mansion, Burns offers Homer a $500,000 settlement. Homer and Marge discuss the matter, but Homer objects to the settlement, insisting that Burns knows he will lose the trial and will have to pay the family $1 million. Burns cancels the settlement after overhearing Marge saying the lawsuit is based on false evidence.
At the trial, Marge is called to the stand. In her testimony, she denounces Dr. Nick Riviera as being a phony doctor concerned more about wrapping Bart in bandages than in making him feel better, while proving Dr. Hibbert to be a real doctor. She is asked to describe Bart's intense mental anguish and suffering, and when she does, she is not sure how intense it is, although she mentions that Bart did miss three days of school, and when asked to put a dollar amount on the hardships, she says that Bart would have made $5 if he were able to take out the garbage. Marge, offering honest testimony, destroys Hutz's case. Mr. Burns then offers Homer another settlement, this time for the amount of $0, which Hutz advises Homer to accept. Although Bart receives good treatment and now feels better after the trial, a downbeat Homer worries that Marge cost him $1,000,000, and he tells Marge he is going to Moe's. Marge comes into Moe's and asks Homer to forgive her for her testimony, but he says that he is not sure he loves her anymore, until he looks her in the eyes to find out and feels happy, and they love each other.
Production
The producers of The Simpsons acknowledged on the DVD commentary that a significant influence on this episode's plot was Billy Wilder's The Fortune Cookie, in which Walter Matthau plays a dishonest lawyer who convinces Jack Lemmon's character to fake an injury for a large cash settlement.
Cultural references
The Devil says "Please allow me to introduce myself", a reference to The Rolling Stones song "Sympathy for the Devil". In addition, When Bart wakes up from his out-of-body experience, he says, "I did go away, Mom! I was miles and miles and miles away, writhing in agony in the pits of Hell! And you were there! And you and you and you," a reference to the 1939 film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy awakens from her slumber. In addition, the program's version of Hell is an homage to Hieronymus Bosch's triptych The Garden of Earthly Delights, especially the Hell panel.[1] Approximately half-way through the episode, when Bart is on the witness stand, the characters Akbar and Jeff from Matt Groening's comic, Life in Hell, can be seen in the courtroom audience.
Reception
The episode's reference to The Wizard Of Oz was named the fourth greatest film reference in the history of the show by Nathan Ditum of Total Film.[2] The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, praised "Bart Gets Hit by a Car" as "An interesting episode in that we begin to see the very dark side of Burns that will develop later, although Smithers is still just a toady. A good introduction for Lionel Hutz and a nice look at Hell, Heaven and the original Snowball".[1] Doug Pratt, a DVD reviewer and Rolling Stone contributor, concurred, stating that the episode led to "inspired looks at Heaven, Hell, and ambulance-chasing lawyers".[3] DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson lauded the episode for "provid[ing] a lot of great moments, especially in court when we heard the differing viewpoints of the accident offered by Bart and Mr. Burns. 'Car' worked well and was consistently amusing and lively." [4] Dawn Taylor of The DVD Journal thought that the best line was Bart's testimony, "It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon. I was playing in my wholesome childlike way, little realizing that I was about to be struck down by the Luxury Car of Death".[5]
References
- ^ a b Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Bart Gets Hit By A Car". BBC. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Ditum, Nathan (June 6, 2009). "The 50 Greatest Simpsons Movie References". Total Film. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
- ^ Pratt, Doug (2005). Doug Pratt's DVD: Movies, Television, Music, Art, Adult, and More!. UNET 2 Corporation. p. 1094. ISBN 1932916016.
- ^ Jacobson, Colin. "The Simpsons: The Complete Second Season". DVD Movie Guide. Retrieved 2009-03-23.
- ^ Taylor, Dawn (2002). "The Simpsons: The Complete Second Season". The DVD Journal. Retrieved 2009-03-23.
External links
