Blazed and Confused
| "Blazed and Confused" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 26 |
| Directed by | Rob Oliver |
| Written by | Carolyn Omine and William Wright |
| Original air date | November 16, 2014 |
| Episode features | |
| Couch gag | The couch is a ski lift. The family walks in, ready to go skiing. The couch rises up. Seconds later, the couch comes back down and the family are all injured. Except for Maggie, who comes in and has a medal and isn't injured. |
"Blazed and Confused" is the 7th episode of The Simpsons' 26th season, and 559th episode in total. It aired on November 16, 2014 on the Fox network, and focuses on Bart's new 4th grade teacher (Willem Dafoe), who is a terrible bully, so Bart schemes to bring him down.
Plot
Superintendent Chalmers organizes an exchange of teachers between the schools in the district, moving the notorious Mr. Jack Lassen to Springfield Elementary School, where he will teach Bart's class. He bullies Nelson and gives Bart an embarrassing haircut, so Bart schemes to bring him down, with the help of Milhouse. Using a fake social network profile in the name of Miss Hoover, they discover that Lassen is due to do an important ritual at a desert festival called "Blazing Guy", where he will light the eponymous effigy.
Meanwhile, Homer has forgotten to book a campsite, which upsets Marge. Bart solves both of their problems by telling Homer to take the family to Blazing Guy. Marge, who is disturbed by the eccentric campers, drinks a cup of tea to relax, although it contains hallucinogens, making her delirious. Bart and Milhouse use fire retardant substance to make sure that the effigy will not light, therefore ruining Mr. Lassen's important moment. He is furious and grabs a burning tuba, from which he blows fire in an attempt to kill Bart and Milhouse on top of the effigy. Homer tries to save to boys by using a catapult to launch himself onto the effigy, but falls short and breaks its leg, destroying it. The other campers form a wall around Lassen while Bart and Milhouse escape safely.
Chalmers and Principal Skinner dismiss Lassen from Springfield Elementary. He finds a new job as a prison warden, where he finds that inmate Sideshow Bob also detests Bart. Lassen tries to make an offer by which they can team up to kill Bart, but when Lassen says that they will share the final act, Bob rejects the deal.
Reception
The episode received an audience of 6.70 million, making it the most watched show on Fox that night.[1] Dennis Perkins of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B-, commenting that Lassen "fell flat" because Dafoe's reputation as a menacing actor comes from his physical mannerisms rather than his voice. While stating that Bart's misbehavior in recent episodes served only as jokes rather than with emotional weight, Milhouse had some "classic" lines in the episode, including him urinating himself on Lassen's entrance and joining in with Lassen in bullying Nelson.[2]
References
- ^ "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Simpsons' & 'America's Funniest Home Videos' Adjusted Up + Final Football Numbers". TVbytheNumbers. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
- ^ Perkins, Dennis (16 November 2014). "The Simpsons: "Blazed And Confused"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
