Once Upon a Time in Springfield
| "Once Upon a Time in Springfield" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| File:OnceUponATimeInSpringfield.jpg | |
| Episode no. | Season 21 |
| Directed by | Matthew Nastuk |
| Written by | Stephanie Gillis |
| Original air date | January 10, 2010[1] |
| Episode features | |
| Chalkboard gag | The world may end in 2012, but this show won't. |
| Couch gag | The family are a group of sperm that fertilize an egg to reach the couch. The fertilized egg soon divides and multiplies until it becomes a Mr. Burns embryo. |
"Once Upon a Time in Springfield" is the tenth episode of The Simpsons twenty-first season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 10, 2010. It was promoted as the 450th episode of the series, but is actually the 451st, and aired alongside The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice!.
Plot
Krusty the Clown is informed by his producers that his show is dropping in ratings with the demographics of young girls, and therefore they will introduce a new character named Princess Penelope. Princess Penelope's act features singing, glitter, and a unicorn, which—though immediately attracting a youthful female audience—disgusts the series' predominately male audience and Krusty. Soon, the Krustylu Studio becomes almost completely filled with girls (including Lisa) and all of Krusty's merchandise is replaced by that of Penelope's. Bart discovers all this and demands that Krusty do something in order to get his show back.
Krusty follows Bart's advice and confronts Penelope in her dressing room, but they consequently discover that they share a mutual attraction towards one another. Subsequent episodes of the show feature the two singing love songs to another, culminating in Krusty's marriage proposal to Penelope and the latter's acceptance. On the wedding day, Bart and Millhouse attempt to sabotage the marriage by showing Penelope Krusty's former wives, Holly Hippie and Eartha Kitt, who each despise him. Penelope still desires to be wed, but Krusty decides that he is not worth Penelope's love and cancels the wedding. Penelope moves to France, only to discover that Krusty is there and apologizes for leaving her. She accepts and the two float down the Seine River together into the Paris night.
Meanwhile, budgeting issues cause Mr. Burns to eliminate donuts from the lunch room, mortifying Homer, Lenny, and Carl. While at Moe's Tavern, a recruiter named Gator McCall offers them a job at the Capital City Nuclear Power Plant. The trio agree to take a tour, where they discover there are luxurious working conditions, including free massages, sushi and cartoonist Gary Larson, who has come out of retirement to draw The Far Side cartoons for plant employees. They accept the offer, but while packing up their possessions from the power plant, Mr. Burns confronts them and offers to reinstate donuts if they return to work, which they gleefully accept.
The episode ends with a dedication to fans, thanking them for watching the series throughout the years.
Production
On the original airing, the episode ends with the words, "Thanks for twenty great years. The best is yet to come." Other airings have replaced "The best is yet to come" with either "Please take a moment to think about all the important things you could have gotten done instead of watching our show" or "Now stay tuned for three Seth MacFarlane shows."
The episode features Anne Hathaway's return to the show, this time voicing Princess Penelope.[3] Jackie Mason returns to voice Krusty the Clown's father Rabbi Hyman Krustofski.[4] Eartha Kitt also recorded a role before her death in December 2008.[3]
Reception
The episode earned a 6.8 Nielsen rating in the 18-49 demographic.[5] In all, the show was watched by 21.007 million viewers and an 18-49 rating of 8.8/22. The larger-than-normal viewership was a result of the episode following the National Football League playoffs. It was the most watched episode of the show since season 16's "Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass", which aired after Super Bowl XXXIX.[6]The episode ranked 8th in the ratings becoming the second highest viewed show on FOX and top rated scripted show on FOX. The episode also came in 5th for the 18-48 rating becoming the top rated scripted programming of the week with a rating of 9.084 million watching and rating of 6.9.[7] IGN's Robert Canning wrote that "it may not be turning out classic after classic after classic, but The Simpsons can still deliver smart and solid entertainment" and rated the episode 8/10.[8] Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club, while saying that the plot was "something the show has done many, many times before", stated that the episode was "funny [...] with a nice amount of heart", and graded it a B.[9] Jason Hughes of TV Squad praised Hathaway's performance, but said that he was "a little disappointed" because the anniversary episode didn't focus on the Simpson family.[10]
References
- ^ "Fox announces 2009-2010 midseason schedule". FoxFlash. 2009-11-24. Retrieved 2009-11-24.
- ^ Reg. # PAu003371153 in the U.S. Copyright Records database Retrieved on February 12, 2009.
- ^ a b Dan Snierson (2009-07-24). "'The Simpsons': Coldplay's Chris Martin, Sarah Silverman among season 21 guests". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
- ^ "The Simpsons". Fox Broadcasting Company. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
- ^ Kissell, Rick (2010-01-11). "Football powers Fox, 'Simpsons'". Variety. Retrieved 2010-01-11.
- ^ http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/01/11/tv-ratings-sunday-football-overrun-boosts-gigantic-simpsons-chuck-premieres-up/38308
- ^ http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/01/12/tv-ratings-pro-and-college-football-and-the-simpsons-and-ncistop-weekly-viewing/38517#more-38517
- ^ "The Simpsons: "Once Upon a Time in Springfield" Review". IGN. 2010-1-10. Retrieved 2010-1-27.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ ""Once Upon a Time in Springfield"/The Simpsons 20th Anniversay Special in 3-D on Ice/"Love Rollercoaster"". The A.V. Club. 2010-1-11. Retrieved 2010-1-27.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ "Review: The Simpsons - Once Upon a Time in Springfield". TV Squad. 2010-1-10. Retrieved 2010-1-27.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help)
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