(originally aired May 5, 1994)
What a fine episode. At its core, it felt like one of the great morality tales we’d seen in seasons 2 and 3, but with all of the wacky and offbeat jokes we’ve come to know, love and laugh at from this season. Bart remains at the show’s center, starting with his truant escapades leading to the main event, then his guilty conscious starts eating away at him. The emotional through-line is never forgotten, even amongst the Quimby/Kennedy jokes, Skinner’s relentless quest against Bart, and a mini-plot line of Homer living it up at a fancy hotel as part of a sequestered jury. This is another one of those episodes where I didn’t remember too much about (except for the most famous bit), and it really surprised me of how great it was.
On a particularly lovely day, Bart decides to skip school, but when Skinner catches wind of it, he goes into hot pursuit. It becomes this great cross between Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and a gritty crime drama, turning Skinner into this seemingly impossible force that Bart cannot escape from. He finally actually does, in the back of Mayor Quimby’s nephew Freddy’s convertible, whose destination is the Quimby compound for his lavish birthday party. Freddy is just as you’d expect from a young Quimby: loud, arrogant, and extremely entitled, all of which he can get away with, ’cause he’s a Kennedy… er, Quimby. A disagreement over the pronunciation of the word “chowder” (the best scene in the episode, of course), Freddy and the waiter have an altercation in the kitchen, which only Bart is witness to, which leaves the waiter brutally beaten.
As Freddy Quimby stands trial, Bart is in crisis: he knows the truth, but admitting it will be exposing his own guilt for skipping school. I like the various turns of the court case that give Bart more or less wiggle room: at first it seems like the case is in the bag, as Mayor Quimby is basically buying his nephew’s freedom, until Freddy makes another violent outburst over the “chowder” incident, which immediately turns off the jury. But dumb luck goes in Bart’s favor as his father prolongs the judging, if only so he can live in luxury at an all-expenses paid hotel. The scenes where Bart talks about his situation with Lisa, then his mother, are very genuine, and all reach an increasing level of urgency, until Bart finally takes the stand and reveals what happened: the waiter did himself in due to his incredible clumsiness, in one of the most ridiculous, and ridiculously well animated, scenes of the series. Skinner applauds Bart for his honesty, but in a great bait-and-switch, gives him detention anyway. All’s well that ends well, I guess.
Tidbits and Quotes
– It’s almost as if Bart is forced to play hooky by the impossibly wonderful day outside, and coming to school on a prison bus. The kicker is when he looks out the window and see Freddy Quimby in his cool car and hot girlfriend (“And to think I got all this after dropping out of the fourth grade!”) This is also a really tight show, where the Freddy story is set up this early, and is the catalyst of Bart leaving in the first place.
– The almost destitute Springfield Elementary apparently has an extensive crime lab, which Skinner uses to examine Bart’s bogus note (“Please excuse my handwriting, I busted whichever hand it is I write with. Signed, Mrs. Simpson.”) Skinner takes action, as he and Willie grill Lisa as of Bart’s whereabouts, in a cute scene where Lisa giggles about the two switching good cop/bad cop roles.
– I like the grim reality of Bart’s Huckleberry Finn fantasy coming true… in the form of two creepy hobos on a raft (“Hey kid, wanna see a dead body?”)
– Skinner’s search for Bart is a great character piece, with no sign of him at the natural history museum or the youth center (“Am I so out of touch? …no, it’s the children who are wrong.”)
– The Westworld bit of Skinner walking through the stream is fantastic, especially when the music stops and then starts up when he submerges and resurfaces. Another movie I watched after seeing a Simpsons reference, then loved all the more.
– As if Rainier Wolfcastle wasn’t enough of a Schwarzenegger parody, we see him with his wife Maria and that he owns a Humvee. Talk about on the nose.
– The “chowder” scene is hysterical, with Dan Castellaneta being so loud and annoying as Freddy, and Hank Azaria as the waiter being as deadpan as possible (“Come back here! I’m not through demeaning you.”)
– Another great Wiggum line (“Oh my God… someone’s taken a bite out of the Rice Krispies square! …oh, and the waiter’s been brutally beaten.”)
– Great bit with Skinner glaring at Bart from the jury box (“I know you can read my thoughts, Bart. Just a little reminder: if I found out you cut class, your ass is mine. Yes, you head me. I think words I would never say”) and Homer’s thoughts, which consist of the Meow Mix jingle.
– It’s interesting here that in this case, we have our lawyers reversed. Quimby’s lawyer doesn’t look like him, but has the same voice of the Blue Haired Lawyer, who always defends the guilty, more affluent party, while Lionel Hutz is the cheap affordable schmuck the Simpsons can actually afford. It makes sense given the representatives, though.
– Odd that Hutz got Dr. Hibbert, normally a respectable doctor, to give testimony on something as dumb as the “evil gene” (“Hitler had it, Walt Disney had it, and Freddy Quimby has it.”) That’s enough for Hutz (“I rest my case. …what? Oh no, I thought that was just a figure of speech. Case closed.”)
– Bart’s fantasy of the future of being a grizzled school cafeteria worker is hilarious (“This creamed corn tastes like creamed crap!” “Watch the potty mouth, honey.”)
– Homer exhibits more thickness as he gets Skinner to describe exactly what happens when a jury is deadlocked, and gets increasingly excited about his potential accommodations (“We’ll get a free room, free food, free swimming pool, free HBO… ooh, Free Willy!”) Also, really fantastic minor bit from Skinner, offhandedly calling it a film about a disobedient whale.
– We get the amazing return from “McGonigle,” which does nothing to comfort Bart, involving the detective convincing a little boy to testify, only to have his throat slit. McGonigle is not so moved (“Hey, I’m trying to eat lunch here!”)
– The ending with Skinner is absolutely amazing. He commends Bart for his bravery, then Bart tries to give himself an out by having it excuse his previous transgression. Skinner admits, “I’m a small man in some ways, Bart. A small, petty man. Three months detention.” Bart begins to walk away, but Skinner stops him. Pause. “Make that…” Pause. “Four months detention.” Hilarious.
Me Blog Write Good 
Marge’s story about her homicidal uncle was gold
What really sells it to me is how offhandedly she tells the grim story, finishes with “Now let’s never speak of him again,” and goes back to cleaning as if she said nothing.
“Good afternoon.” “How do you do, sir?”
“…hehehe… sucker”
Re the lawyers: it was also confusing that this appeared to be a criminal trial without a prosecuting lawyer. The defendant, Quimby, was represented, as was the victim, the waiter, which would only make sense if it were a civil trial.
Wait, in a trial with a suspect and a victim, the victim is not.. “being represented by” the prosecution?
I love the way Skinner just keeps trailing Bart whether it is by just walking through a river or climbing up a cliff, it is juts down right hysterical.
McGarnagle: Now tell them what you saw Billy.
Billy: But I’m so scared McGarnagle.
McGarnagle: You’ve gotta do this one for me Billy, McGarnagle.
Billy: Okay for you McGarnagle.
Chief: [later] Well McGarnagle, Billy is dead! They slit his throat from ear to ear.
McGarnagle: Hey I’m trying to eat lunch here!
This episode is, and always has been one of my favorite episodes. Granted, if I made a list it most likely would end up in Honorable Mentions like Deep Space Homer, but still. I absolutely love it.
Are you sure Skinner hunting Bart is supposed to be from Westworld Mike? I was always under the impression it was Terminator and even The Simpsons World book states it as such. Of course, it is great either way, especially the bit when the music stops after he goes beneath the water and starts back up again when he rises up.
I’m saddened you didn’t mention the director’s cut of Free Wily. lol God damn I can never get enough of the dialog heard in that scene. “Ohhhh, Wily didn’t make it… and he squashed our son.”
Add on top Marge’s story about her gun shooting uncle and you have a wonderful, hilarious, well told episode.
Since its premiere, this episode has always been one of my favorites. It has a pretty interesting mystery element to it. The payoff of the waiter just being incredibly clumsy is so funny. Early Simpsons did a great job with its mysteries.
That’s not all, however. This episode shows us some great angles of its characters. Skinner yet again gets some good bits in, with how he follows Bart to hell and back essentially. The scene with him entering and exiting the river is so great. One of his finest hours.
Of course, we now come to the part where I mention the funny bits, and there are a ton here. Lisa being questioned by Skinner and Willie, “hey kid, wanna see a dead body?”, Homer and Bart “sneaking” past each other, “Am I so out of touch? No, it’s the children who are wrong.”, Freddy Quimby’s anger over the pronounciation of chowder (I’ll kill all of you! Especially those of you in the jury!), Wiggum’s notice of the bite in the Rice Krispie square instead of the waiter on the floor, “I know you can read my thoughts” (Homer’s face as he meows is great), Hutz resting his case, Marge’s story about her uncle, “I’m trying to eat lunch here!”, Freddy falling out the window at end, etc. Yeah, not only is this episode interesting, it’s absolutely hilarious, as well. Between all the great factors here, this is one of my absolute favorites.
I didn’t get the gag where Bart couldn’t think of the words “Invincible Principal” and I kinda doubt anyone did, in my mind the word he was looking for was “relentless” and I assumed there must be some movie called “Relentless Principles” or something and THAT was the gag. Either way ‘non.. giving-up… school guy!’ is funny.
I love how Freddy’s eyebrows wiggle the second time he mockingly says ‘showdeeer’
I laughed at the “though it’s illegal and grossly unconstitutional to reopen a trial at this stage” line, even though.. I’m pretty sure you can reopen anything when you have exonerating evidence?
I must point out that preparing a giant rice krispies square like that would be a terrible idea, as it’ll go stale immediately (the outside, at least). It needs to be covered the second it’s done. Puffed rice has a lot of surface area.
Only Skinner could have an appropriate response for someone not knowing the meaning of “if” right in his back pocket like that.
And I feel bad for Kent getting screwed on “Waitergate.” I think we’ve all been there.