Saturday, November 18, 2017

Bart the Daredevil


Credits
Episode 7F06 (#21)
Created by Matt Groening; Developed by James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Sam Simon
Written by Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky
Directed by Wes Archer
Executive Producers James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Sam Simon
Starring Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, and Harry Shearer
Also Starring Hank Azaria, Pamela Hayden, Maggie Roswell

Story

While watching wrestling, Homer and Bart see an advertisement for a monster truck ralley featuring TRUCKASAURUS. Both Homer and Bart want to go but as luck would have it, Lisa's recital is also that night. Thankfully, Lisa's recital is at 5 while the monster truck rally is at 8. Surely there's enough time to go to both, right?

The recital ends with barely enough time to get across town to wherever the rally is being held but then Homer can't find a parking spot. When he thinks he's found one, it's learned that it's the entrance to the stadium. The car gets stuck in the mud and then TRUCKASAURUS appears ready to eat them. After being rescued, the Simpsons are ready to watch the monster truck rally. A high point, for Bart anyway, is the daredevil stunt from Captain Lance Murdock, who manages to ride his motorcycle over a tank of sharks, electric eels, piranhas, and a lion, with a bit of his own blood just to rile them all up, only to accidentally fall in when his bike tips over. With that, Bart decides to become a daredevil.
This makes me want to be a daredevil.

Bart starts out with skateboarding over cars, dogs, a bus, but soon sees bigger challenges with the Springfield Gorge. Lisa overhears his plan and tries to get Dr. Hibbert and Lance Murdock to dissuade Bart from pursuing this life. Instead, Murdock tells Bart to go for it because "bones heal" and "women love scars." Lisa then tells Homer and Marge who forbid Bart to jump the Gorge. Bart goes anyway and Homer arrives at the Gorge just in time to stop Bart. To prove a point to Bart, Homer says he is going to jump the Gorge just so that Bart has to watch someone he loves do something dangerous. Bart comes to his senses and stops Homer from going. Unfortunately, the skateboard starts rolling down the ramp and launches him over the Gorge but Homer doesn't quite make it and winds up in the hospital next to Lance Murdock.
So close.

Random Observations

  • TRUCKASAURUS!!
  • I originally thought having Lisa's recital on Saturday was strange. Most of my afterschool programs and such were only on Fridays but I guess there are programs on Saturdays but usually it's because it's a two-night thing or if it's a big school. This is neither of those things.
  • There is a three hour time frame but yet the recital takes up nearly all of that time. Franz Schubert's "Unfinished Symphony", which Homer thinks won't last very long since it's unfinished, is actually 25 minutes or so which doesn't seem long but when performed by 2nd graders is probably difficult to sit through.
  • Schubert didn't finished this symphony, technically Symphony No. 8, either because he started working on another, more appealing to him, piece or because of a bout of syphilis. Musicologists cannot agree on which one.
  • I've always overlooked how the Simpsons wind up in the pit and nearly killed by TRUCKASAURUS but now that I'm watching it and actually reviewing it, it's so silly and unbelievable. Clearly this was the "children are watching" gag.
  • Bart: "Dad, I want to be a daredevil."
    Homer: "Hee, hee. Kids say such stupid things."
  • I have to give credit to Bart--and really the writers-- for building up Bart's attempts at being a daredevil. He tried jumping a car and got injured. Trying again, he was able to leap it and moved onto bigger things ultimately deciding to jump Springfield Gorge. I feel other animated shows and even The Simpsons of today would have Bart immediately try to jump the Gorge instead of having a build-up of Bart actually doing well at being a daredevil.
  • I've always loved the heartfelt autograph that Lance Murdock writes for Bart with his mouth.