Always twirling, twirling, twirling

 

Treehouse of Horror VII

couch gag: The Grim Reaper sits on the couch as the family fall dead at his feet

Director: Mike B. Anderson

Synopsis: The first segment reveals Bart has a twin brother, who has been locked in the attic since birth. Second segment shows Lisa’s science project has evolved into life. The third segment is about Kang and Kodos assuming the presidential candidate identities and running for election. 

Discussion: Here’s some trivia: This episode originally aired on my 18th birthday. 

Let’s get to it, segment by segment. In ‘The Thing and I’, Bart discovers he was a conjoined twin, separated at birth and the twin has been locked in the attic and wishes to reattach himself to Bart. I don’t love it. It’s cliched and trite. Ooh, a conjoined evil twin! Sounds like something you’d find on Melrose Place. 

In ‘Genesis Tub’, Lisa’s science project, involving cola and a tooth and some errant static electricity, creates life (Lutherans, apparently). The tooth people view Lisa as their god and Bart as the devil. Despite Bart’s threats to flush the mini-universe, he enters it as his own science project and wins first prize, while Lisa has been “de-embiggened” and is facing life as the ruler of her own people. As far as Halloween eps go, I don’t mind this section. It’s unoriginal, but with a Simpsons twist and OK to watch. 

‘Citizen Kang’ is about the 1996 presidential election, which occurred a couple of days after this ep aired (history lesson: Clinton won). The main thing I got out of this segment was that the upcoming 2013 Australian federal election is reminiscent of this particular scene:

 

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Hold me, Smithers

Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish

I will not Xerox my butt

Couch gag: The couch pops out as a sofa bed.

Director: Wes Archer

Synopsis: Bart and Lisa are fishing when Bart catches a fish with three eyes. A reporter happens to be at the scene, sees that the lake is next to the nuclear power plant, and puts two and two together. Mr Burns’ reputation falters, especially when the plant then fails an inspection. Drunk and depressed, Mr Burns follows Homer’s suggestion to run for Governor, thereby creating all the laws he likes and his plant won’t be breaking any. Mr Burns’ campaign is doing exceedingly well until the night before the election, when he has dinner with the Simpsons in order to attract last minute support from voters.

Discussion: This episode features several references to the film Citizen Kane, but even if you haven’t seen the film (heed my warning, it’s as boring as all hell) you’ll be able to enjoy the fun. Mr Burns decides to run for Governor in order to bend some laws and pass his own nuclear power plant instead of spending the $56 million to fix it up (of course, a political campaign would probably cost about that… details, details).

Bart’s infamy is growing; when a nosy reporter snaps some pictures of Bart holding the three-eyed fish (affectionately called Blinky by Mr Burns in a hilarious attempt to explain the process of Darwin’s theory of natural selection using an actor), Bart adds the newspaper clipping to a scrapbook. Astute viewers will notice on the opposite page is an article about a vandal decapitating the statue of the town’s founder, Jebediah Springfield. However, at the family dinner with special guest Mr Burns, Bart uncharacteristically has very little to say. Instead it is Lisa who struggles with her conscience to ask a pre-prepared question instead of the burning question on her mind.

In short, the episode satirises American politics as well as highlighting environmental issues. Nuclear power is a controversial issue and although Blinky was an invention at the time, a real three eyed fish was discovered in 2011.

For those playing Android’s Simpsons Logo Quiz, Mary Bailey sure looks a lot like Homer’s mother…