Bart's Comet
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| The Simpsons episode | |
| "Bart's Comet" | |
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| Bart discovers the comet. | |
| Episode no. | 117 |
| Prod. code | 2F11 |
| Orig. Airdate | February 5, 1995 |
| Show Runner(s) | David Mirkin |
| Written by | John Swartzwelder |
| Directed by | Bob Anderson |
| Chalkboard | "Cursive writing does not mean what I think it does" |
| Couch gag | In black & white, everybody waves their hands in circles. |
| DVD commentary by | Matt Groening David Mirkin Dan Castellaneta Yeardley Smith Bob Anderson |
| Season 6 September 4, 1994 – May 21, 1995 |
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| List of all Simpsons episodes... | |
"Bart's Comet" is the 14th episode of The Simpsons' sixth season.
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
At the end of Science Week, Skinner launches a weather balloon. Before the launch, Bart sabotaged it, making it look like Skinner bending over and ripping his pants with the sign "Hi! I'm Big Butt Skinner." Skinner decides to punish Bart by having him help with his amateur astronomy—at 4:30 AM. It is Skinner's dream to find something in the sky and have it named after him. They sight something, but it is only the weather balloon, and Skinner runs off to catch it. Bart then tampers with the telescope and accidentally locates a comet, which he is credited with the discovery of, after phoning the coordinates in to the local observatory. When Skinner hears about this, he cries out in pain, and accidentally lets the weather balloon go.
Bart earns praise for discovering a new comet. Even the school nerds, the "Superfriends", invite him to have lunch with them. However, his praise is dashed when scientists discover that the comet is heading straight for Springfield. Prof. Frink proposes a plan to launch a missile at the comet. Everyone's fear is lifted (with the exception of Moe, whose bar would be destroyed whether the plan succeeded or not)...until the missile flies pass the comet and blows up the only bridge out of town, dooming everyone in Springfield.
Springfield is left with only six hours before impact. Congress proposes a bill to evacuate Springfield, but it is defeated when another bill concerning taxpayer money being allocated to "the perverted arts" is added onto it. To help his family, Homer decides that they stay in the bunker that Flanders built. Anticipating this, Ned built the bomb shelter for both families - however Homer needs some cajoling to agree to share. One hour before Springfield is destroyed, almost everyone in town demands a place in the bunker; however, Homer is unable to close the door and someone has to leave. After going through a list of who should stay several times, Homer says that the "world of the future" will not need left-handed stores and tells Ned to go. While everyone is trying to pass the remaining time, Homer feels guilty and leaves; all then do the same. As the comet enters the atmosphere, it burns up from the extra thick layer of pollution. It pops the weather balloon and destroys Ned's bunker. Bart and Lisa then become frightened, as the comet burned up to the size of a chihuahua's head… exactly as Homer had predicted earlier.
[edit] Trivia
- Show runner David Mirkin has stated that this is one of his favorite episodes.
- Although all the other "Superfriends" are seen in later episodes, Database becomes more prominent.
- Matt Groening has often said that he absolutely cannot stand Database’s voice.
- Springfield Shopper headlines during this episode: "Boy Discovers Comet", "Rocket to Kick Comet's Tail" and "Mayor visits city".
- A sign on the side of the rocket sent to blow up the comet reads, "Caution! Aim Away from Face".
- Two slingshots are thrown at Skinner's car in attempts to get the weather balloon down.
- Homer states that "what's left of the comet will be no bigger than a chihuahua's head". When the remnants of the comet bounces towards Bart and he picks it up, he is standing next to a chihuahua. This chihuahua was later seen in "22 Short Films About Springfield" as Bumblebee Man's pet.
- The list that rolls by at the end of Kent Brockman's sign off indicating people who are gay consists of
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- Matt Groening
- Ken Tsumura
- George Meyer
- Joel Kuwahara
- Bill Oakley
- Elizabeth Jacobs
- Josh Weinstein
- Jane O'Brien
- Jennifer Crittenden
- Mike Scully
- Dominique Braud-Stiger
- Greg Daniels
- Joseph Boucher
- Al Jean
- Ping Warner
- Mike Reiss
- Craig Feeney
- Richard Ravnis
- Don Gilbert
- David Mirkin
- Jacqueline Atkins
- Chris Ledesma
- Mark McJimsey
- Alf Clausen
- Alison Elliot
- David Silverman
- David Cohen
- N. Vyolet Diaz
- According to the audio commentary on the DVD, the people, primarily consisting of writers or production crew members, whose names were listed had to sign waivers agreeing not to sue for libel. The commentators mentioned that they appear on Internet lists of gay people occasionally.
[edit] Cultural references
- During the scene in the bomb shelter, Waldo from Where's Waldo? initially appears near the top-left of frame during a group shot, imitating the style of the Where's Waldo? books. After a cut to a close-up, subsequent group shots in the shelter show that Waldo is gone.
- Spock is in the bomb shelter, too.
- Parts of this episode's plot are similar to The Twilight Zone episode "The Shelter".
- The shelter being destroyed after everyone leaves is similar to an episode of Gilligan's Island.
- The mob deciding to burn down the observatory at the end of the episode to prevent future disasters is similar to what the Star-mad mob did in Isaac Asimov's Nightfall.
- While explaining his infallible plan to stop the comet, Professor Frink accidentally sets his town model on fire a la Doc Brown in Back to the Future.
- The scene where the town has turned out to view the missile striking the comet resembles a scene in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
[edit] Superfriends
Current members:
- Ham (known as this because he likes ham radio)
- Database or Data
- Report Card
- Cosine
- Lisa (Possibly an Apple Lisa Computer reference)
Following the discovery of his comet Bart Simpson was asked to join but he declined after being given the nickname "Cosmos".
[edit] External links
- "Bart's Comet" episode capsule at The Simpsons Archive
