Summer of 4 Ft. 2
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"Summer of 4 Ft. 2" is the twenty-fifth and last episode of The Simpsons' seventh season.
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[edit] Synopsis
It's the last day of school, and Bart can't wait to get outdoors. Milhouse, even more anxious to get outside, runs out when the bell rings, but is promptly escorted back inside by Officer Lou, since the summer vacation starts at the end of the day, not the beginning.
At the Yearbook Office, Lisa, the yearbook editor, opens a box with the new yearbooks, with the hope that her popularity should soar for all her work. After school, the yearbooks are handed out and the students start signing others' yearbooks enthusiastically - excepts Lisa's, that is. She doesn't even get one and gets even more upset when she sees the kids (even Principal Skinner) queueing up to get signatures from Bart. She doesn't understand why a girl with straight A's and perfect attendance won't even get a single signature in her yearbook.
At the Simpsons place, Ned Flanders has a chat with a bored Homer. As he has been called for jury duty, he won't be able to use his beach-house. So he asks Homer whether he would like to use it for the summer. Homer is a bit reluctant, but Ned's offer to check Homer's septic tank seals the deal and Homer goes for it. Marge is happy that they will be spending their vacation in the Flanders' beach-house. She tells Bart to bring Milhouse and Lisa to bring a friend of her own. This stings Lisa as she has no friends she can invite. While she packs, she feels that being herself has not worked all this time; maybe, it's time to change that. She unpacks and leaves with an empty suitcase.
So the Simpsons (and Milhouse) leave for Little Pwagmattasquarmesettport (America's "scrod basket"; not "crud bucket", that's reserved for Springfield). They reach Ned's beach-house and find the place full of little "helpful notes" stuck all over the place. As Marge makes the bed, Lisa tells her that she forgot to pack. So they go shopping for new clothes. Marge suggests a few kiddie clothes, but Lisa finds a rather hippie-looking ensemble, with shorts, flip-flops, a poncho, an over-sized cap and small pink sunglasses. She leaves Marge alone with Maggie, in search of "kid friends". As Lisa wanders around, she doesn't see any kids. She passes by a library, which appears deserted. She is tempted to enter and read a few books but she manages to resist it.
Almost ready to give up, she hears some incoherent babble that only kids are capable of. She sees some kids under a boardwalk and goes and meets up with them. Apparently, they like to skate, but the cops keep confiscating their skateboards, so she suggests that they go to the library... to skate, as it is virtually deserted. While the boys skate, she and another girl, Erin, talk. She makes herself look cool in front of them. Bart sees this and decides to steal them from Lisa. However, his showboating on his skateboard and his sling shot in his pocket don't impress the kids and they walk away, with Lisa calling him a "nerd".
As the rest of the Simpsons (and Milhouse) play Mystery Date, Lisa and her new friends walk on the beach, where they encounter a hermit crab, which leaves its present shell for a bigger one.
Homer, shopping for illegal fireworks to celebrate the Independence Day, goes to the Li'l Valu-Mart, and asks the storekeeper (who resembles Apu) for fireworks (among other rather questionable purchases). The storekeeper secretly leads Homer to the back after another customer walks out and sells him the rather powerful M-320 firecracker. At the beach-house, he looks around excitedly for something to light the firecracker. Finally, he lights it over the stove, burning off a large portion of the fuse. With no time to take it outside and blow it up, he looks around frantically for a place to dump it. The fridge is out of question, since the beer is stored there. He finally settles on the dishwasher. It blows up inside the unfortunate appliance, causing oil (or sewage) to come oozing out. Homer shrugs and walks off (after all, it's only Flanders' place).
Bart, growing more and more jealous of Lisa, is prohibited by Marge to interfere in Lisa's fun with her new friends. He gets even angrier on hearing Lisa copy his expressions. He decides to teach her a lesson. So, that night, he shows them her yearbook, exposing her real identity as a Teacher's Pet. An ashamed Lisa runs off sobbing.
The next morning, while Marge prepares breakfast, Bart taunts Lisa by telling her that he only wanted to teach her a lesson and that she should know her place. When Marge leaves the room, Lisa grabs him by the collar and, through tightly-clenched teeth, lets him know that he is a sneak and has ruined her life. As she is about to squirt maple syrup in his face, Marge enters and Lisa resumes eating breakfast as if nothing happened.
The Simpsons attend the fair and Bart and Lisa get into many fights, like Lisa beating Bart to the punch by squirting him with a water gun first and spitting at each other while on the Whirly-Gig (although the spit only hits poor Milhouse in between). Finally, at the bumper cars, Bart knocks Lisa's car outside the arena. She walks off sadly, wondering whether she is supposed to ever have friends. Bart feels a bit remorseful.
At the beach-house, she sees the local kids crowded around Homer's car, doing something to it. When she shouts at them, they show her their handiwork - they have covered the car with sea shells, with one bunch spelling out "Lisa Rules". They wanted to thank her for teaching them so much and for being a good friend. She is touched, but Homer is "shell"-shocked by the "thoughtful gesture".
As the Simpsons (and Milhouse) leave Little Pwagmattasquarmsettport, the car is attacked by seagulls, trying to scour the seashells. Bart tells her that he showed her yearbook to the kids again. Lisa is shocked, but Bart shows her that all their signatures and good wishes written down (even Milhouse has added his own lame signature). As they drive away, Homer throws out his cola can onto the beach, which then serves as the home for the nearby hermit crab.
[edit] Trivia
- Christina Ricci recorded her lines over the phone and didn't go into the studio.[1]
[edit] Cultural references
- The title is a spoof of the 1972 movie Summer of '42.
- Homer replicates a scene from American Graffiti where Toad gets a bottle of Old Harper. Homer on the other hand buys not only the Old Harper, but buys embarrassing items including, porno magazines, a large box condoms, panty guards, and enemas for the fourth of July. He is only getting the risque objects just to get fireworks, in an attempt to hide them.
- Lisa has hallucinations of characters enticing her into the library, including Pippi Longstocking, The New Yorker character Eustace Tilley and Alice and The Hatter of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
- When Lisa is checking her new look out, she says, "Like, you know, whatever," akin to how voice actress Gail Matthius says it when she played her Valley Girl Vicki character on Saturday Night Live and the short-lived sketch show Laugh Trax.
- TeeJay's ZayMart is a spoof of defunct retailer Zayre and parent company T.J. Maxx.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Mentioned by Bill Oakley in the Season 7 DVD commentary for the episode.
- ^ Mentioned in the Season 7 DVD commentary for the episode
[edit] External links
- "Summer of 4 Ft. 2" episode capsule at The Simpsons Archive
