A Tale of Two Springfields
"A Tale of Two Springfields" | ||
---|---|---|
Couch gag Bart reaches the couch first and slips a whoopee cushion under Homer's cushion. When the rest of the family runs in, Homer triggers the whoopee cushion's farting sound, causing him to grin sheepishly at a frowning Marge and Lisa while Bart laughs uproariously. | | |
Commentary | Matt Groening Mike Scully George Meyer Al Jean Ian Maxtone-Graham Don Payne Matt Selman Dan Castellaneta Shaun Cashman Roger Daltrey David Silverman | |
"A Tale of Two Springfields" is the second episode of the twelfth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 250th episode of the series overall in both broadcast and production order. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 5, 2000. In the episode, Homer discovers that Springfield has two different area codes and ends up leading a revolt that splits the town in two.
The episode was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Shaun Cashman and guest starred the Who. The episode was inspired by Don Payne, based on the area where his mother lived, where one side of town would spread rumors about the other side. Larry Doyle then pitched that the two sides of Springfield would be divided because of a telephone area code. The episode features cultural references to the Who and the Norman Rockwell painting Freedom of Speech, and has received positive reviews from critics.
In November 2004, Channel 4 chose this episode to be the first episode to be broadcast on the channel, having taken the terrestrial rights to air the show from BBC Two.
Plot
A
Homer is declared mayor of New Springfield. After Homer pelts Mayor Quimby with beer cans (whilst the latter was giving a speech calling for conciliation), tensions arise between the two towns. Old Springfield businesses discriminate against customers from New Springfield, and condescend to them on the nightly news. Bart and Homer shut off the power to Old Springfield. Old Springfield hijacks a beer truck heading for New Springfield and dumps its contents in the river; Homer and New Springfield then cut off their water supply. When the lack of water reveals gold in the river bed, making Old Springfield even richer and allowing the town to purchase a French water factory, an enraged Homer has a wall built between the two towns. However, a lack of supplies and sanitation drives all of the New Springfield residents over to Old Springfield, leaving the Simpsons alone.
Bitter, Homer attempts to sabotage the Who concert in Old Springfield by convincing them to play in New Springfield instead. When the people of Old Springfield realize this, they confront the Simpsons at the wall. After a brief riot during which flaming garbage is catapulted into New Springfield, the members of the Who hear about the area code problem and suggest that the townspeople get speed dial. Pete Townshend's opening riff from "Won't Get Fooled Again" crumbles the wall, and the citizens of Springfield reunite and dance to the music as the badger leads an animal invasion of the town.
Production
The episode was pitched by
The phone from the educational cartoon was voiced by
Deleted scenes
When Roger Daltrey hits Marge with his microphone he improvised and said "Shut the fuck up, Marge." This was later included in the deleted scenes on The Simpsons – The Complete Twelfth Season DVD release.[6] In the TV broadcast version, Daltrey says "Get out of the way, Marge".
Cultural references
The episode title is a play on the name of Charles Dickens' novel, A Tale of Two Cities. When Homer stands up in the press conference it is a reference to Norman Rockwell's painting Freedom of Speech.[7] When it is suggested that Homer be the mayor of New Springfield, he imagines himself in the opening sequence of The Rifleman, instead as the Mayor. The scene in which Homer and Marge take a picture is a staff in-joke about "Trash of the Titans" when the voice director told Bono to smile.[2] The episode also features several references to the Who, including "Magic Bus" and Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy.[2] Moe's comment "That fat, dumb, and bald guy sure plays a mean hardball" is a reference to a Who song, "Pinball Wizard". The wall itself is a reference to the Berlin Wall, with "New Springfield" representing East Berlin.
The two telephone
Reception
Colin Jacobson of the DVD Movie Guide gave the episode a positive review saying "Maybe it’s the low expectations that accompany 21st century Simpsons episodes, but “Tale” works for me. It takes a simple premise and turns in a good number of strong comedic bits. Hey, and a mention of “
In 2007, Simon Crerar of The Times listed the Who's performance as one of the thirty-three funniest cameos in the history of the show.[11] There was a backlash from Internet fans who found the scene of Homer nearly getting disemboweled by the badger and showing his internal organs to Lisa to be too disgusting for The Simpsons, citing the gore to be more at home in such animated shows as South Park and Family Guy.[12]
References
- ^ Payne, Don (2009). The Simpsons The Complete Twelfth Season DVD commentary for the episode "A Tale of Two Springfields" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b c d Scully, Mike (2009). The Simpsons The Complete Twelfth Season DVD commentary for the episode "A Tale of Two Springfields" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ "What Badgers Eat". thesimpsons.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2001.
- ^ Castellaneta, Dan (2009). The Simpsons The Complete Twelfth Season DVD commentary for the episode "A Tale of Two Springfields" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Daltrey, Roger (2009). The Simpsons The Complete Twelfth Season DVD commentary for the episode "A Tale of Two Springfields" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ The Simpsons The Complete Twelfth Season DVD commentary for the episode "A Tale of Two Springfields" (DVD). 20th Century Fox. 2009.
- ^ Maxtone-Graham, Ian (2009). The Simpsons The Complete Twelfth Season DVD commentary for the episode "A Tale of Two Springfields" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ "The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season (2000)". dvdmg.com.
- ^ "DVD Verdict Review - The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season". DVD Verdict. Archived from the original on November 3, 2011.
- ^ Nancy Basile. "Recaps for 'The Simpsons' Season 12". About.com Entertainment. Archived from the original on July 23, 2010.
- ^ Crerar, Simon (July 5, 2007). "The 33 funniest Simpsons cameos ever". The Times. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
- ^ Meyer, George (2009). The Simpsons The Complete Twelfth Season DVD commentary for the episode "A Tale of Two Springfields" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.