Bart's Dog Gets an "F"
"Bart's Dog Gets an 'F'" | |
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The Simpsons episode | |
Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 16 |
Directed by | Jim Reardon |
Written by | Jon Vitti |
Production code | 7F14 |
Original air date | March 7, 1991 |
Guest appearances | |
| |
Episode features | |
Couch gag | The Simpsons sit on the couch with Santa's Little Helper and Snowball II. |
Commentary | Matt Groening Jon Vitti Al Jean Jim Reardon |
"Bart's Dog Gets an 'F'" is the sixteenth episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 7, 1991.[3] In the episode, the Simpson family's dog, Santa's Little Helper, infuriates Homer and Marge by destroying a family heirloom and an expensive pair of shoes. When Marge and Homer want to get rid of the dog, Bart enrolls him at an obedience school to curb his bad behavior.
The episode was written by
Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. It acquired a
Plot
Lisa is home from school with the mumps, so Marge teaches her to sew. While Homer is at the mall buying magazines for Lisa, he splurges on a $125 pair of Assassins athletic shoes after seeing Ned sporting them. Santa's Little Helper promptly destroys Homer's Assassins. Marge shows Lisa a patchwork quilt, a family heirloom, which Santa's Little Helper chews apart. When Homer and Marge want to get rid of the dog, Bart and Lisa promise to train him, if they are allowed to keep him.
Santa's Little Helper attends an obedience school run by Emily Winthrop, an English woman. After seeing how misbehaved the dog is, she sternly suggests Bart use a
Thinking it will be their last time together, Bart plays with Santa's Little Helper the night before the final exam. The dog is finally able to understand Bart's commands and passes obedience school, to Homer's chagrin. Lisa marks the occasion by starting a new quilt to replace the one Santa's Little Helper destroyed.
Production
The episode was written by Jon Vitti and directed by Jim Reardon.[4] Tracey Ullman guest starred as Emily Winthrop, the instructor at the obedience school, whose mannerisms parody Margaret Thatcher. The Simpsons began as a series of one-minute shorts created by Matt Groening for Ullman's variety show, The Tracey Ullman Show, for three seasons during 1987–89. Due to the success of the shorts, the characters spun off into their own half-hour prime-time show on Fox. Groening wanted Ullman to make a guest appearance in one of the shorts, but was told that she was too busy with the rest of The Tracey Ullman Show. When her show was canceled in 1990, Ullman agreed to do a guest appearance on The Simpsons after being asked by Groening again.[5] The animal noises for the episode, including those by Santa's Little Helper, were performed by Frank Welker. It was the first The Simpsons episode Welker worked on and he became a recurring voice actor on the show,[6] before leaving in 2002.[7]
Cultural references
Reception
In its original broadcast, "Bart's Dog Gets an 'F'" finished thirtieth in the ratings for the week of March 4–10, 1991, with a
Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, wrote that it was an "enjoyable episode heightened by both Tracey Ullman's Miss Winthropp and Frank Welker's muted dog noises".[1] DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson said the episode "presented an odd viewpoint, since [Santa's Little Helper] never behaved this badly in prior episodes, but consistency never exactly was the hallmark of the series".[10] He also commented that Tracey Ullman "offered a great performance as obedience school owner Emily Winthrop", and concluded by saying the episode overall "provided yet another consistently fine show".[10]
In a review of the second season, Bryce Wilson of Cinema Blend thought "Bart's Dog Gets an 'F'" felt "a bit flat", but "even in [its] lowest points, humor is easy to find".[11] Doug Pratt, a DVD reviewer and Rolling Stone contributor, was also positive about the episode: "The viewer is treated to an inspired dog's prospective of the world, in very grayish tones, with the humans speaking gibberish; another poignant character effort."[12] Jacobson's favorite line of the episode was Homer's ad about Santa's Little Helper: "Free to loving home. World's most brilliant dog. Says 'I love you' on command."[10]
Reviewing for The DVD Journal, Dawn Taylor thought the most memorable line was Flanders's description of the Assassins sneakers: "They've got Velcro straps, a water pump in the tongue, a built-in pedometer, reflective sidewalls and little vanity plates."[13] In promotion of The Simpsons Sing the Blues, the music video for the album's second single, "Deep, Deep Trouble" premiered shortly after this episode's first broadcast.[14]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Bart's Dog Gets an 'F'". BBC. Archived from the original on April 28, 2009. Retrieved April 2, 2009.
- OL 433519M.
- ^ "Bart's Dog Gets an F". The Simpsons.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2007. Retrieved July 30, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e Jean, Al (2002). The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode 'Bart's Dog Gets an "F"' (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b Groening, Matt (2002). The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode 'Bart's Dog Gets an "F"' (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Vitti, Jon (2002). The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Bart's Dog Gets an "F"' (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ "ASK FRANK!". The Frank Welker Homepage. Retrieved April 25, 2009.
- ^ Reardon, Jim (2002). The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode 'Bart's Dog Gets an "F"' (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ "Nielsen Ratings /November 5–11". Long Beach Press-Telegram. November 14, 1990. p. C12.
- ^ a b c Jacobson, Colin. "The Simpsons: The Complete Second Season". DVD Movie Guide. Archived from the original on April 25, 2009. Retrieved April 25, 2009.
- ^ Wilson, Bryce (April 19, 2004). "The Simpsons - The Complete Second Season - DVD". Cinema Blend. Archived from the original on September 1, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ISBN 1-932916-01-6.
- ^ Taylor, Dawn (2002). "The Simpsons: The Complete Second Season". The DVD Journal. Archived from the original on March 26, 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
- St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved April 23, 2011.