Blood Feud (The Simpsons)
"Blood Feud" | ||
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Couch gag The couch falls through the floor with the family on it.[2] | | |
Commentary | Matt Groening Al Jean David Silverman | |
"Blood Feud" is the twenty-second and final episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on July 11, 1991. In the episode, Mr. Burns falls ill and desperately needs a blood transfusion. Homer discovers Bart has Burns' rare blood type and urges him to donate, thinking the Simpsons will be handsomely rewarded. After receiving the blood transfusion, Burns sends them a card with no money. Marge convinces Homer not to send an insulting reply to his boss, but when Bart mails the letter anyway, Burns is livid. He later forgives Homer and sends the Simpsons a giant Olmec carving to show his gratitude.
The episode was written by
"Blood Feud" was part of the season two production run, but was completed behind schedule. It was originally broadcast on July 11, 1991, as part of "premiere week", the Fox Network's attempt to expand the typical 30-week prime time season and gain new viewers for the fall. In its original broadcast, the episode finished 24th in ratings for the week with a
Plot
When Homer fails to prevent the letter from reaching Burns' desk by attempting and failing to fill the mailbox with water, Burns receives the letter. Burns is initially impressed with the positive start of the letter, but before Homer can leave Burns' office, Burns reads the rest of the letter. Furious, Burns demands that Homer be beaten by thugs, but
As the Simpsons stare at the head, they debate the lesson they have learned from the affair. Lisa suggests that perhaps there is no lesson. Homer observes that the recent events are "just a bunch of stuff that happened", though everyone agrees the past few days have been a memorable turn of events.
Production
"Blood Feud" was written by George Meyer and directed by David Silverman.[3] Executive producer Sam Simon and writers Al Jean and Mike Reiss came up with the idea for the episode while they were trying to fill up the rest of the production run. A co-worker had recently needed a blood transfusion, and the writers thought it would be funny if Mr. Burns had one.[4] Although Meyer was credited with writing the episode, Jean and Reiss re-wrote and polished the script. Harry Shearer, the voice of Mr. Burns and Smithers, could not attend the table read for the episode, so his parts were read by Dan Castellaneta (the voice of Homer).[4] "Blood Feud" includes a first act that is much longer than a normal episode of the show. The producers were going to end the act with Mr. Burns feeling better, but decided to extend it to show how the Simpson family was affected.[4] "Blood Feud" ends with the family discussing what the message of the episode was, but decide that there was no message. The writers were having trouble conceiving an ending, but decided that since there was no point, they would discuss it.[4] In his book Planet Simpson, Chris Turner writes that the ending is meant to openly mock the "notion of the tidy sitcom-style moral" and the "formulaic plots of sitcoms".[5]
David Silverman describes the episode as "one of my very favorite episodes that I had the pleasure to direct". He notes that several "standard Homerisms" appear for the first time in the episode, such as Homer's conversations with his brain and his high-pitched "fairy voice".[3] Silverman inserted a red herring into the episode in a scene where Mr. Burns says that he was rejuvenated. Silverman used a close-up of Burns when he says "blood of a young boy" in hopes of misleading viewers into thinking that the rest of episode would be about Burns seeking more of Bart's blood.[3]
The episode includes the debut of the
This is also the final episode to be mixed in
Cultural references
The composition and setting of the scene where Smithers and
The location of Springfield is displayed in this episode, however, the State initials are JI (J and I letters) or Jl (J and small L). While the location of the Simpsons have been kept a secret for over 20 years it has been revealed that they live in Oregon. This is displayed in the letter Homer receives from Mr. Burns. The address is 1000 Mammon Ln. Springfield, JI/Jl, with an illegible ZIP Code.
First broadcast
"Blood Feud" was part of the season two production run, but was completed behind schedule.[6] It was originally broadcast on July 11, 1991, as part of the Fox Network's "premiere week". Fox aired new episodes of several of its top shows, including The Simpsons and Beverly Hills, 90210, in hopes of expanding the normal 30 week prime time season and gaining new viewers for the fall.[7] Although "Three Men and a Comic Book" was the official season two finale, "Blood Feud" is considered part of the second season and was included in The Complete Second Season DVD boxset.[8]
In its original broadcast, "Blood Feud" finished 24th in ratings for the week of July 8–14, 1991, with a
Reception
The episode has received 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, "One of those shows that people always talk about when discussing The Simpsons – and rightfully so. Homer's transformation from angry parent to a sensible, calm husband is excellent, as is his reaction to Bart posting his angry letter. Their attempts to retrieve the letter and Burns' eventual reaction are fabulous."[2]
DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson wrote: "In many ways, 'Feud' seemed more derivative than usual. Not only did it resemble parts of 'Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish', but Homer's attempts to regain the letter before Burns reads it appears reminiscent of an episode of The Flintstones. Despite those similarities, 'Feud' still provided a very entertaining show. The program packed in a slew of hilarious moments, from Homer's description of a Bible story to his visit to the post office."[12] Ben Rayner of The Toronto Star included "Blood Feud" in his list of the top ten episodes of The Simpsons, noting that "Homer's efforts to thwart the mail service still kill me 15 years later."[13]
In popular culture
The scene where Bart prank calls Moe and asks for a "Mike Rotch" (My crotch) was later used in the
References
- ^ a b c d Richmond & Coffman 1997, pp. 58–59.
- ^ a b Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Blood Feud". BBC. Retrieved May 26, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f Silverman, David. (2002). Commentary for "Blood Feud", in The Simpsons: The Complete Second Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b c d e f Jean Al. (2002). Commentary for "Blood Feud", in The Simpsons: The Complete Second Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Turner 2004, pp. 247–249.
- ^ Curtright, Guy (July 11, 1991). "Today's TV Tips". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- ^ "Television Highlights". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. July 10, 1991.
- ^ "Simpsons, The — The Complete 2nd Season". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on August 13, 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2009.
- Long Beach Press-Telegram.
- ^ Yandel, Gerry (July 17, 1991). "Sitcoms and All-Star baseball help CBS hit 4th ratings homer". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- The San Francisco Chronicle. July 17, 1991.
- ^ Jacobson, Colin. "The Simpsons: The Complete Second Season". DVD Movie Guide. Retrieved May 26, 2009.
- ^ Rayner, Ben (May 20, 2007). "Eye on Springfield". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- Bibliography
External links