Principal Charming
"Principal Charming" | |
---|---|
The Simpsons episode | |
Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 14 |
Directed by | Mark Kirkland |
Written by | David M. Stern |
Production code | 7F15 |
Original air date | February 14, 1991 |
Guest appearance | |
Episode features | |
Couch gag | When the Simpsons sit on the couch, it opens into a sofa bed. |
Commentary | Matt Groening Mike Reiss Mark Kirkland |
"Principal Charming" is the fourteenth episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on February 14, 1991. In the episode, Marge asks Homer to find a husband for her sister Selma. Homer invites Principal Skinner to dinner after Bart gets caught vandalizing the school's lawn. Skinner's dinner with the Simpsons fails to go as planned when he instead falls for Selma's twin sister Patty.
The episode was written by
Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. It acquired a
Plot
After attending the wedding of a coworker, Selma begs her sister Marge to help her find a husband. Marge asks Homer to help find a husband for Selma, but he struggles to find anyone suitable. When Bart is caught spelling his name on the school's lawn by killing the grass with a herbicide, Principal Skinner summons Homer to his office to discuss the prank. After learning that Skinner is single, Homer invites him to dinner. When Skinner arrives at the Simpsons' house, Homer accidentally introduces him to Patty instead of Selma; Skinner is instantly smitten with her, making Selma feel even worse about her marriage prospects.
Skinner asks Patty for a date, but she is reluctant. Selma encourages her to go on her first date in 25 years and warns her this may be her last chance to marry. Patty does not enjoy her first date with Skinner, but they keep seeing other and eventually bond, much to Selma's chagrin. Because Skinner is distracted by his love for Patty, he allows Bart and the other children to do whatever they want at school. He soon enlists Bart's help to persuade Patty to marry him. At the same time, Homer arranges a date between Barney and Selma, which she reluctantly attends.
Following Bart's lead, Skinner uses an herbicide to write "Marry Me Patty" on the school's lawn. Skinner takes her to the top of the school's bell tower to propose marriage. Patty is flattered, but she declines because she and Selma share a special bond as twin sisters. Patty appreciates Skinner's understanding and gentlemanly conduct, and admits that were she ever to settle down with a man, she would marry him. After rescuing Selma from her date with Barney, Patty drives her home to their apartment. Meanwhile, Skinner accepts his fate and reasserts his authority over Bart by destroying the entire lawn with herbicide and forcing him to repair the damage by replanting the field seed by seed, much to Groundskeeper Willie's satisfaction.
Production
The episode was written by David M. Stern[1] and directed by Mark Kirkland. Stern particularly liked writing episodes about Marge and her sisters Patty and Selma. Executive producer Mike Reiss said none of the staff members could relate on a personal level to the twins, but Stern "seemed to really hook in to them, so he did some great episodes featuring members of the Bouvier family."[2] Due to the episode's romantic theme, the airdate was pushed back to Valentine's Day on February 14, 1991.[3] It was, however, ready to be aired several months earlier.[2]
The characters
Cultural references
The scene with Skinner climbing the bell tower to get a better look of where the sodium tetrasulfate smell is coming from is a reference to the final scene of the 1958 film
Reception
In its original broadcast, "Principal Charming" finished thirty-second in the ratings for the week of February 11–17, 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: "Good fun, with both Patty and Selma gaining a degree of humanity. Bart makes very good use of his new-found freedom as Skinner's pseudo-in-law, much to the annoyance of Groundskeeper Willie, making his first appearance."[1]
DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson wrote: "Many shows might have trouble concentrating on secondary characters like Skinner and Patty, but this episode worked nicely. Though the romantic tone could have become sappy, the program managed to stay on the right side of that equation, and it expanded the characters well."[12] Doug Pratt, a DVD reviewer and Rolling Stone contributor, wrote that "the [episode] is heavily character orientated but poignantly comical".[13] A member of the IGN staff wrote in a season two review: "There are some real winners to be found in the second season, and I was actually surprised at some of the episodes in the collection because I thought they were later in the series, like [...] 'Principal Charming', where Skinner falls for Patty."[14]
Bill Goodykoontz of The Arizona Republic said "Principal Charming" was the episode that made it "clear that The Simpsons wasn't just a smart little cartoon but something much, much more."[15] The episode's references to Gone with the Wind and Terminator were named the sixth and fifth greatest film references in the history of the show by Nathan Ditum of Total Film.[10] Dawn Taylor of The DVD Journal thought the best line of the episode was Moe's line to the depressed Homer: "Homer, lighten up. You're making happy hour bitterly ironic."[16]
References
- ^ a b c d Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Principal Charming". BBC. Archived from the original on October 4, 2003. Retrieved July 30, 2007.
- ^ a b c Reiss, Mike (2002). The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Principal Charming" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ OL 433519M.
- ^ Kirkland, Mark (2002). The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Principal Charming" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Horne, Marc (July 21, 2007). "Groening lifts toilet lid on the real-life Groundskeeper Willie". Scotland on Sunday. Archived from the original on October 23, 2007. Retrieved August 2, 2007.
- ^ Simon, Jeremy (February 11, 1994). "Wisdom from The Simpsons' 'D'ohh' boy". The Daily Northwestern.
- Boy-Scoutz N the Hood", in The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b Groening, Matt (2002). The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Principal Charming" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Mirkin, David (2004). The Simpsons season 7 DVD commentary for the episode "Secrets of a Successful Marriage" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b Ditum, Nathan (June 6, 2009). "The 50 Greatest Simpsons Movie References". Total Film. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ "Nielsen Ratings /Feb. 11–17". Long Beach Press-Telegram. February 21, 1991. p. B8.
- ^ Jacobson, Colin. "The Simpsons: The Complete Second Season". DVD Movie Guide. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
- ISBN 9781932916010. Retrieved April 10, 2009.
- ^ "The Simpsons – The Complete Second Season Review". IGN. July 22, 2002. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ Goodykoontz, Bill (December 15, 2002). "a&e". The Arizona Republic. pp. E3.
- ^ Taylor, Dawn (2002). "The Simpsons: The Complete Second Season". The DVD Journal. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
External links