Rednecks and Broomsticks
| "Rednecks and Broomsticks" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 21 Episode 7 |
| Directed by | Bob Anderson & Rob Oliver |
| Written by | Kevin Curran |
| Production code | LABF19 |
| Original air date | November 29, 2009 |
| Guest appearance | |
| |
| Episode features | |
Couch gag | The Simpson family gathers around the dinner table for a Thanksgiving meal, but soon gather their plates and head for the couch where they watch a football game on TV. |
"Rednecks and Broomsticks" is the seventh episode in the twenty-first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 29, 2009. In the episode, Lisa befriends three teenaged Wiccans after getting lost in the woods during a game of hide-and-seek, and must clear her new friends' names when they are accused of cursing the townspeople with their supposed witchcraft. Meanwhile, Homer befriends Cletus after learning that he and his friends make their own moonshine.
The episode was written by Kevin Curran, and directed by Bob Anderson and Rob Oliver.
In its original airing, the episode had an estimated 9 million viewers and received a
The episode also received generally positive reviews from critics.
Plot
The Simpson family becomes helplessly stuck in traffic while returning from a
Eventually the batteries run out, but Bart plugs the toy into the car's cigarette lighter, causing it to play even faster. His patience long gone, Homer smashes the Bonk-It with his foot, but it becomes lodged under the brake pedal. He loses control of the vehicle, accidentally hits a deer reminiscent of
Meanwhile, Bart and Cletus's sons play with a box of grenades that Cletus's wife Brandine, a former soldier, had brought back from Iraq, and Lisa plays hide and seek with Cletus's daughters. They do not find her, and Lisa gets lost in the woods. Trying to find her way back, she encounters three girls who are Wiccans, practicing their full moon Esbat.
Lisa is initially skeptical of their ability to cast spells, but becomes interested after she happens to mention in the witches' Circle that she wishes she did not have to hand in her unfinished art project, and her wish comes true when Miss Hoover is taken ill with a stomach virus. The girls ask Lisa to join their coven and she accepts, but on the night of Lisa's induction, Chief Wiggum turns up after being tipped off by Ned Flanders and arrests the three girls on suspicion of witchcraft. Outside the courtroom, the girls say a chant, asking their goddess to 'show their persecutors that they are blind'. Many of the townspeople then suddenly become
The episode ends with Lisa ice-skating on the frozen river to the song "Season of the Witch" while her skates carve a hole in the ice that frees Homer.
Production
The episode was written by Kevin Curran and directed by Bob Anderson and Rob Oliver.
In August 2009, Fox announced that Neve Campbell would guest star as Cassandra, a Wiccan whom the townsfolk accuse of blinding them.[1][2]
Cultural references
The title refers to the 1971 Disney film Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Guest star Neve Campbell is famous for starring in The Craft, a film with a similar theme to this episode.[2][3] The way Cletus takes the family out of the frozen lake is similar to Deliverance and Misery.[3] The sequence with Homer and Cletus exploring different moonshine locales, split into four different screens, is a parody of Sideways.[3] Lisa is shown doing online research using a site called Wiccapedia. The last scene in the episode of Lisa figure skating on the frozen water is also reminiscent of the final scene in the film To Die For.
Reception
In its original American broadcast, "Rednecks and Broomsticks" was viewed by an estimated 9.02 million households and received a 4.2 Nielsen rating/10 share in the 18–49 demographic. It was the most-watched show out of the four shows on Fox's
Robert Canning of IGN stated in his review "In the end, for all the small bits that worked -- Moleman operating on himself, Moe and the angry mob -- 'Rednecks and Broomsticks' was just too bland to be worthwhile.".[3]
References
- ^ Bruno, Mike (August 6, 2009). "'Simpsons' guest voices for upcoming season include Seth Rogen, Anne Hathaway". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
- ^ a b "Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Anne Hathaway, Chris Martin, Sarah Silverman, Angela Bassett, Chuck Liddell, Jackie Mason, Neve Campbell, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Bob Costas and the Late Eartha Kitt Among Guest Voices on 21st Season of "The Simpsons"". The Futon Critic. August 6, 2009. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Canning, Robert (November 30, 2009). "The Simpsons: "Rednecks and Broomsticks" Review". IGN. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (November 30, 2009). "TV Ratings Sunday: Of Course Football Wins; Fox Animation Bounces Back; ABC Slumps". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 2, 2009. Retrieved November 30, 2009.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (December 2, 2009). "TV Ratings: Sunday Night Football Big Bang, Dancing With the Stars and NCIS top weekly broadcast charts". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- VanDerWerff, Emily (November 30, 2009). ""Rednecks and Broomsticks"/"From Bed to Worse"/"Dog Gone"/"G-String Circus"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
External links
- "Rednecks and Broomsticks" at IMDb
