Treehouse of Horror V

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"Treehouse of Horror V"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.Season 6
Episode 6
Directed byJim Reardon
Written byThe Shinning:
Bob Kushell
Time and Punishment:
Greg Daniels
Dan McGrath
Nightmare Cafeteria:
David X. Cohen
Production code2F03
Original air dateOctober 30, 1994 (1994-10-30)
Guest appearance
Episode features
Couch gag
The undead family members enter with disfigured bodies, and then swap heads and arms.[1]
CommentaryMatt Groening
David Mirkin
David X. Cohen
Greg Daniels
Jim Reardon
Episode chronology
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"Sideshow Bob Roberts"
Next →
"Bart's Girlfriend"
The Simpsons (season 6)
List of episodes

"Treehouse of Horror V" is the sixth episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the fifth entry in the Treehouse of Horror series. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 30, 1994, and features three short stories: "The Shinning", "Time and Punishment", and "Nightmare Cafeteria".

The episode was written by Greg Daniels, Dan McGrath, David Cohen and Bob Kushell, and directed by Jim Reardon.[2] In "The Shinning", a spoof of

wraparound segment
.

In response to longstanding complaints about excessive graphic violence in the show, showrunner David Mirkin mandated that the episode contain as many disturbing and gory elements as possible. James Earl Jones features as the voice of an alternate-timeline Maggie. The episode was critically acclaimed, with "The Shinning" segment receiving the most praise.

Plot

Marge tells the audience that the episode is deemed so scary that Congress will not allow its broadcast. Homer and Bart interrupt the transmission to show the episode.

The Shinning

The Simpsons are employed as caretakers at Mr. Burns' mountain lodge while it is closed for the winter. Groundskeeper Willie discovers that Bart can read his mind, and tells him he has the "Shinning". Mr. Burns cuts off the lodge's cable TV and beer supplies to ensure hard work from the caretakers; this plan backfires, as the deprivation drives Homer insane. A phantom Moe Szyslak encourages Homer to "waste your family and I'll give you a beer". Marge finds Homer's manuscript, which reads "Feelin' fine"; lightning flashes, and she sees that Homer has scrawled "No TV and no beer make Homer go crazy" all over the walls. Homer attacks Marge and she fends him off; Homer faints in horror upon seeing his crazed reflection in a mirror. Marge locks Homer in the pantry. Moe and a gang of ghouls get him out. Bart uses his "Shinning" to summon Willie, who drops his portable TV in the snow to come to the family's rescue. Homer stabs him in the back with an axe and continues his pursuit of the family. Lisa shows Homer Willie's TV, and Homer's insanity abates as the family watches TV. After they are frozen stiff, the Tony Awards ceremony begins airing on the TV, and Homer's murderous impulse comes back.

Time and Punishment

Homer accidentally turns his broken toaster into a time machine after trying to repair it. After traveling to prehistoric times, Homer remembers his

father's advice about the butterfly effect but unthinkingly swats a mosquito. He returns to a present where Ned Flanders is the "unquestioned lord and master of the world"; after Homer gets the Simpsons sentenced to 're-Neducation' (a program which includes full-frontal lobotomies), he escapes and tries to fix his mistakes. Homer's failed attempts create a present where Bart and Lisa are giants, followed by one where the Simpsons are wealthy and Patty and Selma have died, but no one knows what donuts are (they now fall from the sky as rain), and one where Willie tries to help Homer, but is stabbed in the back with an axe by a talking Maggie
, who intones "This is indeed a disturbing universe." On his final trip back, Homer destroys everything in sight with a baseball bat. Homer travels back to his home, where everything is as it was except for his family having reptilian tongues, which Homer accepts as "close enough".

Nightmare Cafeteria

Principal Skinner and Lunchlady Doris discover a common solution to the problems of poor cafeteria food and an overcrowded detention hall: eating any child that is sent to detention. After only a few students remain, Willie tries to help Bart, Lisa, and Milhouse escape, but Skinner stabs him in the back with an axe. Milhouse, Bart, and Lisa fall off a ledge into a giant food processor, when Bart wakes up with his family in his bedroom. Marge assures him he has nothing to fear except the "fog that turns people inside out", which seeps in through the window. The inside out family and Willie perform "One" from A Chorus Line as the credits roll.

Production

Showrunner David Mirkin attempted to put "as much blood and guts" into the episode as he could. Mirkin was disappointed by complaints from Congress regarding the amount of violence in the show and their attempts for it to be censored. He later called it "the most [...] disturbing Halloween show ever". The opening sequence, in which Marge states the episode could not be shown and plays some live action stock footage, was also in reference to this. Mirkin said he thinks Halloween shows can be "scary as well as fun".[3]

This episode marked the end of the tradition of featuring humorous tombstones in the title sequence of Halloween episodes. The title sequence of this episode featured a tombstone reading "Amusing Tombstones".[4] The staff also abandoned the tradition of wraparound segments that were featured before each story in the preceding Halloween episodes, to allow more time for the main stories.[5]

The first segment, "The Shinning", is a parody of The Shining. The film's director, Stanley Kubrick, had been a big influence on Mirkin, and was "one of the main reason[s] [he] wanted to be a director".[3] Series creator Matt Groening admitted that he had not seen The Shining and most of the references to the film were entirely lost on him.[6]

A closeup of a man in front of a microphone. He has a receding hairline and wears dark-framed glasses.
Nightmare Cafeteria marked David Cohen's debut as a Simpsons writer.

Groening originally pitched the idea that Homer would travel through time in "Time and Punishment". His original idea was that the time-travel would be the result of Homer simply jamming his hand in the toaster, but it was rejected by the other writers.[6] The first time Homer travels back in time, he was originally supposed to state "I'm the first non-fictional character to travel backwards through time".[4] The line was later changed from "non-fictional" to "non-Brazilian". Groening was confused as to the reason for the change, since he liked the original so much. In fact, he did not even understand what the new line implied.[6] Josh Weinstein said the line is supposed to be a non-sequitur. In Brazil, the Portuguese dub changed the line to "I'm the first non-astronaut to travel backwards through time." In the sequence where the Simpsons' house transforms several times, one of the original designs included the house being made entirely of squirrels. Layout artist Lance Wilder worked on the drawings for more than two days, but ultimately it was cut as the picture quality of standard-definition televisions of the time would have made the image unrecognizable. To ensure their work did not go to waste, some staff members have used the drawings on Christmas cards and other studio-related notices.[7]

"Nightmare Cafeteria" was the first Simpsons story written by David X. Cohen.[3] He wrote the final scene where a nightmarish fog turns the family inside out. This was inspired by an episode of the radio show Lights Out called "The Dark", which frightened Cohen as a child. A dance number was added immediately afterward in order to end the show on a lighter note. The "grade F meat" joke was written by Cohen, inspired by his cousin once seeing a box of hot dogs labeled "grade C, approved for human consumption".[3]

Cultural references

Marge says the following program is so scary Congress won't let them show it, and they'll instead air the "1947 classic Glenn Ford movie 200 Miles to Oregon." Homer and Bart's voice-over is a reference to opening of the The Outer Limits.[1]

"The Shinning" is a parody of

Freddy Kruger. Burns mentions the lodge was "the setting of satanic rituals, witch burnings and five John Denver Christmas specials."[8]

The title of "Time and Punishment" is a reference to

The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show make an appearance during Homer's time traveling sequence and when, as a side effect of Homer's antics in the past, Kang and Kodos' heads are unexpectedly replaced with those of Peabody and Sherman.[3] The dinosaur scenes are reminiscent of Jurassic Park,[1] and the floor morphing into a television screen mirrors similar scenes in Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Time Bandits.[3]

The title of "Nightmare Cafeteria" is a riff on the television series Nightmare Café,[4] while the plot bears resemblance to Soylent Green.[9] The closing song is a parody of "One" from the musical A Chorus Line,[1] while the concept of the family being turned inside out by a mysterious fog comes from an episode of the radio show Lights Out, "The Dark".[4] "One" can briefly be heard at the end of "The Shinning", when an announcer introduces the Tony Awards on Willie's portable TV.

Reception

Ratings

In its original broadcast, "Treehouse of Horror V" finished 27th in ratings for the week of October 24–30, 1994, with a

Nielsen rating of 12.2, equivalent to approximately 11.6 million viewing households. It was the second highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following Beverly Hills, 90210.[10]

Critical reception

Since airing, "Treehouse of Horror V" has received critical acclaim. The authors of I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, called it "Another fine entry to the Treehouse canon".

Consequence of Sound called it "a true benchmark of the series," ranking it the second greatest Treehouse of Horror episode of all time.[18] In 2019, Time ranked the episode third in its list of 10 best Simpsons episodes picked by Simpsons experts.[19]

"The Shinning" is particularly highly praised. IGN voted it first on their list of the best segments in the Treehouse of Horror series, with "Time and Punishment" coming fourth.

Vulture named "The Shinning" the best "Treehouse of Horror" segment ever, stating, "When you can’t think of the original without also thinking of the spoof. That’s The Shining and 'The Shinning,' easily the best Treehouse segment of all time."[23]

James Earl Jones' guest appearance in this episode, as well as in "Treehouse of Horror" and "Das Bus", was listed seventh on IGN's "Top 25 Simpsons Guest Appearances" list.[24] Jones ranked 25th on AOL's list of their favorite 25 The Simpsons guest stars.[25] Matt Groening said that Maggie's line "It is indeed a disturbing universe" (voiced by Jones) is among his favorite lines in the show.[26] David Mirkin said that Homer's line, "Oh I wish, I wish I hadn't killed that fish", is one of his favorites, and that the alternate future in which the family is rich "breaks [his] heart every time".[3] Homer's line "close enough" from Time and Punishment was later used in the Stargate SG-1 episode "Moebius".[27]

Emmy Award nomination for "Outstanding Dramatic Underscore— Series" in 1995.[28]

Legacy

"Time and Punishment" was later referenced in DC Comics' Booster Gold comic book series, where Booster Gold uses it to explain the butterfly effect.[29] Simpsons-themed metal band Okilly Dokilly based their song "Reneducation" on "Time and Punishment", in which Homer visits a dystopian future where "Flanders is the unquestioned lord and master of the world."[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Treehouse of Horror V". BBC. Archived from the original on 2003-10-05. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  2. ^ ..
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Mirkin, David (2005). The Simpsons The Complete Sixth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror V" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  4. ^ a b c d Cohen, David (2005). The Simpsons The Complete Sixth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror V" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  5. ^ Weinstein, Josh (2006). The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror VII" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  6. ^ a b c Groening, Matt (2005). The Simpsons The Complete Sixth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror V" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  7. ^ Reardon, Jim (2005). The Simpsons The Complete Sixth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror V" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  8. ^ Martin, Clare (October 18, 2022). "The 10 Best Treehouse of Horror Tales from The Simpsons". Paste. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  9. ^ "12 Truly Scary 'Simpsons - Treehouse Of Horror' Segments". Entertainment Tonight. 2014-10-28. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
  10. ^ Williams, Scott (November 3, 1994). "ABC on top, but moves help others". Sun-Sentinel. p. 4E.
  11. ^ "The best Simpsons episodes, Nos. 6-10". Entertainment Weekly. 2003-01-29. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  12. ^ Weir, Rich. "Top 10: Simpsons Episodes". Askmen.com. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  13. ^ a b Goldman, Eric; Dan Iverson, Brian Zoromski (2010-01-08). "The Simpsons: 20 Seasons, 20 Episodes". IGN. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  14. ^ a b Finley, Adam (2006-07-06). "The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror V". TV Squad. Retrieved 2008-03-07.
  15. ^
    Michigan Daily. Archived from the original
    on 2008-03-24. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  16. ^ Molumby, Deidre (September 6, 2019). "The 10 greatest 'The Simpsons' episodes of all time". Entertainment.ie. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  17. ^ Sim, Bernardo (2019-09-22). "The Simpsons: The Best Episode In Every Season, Ranked". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2019-09-22.
  18. ^ Ruskin, Zack (2019-10-23). "Ranking: Every Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Halloween Episode from Worst to Best". Consequence. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  19. ^ Bruner, Raisa (2019-12-10). "We Asked Experts for 10 of Their Most Memorable Simpsons Episodes of All Time". Time. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  20. ^ Goldman, Eric; Iverson, Dan; Zoromski, Brian (2006-10-30). "The Simpsons' Best Treehouse of Horror Segments". IGN. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  21. ^ Patrick, Seb (2007-10-31). "The Ten Best Treehouse of Horror Vignettes". Noise to Signal. Archived from the original on 2016-01-01. Retrieved 2016-09-13.
  22. ^ Colin Kennedy. "The Ten Best Movie Gags In The Simpsons", Empire, September 2004, pp. 77
  23. ^ Kurp, Joshua (2019-10-21). "Every Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Segment, Ranked". Vulture. Retrieved 2019-10-24.
  24. ^ Goldman, Eric; Dan Iverson, Brian Zoromski (4 January 2010). "Top 25 Simpsons Guest Appearances". IGN.com. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  25. ^ Potts, Kimberly. "Favorite 'Simpsons' Guest Stars". AOL. Retrieved 2008-11-24.[permanent dead link]
  26. ^ Groening, Matt (2005). The Simpsons The Complete Sixth Season DVD introduction "A Confession from Matt Groening" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  27. ^ Stargate SG-1 Season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Moebius" (DVD). MGM Entertainment. 2005.
  28. ^ "Awards & Honours". snpp. Archived from the original on 2008-05-11. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
  29. ^ Booster Gold, vol. 2, no. 8 (2008). DC Comics.

External links