Treehouse of Horror XIII
"Treehouse of Horror XIII" | |
---|---|
The Simpsons episode | |
Episode no. | Season 14 Episode 1 |
Directed by | David Silverman |
Written by | Send in the Clones: Marc Wilmore The Fright to Creep and Scare Harms: Brian Kelley The Island of Dr. Hibbert: Kevin Curran |
Production code | DABF19 |
Original air date | November 3, 2002 |
Episode features | |
Commentary | Al Jean Brian Kelley Kevin Curran Matt Selman John Frink Dan Castellaneta Yeardley Smith David Silverman |
"Treehouse of Horror 13" is the first episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the thirteenth Treehouse of Horror episode. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 3, 2002, three days after Halloween. It is the second Halloween episode to have a zombie related segment, and the last Halloween to have three separate writers credited for writing three stories (starting with "Treehouse of Horror XIV", only one writer is credited for writing the three stories). It is also the first Halloween episode to be titled Treehouse of Horror in the opening credits, as all prior Halloween episodes were referred to as The Simpsons Halloween Special. It is the first of these episodes not to have a Roman numeral used in its opening title.
In the episode, Homer buys a magic hammock that can create duplicates of anyone who lies in it in "Send in the Clones"; Lisa's call to end gun violence resurrects undead outlaws in "The Fright to Creep and Scare Harms"; and Dr. Hibbert invites everyone in Springfield to his island resort where everyone is turned into half-man, half-animal hybrids in "The Island of Dr. Hibbert".
Plot
The
Send in the Clones
In this spoof of Multiplicity, Homer's hammock collapses while he is taking a nap. He purchases a new one from a passing vendor, who warns him that it carries a curse. Disregarding this, Homer lies down and discovers that the new hammock can produce clones of anyone who rests on it. He inspects the first clone and notices that it does not have a belly button.
He makes clones to do all of his chores, which include fixing a light fitting (resulting in the first clone being electrocuted to death and Homer creating a new clone to help dispose of the body), helping Marge choose an outfit, visiting Grampa, and play baseball with Bart, Lisa and Maggie. He also discovers that the clones are becoming increasingly less intelligent. When one clone kills Ned Flanders, Homer decides to get rid of the clones and the hammock. He bundles the clones in a truck and takes them to an isolated cornfield, where he abandons them, along with the hammock.
The clones use the abandoned hammock to make an army of Homer clones, which wreak havoc in Springfield. US army officials gather in the Mayor's War Room and determine that the clones will eat up America by the next day. In an attempt to stop the clones from overpopulating America, the government tricks them into falling off a cliff at Springfield Gorge[note 1] by riding helicopters attached, using giant donuts as bait. The plan was a success, and the clones tumble into the gorge in pursuit of the donuts. That evening, Marge is shocked to find that the Homer in bed with her is actually a clone, the real Homer having actually been the first one to jump off the cliff with the other clones. Marge is distressed by the real Homer's death until the clone Homer soothes her with a backrub.
The Fright to Creep and Scare Harms
While at the Springfield Cemetery mourning the loss of her pet goldfish, Lisa inadvertently discovers the grave of William H. Bonney, a man who was killed in his youth by gun violence. According to his epitaph, he "dream[ed] of a world without guns." In his memory, Lisa starts a gun control crusade, which makes Springfield 100% gun-free; even the police no longer possess guns. The town is now defenseless, causing the corpses of Bonney, in reality notorious outlaw
The Island of Dr. Hibbert
In this parody of The Island of Dr. Moreau, the Simpsons visit "The Island of Lost Souls," where they find
Homer treks across the island looking for a cure to Marge's condition, but encounters Ned Flanders, who is now a cow-human hybrid in need of a milking. After Homer reluctantly milks him, Ned takes him to meet other Springfield inhabitants who have also been turned into mutant animals, including Bart (now a spider), Lisa (now an eagle) and Maggie (now an anteater, who is nearly eaten by Lisa until Homer intervenes). Homer, initially appalled at what everyone has become, eventually embraces the concept of being a mutant animal upon realizing how well it fits in with his personal lifestyle. The segment ends with a mutated Homer in the form of a walrus and the rest of the Simpsons and Springfield mutants lounging aside the resort's pool, intending to spend the rest of their days on Hibbert's resort.
Ending
The episode concludes with an appearance by Kang and Kodos, observing that Hibbert's skull-shaped island resembles their alien number 4.
Production
This is the first "Treehouse of Horror" special to be called "Treehouse of Horror" instead of "The Simpsons Halloween Special" in the opening or title sequence.
This is also the first "Treehouse of Horror" episode to use the
Because Nancy Kruse served as assistant director in this episode, director David Silverman was granted enough time to do his own animated sequences for the episode - including a Grandpa scene and a Frink scene. It was one of the last episodes in which he both directed and animated.[2] The scene where the Homer clones fall into the gorge was supposed to be a reference to a similar event in the season two episode "Bart the Daredevil", but the idea was dropped due to time constraints.[5] In preparation for the song sequence, David Silverman spoke to show composer Alf Clausen to write music for the team to animate ahead of time, to ensure the timing of the build-up and the song itself was working.[2] Kevin Curran watched all the different film versions of The Island of Doctor Moreau before making his segment.[6] The scene where the eyes eat the other eyes in the third segment was pitched by David Mirkin after the table read.[5] After realizing they had to populate the island with characters, the team hurriedly drew up many new designs for the animal-equivalents (based on similar features the character had to an animal) and sent them off to get animated.[5] Kang and Kodos were not originally in this episode, but they were later added in to keep with the tradition of including them, whether a whole segment or a small cameo devoted to them.[5]
Cultural references
The segment titles are based on the 1973 song "
The A.V. Club notes, "The episode begins with an attempt to summon the spirit of Maude Flanders, who was bumped off in [a] previous season's highly publicized 'Alone Again, Natura-Diddily'."[7] The site also says "The locust-like swarm created in the segment [Send In The Clones] owes as much to the Michael Keaton vehicle Multiplicity as any real-world cloning concerns".[7]
In the crowd of clones in Send in the Clones, Peter Griffin from Family Guy, a Homer with glasses and a Homer drawn in the same design as he had appeared on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987 appear alongside normal Homers. In regard to Peter Griffin's appearance, Skwigly says this is "a sly dig at the likeness of the two characters".[8] The Simpsons staff noted that it was a joke at how Family Guy was a clone of their show. There was originally going to be a second joke involving Family Guy, but as the show had recently been cancelled, the staff of The Simpsons didn't want to "kick 'em when they're down", so they cut it.[5] Family Guy would turn the tables during the opening of their episode "PTV", where Homer makes an appearance similar to The Simpsons intro sequence. In that episode's commentary, Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane confirmed that Homer's appearance was in response to Peter's appearance in this episode.
During the war room scene when the general displays how fast the clones spread throughout the country, icons of Homer initially begin sprouting up at real Springfield locations. This is most likely a tongue-in-cheek at the long running joke of what state the town is actually in.
The chorus from Stephen Stills's 1970 popular song "Love the One You're With" is played at the end of "Send in the Clones" after Marge discovers the original Homer is dead and she is with a clone, but decides she is happy with the clone. The chorus contains the lyrics, "If you can't be with the one you love, Honey, love the one you're with."
Critical reception
"Treehouse of Horror XIII" has met with mostly positive reviews. On IMDb, the episode has a rating of 7.7/10 from 1525 users.
"Send in the Clones" and "The Fright To Creep and Scare Harms" were listed as #8 and #9 respectively in The A.V. Club article, 'You said we'd be greeted as liberators!': 10 anxiety-reflecting Simpsons Halloween segments. It said "Season 14's "Treehouse Of Horror" is steeped in timely concerns, ripping inspiration from the headlines", noting that "Send In The Clones", in which Homer clones himself, "followed the U.S. Congress' second failed attempt to pass a comprehensive ban on reproductive human cloning."[7] The A.V. Club also noted that The Simpsons reveled in zombie tales (in season four's Pet Sematary/Night Of The Living Dead hybrid, "Dial 'Z' For Zombies," and "The Fright To Creep And Scare Harms" from season 14") many years before it became the vogue again with "Walking Dead-mania".[7]
"The Island of Dr. Hibbert" appeared in a list of 11 most disturbing Treehouse of Horror segments from The Simpsons by
Notes
- ^ a callback to "Bart the Daredevil"
References
- user-generated source]
- ^ a b c Silverman, David. (2002). Commentary for "Treehouse of Horror XIII", in The Simpsons: The Complete Fourteenth Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b The Simpsons staff. (2002). Commentary for "Treehouse of Horror XIII", in The Simpsons: The Complete Fourteenth Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Jean, Al. (2002). Commentary for "Treehouse of Horror XIII", in The Simpsons: The Complete Fourteenth Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b c d e f g The Simpsons staff (2002). Commentary for "Treehouse of Horror XIII", in The Simpsons: The Complete Fourteenth Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Curran, Kevin. (2002). Commentary for "Treehouse of Horror XIII", in The Simpsons: The Complete Fourteenth Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b c d "'You said we'd be greeted as liberators!': 10 anxiety-reflecting Simpsons Halloween segments". The A.V. Club. 23 October 2013. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
- Skwigly. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ^ "11 most disturbing Treehouse of Horror segments from The Simpsons". Blastr. 2009-10-19. Archived from the original on 2014-02-03. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
External links
- "Treehouse of Horror XIII" at IMDb