Blood Feud (The Simpsons)
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"Blood Feud" is the twenty-second and final episode of the second season of the American animated television series ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
''. It originally aired on the
Fox network The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations an ...
in the United States on July 11, 1991. In the episode,
Mr. Burns Charles Montgomery Plantagenet Schicklgruber "Monty" Burns, usually referred to as Mr. Burns, Monty, or C. Montgomery Burns, is a recurring character and the main antagonist of the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', voiced initially by ...
falls ill and desperately needs a
blood transfusion Blood transfusion is the process of transferring blood products into a person's circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used for various medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood. Early transfusions used whole blood, but mo ...
.
Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
discovers
Bart Bart is a masculine given name, usually a diminutive of Bartholomew, sometimes of Barton, Bartolomeo, etc. Bart is a Dutch and Ashkenazi Jewish surname, and derives from the name ''Bartholomäus'', a German form of the biblical name ''Bartho ...
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
George Meyer George Meyer (born 1956) is an American producer and writer. Meyer is best known for his work on ''The Simpsons'', where he led the group script rewrite sessions. He has been publicly credited with "thoroughly shap ng... the comedic sensibility ...
and directed by David Silverman. Executive producer
Sam Simon Samuel Michael Simon (June 6, 1955 – March 8, 2015) was an American director, producer, writer, animal rights activist and philanthropist, who co-developed the television series ''The Simpsons''. While at Stanford University, Simon w ...
and writers
Al Jean Alfred Ernest Jean III (born January 9, 1961) is an American screenwriter and producer. Jean is well known for his work on ''The Simpsons''. He was raised near Detroit, Michigan, and graduated from Harvard University in 1981. Jean began his wri ...
and
Mike Reiss Michael L. Reiss ( '; born ) is an American television comedy writer and author. He served as a show-runner, writer and producer for the animated series ''The Simpsons'' and co-created the animated series '' The Critic''. He created and wrote ...
came up with the idea for the episode. A co-worker had recently needed a blood transfusion, and the writers thought it would be funny if Mr. Burns had one. Although Meyer was credited with writing the episode, Jean and Reiss re-wrote and polished the script. The episode includes the debut of the
Olmec The Olmecs () were the earliest known major Mesoamerican civilization. Following a progressive development in Soconusco, they occupied the tropical lowlands of the modern-day Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco. It has been speculated that t ...
head Xtapolapocetl, which would become a common background prop in the Simpson home. "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
Nielsen rating Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rati ...
of 10.8.


Plot

Mr. Burns Charles Montgomery Plantagenet Schicklgruber "Monty" Burns, usually referred to as Mr. Burns, Monty, or C. Montgomery Burns, is a recurring character and the main antagonist of the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', voiced initially by ...
falls ill with a life-threatening condition called hypohemia — in which the body fails to produce enough blood — and needs a blood transfusion. Searching for a donor, Burns finds none of the employees at
Springfield Nuclear Power Plant Springfield is the primary fictional setting of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' and related media. It is an average-sized, fictional city within an indeterminate state in the United States. The fictional city's geography, surroundi ...
share his rare blood type, double O negative. Some even laugh about Burns' condition and refuse to reveal their blood type.
Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
originally offers to donate some of his blood believing that he would get a reward for saving Burns' life, but discovers that his blood type is A positive. When discussing it with
Marge Marge is a feminine given name, a shortened form of Marjorie, Margot or Margaret (name), Margaret. Notable Marges include: People *Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist *Marge Anderson (1932 ...
, he learns that his son
Bart Bart is a masculine given name, usually a diminutive of Bartholomew, sometimes of Barton, Bartolomeo, etc. Bart is a Dutch and Ashkenazi Jewish surname, and derives from the name ''Bartholomäus'', a German form of the biblical name ''Bartho ...
is double O negative. Although Bart has second thoughts on donating blood Homer urges him to, promising that Burns will reward
the Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
handsomely. After Bart reluctantly agrees and his donation saves Burns' life, Burns sends the Simpsons a thank-you card. Enraged at the paltry gesture, Homer writes an insulting reply, but Marge convinces him not to send it. The next morning, Homer finds the letter missing and learns Bart has mailed it. 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
Smithers Smithers is a surname of English origin. It derives from the Middle English term "smyther", referring to a metalsmith, and is thus related to the common occupational surname Smith. The name Smither is related. People *Alan Smithers (born 1938 ...
protests, insisting it is no way to return the favor the Simpsons performed for him. A remorseful Burns soon sends the family a colossal Olmec head of the god Xtapalapaquetl, which Bart likes. He also apologizes to Homer for misjudging him and gives him a copy of his book, ''Will There Ever Be A Rainbow?''. 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 George Meyer (born 1956) is an American producer and writer. Meyer is best known for his work on ''The Simpsons'', where he led the group script rewrite sessions. He has been publicly credited with "thoroughly shap ng... the comedic sensibility ...
and directed by David Silverman.Silverman, David. (2002). Commentary for "Blood Feud", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Second Season'' VD 20th Century Fox. Executive producer
Sam Simon Samuel Michael Simon (June 6, 1955 – March 8, 2015) was an American director, producer, writer, animal rights activist and philanthropist, who co-developed the television series ''The Simpsons''. While at Stanford University, Simon w ...
and writers
Al Jean Alfred Ernest Jean III (born January 9, 1961) is an American screenwriter and producer. Jean is well known for his work on ''The Simpsons''. He was raised near Detroit, Michigan, and graduated from Harvard University in 1981. Jean began his wri ...
and
Mike Reiss Michael L. Reiss ( '; born ) is an American television comedy writer and author. He served as a show-runner, writer and producer for the animated series ''The Simpsons'' and co-created the animated series '' The Critic''. He created and wrote ...
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 Blood transfusion is the process of transferring blood products into a person's circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used for various medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood. Early transfusions used whole blood, but mo ...
, and the writers thought it would be funny if Mr. Burns had one.Jean Al. (2002). Commentary for "Blood Feud", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Second Season'' VD 20th Century Fox. Although Meyer was credited with writing the episode, Jean and Reiss re-wrote and polished the script.
Harry Shearer Harry Julius Shearer (born December 23, 1943) is an American actor, comedian, writer, musician, radio host, director and producer. Born in Los Angeles, California, Shearer began his career as a child actor. From 1969 to 1976, Shearer was a member ...
, the voice of Mr. Burns and Smithers, could not attend the table read for the episode, so his parts were read by
Dan Castellaneta Daniel Louis Castellaneta (; born October 29, 1957) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for voicing Homer Simpson on the animated series ''The Simpsons'' (as well as other characters on the show such as Abraham "Grampa" ...
(the voice of Homer). "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. "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. In his book ''
Planet Simpson ''Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation'', also abbreviated to ''Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation'', is a non-fiction book about ''The Simpsons'', written by Chris Turner ...
'', 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". 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". Silverman inserted a
red herring A red herring is a figurative expression referring to a logical fallacy in which a clue or piece of information is or is intended to be misleading, or distracting from the actual question. Red herring may also refer to: Animals * Red herring (fis ...
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. The episode includes the debut of the Olmec head Xtapolapocetl. After the episode, it was moved into the Simpsons' basement, where it has since reappeared as a prop in the background of several episodes, although never in a major role. The design was partially based on real Olmec heads, but changed to look more interesting and grotesque.


Cultural references

The composition and setting of the scene where Smithers and
Dr. Hibbert Dr. Julius Michael Hibbert, M.D. is a recurring character on the television animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. He is Springfield's most prominent medical professional. Although he has a kind and warm persona, he is also often characterized as gree ...
discuss Mr. Burns' health is partially inspired by a scene from ''
Citizen Kane ''Citizen Kane'' is a 1941 American drama film produced by, directed by, and starring Orson Welles. He also co-wrote the screenplay with Herman J. Mankiewicz. The picture was Welles' first feature film. ''Citizen Kane'' is frequently cited ...
'' where Kane talks to his wife Susan Alexander after she attempts suicide.
Otto Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', ''Odo'', ''Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". The name is recorded fro ...
is heard humming "
Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charact ...
" by
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...
. The ghostwriter Mr. Burns hires mentions that he wrote "''Like Hell I Can't''". The title is a play on Sammy Davis, Jr.'s autobiography ''Yes, I Can''. Homer mistells the story of " Androcles and the Lion", instead referring to it as "Hercules and the Lion". A mural in the post office resembles
Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was insp ...
's ''
The Creation of Adam '' Creation of Adam'' () is a fresco painting by Italian artist Michelangelo, which forms part of the Sistine Chapel's ceiling, painted c. 1508–1512. It illustrates the Biblical creation narrative from the Book of Genesis in which God gives li ...
''. Burns's line about getting "A frabulous, grabulous, zip-zoop-zabulous present" is similar to lines used in
Dr. Seuss Theodor Seuss Geisel (;"Seuss"
'' The scene where Homer dictates the angry letter to Mr. Burns, and the scene where he and Bart attempt to get it out of the mailbox, are inspired by the ''
Honeymooners ''The Honeymooners'' is an American television sitcom which originally aired from 1955 to 1956, created by and starring Jackie Gleason, and based on a recurring comedy sketch of the same name that had been part of Gleason's variety show. It fol ...
'' episode "Letter to the Boss". 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 C.M.Burns. Address is 1000 Mammon Ln. Springfield, (Basically J and Line). and illegible zipcode.


First broadcast

"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 the Fox Network's "premiere week". Fox aired new episodes of several of its top shows, including ''The Simpsons'' and ''
Beverly Hills, 90210 ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to by its short title, ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling under his production company Spelling Television. The series ran fo ...
'', in hopes of expanding the normal 30 week prime time season and gaining new viewers for the fall. Although "
Three Men and a Comic Book "Three Men and a Comic Book" is the twenty-first and penultimate episode of the second season (and the ''de facto'' season finale) of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United S ...
" 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. In its original broadcast, "Blood Feud" finished 24th in ratings for the week of July 8–14, 1991, with a
Nielsen rating Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rati ...
of 10.8. It was the second highest rated program on Fox after ''Beverly Hills, 90210''. The episode beat a rerun of ''
The Cosby Show ''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom co-created by and starring Bill Cosby, which aired Thursday nights for eight seasons on NBC between September 20, 1984, until April 30, 1992. The show focuses on an upper middle-class African- ...
'', which aired at the same time on NBC, which had a Nielsen Rating of 10.3. Fox finished second overall on July 11, with an average rating of 10.4.


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." 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 "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish" is the fourth episode of the second season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It is actually the first episode of that season in the production order. It originally ...
', but Homer's attempts to regain the letter before Burns reads it appears reminiscent of an episode of ''
The Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the activities of the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighb ...
''. 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."
Ben Rayner Ben Rayner is a music critic and writer for the ''Toronto Star'' since 1998. His commentary on artists is extensively cited across the industry. Indie88 considers him "of the most respected industry professionals around." In 2012, he served on t ...
of ''
The Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...
'' 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."


In popular culture

The scene where Bart prank calls Moe and asks for a "Mike Rotch" (My crotch) was later used in the
Weird Al Yankovic Weird derives from the Anglo-Saxon word Wyrd, meaning fate or destiny. In modern English it has acquired the meaning of “strange or uncanny”. It may also refer to: Places * Weird Lake, a lake in Minnesota, U.S. People *"Weird Al" Yankovic ...
song "
Phony Calls In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compens ...
".


References

;Bibliography * *


External links

* * {{good article 1991 American television episodes The Simpsons (season 2) episodes