Barthood
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"Barthood" is the ninth episode of the twenty-seventh 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, ...
'', and the 583rd episode of the series overall. It aired in the United States on
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
on December 13, 2015. The episode parodies the 2014 film '' Boyhood''.


Plot

The episode begins with
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 ...
and a 6-year-old
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 ''Barthol ...
in early 2012, lying down on the grass, as Bart asks things about nature to his father, only for Homer to ask him why he left his toy car on the stairs, resulting in a terrible fall (the reason he is lying on the grass in the first place). The family decides to take Bart to Grampa's house to spend time away from Homer. As Bart asks Grampa to play with toy cars, he remembers about an old car he had bought brand new in 1954 and had forgotten all about. Bart asks if he can sit in it, but Grampa reveals that Bart can actually drive it. The episode fast-forwards almost 2 years into the future in late 2013, with Bart still driving Grampa's car, late for his reading class.
Professor Frink Professor John I.Q. Nerdelbaum Frink Jr., is a new recurring character in the Animated cartoon, animated television series ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Hank Azaria, and first appeared in the 1991 episode "Old Money (The Simpsons episode), Ol ...
tries to teach him without much success, and discovers that
Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer * Lisa Komine (born 1978), J ...
, who is 2 years younger, can read almost perfectly. Later, Lisa paints a boat on the sea, which
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 ...
decides to display over the couch (it is seen in the background of the couch gags). Bart reveals that he made a painting on the entire kitchen. While Homer is painting the walls and furniture its original color, Bart tries to impress Lisa by driving Homer's car, only to crash it through the kitchen wall, almost hitting his father. Homer and Marge decide to go to a psychologist to see why their son is such a troublemaker. She says that it is because of Homer's lack of attention for him and that they should go camping together. But instead of taking the boy camping, Homer takes him to an inn to watch
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
, making Bart sad. Back at home, he discovers that Lisa is the student of the month at Springfield Elementary, even though she has only been there for a month, while Bart has been there for two years and has not achieved anything. Homer tries to reconcile with him by saying he loves both of them the same amount: 40%. Bart makes a bumper sticker for Homer's car, but he ignores it because there is no more room for new bumper stickers. The episode fast-forwards to Bart's 12th birthday in 2017, where Lisa gets the news that she is student of the month at Springfield Elementary for 48 consecutive months. Bart gets angry because his sister can overshadow him - even at his own birthday party, so he decides to go skateboarding with
Milhouse Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten is a recurring character in the Fox animated television series ''The Simpsons'' voiced by Pamela Hayden and created by Matt Groening. Milhouse is Bart Simpson's best friend in Mrs. Krabappel's fourth grade class ...
. They decide to break streetlamps, but Milhouse gets arrested and is taken to
juvenile detention In criminal justice systems, a youth detention center, known as a juvenile detention center (JDC),Stahl, Dean, Karen Kerchelich, and Ralph De Sola. ''Abbreviations Dictionary''. CRC Press, 20011202. Retrieved 23 August 2010. , . juvenile det ...
, while Bart hides at the
retirement home A retirement home – sometimes called an old people's home or old age home, although ''old people's home'' can also refer to a nursing home – is a multi-residence housing facility intended for the elderly. Typically, each person or couple i ...
, where Grampa gives him a BMX. Three years later in 2020, Bart, now 15, is good at doing stunts on his bicycle. Marge and Lisa go to a camp together, leaving Homer and Bart alone. Marge mentions that this could be Homer's last chance to have a close relationship with Bart, only for them to talk a few seconds, with Homer leaving him home alone once again. Bart throws a party at their home only to find Homer high on
marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...
, where he reveals that he was exactly like Bart, but when he was born, this meant he was not a child anymore. They hug each other, but their moment is ruined when Homer mentions that he will not go anywhere or do anything. Bart goes to Grampa's grave, where he gets the idea of going to a BMX competition, where he would never be overshadowed by Lisa. At one of his stunts, however, he gets distracted by Lisa's shadow, hits the ground too hard and blacks out, only to be revived by Lisa, who is then proclaimed as a hero, making him angry. In 2024, Bart makes caricatures at the port, where he is invited to Milhouse's graduation party. He is reluctant to go because his sister is graduating the same year as them, but he decides to go anyway. At the party, Milhouse's parents fight in front of him, so Lisa tries to make him happy by saying he is "cuter than ever", resulting in Milhouse replying that she is the best thing at that party. Bart gets irate that he is always the second-best Simpson in everything, but Lisa confronts him by saying she is tired of him blaming her for every setback in his life, and that he is a good artist, even though he never does anything with his talent. Bart decides to take his sister's rage as advice. Two years later in 2026, Bart opens a bicycle modification shop, where he is surprised by
Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
, who wants to give all the lunch money he stole at school back, giving Bart $5,000. He is also surprised to see that Lisa and Nelson are dating (again). He shows them a giant painting on a wall, showing various moments through his life. Lisa realizes that she is not on any part of the painting, so Bart lowers one of the shop's doors to show her a giant painting made in her homage to one of his favorite sisters. Nelson discovers that El Barto is actually Bart. Back on the lawn sometime later, Homer finally answers adult Bart's questions in detail (among other things, the grass they are lying on is green because it is artificial) and finishes by advising his son to pretend to be on the phone if anyone tries to ask him for something; which he immediately puts into practice as Bart tries to ask another question during the credits.


Production

TBA


Reception

The episode received a 2.4 rating and was watched by 5.97 million viewers, making it Fox's highest rated show of the night. Dennis Perkins of ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' gave the episode a C saying, "While this ''Boyhood''-inspired episode of The Simpsons apes the storytelling gimmick of Richard Linklater’s coming-of-age film, it misses the point almost completely. Instead of using the time-lapse structure to lend new insight into Bart Simpson’s mind, Dan Greaney’s script just rehashes the show’s same old character beats and jokes with different haircuts. As missed opportunities go, ‘Barthood’ is especially disheartening."
Tony Sokol Tony Sokol (born March 23, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York (U.S. state), New York, United States) is an American playwright, writer and composer, best known for writing the theatrical horror series La Commedia Del Sangue: Vampyr Theatre in New York Cit ...
of ''
Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gan ...
'' rated the episode a 4 out of 5, saying that the episode "was well made and intelligent, poignant and funny, but it was a muted episode overall. Generally, The Simpsons use film parody as a springboard to lunacy, but sometimes they are a little too reverential. They remained faithful to the style and feel of the original and used it to forward the characterizations. But as in most Simpsons-of-the-future episodes, they contradict and will one day be contradicted. This was an inspired episode that stayed on the safe side. Wait, I have to take a call."
Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...
called it the best episode of the 27th season.
Dan Greaney Daniel Greaney is an American television writer. He has written for ''The Simpsons'' and ''The Office''. He was hired during ''The Simpsons'' seventh season after writing the first draft of the episode " King-Size Homer", but left after season e ...
was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for Outstanding Writing in Animation at the 69th Writers Guild of America Awards for his script to this episode.


References


External links

* {{Simpsons Future-set episodes 2015 American television episodes The Simpsons (season 27) episodes Older versions of cartoon characters Child versions of cartoon characters Coming-of-age fiction Parody television episodes Parodies of films