Episode 1 - Bart Gets an F
23 February 2012
Synopsis: Bart is falling further and further behind at school and is threatened with having to repeat the fourth grade. This threat is enough to scare him into action and he enlists Martin's help in studying. Failing that he prays for snow to give him another day to study and God delivers.
The Good: This is such an unashamed morality play that if it were less good it might be annoying. But the moral message of the importance of studying and working hard is driven home with such a skill and thorough characterisation that it remains entertaining throughout.
The writers really cover the bases showing Bart's progression at each step of the story. He has been slowly receding academically and doesn't care. He chooses to waste his time on computer games and TV shows. His home environment is not supportive as Homer doesn't care about work either and Marge coddles him. So Bart fakes illness to get out of another test, cheats on it, fails on it and then tries to get sympathy by pretending to be stupid.
Once faced with the threat of being held back we saw Bart imagining a bad future for himself and begins to suspect that certain adult role models (like Otto) aren't actually good examples to follow. So he goes to the school geek Martin and makes a deal to get the help he needs. But his own corrupting influence turns Martin into a trouble maker and he loses his help. Martin's brief assistance (shown through a handy montage) puts Bart in a position to succeed though and now all he needs is time to study. So he prays for snow, it is delivered and despite the temptation he stays in studies and squeaks through the test just.
At every single step the writing focuses clearly and absolutely on Bart's situation and state of mind. Every avenue and possibility is explored to build up Bart's state of desperation. Even in cartoon form the sight of Bart slapping himself to try and force himself to focus is a really effective character moment. He is clearly trying his hardest to succeed and when his tears of failure come they are understandable and sad. The elation of his eventual D- was predictable but satisfying.
Along the way the ironic humour was present at various moments to give things a light edge. Bart isn't listening to a word that Mrs Krabappel is saying and when she challenges him he claims that what she was just saying was "Umm...straighten up and fly right" to which she exasperatedly replies "That was a lucky guess!" Later Bart tries to clear his mind of the fun he could be having in the snow only to peer out the window at increasingly implausibly fun scenes capped off by Mayor Quimby declaring it the "Funnest Day in Springfield History."
In a final blink-and-you-miss-it moment as Bart is triumphantly brandishing his D- to anyone who will listen we catch a brief glimpse of Martin now decked out in shades and a loud shirt being disciplined by Principal Skinner, a lovely touch for continuity.
The Bad: Nothing. The show is still more like an after school special than a sit com but you can't fault its execution.
Best Joke: Bart thinks he is so clever because he cheated on the test using his friend Milhouse's answers. He cockily hands it over to Mrs Krabappel who marks it and angrily exclaims "This test is worse than Milhouse's exam!"
The Bottom Line: An intricate morality play told with great skill and some emotion.
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