Episode 7 - Bart vs Thanksgiving
5 June 2010
Synopsis: It's Thanksgiving and the whole family comes to dinner. Lisa works hard on a special centrepiece which Bart then destroys. Bart refuses to apologise and runs away to a soup kitchen to get a free meal. He returns at night and apologises to Lisa.
The Good: The details of the Simpson extended family are fleshed out well here. Marge's sisters and mother constantly doubt and demean her efforts which explain so much about Marge's personality. Bart's selfishness (like Homer's in the previous episode) doesn't lead him to anything good and eventually he realises that he is better off at home and apologises.
We get our first long look at Kent Brockman the news reader who manages to insult the homeless while trying to do a piece that will win him an award. We also get a nice self referential joke when Homer says "If the parade "turned every flash-in-pan cartoon character into a balloon, it will be a farce" followed of course by a brief shot of a Bart balloon on the TV.
The Bad: I'm not sure what lesson Bart really learnt though. His refusal to apologise led him to get a free meal anyway. When he does finally apologise it's only after much loving pushing from Lisa. He never seemed to realise how appalling his behaviour actually was.
The episode wasn't bad but much time was spent on establishing the dynamics of the Simpson household on this holiday day. Although those scenes were harmlessly entertaining they didn't add much to the story or any strong jokes.
Best Joke: Homer goes to pick up his father at the retirement home. As he enters he passes a sign which reads "Thank you for not mentioning the outside world."
The Bottom Line: An underdeveloped story about Bart's selfishness.
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