In this week’s episode of the Simpsons, Bart’s wild ways brings him in contact with his doppelganger. When he suggests switching lives Bart takes him up on the offer, unaware of his twin’s sinister motives.
We open at the Kwik-E-Mart, where Homer has been stuck with shopping duties. A rambunctious Bart isn’t helping matters – he’s climbed the shelving units and begins sprinting back and forth across the tops of them. As Homer threatens to beat Bart with a thick women’s magazine (SIGH), Apu tries to tempt him with a scratch ticket, the alleged “lucky” last one on the roll. Just when Homer’s about to purchase it, Bart takes a dramatic swan-dive into a shopping cart filled with mini marshmallows. As Homer rushes off to aid him, Lenny steps up and buys the ticket.
Naturally, it’s a winner worth fifty thousand dollars. An elated Lenny is humbled by his luck, and Homer is instantaneously jealous. Apu explains that it’s yet another Ironic Tale of the Kwik E Mart (The mystery of the ever-rising prices!)
At home, Marge wonders why all of the groceries have been compacted into little balls (even Maggie). When Homer informs Marge that Bart “Cost (him) two hundred thousand dollars!”, she scrunches a turkey into a tight ball and unknowingly feeds the bird to Santa’s Little Helper. It re-expands in his stomach. Bart, meanwhile, replies that Homer actually won fifty thousand dollars. “I was going to bet it on the dogs!” Homer bellows (SIGH!).
Shortly afterwards, the Simpsons suit up for Lenny’s party. Homer wonders where Bart is, and it turns out he’s trying to spray Rod and Todd Flanders with cat pee. Unfortunately, Marge happens right into his path and is doused instead. “Why did you spray me with water?” “It used to be water,” Bart replies.
The Simpmobile is filled with unhappy campers. Marge has changed into her ancient and unflattering back-up dress (which earns her a “ha ha! You’re self-conscious” from a passing Nelson Muntz).
Marge just doesn’t understand Bart’s behavior, and Homer reminds her of the time she had champagne when she was pregnant – cut to a flashback of Homer and Marge at a boat christening, where Marge accidentally swallows just one drop of champagne, which transformed Bart into the wee hellion we all know and love (to Omen-like strains of “Aye Carrumba! Aye Carrumba!”).
Bart, meanwhile, is ‘constructively’ flinging bits of rubber cement boogers at Lisa. He enters into an immediate Mexican stand-off with Homer, who threatens to drive the car right into a tree (QUADRUPLE SIGH). Marge saves the entire family by forcing the both of them to stop it.
At the Hotel Woosterfield, Lenny’s gone all-out on his celebration. He somehow manages to simultaneously celebrate his friends and himself in an odd amalgamation of self-aggrandizement and fond tribute (singing “Thank You for Being a Friend” in front of an ice sculpture of oneself tends to do that). Barney thanks Lenny; he’s gonna take home the centerpieces and put ‘em on his mother’s grave! Homer’s heart is turned by Lenny’s kindness, and he apologizes. Lenny tells him that this is nothing – wait until he passes out the gift bags.
Bart naturally tracks them down in a supply closet and finds that Lenny’s handing out what’re essentially hundreds of Vac-u-Bots. Naturally, he immediately comes up with a wicked scheme…
Lenny’s making a speech in the ballroom, where he explains the automatic vacuums. They burst forth from the closet and begin attacking his guests, much to Bart’s delight.
Much later, Chief Wiggum’s taken the situation into hand – he’s caged the majority of robots and he’s shooting any strays. Picking up and turning over one reveals that they’ve been set to “malevolent evil”. “Bart turned me bad!” it cries upon questioning. Unfortunately for our favorite spiky-haired demon, a flood of robots burst out of the supply closet, to the tune of his cries of “kill! Kill!” He is, of course, in deep trouble –Marge informs him (while stooping over to meet his eyes and thus ripping her dress) that she’s taking away his non-dice board games!
Bart laments his fate in the men’s room. He doesn’t even understand his own behavior (which is apparently amplified by too much Buzz Cola and candy). As Homer threatens him outside the door, Bart wishes he could trade lives with someone. So does the doppelganger standing beside him, who could be Bart if he weren’t so stuffy-seeming. Just then a twenty-year-old version of Bart emerges from the bathroom, saying the three of them could sure get up to some mischief together. But he has to go back to his place in New York, where he has a Milhouse-alike wife. Bart does NOT want to know what the kids look like.
On the other side of the commercial break, the tweedy Bart-alike introduces himself as Simon Woosterfield. Bart realizes that he’s the Woosterfield hotel heir, and that he also owns the Woosterfield Arena. Since “Bonnie Raitt played there!” , Bart assumes that Simons’ family must be loaded, and they obviously are. But Simon’s joyless in his lifestyle and asks Bart if he’d like to swap lives. Bart hesitates, but, aware of the throttling he’s likely to receive from Homer, decides to switch places with Simon.
Switching outfits in a stall, Bart and Simon fill in each other on the basic details of their lives – Simon has two half-siblings and a Lipizzaner pony. Bart soon finds himself being ferried away in a luxury limo while Simon takes a strangling from Homer.
Bart’s taken to Springfield Heights, an upscale development, where he sees a “McMansion, McMansion, McMansion, McDonalds, McDreamy, McSteamy, McMansion, Fleetwood Mac, Macauly Kulkin.” Inside the Woosterfield manse, he quickly moves into Simon’s luxurious room, complete with a candy corn volcano and living Joe Montana poster. Bart immediately calls Milhouse, who’s tipped off by Bart’s new digs by the fact that he’s calling from a blocked number.
At the Casa De Simpson, Simon is less than pleased by Marge’s Cheetoh and Root Beer Spaghetti, and Homer’s complete lack of couth as he spits bits of food upon him while enthusiastically telling a story about getting new chairs at work finally pushes Simon to the breaking point. He calls Homer a “semi-literate spew monkey,” which raises Lisa’s suspicions and gets him sent off to bed without dinner. Marge wonders if Bart is going through a “change” and Homer will be damned if he’s going to pay for him to go through puberty!
Elsewhere, Bart and Milhouse are having breakfast when the aforementioned siblings appear. Milhouse is entranced by the beautiful girl…certainly not the beautiful boy…they quickly let it be known that they hate Simon for blocking their full inheritance and give him a hot spoon. Milhouse swoons over the girl, Quenley.
That night, Simon watches Homer fight SLH for his rubber newspaper, insisting that “The Daily Growl” is the only one in town offering fair and balanced coverage. Simon calls Bart and tries to arrange a take-back, but Bart’s happily lounging on Simon’s air hockey table and rejects his offer. Marge soon sneaks in, giving Simon crust less pepperoni pizza and general affection. He quickly decides that he likes it there.
The following day, Bart attends a garden party on the Woosterfield grounds, dressed like a cross between Elton John and Truman Capote. He’s quickly tricked into entering the family mausoleum by Devon and Quenly, who tell him that after a hundred years, bodies turn into liquorice!
He’s rescued by Mister Burns and Smithers, who are surprisingly willing to condescend to him. Turns out the Woosterfields are richer than Burns. He makes Smithers rustle up some lemonade, and when all he can conjure up is instant he forces him to pour the pitcher down his pants and re-wet it every hour.
Burns takes Bart aside and shows him a portrait of his once-large family. He was once the youngest as well, and watched his siblings die of varying misfortunes, mostly poisoned potatoes. He tells “Simon” to remain constantly vigilant about his being and never ever trust people when they, for instance, try to take him on a “ski trip”. Bart quickly realizes that Quenley and Devon want him dead, and that Simon set him up. Burns tries to comfort him, offering to ride the teeter-totter. Of course, Burns is too light to do so successfully. “I only weigh as much as my clothes and keys!”
At the casa de Simpson, Grandpa’s telling a long and involved story about his War experiences. Simon’s paying close attention, and that forces him to come up with an ending to his “cockamamie” story. Lisa’s suspicions are beyond piqued now, and she drags Simon off for a confrontation. To her admitted horror, she misses Bart and wants him back.
Meanwhile, Bart’s packing as he’s never packed before (literally). Quenley and Devon interrupt him to remind him of the skiing trip they’re all taking to Aspen. Bum bum bum!
At the Casa De Simpson, Marge is singing a love song to her dishes – “Scrubbing You”, to the tune of Minnie Ripperton’s “Loving You.” Lisa interrupts with Simon in tow; soon the boy’s filling in the blanks for them all. Homer thanks “Future Bart” for his help, then declares that The Simpsons Are Going To Aspen.
The Simpsons are soon taking in the scenery – why, the winos are even champagneos! They head to the exclusive resort where Bart and the Woosterfield kids are staying.
They’re a little late, however, as Quenley and Devon have shoved Bart down the experienced-skiers only slope (and the greedy Quenley immediately offers Devon a potato). It’s Homer to the rescue, in the form of a gigantic snowball that first knocks them into a hot tub and finally presumably sends them to the bottom of the hill.
Things wrap up quickly, with Simon returning happily to his rich, million-dollar sundae life, and Bart returning joyfully to the Simpson manse. The only disappointed person left is Homer, who’s left chasing Simon’s limo begging for a place in his life.
We close at the Casa De Simpson, where Bart’s happy to be tucked in by Marge. It is indeed, The Good Life.
Red Dress Press: Well, that was unevenness if I’ve ever seen it. Bart’s manipulations, while in-character, felt wildly over the top and, well, actively malicious this time, versus simple semi-innocent tomfoolery. The high-dive into a basket of marshmallows was perfect, as was the Vac-U-Bot spree. But spraying people with cat urine? Homer threatening to ram the family car into a tree in response to Bart’s outrageousness actively appalled me. Both of them were somewhat unsympathetic portrayal-wise this week.
Contrast this with the simplicity of Marge’s part in things; the continued perfection of her characterization this season continues. And of course, Lisa’s the sole Simpson with a consistently functioning brain and understands immediately that something’s up with that Simon fellow. Yawn.
The best parts of the episode were provided by the supporting characters; Mister Burns’ portion of action, for instance, was hysterical. Apu's been missed, and his re-appearence was more than welcome.
The worst part? Simon’s entire conflict remains unresolved. Sure, he’s discovered that it’s swell to be rich, but it’s very likely that his brother and sister are going to try to kill him as soon as they find out he’s alive (if Quenley didn’t manage to kill Devon, that is). He remains unloved, and his half of the storyline remained very underdeveloped.
Additionally, the presence of Simon and his family in town proves a tad problematic. Mister Burns was once the richest man in town, alongside the Costingtons and the Rich Texan. It would have been far easier for Simon to be a Costington offspring rather than introducing an entirely new family to Springfield aristocracy.
Even worse, the Aspen part of the story was yet another meaningless “the Simpsons are Going To X” storyline. A side-trip to any of the many local mountains in Springfield would have been preferable. Airing this ep directly after the Machu Picchu excursion makes makes the Aspen trip look like desperate reaching.
Overall, a rather disappointing excursion.
Did It Fail At Masonry?: Worth only a single viewing, unless you worship Lenny as much as the rest of Springfield does. Also worth it if you like your Bart über-bratty, but beware the jerkass Homer…
What The Screwballs Think: The episode pulled an 8.0, lower than Family Guy’s 9.0, which won the programming block for the night.
Springfield Shopper: Next week’s Simpsons will be pre-empted by World Series coverage. The next all-new episode will be this year’s Treehouse of Horror, set to air November second. Be sure to check back here on the third for a full recap!