A Tale of Two Springfields
Encyclopedia
"A Tale of Two Springfields" is the second episode from season twelve
of the animated TV series The Simpsons
and is the 250th episode of the series overall in both broadcast and production order. The episode originally premiered November 5, 2000 on Fox Broadcasting Company
.
The episode was written by John Swartzwelder
and directed by Shaun Cashman and guest starred The Who
. The episode was inspired by Don Payne based on Don's mom's area where one side would spread rumors of the other side. Larry Doyle then pitched it to have the both sides divide, because of area code. The episode features cultural references to The Who
and Freedom of Speech
and has also received positive reviews from critics.
takes up residence in Santa's Little Helper's
doghouse. After several failed attempts to lure it out (including Homer crawling into the kennel, thinking it is Milhouse
but getting attacked by the badger), Homer
calls animal control. When he is unable to get through, Marge
explains that the phone company has introduced a new area code to Springfield
. Half of the town now has a 636 area code, the other has 939. At a town meeting to explain the change, Homer rallies an angry mob to protest the change, noting that the upper class side of town got to keep their area code while the poorer half were forced to switch. Homer proposes that the town split into two halves, and the mob agrees.
Homer is declared mayor of New Springfield after rejecting the Arizona Cardinals
and tensions immediately arise between the two towns. Olde Springfield businesses begin discriminating against customers from New Springfield, and condescending to them on the nightly news. Bart
and Homer shut off power to Olde Springfield and cut off their water supply in retaliation. When the lack of water reveals gold
in the river bed, making the town even richer, an enraged Homer has a wall built between the two towns. However, a lack of supplies and sanitation drives away all of the New Springfield residents, who stream over the wall, leaving the Simpsons alone.
Bitter, Homer attempts to sabotage a concert in Olde Springfield by The Who
. He and Bart sneak into The Who's hotel room and convince them to play New Springfield instead. When Olde Springfield realizes that their concert has been stolen, they follow the sound of the music to the wall, where The Who are playing for an audience of The Simpsons. A riot begins to break out as the two sides of town begin hurling flaming garbage at each other. The members of The Who hear about the area code problem and suggest that the townspeople get speed dial
to resolve their differences. Pete Townshend
's opening riff from "Won't Get Fooled Again
" crumbles the wall, and the citizens of Springfield reunite and dance to the music. Meanwhile the badger leads an animal invasion of the town to "get 'em while they're dancing".
and Don Payne. The episode was inspired Don Payne's mother's neighborhood where one side would spread rumors of the other side. Larry Doyle then pitched that the sides split apart to be started by different area codes. During production the staff did not want one side to be slobs (e.g. Homer, Barney, Moe) and the other snobs (e.g. Mr. Burns, Smithers, Skinner), but this ended happening in the final product. The writers later opened a website about what badgers eat.
The phone from the educational cartoon was voiced by Dan Castellaneta
. Pete Townshend
did not guest in the episode as he did not know he would be providing his own voice and assumed someone else would like in Yellow Submarine. Roger Daltrey
, John Entwistle
and Pete's brother, Paul Townshend provided guest voices in the episode. After a number of calls were made by the show's casting director in Los Angeles
to The Who's managers in London
, the group agreed to appear on the show. The animated versions of the band members included Daltrey in his trademark tight t-shirt and long curls, even though Daltrey cut his curls in the mid-1980s, as they wanted to use the image The Who are best known for. The Who recorded their lines in England
, but still weighed in on script details. During the production the staff decided to animate Keith Moon
instead of the current drummer in honor of him since he died in 1978.
' novel, A Tale of Two Cities
. When Homer stands up in the press conference it is a references to the painting Norman Rockwell's Four Freedoms
with this specific painting being Freedom of Speech
. When Homer and Marge take a picture is an in-joke to "Trash of the Titans
" when the voice director told Bono
to smile. The episode also features several references to The Who
, including "Magic Bus
" and Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy
. Moe's comment "That fat, dumb, and bald guy sure plays a mean hardball" is a reference to a Who song, "Pinball Wizard
". The wall itself is a reference to the Berlin Wall
, with "New Springfield" representing East Berlin.
gave the episode a 5 writing "Finally! I loved this episode because, flashy guest stars aside, it got back to the heart and soul of the show." In 2007, Simon Crerar of The Times
listed The Who's performance as one of the thirty-three funniest cameos in the history of the show. There was a backlash from Internet fans who found the scene of Homer nearly getting disemboweled by the badger and showing his internal organs to Lisa to be too disgusting for The Simpsons, citing the gore to be more at home in such animated adult shows as South Park and Family Guy.
The Simpsons (season 12)
The Simpsons 12th season began on Wednesday, November 1, 2000 with "Treehouse of Horror XI".The season contains four hold over episodes from the season 11 production line. The show runner for the twelfth production was Mike Scully. The season features three episodes that were produced for the...
of the animated TV series The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
and is the 250th episode of the series overall in both broadcast and production order. The episode originally premiered November 5, 2000 on Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
.
The episode was written by John Swartzwelder
John Swartzwelder
John Swartzwelder is an American comedy writer and novelist, best known for his work on the animated television series The Simpsons, as well as a number of novels. He is credited with writing the largest number of Simpsons episodes by a large margin...
and directed by Shaun Cashman and guest starred The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
. The episode was inspired by Don Payne based on Don's mom's area where one side would spread rumors of the other side. Larry Doyle then pitched it to have the both sides divide, because of area code. The episode features cultural references to The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
and Freedom of Speech
Freedom of Speech (painting)
Freedom of Speech is one of Four Freedoms paintings by Norman Rockwell that were inspired by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the State of the Union Address, known as Four Freedoms, he delivered to the 77th United States Congress on January 6, 1941...
and has also received positive reviews from critics.
Plot
A badgerBadger
Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the weasel family, Mustelidae. There are nine species of badger, in three subfamilies : Melinae , Mellivorinae , and Taxideinae...
takes up residence in Santa's Little Helper's
Santa's Little Helper
Santa's Little Helper is a recurring character in the American animated television series The Simpsons. He is the pet greyhound of the Simpson family. The dog was introduced in the first episode of the show, the 1989 Christmas special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", in which his owner abandons...
doghouse. After several failed attempts to lure it out (including Homer crawling into the kennel, thinking it is Milhouse
Milhouse Van Houten
Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten is a fictional character featured in the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced by Pamela Hayden. He is Bart Simpson's best friend in Mrs. Krabappel's fourth grade class at Springfield Elementary School....
but getting attacked by the badger), Homer
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
calls animal control. When he is unable to get through, Marge
Marge Simpson
Marjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. She is voiced by actress Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
explains that the phone company has introduced a new area code to Springfield
Springfield (The Simpsons)
Springfield is the fictional town in which the American animated sitcom The Simpsons is set. A mid-sized town in an undetermined state of the United States, Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. The geography of the town and its...
. Half of the town now has a 636 area code, the other has 939. At a town meeting to explain the change, Homer rallies an angry mob to protest the change, noting that the upper class side of town got to keep their area code while the poorer half were forced to switch. Homer proposes that the town split into two halves, and the mob agrees.
Homer is declared mayor of New Springfield after rejecting the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and tensions immediately arise between the two towns. Olde Springfield businesses begin discriminating against customers from New Springfield, and condescending to them on the nightly news. Bart
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
and Homer shut off power to Olde Springfield and cut off their water supply in retaliation. When the lack of water reveals gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
in the river bed, making the town even richer, an enraged Homer has a wall built between the two towns. However, a lack of supplies and sanitation drives away all of the New Springfield residents, who stream over the wall, leaving the Simpsons alone.
Bitter, Homer attempts to sabotage a concert in Olde Springfield by The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
. He and Bart sneak into The Who's hotel room and convince them to play New Springfield instead. When Olde Springfield realizes that their concert has been stolen, they follow the sound of the music to the wall, where The Who are playing for an audience of The Simpsons. A riot begins to break out as the two sides of town begin hurling flaming garbage at each other. The members of The Who hear about the area code problem and suggest that the townspeople get speed dial
Speed dial
Speed dial is a function available on many telephone systems allowing the user to place a call by pressing a reduced number of keys. This function is particularly useful for phone users who dial certain numbers on a regular basis....
to resolve their differences. Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
's opening riff from "Won't Get Fooled Again
Won't Get Fooled Again
"Won't Get Fooled Again" is a song by the rock band The Who which was written by Pete Townshend The original version of the song appears as the final track on the album Who's Next...
" crumbles the wall, and the citizens of Springfield reunite and dance to the music. Meanwhile the badger leads an animal invasion of the town to "get 'em while they're dancing".
Production
The episode was pitched by John FrinkJohn Frink
John Frink is an American television writer and producer. He has written several episodes of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons, many of which he co-wrote with his former writing partner Don Payne. Frink and Payne started their career in television writing for the short-lived sitcom Hope...
and Don Payne. The episode was inspired Don Payne's mother's neighborhood where one side would spread rumors of the other side. Larry Doyle then pitched that the sides split apart to be started by different area codes. During production the staff did not want one side to be slobs (e.g. Homer, Barney, Moe) and the other snobs (e.g. Mr. Burns, Smithers, Skinner), but this ended happening in the final product. The writers later opened a website about what badgers eat.
The phone from the educational cartoon was voiced by Dan Castellaneta
Dan Castellaneta
Daniel Louis "Dan" Castellaneta is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, singer and screenwriter. Noted for his long-running role as Homer Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons, he voices many other characters on The Simpsons, including Abraham "Grampa" Simpson, Barney Gumble,...
. Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
did not guest in the episode as he did not know he would be providing his own voice and assumed someone else would like in Yellow Submarine. Roger Daltrey
Roger Daltrey
Roger Harry Daltrey, CBE , is an English singer and actor, best known as the founder and lead singer of English rock band The Who. He has maintained a musical career as a solo artist and has also worked in the film industry, acting in a large number of films, theatre and television roles and also...
, John Entwistle
John Entwistle
John Alec Entwistle was an English bass guitarist, songwriter, singer, horn player, and film and record producer who was best known as the bass player for the rock band The Who. His aggressive lead sound influenced many rock bass players...
and Pete's brother, Paul Townshend provided guest voices in the episode. After a number of calls were made by the show's casting director in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to The Who's managers in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the group agreed to appear on the show. The animated versions of the band members included Daltrey in his trademark tight t-shirt and long curls, even though Daltrey cut his curls in the mid-1980s, as they wanted to use the image The Who are best known for. The Who recorded their lines in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, but still weighed in on script details. During the production the staff decided to animate Keith Moon
Keith Moon
Keith John Moon was an English musician, best known for being the drummer of the English rock group The Who. He gained acclaim for his exuberant and innovative drumming style, and notoriety for his eccentric and often self-destructive behaviour, earning him the nickname "Moon the Loon". Moon...
instead of the current drummer in honor of him since he died in 1978.
Deleted scenes
- When Roger hits Marge with his microphone Roger DaltreyRoger DaltreyRoger Harry Daltrey, CBE , is an English singer and actor, best known as the founder and lead singer of English rock band The Who. He has maintained a musical career as a solo artist and has also worked in the film industry, acting in a large number of films, theatre and television roles and also...
improvised and said "Shut the fuck up, Marge". This was later included on The Simpsons Complete Twelfth Season DVD Deleted Scenes.
Cultural references
The episode title is a play on Charles DickensCharles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
' novel, A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities is a novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. With well over 200 million copies sold, it ranks among the most famous works in the history of fictional literature....
. When Homer stands up in the press conference it is a references to the painting Norman Rockwell's Four Freedoms
Four Freedoms (Norman Rockwell)
The Four Freedoms or Four Essential Human Freedoms is a series of oil paintings produced in 1943 by the American artist Norman Rockwell. The paintings are approximately equal in dimension with measurements of ×...
with this specific painting being Freedom of Speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
. When Homer and Marge take a picture is an in-joke to "Trash of the Titans
Trash of the Titans
"Trash of the Titans" is the 22nd episode of The Simpsons ninth season and the 200th overall. It originally aired on the Fox network on April 26, 1998...
" when the voice director told Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
to smile. The episode also features several references to The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, including "Magic Bus
Magic Bus (song)
"Magic Bus" is a song written by Pete Townshend at the time of My Generation in 1965, but not recorded by The Who until 1968. It is one of the band's most popular songs and has been a concert staple. The record reached #26 in the United Kingdom and #25 in the United States.The song's arrangement...
" and Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy
Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy
Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy is a compilation album of singles by British rock band The Who, released in 1971 as Track 2406 006 in the UK and as Decca DL 79184 in the US. It entered the US Billboard 200 chart on 20 November 1971, peaking at #11, and the UK chart on 3 December 1971, peaking at #9...
. Moe's comment "That fat, dumb, and bald guy sure plays a mean hardball" is a reference to a Who song, "Pinball Wizard
Pinball Wizard
"Pinball Wizard" is a song written by Pete Townshend and performed by the English rock band The Who, and featured on their 1969 rock opera album Tommy. The original recording was released as a single in 1969 and reached No. 4 in the UK charts and No. 19 on the U.S...
". The wall itself is a reference to the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
, with "New Springfield" representing East Berlin.
Reception
Colin Jacobson of the DVD Movie Guide gave the episode a positive review saying "Maybe it’s the low expectations that accompany 21st century Simpsons episodes, but “Tale” works for me. It takes a simple premise and turns in a good number of strong comedic bits. Hey, and a mention of “golden showers” keeps the Season 12 perverted sexual practices streak going!" although he criticized the animation of The Who other than Daltrey, saying that "That’s particularly odd in the case of Pete, as he’d gone awfully bald and gray by 2000." Jennifer Malkowski of the DVD Verdict said the Greatest Moment was a tie between "Sacred bond" and "Who huddle." Nancy Basile of About.comAbout.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
gave the episode a 5 writing "Finally! I loved this episode because, flashy guest stars aside, it got back to the heart and soul of the show." In 2007, Simon Crerar of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
listed The Who's performance as one of the thirty-three funniest cameos in the history of the show. There was a backlash from Internet fans who found the scene of Homer nearly getting disemboweled by the badger and showing his internal organs to Lisa to be too disgusting for The Simpsons, citing the gore to be more at home in such animated adult shows as South Park and Family Guy.
External links
- "A Tale of Two Springfields" at The Simpsons.com
- Whatbadgerseat.com A spoof site created after the episode.