Pranks and Greens
Encyclopedia
"Pranks and Greens" is the sixth episode of the twenty first season
of The Simpsons
. It aired on the Fox network in the United States
on November 22, 2009. In this episode, Bart tracks down an immature, college-aged man named Andy Hamilton who was once hailed Springfield Elementary's best prankster. Meanwhile, Marge is chastised by the women in her social circle for not serving healthy snacks.
The episode was written by Jeff Westbrook
and directed by Chuck Sheetz
. It was watched by approximately 7.03 million viewers during its original airing.
is apprehended for playing pranks on the teachers of Springfield Elementary, Principal Skinner
reveals to Bart that he is not the greatest prankster to ever walk the halls of that school. Bart is shocked by this revelation and sets out to discover the identity of this prankster. After sifting through countless back issues of the school paper, he discovers that there is a two-week gap in its publication dating back 10 years, and that there is a substantial change in Principal Skinner's demeanor and appearance before and after the gap.
Groundskeeper Willie
tells Bart that he was once the school swim instructor, and that Principal Skinner was once fun-loving and laid-back until an incident dubbed "Night of the Wigglers." Here, a prankster locked Skinner in a pool full of earthworm
s for an entire weekend. Monday was teacher development day, so he was not rescued until Tuesday morning. This experience changed Skinner's personality for the worse. Willie then tells Bart that the prankster was named Andy Hamilton, and not to let Skinner know where he learned the name, or he will kill whoever told him.
Meanwhile, Marge
is harshly criticized by other Springfield
mothers (mainly by Manjula) for serving unhealthy snacks at their "Midday Mommies" meeting. She burns the family's junk food, to Homer's
horror (he tries to put the fire out with whipped cream, but he only makes it worse due to it being a flammable petroleum
by-product). The family purchases organic food
, which is very expensive and has a short shelf life (much to Homer's chagrin), at a local market.
Unfortunately, at the next meeting, Marge meets with more criticism when she uses non-stick bakeware (which contains PFOAs) and plastic drinking bottles marked with number 7. The other mothers storm away and Marge realizes that she misses eating junk food. Homer catches Marge eating from his stash of candy, and the two of them indulge in junk food together and apparently make love, and Homer points out that, ironically, the junk food is healthier than organic food. They then agree to only make the kids eat healthy.
Bart meets Andy Hamilton and discovers that he is unemployed and lives with his mother. When Lisa
suggests Andy is a loser, Bart gets him a job as Krusty the Clown's assistant, as a favour Krusty owes him, but is angry when Andy quits after one day. Bart gets him rehired and goes to check Andy's progress. When a truck full of earthworm
s labelled “Prank Grade” drives into the studio, Bart is terrified that Andy is repeating the "Night of the Wigglers" prank and will end up a loser like Skinner (with Skinner watching, and saying "Watch the Krusty Show they tell me, you'll forget your troubles they tell me").
He discovers, however, that it is part of the show (Krusty's line "I wanted warm water, not worm water" is cued in), and that Andy has been hired as a writer for Krusty's show and has a girlfriend, much to Bart's delight. Despite Andy's success, Lisa still thinks that he is a loser (because she strongly and unfairly believes that the job of a writer in a comedy show is not better than a prankster life).
. However, this week's number is a significant drop from the 9.04 million and 18-49 rating of 4.2 earned from "The Devil Wears Nada
", making The Simpsons come in at 24th in the ratings for this week. IGN's Robert Canning gave it a 6.9/10 saying that "the episode had a good start, but veered into a less than impressive direction and Marge's storyline, while cute in parts, was really just filler more than anything else". A later rerun got 8.14 million and a rating of 4.8/8 more than the original airing and was 20th in the weekly ratings and 9th in the 18 and 49 rating making it the highest rated show on Fox
.
The Simpsons (season 21)
The Simpsons twenty-first season aired on Fox from September 27, 2009 to May 23, 2010. It was the first of two seasons that the show was renewed for by Fox, and also the first season of the show to air entirely in high definition....
of 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...
. It aired on the Fox network in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on November 22, 2009. In this episode, Bart tracks down an immature, college-aged man named Andy Hamilton who was once hailed Springfield Elementary's best prankster. Meanwhile, Marge is chastised by the women in her social circle for not serving healthy snacks.
The episode was written by Jeff Westbrook
Jeff Westbrook
Jeff Westbrook is a TV writer best known for his work on The Simpsons and Futurama, for which he is a two-time winner of the WGA Award....
and directed by Chuck Sheetz
Chuck Sheetz
Chuck Sheetz is an animation director on The Simpsons. He was the producer on 'What's new, Scooby-Doo?", the director of the TV series, Recess. He has also done work on Bobby's World, Rocko's Modern Life, King of the Hill, Recess, and Welcome to Eltingville in addition to directing the Drawn...
. It was watched by approximately 7.03 million viewers during its original airing.
Plot
After BartBart 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...
is apprehended for playing pranks on the teachers of Springfield Elementary, Principal Skinner
Seymour Skinner
Principal W. Seymour Skinner is a fictional character in the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer. Born in Capitol City, he is the principal of Springfield Elementary School...
reveals to Bart that he is not the greatest prankster to ever walk the halls of that school. Bart is shocked by this revelation and sets out to discover the identity of this prankster. After sifting through countless back issues of the school paper, he discovers that there is a two-week gap in its publication dating back 10 years, and that there is a substantial change in Principal Skinner's demeanor and appearance before and after the gap.
Groundskeeper Willie
Groundskeeper Willie
William McDougal, usually referred to as Groundskeeper Willie, is a recurring character on The Simpsons, voiced by Dan Castellaneta. He is head groundskeeper at Springfield Elementary School. Willie is a Scottish immigrant, almost feral in nature and immensely proud of his homeland...
tells Bart that he was once the school swim instructor, and that Principal Skinner was once fun-loving and laid-back until an incident dubbed "Night of the Wigglers." Here, a prankster locked Skinner in a pool full of earthworm
Earthworm
Earthworm is the common name for the largest members of Oligochaeta in the phylum Annelida. In classical systems they were placed in the order Opisthopora, on the basis of the male pores opening posterior to the female pores, even though the internal male segments are anterior to the female...
s for an entire weekend. Monday was teacher development day, so he was not rescued until Tuesday morning. This experience changed Skinner's personality for the worse. Willie then tells Bart that the prankster was named Andy Hamilton, and not to let Skinner know where he learned the name, or he will kill whoever told him.
Meanwhile, 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...
is harshly criticized by other 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...
mothers (mainly by Manjula) for serving unhealthy snacks at their "Midday Mommies" meeting. She burns the family's junk food, to Homer's
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...
horror (he tries to put the fire out with whipped cream, but he only makes it worse due to it being a flammable petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
by-product). The family purchases organic food
Organic food
Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.For the...
, which is very expensive and has a short shelf life (much to Homer's chagrin), at a local market.
Unfortunately, at the next meeting, Marge meets with more criticism when she uses non-stick bakeware (which contains PFOAs) and plastic drinking bottles marked with number 7. The other mothers storm away and Marge realizes that she misses eating junk food. Homer catches Marge eating from his stash of candy, and the two of them indulge in junk food together and apparently make love, and Homer points out that, ironically, the junk food is healthier than organic food. They then agree to only make the kids eat healthy.
Bart meets Andy Hamilton and discovers that he is unemployed and lives with his mother. When Lisa
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
suggests Andy is a loser, Bart gets him a job as Krusty the Clown's assistant, as a favour Krusty owes him, but is angry when Andy quits after one day. Bart gets him rehired and goes to check Andy's progress. When a truck full of earthworm
Earthworm
Earthworm is the common name for the largest members of Oligochaeta in the phylum Annelida. In classical systems they were placed in the order Opisthopora, on the basis of the male pores opening posterior to the female pores, even though the internal male segments are anterior to the female...
s labelled “Prank Grade” drives into the studio, Bart is terrified that Andy is repeating the "Night of the Wigglers" prank and will end up a loser like Skinner (with Skinner watching, and saying "Watch the Krusty Show they tell me, you'll forget your troubles they tell me").
He discovers, however, that it is part of the show (Krusty's line "I wanted warm water, not worm water" is cued in), and that Andy has been hired as a writer for Krusty's show and has a girlfriend, much to Bart's delight. Despite Andy's success, Lisa still thinks that he is a loser (because she strongly and unfairly believes that the job of a writer in a comedy show is not better than a prankster life).
Reception
The episode was viewed by 7.03 million viewers with a rating share of 3.3/8, making it the second most viewed episode on Animation Domination after Family GuyFamily Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
. However, this week's number is a significant drop from the 9.04 million and 18-49 rating of 4.2 earned from "The Devil Wears Nada
The Devil Wears Nada
"The Devil Wears Nada" is the fifth episode of the twenty-first season of The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 15, 2009...
", making The Simpsons come in at 24th in the ratings for this week. IGN's Robert Canning gave it a 6.9/10 saying that "the episode had a good start, but veered into a less than impressive direction and Marge's storyline, while cute in parts, was really just filler more than anything else". A later rerun got 8.14 million and a rating of 4.8/8 more than the original airing and was 20th in the weekly ratings and 9th in the 18 and 49 rating making it the highest rated show on Fox
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...
.