The Boys of Bummer
Encyclopedia
"The Boys of Bummer" is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons
' eighteenth season
, which originally aired on April 29, 2007. It was written by Michael Price and was the first episode to be directed by Rob Oliver.
game, and Bart
catches a fly ball, pushing the Springfield Isotots into the championships. The next day, Marge
is shopping at a department store, but Homer
is tired and can not find a place to sit, so he lies down on a mattress
and ends up falling asleep. However, when he wakes up, everybody is staring at him, so he gets up and exclaims his love for the mattress and manages to sell five; he is promptly hired as a mattress salesman.
Springfield
is playing Shelbyville in the championship, and is leading 5-2 in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, but Shelbyville has the bases loaded. When their batter hits the ball that could decide the game, it heads towards Bart. He drops a pop up and repeatedly fails to pick it up, allowing all four runners to walk the bases and score, giving Shelbyville the 6-5 victory. The crowd turns against Bart, who flees the stadium. When Chief Wiggum offers him a ride to safety though, Wiggum drives him back inside the stadium to allow people to throw food at him. Bart is totally humiliated and is now the town's black sheep.
At Homer's new job, he assists Apu Nahasapeemapetilon
. The Lovejoys
approaches him with a sex problem
, so Homer sells them a new mattress called The Snugglux by Matrimonium. The Lovejoys buy it, but return it to the Simpson home next day, their problem unimproved. As Homer is writing them a refund check, the Lovejoys begin to make out on Homer and Marge's mattress, and trade their new mattress for it. That night, when Homer and Marge are unsuccessfully trying to have sex, Homer admits he traded their mattress. Also that he spent the money they kept in it on a chain originally made for Elvis (but rejected by Elvis as too tacky). The next day, Timothy and Helen Lovejoy are both singing joyfully and giggling at the Church.
Bart's humiliation goes on as Bill and Marty tell everyone on the radio, and Jimbo, Dolph, and Kearney sing a song about it called Bart Stinks
. The town continues to angrily mock, chastise, and boo Bart for losing the game. Lisa tries to cheer him up by taking to see an old baseball star (Joe La Boot) who dropped a fly ball and still grew up to be rich and famous. Bart feels worse after the baseball player learns who he is and makes everybody in the building boo him. Bart begins to cry
because he is hurt and Lisa is shocked with La Boot's hypocrisy
. The next morning Lisa awakes to find a deranged Bart has spray-painted "I HATE BART SIMPSON" on everything in town (including a passed-out Barney). He attempts suicide by falling off the water tower on which he has painted "I hate Bart Simpson." A shocked La Boot tries to catch him, but misses, and Bart is knocked unconscious.
While Marge is visiting him in the hospital, she hears voices chanting "Bart sucks! Bart sucks!" over and over, eventually seeing an angry mob outside. Finally fed up with all the abuse poured onto Bart, she walks out to them and angrily scolds them for going too far, indicating the billboard labelling Springfield "Meanest City in America", and remarking that, more than ever, they deserved to be called that today. Feeling guilty, the entire town apologizes to Bart for hurting him and agrees to restage the game. After 78 tries (some flying into orbit, some stolen by Homer, one where Moe ran naked on the field, and even one in which the ball was disintegrated by a lightning bolt), Bart catches the ball, winning the game.
Homer and Marge sneak in to the Lovejoys' home to steal back their mattress, but the Lovejoys return and excitedly rush up to bed. Reverend Lovejoy solves the problem Solomon-style – he cuts the mattress in half diagonally and gives one half to Homer and Marge. On the way Homer convinces Marge to drive behind a billboard where they have sex, just as they did on their honeymoon
– complete with the same bum
watching them.
Sixty years later, a 70-year old Milhouse
nearly lets it slip to a 70-year old Bart that the game was faked to make up for his lack of talent. The ghosts of Homer and Marge watch Bart taunt Milhouse, and Homer attempts to talk Marge in to having ghost sex with him, only for Marge to tell him that "ghost sex is nothing."
.
IGN
's Robert Canning was more critical, criticizing the episode for losing heart when "the residents of Springfield are all incredibly cruel to Bart for his error." He added that the plot of the episode sounds "like a typical Simpsons storyline, and one the show is usually capable of pulling off with humor and heart, but the episode simply failed to find the funny in Bart's situation." Canning further wrote that the subplot with Homer was "one of the dullest "B" storylines The Simpsons have ever had," and "the flash-forward to 60 years in the future only made the episode worse." He concluded: "This entire episode was poorly executed – it lacked all warmth, heart and humor."
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...
The Simpsons (season 18)
The Simpsons 18th season aired from September 10, 2006 to May 20, 2007. The season contained seven hold-over episodes from the season 17 production line. Al Jean served as the Showrunner, a position he has held since the thirteenth season....
, which originally aired on April 29, 2007. It was written by Michael Price and was the first episode to be directed by Rob Oliver.
Plot
As the episode starts, the Simpsons are at a baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
game, and 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...
catches a fly ball, pushing the Springfield Isotots into the championships. The next day, 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 shopping at a department store, but 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...
is tired and can not find a place to sit, so he lies down on a mattress
Mattress
A mattress is a manufactured product to sleep or lie on, consisting of resilient materials and covered with an outer fabric or ticking. In the developed world it is typically part of a bed set and is placed upon a foundation....
and ends up falling asleep. However, when he wakes up, everybody is staring at him, so he gets up and exclaims his love for the mattress and manages to sell five; he is promptly hired as a mattress salesman.
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...
is playing Shelbyville in the championship, and is leading 5-2 in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, but Shelbyville has the bases loaded. When their batter hits the ball that could decide the game, it heads towards Bart. He drops a pop up and repeatedly fails to pick it up, allowing all four runners to walk the bases and score, giving Shelbyville the 6-5 victory. The crowd turns against Bart, who flees the stadium. When Chief Wiggum offers him a ride to safety though, Wiggum drives him back inside the stadium to allow people to throw food at him. Bart is totally humiliated and is now the town's black sheep.
At Homer's new job, he assists Apu Nahasapeemapetilon
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is a character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the episode "The Telltale Head". Apu is the proprietor of the Kwik-E-Mart, a popular convenience store in Springfield, and a friend of Homer Simpson. He is also...
. The Lovejoys
Reverend Timothy Lovejoy
Reverend Timothy "Tim" Lovejoy is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer, and first appeared in the episode "The Telltale Head". Lovejoy is the minister at The First Church of Springfield—the Protestant church in Springfield which most of...
approaches him with a sex problem
Sexual dysfunction
Sexual dysfunction or sexual malfunction refers to a difficulty experienced by an individual or a couple during any stage of a normal sexual activity, including desire, arousal or orgasm....
, so Homer sells them a new mattress called The Snugglux by Matrimonium. The Lovejoys buy it, but return it to the Simpson home next day, their problem unimproved. As Homer is writing them a refund check, the Lovejoys begin to make out on Homer and Marge's mattress, and trade their new mattress for it. That night, when Homer and Marge are unsuccessfully trying to have sex, Homer admits he traded their mattress. Also that he spent the money they kept in it on a chain originally made for Elvis (but rejected by Elvis as too tacky). The next day, Timothy and Helen Lovejoy are both singing joyfully and giggling at the Church.
Bart's humiliation goes on as Bill and Marty tell everyone on the radio, and Jimbo, Dolph, and Kearney sing a song about it called Bart Stinks
Love Stinks
Love Stinks is the eleventh album by American rock band The J. Geils Band, released in 1980 .The title song is a rant against unrequited love. It has been covered by industrial metal band Bile, by Andru Branch in the film Love Stinks, Joan Jett in the film Mr. Wrong and Adam Sandler in the movie...
. The town continues to angrily mock, chastise, and boo Bart for losing the game. Lisa tries to cheer him up by taking to see an old baseball star (Joe La Boot) who dropped a fly ball and still grew up to be rich and famous. Bart feels worse after the baseball player learns who he is and makes everybody in the building boo him. Bart begins to cry
Cry
Cry usually refers to crying, the act of shedding tears.Cry may also refer to:* Cry, Yonne, a commune in France* CRY , worldwide non-profit organization-Songs:* "Cry" , 1951...
because he is hurt and Lisa is shocked with La Boot's hypocrisy
Hypocrisy
Hypocrisy is the state of pretending to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that one does not actually have. Hypocrisy involves the deception of others and is thus a kind of lie....
. The next morning Lisa awakes to find a deranged Bart has spray-painted "I HATE BART SIMPSON" on everything in town (including a passed-out Barney). He attempts suicide by falling off the water tower on which he has painted "I hate Bart Simpson." A shocked La Boot tries to catch him, but misses, and Bart is knocked unconscious.
While Marge is visiting him in the hospital, she hears voices chanting "Bart sucks! Bart sucks!" over and over, eventually seeing an angry mob outside. Finally fed up with all the abuse poured onto Bart, she walks out to them and angrily scolds them for going too far, indicating the billboard labelling Springfield "Meanest City in America", and remarking that, more than ever, they deserved to be called that today. Feeling guilty, the entire town apologizes to Bart for hurting him and agrees to restage the game. After 78 tries (some flying into orbit, some stolen by Homer, one where Moe ran naked on the field, and even one in which the ball was disintegrated by a lightning bolt), Bart catches the ball, winning the game.
Homer and Marge sneak in to the Lovejoys' home to steal back their mattress, but the Lovejoys return and excitedly rush up to bed. Reverend Lovejoy solves the problem Solomon-style – he cuts the mattress in half diagonally and gives one half to Homer and Marge. On the way Homer convinces Marge to drive behind a billboard where they have sex, just as they did on their honeymoon
Honeymoon
-History:One early reference to a honeymoon is in Deuteronomy 24:5 “When a man is newly wed, he need not go out on a military expedition, nor shall any public duty be imposed on him...
– complete with the same bum
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
watching them.
Sixty years later, a 70-year old 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....
nearly lets it slip to a 70-year old Bart that the game was faked to make up for his lack of talent. The ghosts of Homer and Marge watch Bart taunt Milhouse, and Homer attempts to talk Marge in to having ghost sex with him, only for Marge to tell him that "ghost sex is nothing."
Production
The episode was written by Michael Price. It was his sixth episode. The episode features several cultural references. The "Bart Stinks" song that Jimbo, Dolph, and Kearney sing is similar to a song by The J. Geils Band, and when Bart notices this he rips down his J. Geils Band posters off his room wall in disappointment. Bart spinning in a circle while his clothes fly off after having been hit by the ball is a reference to Charlie Brown in PeanutsPeanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
.
Reception
"The Boys of Bummer" originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 29, 2007. Since then, it has received mixed reviews from critics. Adam Finley of TV Squad commented that "In general, I liked this episode. At least, it had a lot more laugh-out-loud moments for me than last week's episode. I don't think the town has turned on Bart so savagely since that time he cut the head off the Jebediah Springfield statue. I thought the absurdity of everyone getting upset over children's sport made it even funnier." He concluded that "I thought perhaps the scene where Bart paints 'I Hate Bart Simpson' all over town might have had more of an emotional weight to it, giving the episode that nice funny/emotional balance that is the stuff of all the best Simpsons episodes, but clearly this episode was meant to be played mostly for laughs."IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Robert Canning was more critical, criticizing the episode for losing heart when "the residents of Springfield are all incredibly cruel to Bart for his error." He added that the plot of the episode sounds "like a typical Simpsons storyline, and one the show is usually capable of pulling off with humor and heart, but the episode simply failed to find the funny in Bart's situation." Canning further wrote that the subplot with Homer was "one of the dullest "B" storylines The Simpsons have ever had," and "the flash-forward to 60 years in the future only made the episode worse." He concluded: "This entire episode was poorly executed – it lacked all warmth, heart and humor."