Yokel Chords
Encyclopedia
"Yokel Chords" is the fourteenth episode of the eighteenth season
of The Simpsons
, which was originally broadcast on March 4, 2007. It was written by Michael Price, and directed by Susie Dietter
. Guest starring Meg Ryan
as Dr. Swanson, Peter Bogdanovich
as a psychiatrist and Andy Dick
, James Patterson
and Stephen Sondheim
as themselves. This also marked the return of director Susie Dietter
who had taken a hiatus to work on Futurama
and the film Open Season
. This was her first episode in nearly nine years. It won the 2008 Annie Award
for Music in an Animated Television Production.
decides to scare an alternative lunch out of his friends by making up a story about a cannibal cafeteria worker named Dark Stanley, who killed all the students in the cafeteria and put them in his kids' head soup after repeatedly being taunted for not graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
. At lunchtime, Bart pretends to be killed by Dark Stanley, leading all of the students to run screaming into the woods while he takes their lunches. Groundskeeper Willie
is sent to fetch them all back, but he brings seven extra kids who are Cletus
's children. Their names are Whitney, Jitney
, Dubya
, Incest
, Crystal Meth
, International Harvester
, and Birthday. Principal Skinner
tells Superintendent Chalmers that the kids have been refused education in fear that they will lower test averages and cost the school federal funding (after SES has already lost state, local, and city funding), which Lisa
overhears. To appease Lisa, Skinner and Chalmers appoint her tutor of the children.
Meanwhile, Skinner punishes Bart by having him spend five sessions with a qualified psychiatrist
named Dr. Stacey Swanson (Meg Ryan
) (Skinner was going to use the school psychiatrist, but after she freaked out about Dark Stanley, Superintendent Chalmers decided Bart should see someone who was better qualified). Bart is initially unwilling, but Homer
insists Bart goes through with it (because there is a Chinese restaurant next door to the psychiatrist where he can get drunk). Initially dismissive, Bart develops a close bond with Dr. Swanson, who uses a Mad Libs
-like game and violent video games to get Bart to open up about Homer's alcoholism and other matters. When his sessions end, Bart starts to miss the time he spent with her and enters into a state of depression in which he talks about his problems to an empty chair while lying in bed. He also peeks into her window and sees her counseling Milhouse, and hangs his head while biking in the rain when he looks through a window and sees her dancing with the owner of the Chinese restaurant that Homer had visited earlier in the episode. Marge
, worried, uses the funds she had been saving up for Homer's breast reduction surgery to get her son one more session with Dr. Swanson. Bart then reveals that Homer and Marge were young and not ready for parenting when he was born, and that he acts out largely so they will focus on him instead of fighting with each other (the theme of which would be revisited in "Postcards from the Wedge
"); he also adds he got the name "Dark Stanley" in part because Homer used to hit him with a Stanley-brand hammer. Bart is happy and leaves therapy feeling good, but Dr. Swanson is visibly saddened when he leaves, and she goes to see her own psychiatrist (Peter Bogdanovich
) where she says she cannot stop thinking about Bart. It is revealed during this discussion that "Dark Stanley" was in fact real, and had killed her own son: the therapist believes Swanson is projecting onto Bart, though Swanson claims she is not ready to go into that.
Lisa's initial tutoring efforts are unsuccessful and so she decides to take the children to downtown Springfield
to introduce them to culture in the outside world. However, Lisa's plans are diverted when Krusty spots the kids singing, decides to use them as a musical act for his show, and offers them a contract, which Cletus signs with an "X" (in sharp contrast to his elegant signature in the episode "Sweets and Sour Marge
"). Lisa is worried about the way that Krusty and Cletus are exploiting the children with their plans for a national bus "No-Collar Comedy Tour", so she sends an e-mail
to Brandine, who is currently a soldier in Iraq, and trying to 'stop 9/11' as said by Cletus. She arrives by helicopter to tell Krusty that the contract Cletus signed is null and void, since he is only the father of two of the seven kids—one who cannot sing, and one who cannot ad-lib. The story ends with Cletus telling Brandine that they owe Krusty $12,000, but Brandine tells him that they can live on that, and Cletus is happy to have things back to normal.
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....
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...
, which was originally broadcast on March 4, 2007. It was written by Michael Price, and directed by Susie Dietter
Susie Dietter
Susan E. Dietter, usually credited as Susie Dietter, is an American director, known primarily for her work on television cartoons. She has directed episodes of the popular series Futurama, Baby Blues, The Simpsons, Recess and The Critic. She also worked as an animator for the modern-day Looney...
. Guest starring Meg Ryan
Meg Ryan
Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra , professionally known as Meg Ryan, is an American actress and producer. Raised in Bethel, Connecticut, Ryan began her acting career in 1981 in minor roles, before joining the cast of the CBS soap opera As the World Turns in 1982...
as Dr. Swanson, Peter Bogdanovich
Peter Bogdanovich
Peter Bogdanovich is an American film historian, director, writer, actor, producer, and critic. He was part of the wave of "New Hollywood" directors, which included William Friedkin, Brian De Palma, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Michael Cimino, and Francis Ford Coppola...
as a psychiatrist and Andy Dick
Andy Dick
Andrew R. "Andy" Dick is an American comedian, actor, musician and television/film producer. His first regular television role was on the short-lived but highly influential Ben Stiller Show. In the mid-1990s, he had a long-running stint on NBC's NewsRadio...
, James Patterson
James Patterson
James B. Patterson is an American author of thriller novels, largely known for his series about American psychologist Alex Cross...
and Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
as themselves. This also marked the return of director Susie Dietter
Susie Dietter
Susan E. Dietter, usually credited as Susie Dietter, is an American director, known primarily for her work on television cartoons. She has directed episodes of the popular series Futurama, Baby Blues, The Simpsons, Recess and The Critic. She also worked as an animator for the modern-day Looney...
who had taken a hiatus to work on Futurama
Futurama
Futurama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
and the film Open Season
Open Season (film)
Open Season is a 2006 computer-animated comedy film, written by Steve Bencich and Ron J. Friedman and directed by Jill Culton, Roger Allers, and Anthony Stacchi, and production designed by Michael Humphries...
. This was her first episode in nearly nine years. It won the 2008 Annie Award
35th Annie Awards
The 35th Annual Annie Awards, honoring the best in animation for 2007, was held on February 8, 2008 at UCLA's Royce Hall. This was the first change of venue for the awards in nine years, being held at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California since 1998 until last year. Ratatouille was the biggest...
for Music in an Animated Television Production.
Plot
Marge oversleeps, and not having made the children's lunch for the day, Homer makes the lunches instead. Lisa gets a drawing of a sandwich, Bart gets Grandpa's medication, and even these are mixed up. 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...
decides to scare an alternative lunch out of his friends by making up a story about a cannibal cafeteria worker named Dark Stanley, who killed all the students in the cafeteria and put them in his kids' head soup after repeatedly being taunted for not graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
. At lunchtime, Bart pretends to be killed by Dark Stanley, leading all of the students to run screaming into the woods while he takes their lunches. 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...
is sent to fetch them all back, but he brings seven extra kids who are Cletus
Cletus Spuckler
Cletus Delroy Spuckler is a recurring character in the Fox animated series, The Simpsons, and is voiced by Hank Azaria. Cletus is Springfield's resident hillbilly stereotype. He is very messy and is usually portrayed wearing a white sleeveless shirt and pair of blue jeans.- Biography :Cletus was...
's children. Their names are Whitney, Jitney
Nickel (United States coin)
The nickel is a five-cent coin, representing a unit of currency equaling five hundredths of one United States dollar. A later-produced Canadian nickel five-cent coin was also called by the same name....
, Dubya
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, Incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
, Crystal Meth
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...
, International Harvester
International Harvester
International Harvester Company was a United States agricultural machinery, construction equipment, vehicle, commercial truck, and household and commercial products manufacturer. In 1902, J.P...
, and Birthday. 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...
tells Superintendent Chalmers that the kids have been refused education in fear that they will lower test averages and cost the school federal funding (after SES has already lost state, local, and city funding), which 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...
overhears. To appease Lisa, Skinner and Chalmers appoint her tutor of the children.
Meanwhile, Skinner punishes Bart by having him spend five sessions with a qualified psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
named Dr. Stacey Swanson (Meg Ryan
Meg Ryan
Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra , professionally known as Meg Ryan, is an American actress and producer. Raised in Bethel, Connecticut, Ryan began her acting career in 1981 in minor roles, before joining the cast of the CBS soap opera As the World Turns in 1982...
) (Skinner was going to use the school psychiatrist, but after she freaked out about Dark Stanley, Superintendent Chalmers decided Bart should see someone who was better qualified). Bart is initially unwilling, 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...
insists Bart goes through with it (because there is a Chinese restaurant next door to the psychiatrist where he can get drunk). Initially dismissive, Bart develops a close bond with Dr. Swanson, who uses a Mad Libs
Mad Libs
Mad Libs is a phrasal template word game where one player prompts another for a list of words to substitute for blanks in a story, usually with funny results...
-like game and violent video games to get Bart to open up about Homer's alcoholism and other matters. When his sessions end, Bart starts to miss the time he spent with her and enters into a state of depression in which he talks about his problems to an empty chair while lying in bed. He also peeks into her window and sees her counseling Milhouse, and hangs his head while biking in the rain when he looks through a window and sees her dancing with the owner of the Chinese restaurant that Homer had visited earlier in the episode. 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...
, worried, uses the funds she had been saving up for Homer's breast reduction surgery to get her son one more session with Dr. Swanson. Bart then reveals that Homer and Marge were young and not ready for parenting when he was born, and that he acts out largely so they will focus on him instead of fighting with each other (the theme of which would be revisited in "Postcards from the Wedge
Postcards from the Wedge
"Postcards from the Wedge" is the fourteenth episode of The Simpsons twenty-first season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 14, 2010. In the episode, Homer and Marge once again try to discipline Bart after Mrs...
"); he also adds he got the name "Dark Stanley" in part because Homer used to hit him with a Stanley-brand hammer. Bart is happy and leaves therapy feeling good, but Dr. Swanson is visibly saddened when he leaves, and she goes to see her own psychiatrist (Peter Bogdanovich
Peter Bogdanovich
Peter Bogdanovich is an American film historian, director, writer, actor, producer, and critic. He was part of the wave of "New Hollywood" directors, which included William Friedkin, Brian De Palma, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Michael Cimino, and Francis Ford Coppola...
) where she says she cannot stop thinking about Bart. It is revealed during this discussion that "Dark Stanley" was in fact real, and had killed her own son: the therapist believes Swanson is projecting onto Bart, though Swanson claims she is not ready to go into that.
Lisa's initial tutoring efforts are unsuccessful and so she decides to take the children to downtown 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...
to introduce them to culture in the outside world. However, Lisa's plans are diverted when Krusty spots the kids singing, decides to use them as a musical act for his show, and offers them a contract, which Cletus signs with an "X" (in sharp contrast to his elegant signature in the episode "Sweets and Sour Marge
Sweets and Sour Marge
"Sweets and Sour Marge" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons thirteenth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 20, 2002. In the episode, Homer gathers several of Springfield's citizens to participate in creating the biggest human pyramid in the world...
"). Lisa is worried about the way that Krusty and Cletus are exploiting the children with their plans for a national bus "No-Collar Comedy Tour", so she sends an e-mail
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
to Brandine, who is currently a soldier in Iraq, and trying to 'stop 9/11' as said by Cletus. She arrives by helicopter to tell Krusty that the contract Cletus signed is null and void, since he is only the father of two of the seven kids—one who cannot sing, and one who cannot ad-lib. The story ends with Cletus telling Brandine that they owe Krusty $12,000, but Brandine tells him that they can live on that, and Cletus is happy to have things back to normal.
Cultural references
- The whole storyline involving Lisa shows many references to The Sound of MusicThe Sound of MusicThe Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
. - The style of the artwork in the sequence in which Bart tells his classmates a story about a murderous cafeteria worker resembles the work of Edward GoreyEdward GoreyEdward St. John Gorey was an American writer and artist noted for his macabre illustrated books.-Early life:...
. A piece of music is used in this scene that is reminiscent of Ástor Piazzolla'sÁstor PiazzollaÁstor Pantaleón Piazzolla was an Argentine tango composer and bandoneón player. His oeuvre revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music...
"Introduccion" from the Suite Punta del EsteSuite Punta Del EsteSuite Punta del Este is a tango nuevo work for orchestral strings and a bandoneón written by the Argentine composer Ástor Piazzolla in 1982. Punta del Este is an Uruguayan resort where the artist spent many summers and particularly enjoyed shark fishing....
(also used in the film 12 Monkeys.) This story also referencing Sondheim's Sweeney ToddSweeney ToddSweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as then antagonist of the Victorian penny dreadful The String of Pearls and he was later introduced as an antihero in the broadway musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and its film adaptation...
. - The music played when Groundskeeper Willie rounds up the kids is the main title theme to the 1965 John SturgesJohn SturgesJohn Eliot Sturges was an American film director. His movies include Bad Day at Black Rock , Gunfight at the O.K. Corral , The Magnificent Seven , The Great Escape and Ice Station Zebra .-Career:He started his career in Hollywood as an editor in 1932...
film The Hallelujah TrailThe Hallelujah TrailThe Hallelujah Trail is a 1965 Western spoof directed by John Sturges and starring Burt Lancaster, Lee Remick, Brian Keith, Donald Pleasence, and Martin Landau, amongst others.-Plot synopsis:...
, composed by Elmer BernsteinElmer BernsteinElmer Bernstein was an American composer and conductor best known for his many film scores. In a career which spanned fifty years, he composed music for hundreds of film and television productions...
. - The video game, Death Kill City II: Death Kill Stories, played by Bart and the psychiatrist has a reference to the Grand Theft AutoGrand Theft Auto (series)Grand Theft Auto is a multi-award-winning British video game series created in the United Kingdom by Dave Jones, then later by brothers Dan Houser and Sam Houser, and game designer Zachary Clarke. It is primarily developed by Edinburgh based Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games...
series of video games, notably the city stories prequelPrequelA prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
s (Liberty City StoriesGrand Theft Auto: Liberty City StoriesGrand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories is a 2005 sandbox-style action video game developed by Rockstar North and Rockstar Leeds. It is the ninth game in the Grand Theft Auto series...
and Vice City StoriesGrand Theft Auto: Vice City StoriesGrand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories is a 2006 sandbox-style action video game developed by Rockstar Leeds in association with Rockstar North. It was published by Rockstar Games for the PlayStation Portable in late 2006 and later for the PlayStation 2 in March 2007. The game is the eighth...
). The rating for Death Kill City II is "Bad for Everyone," which spoofs the ESRBEntertainment Software Rating BoardThe Entertainment Software Rating Board is a self-regulatory organization that assigns age and content ratings, enforces industry-adopted advertising guidelines, and ensures responsible online privacy principles for computer and video games as well as entertainment software in Canada, Mexico and...
rating, "E for Everyone". The game's cover artwork is also very similar to the cover artwork of said series. - During "My Favorite Things," the beginning of the surrealistSurrealismSurrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
film, Un chien andalouUn chien andalouUn Chien Andalou is a 1929 silent surrealist short film by the Spanish director Luis Buñuel and artist Salvador Dalí. It was Buñuel's first film and was initially released in 1929 to a limited showing in Paris, but became popular and ran for eight months....
plays. - Krusty the Clown mistakenly thinks Stephen SondheimStephen SondheimStephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
wrote the musical CatsCats (musical)Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot...
, which was actually written by Andrew Lloyd WebberAndrew Lloyd WebberAndrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
. - During the musical number, Agnes Skinner is shown starring in the titular role in a production of Auntie MameAuntie MameAuntie Mame is a 1955 novel by Patrick Dennis that chronicles the madcap adventures of a boy, Patrick, growing up as the ward of his deceased father's eccentric sister, Mame Dennis. The book is a work of fiction inspired by the author's eccentric aunt, Marion Tanner, whose life and outlook in many...
. - When Krusty asks Stephen SondheimStephen SondheimStephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
to write something "peppy," he plays a vamp similar to one from the Broadway musical PippinPippin (musical)Pippin is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Roger O. Hirson. Bob Fosse, who directed the original Broadway production, also contributed to the libretto...
, written by Stephen SchwartzStephen Schwartz (composer)Stephen Lawrence Schwartz is an American musical theatre lyricist and composer. In a career spanning over four decades, Schwartz has written such hit musicals as Godspell , Pippin and Wicked...
. - The ending, with Cletus saying, "Baby, you're the greatest," Cletus and Brandine kissing, the pan to the skyline and moon, with Cletus's face, and the music are all a direct reference to the 50's sitcom The HoneymoonersThe HoneymoonersThe Honeymooners is an American situation comedy television show, based on a recurring 1951–'55 sketch of the same name. It originally aired on the DuMont network's Cavalcade of Stars and subsequently on the CBS network's The Jackie Gleason Show hosted by Jackie Gleason, and filmed before a live...
. - Krusty introduces the Spuckler children as "The Smashing Bumpkins", which is a reference to alternative rockAlternative rockAlternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band The Smashing PumpkinsThe Smashing PumpkinsThe Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. Formed by Billy Corgan frontman and James Iha , the band has included Jimmy Chamberlin , D'arcy Wretzky , and currently includes Jeff Schroeder Mike Byrne , and Nicole Fiorentino The Smashing...
. - The scene where Dr Swanson's character goes to see her own psychiatrist, Peter Bogdanovich, parodies The SopranosThe SopranosThe Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
where Jennifer MelfiJennifer MelfiJennifer Melfi, M.D., is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. She is the psychiatrist of Mafia boss Tony Soprano. She is portrayed by Lorraine Bracco.-Character description:...
the psychiatrist of Tony SopranoTony SopranoAnthony John "Tony" Soprano, Sr. is an Italian-American fictional character and the protagonist on the HBO television drama series The Sopranos, on which he is portrayed by James Gandolfini. The character was conceived by The Sopranos creator and show runner David Chase, who was also largely...
sees her own psychiatrist also played by Peter Bogdanovich.