22 Short Films About Springfield
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"22 Short Films About Springfield" is the twenty-first episode of The Simpsons' seventh season, airing on April 14, 1996. The title is a spin on the film Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould. The episode also sparked the idea amongst the staff for a spin-off TV series called Tales from Springfield, focusing on the town rather than the Simpsons family. After six years however, this idea never came to anything. The idea was long rumored amongst fans, but finally confirmed at the end of the DVD commentary for this episode.
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Plot
The episode is a series of short skits, each showing a brief slice of life in Springfield.
- Bart and Milhouse squirt condiments from a highway overpass.
- Bart and Milhouse go to the Kwik-E-Mart.
- Apu leaving the Kwik-E-Mart for five minutes to briefly attend a party at his brother Sanjay's house.
- Lisa gets gum in her hair.
- A bee takes a look at Springfield.
- Smithers gets stung by a bee.
- Dr. Nick coming under criticism from the medical board for his unorthodox medical procedures only to treat Grampa Simpson which saved his career.
- Moe gets robbed after Barney gives him $2,000 to pay for a portion of his bar tab.
- Skinner hosts dinner for Superintendent Chalmers and when his roast is burnt, he attempts to disguise food from the Krusty Burger as his own cooking.
- Homer traps Maggie in a newspaper vending box.
- The cops debate McDonald's Quarter Pounder vs. Krusty Burger's (Pulp Fiction parody).
- Bumblebee Man's daily life at home: His house is destroyed and his wife leaves him after a horrible day at work.
- Snake and Chief Wiggum are captured by Herman (Pulp Fiction parody).
- Reverend Lovejoy and his dog bother Ned Flanders.
- Lisa and the gum (part 2).
- Cletus the Slack-Jawed Yokel.
- Milhouse has to use the bathroom in the Android's Dungeon.
- Chief Wiggum, the hood and the storekeeper (part 2) (Pulp Fiction parody).
- Lisa and the gum (part 3).
- Nelson gets his comeuppance thanks to the Very Tall Man.
- Bart and Milhouse find the truth.
- Lastly, an additional segment, "The Tomfoolery of Professor John Frink" is almost seen.
Though the episode title claims to contain 22 short films, it is argued that the bumblebee scene is merely a link between two other scenes, and that Bart and Milhouse going to the Kwik-E-Mart is part of another story. If so, there are 20 short films about Springfield. It is possible that the opening sequence and end credits of the show could also count as short films, which would make the total 22. It could also possibly be 22 if the two theme songs (for Principal Skinner and Cletus) were included.
Production
The very tall man was a caricature of writer Ian Maxtone-Graham. Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein can be seen in animated form among the crowd who is on the street laughing at Nelson. According to Oakley, he and Weinstein are in the scene because they told the animators to fill the streets with idiots. Many of the Spanish words used in Bumblebee Man's segment are easily understood cognates of English. In the Season 7 DVD commentary for this episode, the writers say that this was deliberate because they wanted even non-Spanish speakers to understand the dialogue.
Cultural references
- Apu's line, "For the next five minutes, I'm going to party like it's on sale for $19.99!", references Prince's hit song, 1999.
- Dr. Nick's story is very similar to many scenes from E.R.
- Superintendent Chalmers says "Aurora borealis? At this time of year? At this time of day? In this part of the country? Localized entirely within your kitchen?" which is a reference to the 1995 movie The Langoliers, where Captain Brian Engle says: "You're kidding. The Aurora borealis over California? And at this time of year?"
- Some time in this episode we hear Apu singing Freak-A-Zoid by Midnight Star
The Tarantino connection
The episode contains numerous references to Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. Like the film, the episode's plot is episodic though interconnected. Apu's brother Sanjay makes a square with his fingers, like Uma Thurman. The policemen's conversation about McDonald's parallels the famous "Royale With Cheese" discussion; the Krustyburger restaurant it takes place in also bears a striking resemblance to the diner Pumpkin and Honey Bunny attempt to rob in the film. In addition, the Simpsons theme (in the style of Misirlou) is playing in the background on the Krusty Burger's jukebox.
The subplot involving Chief Wiggum and Snake is a direct parody of the "Gold Watch" segment of the film. Snake runs over the donut-carrying Wiggum at a red light, like Bruce Willis did to Ving Rhames, and Wiggum chases after Snake (although his motive is exchanging insurance information rather than revenge). The two run into Herman's Pawn Shop, where Herman beats up and binds and gags the two, then waits for "Zed" to arrive. The Van Houtens come in instead, and a visibly annoyed Herman lets Milhouse use the restroom. Herman then threatens Kirk with his shotgun, but Milhouse unintentionally knocks out the shopkeeper with a flail he found in the back room. Wiggum then hops out the open door, still tied to his chair.
Deleted stories
Many characters had stories but they were cut due to the length of the episode. This meant some prominent characters didn't get a story revolving around them.