Bart to the Future

From Simpsons Wiki

"Bart to the Future" is the 17th episode of the eleventh season of The Simpsons. The title of the episode is a reference to Back to the Future. It is the second of three future-themed Simpsons episodes (along with "Lisa's Wedding" and "Future-Drama"). The episode is listed as the worst Simpsons episode of all time by the February 7, 2003 issue of Entertainment Weekly. It aired exactly five years after "Lisa's Wedding," which also depicted the Simpsons' universe in the future.

Plot

The Simpsons are going to a park, but when they arrive, they find that mosquitos have gone crazy and have taken over. While driving back, they find an Indian casino and stop by. Bart tries to sneak in, but is caught by the casino's manager. To teach Bart a lesson, he gives Bart a glimpse of himself in the year 2030 (although it is never referred to as "2030" during the episode, only that it is thirty years in the future).

In the year 2030, Bart is apparently going through an awkward period of his life. Having dropped out of DeVry University and with no stable job such as his demolition job, or his hinted ultimate profession of Chief Justice, he is very much adrift. He becomes good friends with Ralph Wiggum and they have an unsuccessful band, the Tequila Mockingbirds. Although Ralph appears to frequently get a little agitated by Bart's flakey and unhelpful nature, he seems to show a lot of patience towards him, apparently sticking with him even after he swears the end to their friendship and living together.

Ralph turns out to be a bit different from his child self. He ironically seems quite down to earth and a bit more focused, as he pretty much single handedly supports both himself and Bart as of the beginning of the episode, with little to no help from him in return. Ralph has also grown a full head of light brown hair. Despite this more mature Ralph, occasional hints of his childhood stupidity slip out from time to time: while travelling to the White House in a helicopter, he falls out twice.

The United States is completely bankrupt and relies on foreign aid from Europe and China. To help, America sold the "purple mountain majesties and amber waves of grain", among other properties that they don't even own. Lisa Simpson has the honor of being the first straight female president of the United States (Ellen DeGeneres had been president before, but not necessarily the first woman) and apparently remains unmarried. Milhouse, who looks exactly like his father bar the voice, is a secretary for Lisa and still in love with her. His reaction to Bart is nonexistent, imply a falling-out some time ago. Kearney works for the Secret Service, and is Lisa's bodyguard. Alan Greenspan is in Lisa's cabinet, making him 104 years old. Helen Thomas is still in the presidential press corps. Bart meets Billy Carter's ghost at Camp David.

Donald Trump also has been president. His administration made the catastrophic choice to invest in the nation's children. Thanks to him, America is in the midst of a massive crime wave. Well-balanced breakfast programs for children has created a generation of ultra-strong super-criminals; midnight basketball taught them how to function without sleep.

Maggie Simpson is an astronaut and has left behind one daughter, Maggie Junior, in Marge's care. She looks like an exact replica of the present-day Maggie; same red pacifier, blue bow and baggie. Homer has a robotic prostate and now has only one hair. The extra bedroom Homer built on the Simpsons' house in Lisa's Wedding is still there.

After the vision is over Bart apparently learns nothing from it. He is pleased by the fact that he has his own band and describes Lisa's position as "some government job."

Trivia

• Nelson owns a nightclub and has Willie as his technical supervisor.
• Lenny and Carl still frequently go to Moe's Tavern, but Barney doesn't; he is instead a patron of Nelson's club.
• Ned Flanders is blind from laser eye surgery. At one point, he thanks Bart for not "outing" his two sons.
• Soylent Green is on the market (and now has more girls!). [See Futurama]
• "Smell you later" replaced "good-bye" in all social situations.
• There was a nuclear war between India and Pakistan.
• Krusty the Klown is in a wheelchair (but is apparently still able to walk).
• Chastity Bono ran for president against Lisa, presumably for a non-consecutive second term.
• The ocean needs refilling.
• Kent Brockman is now an anchor for BrainVision News, a fictional news service projected directly into the minds of people. His catchphrase for the show is "From around the globe to your frontal lobe."
• Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. has liquor stores and adult bookstores right next to the White House.
• Illegal Aliens can now vote.
• Near the end of the story Bart asks Lisa to "legalize it," a possible reference to legalizing marijuana.

Template:Trivia

Deleted scenes

In the trailers for the episode, Maggie Simpson is shown as an astronaut on the moon with an air hose that she sucks on like a pacifier. However, there was no sign of this scene in the aired episode. Another scene where Bart plays with a frisbee outside the White House is often deleted from television broadcasts of the episode, although it has been known to occasionally be kept in certain broadcasts.

Cultural references

• The name of Bart's band is a reference to To Kill a Mockingbird.
• Nelson's look is an homage and reference to the Alternate 1985 version of Biff Tannen from Back to the Future Part II.
• The part where Bart and Ralph perform while the audience attempts to throw bottles at them is a reference to the 1980 film The Blues Brothers.
• The bar scene at Camp David is a reference to the film The Shining; the scene is an exact replica of the Jack Torrance/Lloyd the Bartender scene.
• When Homer is looking for Lincoln's gold, he counts fourscore seven paces, a reference to Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, which begins with the words "Fourscore and seven years ago...".
• The name of the casino is Caesar's Pow-wow, a reference to Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

External links