Girly Edition
From Simpsons Wiki
"Girly Edition" is the 21st episode of the ninth season of The Simpsons
Plot
After Groundskeeper Willie confiscates his skateboard, Bart decides to get back at him by filling up his shack with a tankerfull of creamed corn as he sleeps. Predictably, the shack is soon destroyed in an explosion of creamed corn and a distraught Willie is taken away for medical attention... though not before swearing revenge on Bart.
Later, after discovering that Krusty's show has come under criticism for not being educational enough, the kids at Springfield Elementary School are recruited by Lindsey Naegle and Channel 6 to produce a youth-oriented news program called "Kidz Newz" with Lisa serving as news anchor. Because Bart is upset that he wasn't given a job on the show, Lisa begrudgingly appoints Bart sports anchor. However, when the network executives discover Bart's screen presence, he is promoted to co-anchor, much to Lisa's chagrin. Meanwhile, Homer learns that Apu has a new helper monkey, to do most of his duties while he is in a wheelchair. Homer applies for a helper monkey, but the monkey-assigner says being lazy is not a disability, so he doesn't qualify. Homer returns with Grampa, who does qualify, and leaves with his new monkey, Mojo.
After Lisa secretly reveals that she thinks he is not intelligent enough to be on the show, Bart decides to seek the counsel of Kent Brockman, who shows him old clips of "Kent's People", a sappy, heart-rending series of sob stories about individuals in Springfield.
Bart takes this advice to heart and begins to develop his own "Bart's People" segments, which soon gain enormous popularity. Lisa becomes jealous of Bart's new notoriety because she sees how fake and shallow "Bart's People" is, and attempts her own brand of Bart's schtick. She ends up being extremely unsuccessful, and instead hatches a plan to see that Bart gets what he deserves...
Homer trains Mojo to do all of his bidding. He eventually leaves the monkey to lounge around like he does, and it loses its potty training. At Marge's urging, Homer returns Mojo and the monkey-assigner picks up the overweight, sick monkey, who types into a dictator machine "Pray...for ...Mojo"
Lisa gives Bart a letter from an immigrant who had just lost everything and is now forced to live in a junkyard. Believing it to be a great story, Bart rushes over there only to discover that it is Willie, still looking to get his revenge. However, Lisa arrives just in time and persuades Willie to let Bart go with a sob story of her own.
Realizing the success that could come if they combined their talents, Bart and Lisa decide to work together to make "Kidz Newz" the best children's news show ever. Unfortunately it is quickly cancelled and replaced with the highly commercial "Mattel and Mars Bar Quick-Energy Choc-o-bot Hour", much to Bart and Lisa's distress, although Bart likes the show.
Trivia
- The episode title is a play on the news term "Early Edition".
- In one of Lisa's interview subjects, the Crazy Cat Lady is introduced in this episode.
- The music used when Kent is on the merry-go-round is "Turn, Turn, Turn" by Byrds.
- The Cat lady throws a cat that looks like Snowball II at Lisa.
- The helper monkey is a parody of George Romero's film "Monkey Shines".
- According to the Season 9 DVD commentary, this episode sees the first appearance of the character Lindsay Naegle (still unnamed at this point). This is not the case, as she first appeared in "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show" from the 8th season, however that version was colored differently.