Treehouse of Horror II
From Simpsons Wiki
| Treehouse of Horror II | |
| |
| Season 3 Episode 7 | |
| Production Code | 8F02 |
| Original Airdate | October 31, 1991 |
| Written By | Atrocious Al Jean & Morbid Mike Reiss Jittery Jeff Martin Gasping George Meyer Slithering Sam Simon Spooky John Swartzwelder |
| Directed By | Jim Rondo Reardon |
| Show Runners | Al Jean & Mike Reiss |
| Special Guests | |
| Blackboard Text | |
|
"Treehouse of Horror II" is the seventh episode of the third season, the second Halloween special and the first where names in the closing credits were replaced by "spooky" name parodies. The episode aired on October 31, 1991.
Contents |
Plot
Disclaimer-esque Opening segment
Marge: "Ahem. Hello, everyone. Before last year's Halloween show, I warned you not to let your children watch. But you did anyway. Mm. Well, this year's episode is even worse. It's scarier, more violent, and I think they snuck in some bad language, too. So please, tuck in your children and... (sighs) Well, if you didn't listen to me last time, you're not going to now. Enjoy the show."
Set-up
Lisa, Bart and Homer each have nightmares after eating too much Halloween candy.
The Monkey's Paw (Lisa's Nightmare)
While visiting Morocco, Homer finds a small booth at a bazaar displaying a monkey's severed hand. The crippled vendor warns that, although the Monkey's Paw grants four wishes, it also brings grave misfortune upon the wellwisher. Homer dismisses his concerns and buys the paw. Back in Springfield, the Simpsons argue over what to wish for. When Maggie picks up the paw, a limousine suddenly arrives bearing a brand new pacifier. Bart grabs the paw and wishes for the Simpsons to be rich and famous. However, people quickly tire of seeing their faces everywhere and are sick of the Simpsons celebrity treatment. Horrified by these wasteful wishes, Lisa wishes for world peace with the best intentions. All countries declare peace; after destroying their weapons, military personnel take up jobs baking cookies. Before long, Kang and Kodos realise the human race is "ripe for the plucking" and enslave the Earth armed only with a slingshot and a club. Kodos then crowns herself "King of the Earth" even though her title should be "Queen of the Earth." The people angrily blame the Simpsons. Determined to make a wish that cannot be twisted, Homer demands a turkey sandwich, which, to his horror, turns out to be a little dry. "Oh foul accursed thing! What demon from the depths of hell created you?" he sobs. As Homer throws the paw in the trash can, Ned Flanders asks if he can have it. Homer gladly hands the paw over to Flanders, hoping to see his neighbor's wishes backfire as well. Ned wishes for the invading aliens to depart - accomplished by Moe chasing the aliens away with a board with a nail in it. As they retreat, the aliens proclaim that one day humans will make bigger boards with bigger nails and eventually destroy themselves with their own power. Everyone celebrates and Flanders' house is converted into an opulent castle. Homer angrily mutters to himself "I wish I had a monkey's paw."
The Bart Zone (Bart's Nightmare)
Springfield is held in a grip of terror by Bart, who has near-omnipotent powers. No one dares to displease him - his family, his teachers and everyone else in town are all forced to continuously smile and submit to Bart's every whim. Anyone who thinks unhappy thoughts is immediately punished. Jasper was turned into a dog when he did just that. Krusty the Clown is forced to run his show non-stop: "Well kids, we've been on the air for 346 consecutive hours, and it's all because of one little boy who... WHO WON'T LET ME STOP!" When Homer refuses to switch a football game so that Bart can watch Krusty, Bart transports him into the football stadium in place of the ball for an extra point kick. As Homer creeps back into the house, thinking "When he's least expecting it, bash his head in with the chair, end of monster", Bart transforms him into a jack-in-the-box. Marge suggests that the two see Dr. Marvin Monroe, who says that Bart is desperate for paternal affection. Despite being a jack-in-the-box, Homer spends quality time with Bart, and soon they become a normal, loving family. Bart restores Homer's body and tells him he loves him. But when he is kissed by Homer, Bart wakes up in a screaming fit, terrified from this nightmare.
Inspiration- The title of this segment is a spoof of The Twilight Zone while the plot is a spoof of The Twilight Zone episode "It's a Good Life" (based on the short story "It's a GOOD Life" by Jerome Bixby). Rod Serling's famous opening and closing narrations for The Twilight Zone are also spoofed in this segment. Nancy Cartwright, voice of Bart, appears in the "It's a Good Life" segment of Twilight Zone: The Movie.
If I Only Had a Brain (Homer's Nightmare)
After Mr. Burns fires Homer for laziness and incompetence, Homer answers a classified ad to become a grave digger. Meanwhile, Burns is nearing completion on his giant robotic laborer, whom he hopes will eventually replace weak-bodied human workers. The only remaining step is to implant a human brain into the machine's body. Searching a graveyard the following night, Burns and Smithers mistake Homer - snoring in an open grave - for a newly buried corpse. They remove his brain and place it in the robot. However, Robo-Homer is just as lazy and incompetent as he was as a human. Burns declares the experiment a disaster, and, after restoring the brain to Homer's still-living body, kicks the robot - which topples over, crushing Burns' body. After Burns tells Smithers to get some surgical tools and ether, Homer wakes up screaming from this nightmare and discovers that Smithers has transplanted Burns' head onto his left shoulder. He thought it was a dream, but was it? This episode ends with a joke announcement of what will happen on the next Simpsons episode. The Simpsons are eating breakfast and Homer is seen with Mr. Burns' head, and is told that he has to do everything Burns does. Homer laments how he hates having two heads.
Trivia
- In production order, this was the first episode to be animated by Anivision, which was the first non-AKOM overseas studio to work on the show.
- Bart's nightmare had a unique Moe prank call. Bart does not need to fool Moe as he can simply order him around like everyone else. When Bart calls, Moe talks to the bar patrons as if he was ordered on cue. Moe states "I am a stupid moron with a ugly face and a big butt and my butt smells and I like to kiss my own butt." Although Treehouse of Horror episodes are generally agreed to be non-canon, this was referred to in a later clip show when they recalled all of Bart's prank calls to Moe.
- This is the 1st episode where the "shh" and the normal Gracie Films music are replaced by a pipe organ version.
- In the opening to the episode, the Peanuts gang, wearing their costumes from the popular animated television special It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, runs in front of the Simpsons house.
Movie Moments
- Homer's nightmare is based on much of the film Frankenstein. The end of the episode parodies The Thing with Two Heads.
- In Lisa's nightmare, just as the Simpsons are about to board the plane, they are stopped by Moroccan soldiers who all aim pistols at them in the kneeling position. Homer is then searched and found to have trinkets attached to his body which he was attempting to smuggle out of the country without paying a tariff. This is a parody of the opening scene of Midnight Express.
- While Mr. Burns scoops out Homer's brain, he hums the tune of "If I Only Had a Brain" which is sung by the scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz.