Difference between revisions of "Treehouse of Horror XXIV"

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This episode is considered non-canon and the events featured do not relate to the series and therefore may not have actually happened/existed. The reason behind this decision is: . If you dispute this, please bring it up on the episode's talk page.

"Wait a second... It's Halloween?"

―Comic Book Guy

"Treehouse of Horror XXIV"

Episode Information Billboard gag: "All Work and no Play makes Jack a Dull Boy" Showrunner: [[{{{showrunner}}}]]

"Treehouse of Horror XXIV" is the five hundred and thirty-second episode of The Simpsons, the second episode of the twenty-fifth season and the twenty-fourth installment in the Treehouse of Horror series.

Synopsis

"In “Oh The Places You’ll D’oh,” the first of three spine-tingling stories, Homer rides around Springfield wreaking havoc as The Fat In The Hat in a rhyming Dr. Seuss-ian tale. In “Dead and Shoulders,” Bart is beheaded during a kite accident, his head is attached to Lisa’s body and they must live together as one. The final terrifying tale, “Freaks no Geeks,” features Mr. Burns’ traveling circus, The Burnsum and Bailey Circus, which has stopped in Springfieldland in the 1930s. Trapeze artist Marge and Strong Man Homer are performers and things go awry when circus freak Moe starts to make advances towards Marge." ^[1]

Plot

Act I: "Oh The Places You’ll D’oh"

It's Halloween in a rhyming Dr. Seuss-ian Springfield and three young children (Bart, Lisa and Maggie) are home with the mumps, while the rest of the town is trick-or-treating. Their mother (Marge) heads-out to attend a costume party, leaving them home alone and instructing them not to eat any candy. The kids quickly become bored, until, suddenly, they hear a knock on the door - it's The Fat In The Hat, who, according to his business card, is "the expert at this and expert at that."

He promises to save Halloween and, after quickly administering anti-mump shots, tells the children to jump on his cycle and he'll take them trick-or-treating. After knocking Grampa, who threatens to fight, unconscious with his gadget-riddled umbrella, the Fat in the Hat and the children head out.

Once in town, the children become unnerved by the Fat in the Hat's anger issues and his highly unusual political views. He ends up robbing Apu, blowing up Mr. Burns' mansion, killing Moe, knocking out Patty and Selma, blowing up the Town Hall, setting free all the animals at the zoo, and leaving a pile of bodies in his trail.

The kids realize they must escape from their psychotic guide and so they hop on a three-humped gumbammel (Barney), then a Krusty-cow (Krusty) - which ultimately gets beheaded by Sideshow Bob - and then fly back home on a large bee (Bumblebee Man). However, to their dismay, The Fat In The Hat is waiting inside. "I'm staying forever. You're all stuck with that. 'Cause I'm your new daddy, the Fat in the-", before he can finish, Maggie stabs him in the chest with his very own umbrella. "I'm afraid of nothing, not even hellfires. Just please, don't ever let me be played by Mike Myers.", the Fat in the Hat mutters before dying. The children craft the Fat's body into a rug and sit on him eating candy all night until their mother returns.

Narration

Twas Halloween night with them kids door to dooring

And all over town, blood sugar is soaring

Give me your candy

But the Simpsons abode was deep down in the dumps

Cause from little to bigger, the kids had the mumps

Now, I'm off to a party, my outfit is chic

It's a Catwoman costume, I'm sure is unique

Wait a second... It's Halloween? 

Just rest on the sofa, I'll be home by 10:00

Can we have some candy

Just one M&M

Then we heard a loud crash

We were attempted to scat

And we looked and we saw him

The Fat In The Hat

I'll save Halloween for you 3 grumpy tots

Just stick out your rumps for some mump stopping shots

Now hop on my cycle, there's nothing to fear

And we shall have candy and maybe some beer  You should not be there when their mother's away

And you should be dead, you're so wrinkled and gray

I'll give you the business, you yellow sea cow

This go-getting oldster will... Where am I now?

We'll fix up this mix up in 2 minutes flat

With the helpers i've hidden right under my hat

I knew there was something I left off my list

Without food, air, and water, they cease to exist

I am the Borax

I speak for the woods

But I've plastered my likeness on consumer goods

Sellout

Hey

♪Oh, The Fat In The Hat doesn't care what moms say.

The minute they leave you can take you away.

His breakfast is dinner, his dinners's desert.

You might see his name on an amber alert♪

Trick or' Treat

Who buzzed the buzzard

Don't pester the rich

I don't hand out candy you son of a grinch

He held out bamboozlers and side wising gizzles

He laughed as he heard that old colger's halsizzles

Let this be a lesson to those who love cash 

Your nice stack of cash can be gone in a flash

If you're awful and nasty and cruel

Enough with the lessons

This isn't a school

♪Mounts are here

We are not hungry

Thanks to christian charity♪

I don't got no candy, I only serve beer

And who said you could bring minors in here

Your peanuts are pawed through, your beer smells like skunk

And you just pissed off the wrong fat-furry drunk

Hey! Hey! Hey! This is supposed to be a children's story!

Go grab the money and votka and gin

And I'll knit a nice nord from his leathery skin

Say, Mr Hat, I don't mean to complain

But you promised us candy, not mayhem and pain

The dude thought a while and said

I know a man with an overpriced store who give all that he can

Take whatever you want

I don't want any trouble

Take gims that are slim and gum of the bottle

I won't shoot you now cause I found something crueler

An afternoon off with 8 kids and Manjula

No

♪Oh, the Fat in the Hat has some anger issues

And some highly unusual political views

If he comes a-calling

You’d better hide

Cause he’s committing aggravated floop-fluffle-cide!♪

Don't forget me

♪Floop-fluffle-cide♪

We had to escape from this behatted mammal

So we hitched us a ride on a Three-Hump-Gumbamble

A Gumbamble's a camel that's faster and humbler

It doesn't take tips and it's never a grumbler

So if you must leave from a kind of a scramble

Than jump on a hump of a Three-Hump-Gumbamble

But if the Gumbamble should randle and stumble

Than just hop a top of a Krustiforous Krumble

But if that Krumble just happen to tumble

Than call your amiga, The Bee-Man of Bumble

Ay, Ay, Ay! 

We'd thought we escaped from our psycotic guy

But when we got home, he was waiting inside

I'm staying forever, you're all stuck with that

Cause I'm your new daddy, The Fat in the....(Maggie stabs him)

I'm afraid of nothing, not even hellfires. Just please, don't ever let me played my Mike Myers.

But don't worry about us cause we did ok

Yeah, kids will get candy, whatever you say

Act II: "Dead and Shoulders"

Bart has spent his day flying a kite near the Springfield Airport with Milhouse and with the sun setting, he decides to take a nap. With no-where to tie his kite, he wraps the string around his neck and dozes off. Channel 6's Arnie Pye's weather-report helicopter flies overhead and Bart's kite and the 'copter intertwine. Arnie panics and flies away - the force of which pulls the kite string tight, swiftly chopping Bart's head clean off his shoulders.

Bart awakens in a hospital bed and exclaims, "I'm alive. All patched up. End of story." Not actually, however, as Bart's decapitated head has since surgically been attached to Lisa's body by Dr. Hibbert, who reminds Lisa that she maintains full-control of her body, allowing her to do whatever she wants to Bart's head.

Bart struggles to adjust to life attached to his sister: she bores him by making him sit through her doll tea-parties, he is banned entry to Homer's man-cave because of its "No Girls" rule, and is presented to Lisa's class as a show-and-tell project.

They both attend therapy with Dr. Thurston. She encourages Bart to think of the positive aspects of being attached to Lisa and vice versa. This helps and the two develop a new-found appreciation for one another and brings them closer together.

That night, Bart discovers that, while she is asleep, he has control over Lisa's body. Bart then hatches a plan in order to make sure Lisa stays asleep, which sees him mixing Nappien pills with Lisa's yoghurt.

The following day, at a local saw mill, Bart straps him and Lisa (who is still asleep) down onto a piece of wood and waits until the saw cuts Lisa's head-off, leaving him still attached, and subsequently permanently in-control of her body. Both of them, however, ultimately end up beheaded.

Once again, Bart awakens in hospital, this time, however, attached to his Aunt Selma. While, Lisa is attached to Krusty.

Act III: "Freaks no Geeks"

In 1930s Springfieldland, Mr. Burnsum's circus - "The Burnsum and Bailey Circus" - visits town. He presents the performers to the townsfolk: trapeze artist Margarete (Marge), the Happy Harlequin (Krusty) and Strong-Man Homer. He then subsequently draws back a curtain and showcases the "freaks": the human donkey (Nelson), the Terrifying Call-back (a conjoined Selma and Bart from Dead and Shoulders), Kang and Kodos and "the most hideous creature of all", Moe.

Later that day, back-stage, Margarete sticks up for the freaks and demands Mr. Burnsum show them some respect. Moe and the freaks approach Margarete and thank her. She encourages them never to give up hope and gives Moe a gentle kiss on the cheek. Pinheads Lenny and Carl suggest he ask her out, despite her being engaged to Strong-Man Homer, and remind Moe of his emerald ring. Homer overhears the three talking and conceives a plan to rob Moe of his ring - he'll persuade Margarete to marry Moe, then he'll murder Moe, then Margarete will inherit the ring, then he'll marry Margarete and the ring will finally be his.

In her trailer, Homer tells Margarete of Moe's fast-approaching death and suggests she make his last day of life a happy one by marrying him. He wins her over and she agrees.

Moe and Margarete are soon wed and when they return to their trailer, Homer sneaks in and slips poison into Moe's wine glass. Margarete learns of Homer's plan to kill Moe to get his ring and demands he leave her trailer.

On his way back to his own trailer, Homer discovers Mr. Burnsum's body hanging from a tree after being murdered by the freaks. They emerge from the shadows with hammers and knives shouting "One of us! One of us!" They tar and feather him from the neck down, transforming him into the latest freak show presentation - "The World's Strongest Duck."

Production

It was revealed at Comic-Con 2013 that the episode's couch gag would be directed by Guillermo del Toro and the extended titles would feature homages to horror flicks, including del Toro's own Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth.^[2]

Al Jean announced in an interview that the episode would include "a very violent world resembling Dr. Seuss', and also a parody of the cult movie Freaks."^[3]

• 

  Script for the episode

Reception

The episode received 6.42 million viewers, making it the most watched show of the night beating American Dad!, Bob's Burgers and Family Guy.^[4]

The episode received critical acclaim, with particular praise going to Guillermo del Toro's opening sequence. Den of Geek gave the episode a 4.5/5 star-rating and named the episode "nearly a classic."^[5] The A.V Club gave the episode a B rating and noted the third segment as the best, before summing up "Tonight’s “Treehouse,” the 24th, hits more often than not. It’s an above average installment, except for a big ace in the deck named Guillermo del Toro, who lends his imagination to the opening credits sequence and drags the episode up a half grade."^[6]

Fan reaction was also positive. On NoHomers, the episode had a 4/5 fan poll rating, with many agreeing that the episode was the best Treehouse of Horror installment in years. Despite the second act, "Dead and Shoulders", being criticized as "lackluster" and "boring", the other two segments were lauded.^[7] The episode currently holds a 7.1/10 rating on IMDb and a 6.9 rating on TV.com.^[8][9]

The couch gag was nominated for a 2014 Annie Award in "Outstanding Achievement, Storyboarding in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production", along with Guillermo del Toro, Guy Davis and Ralph Sosa, who all storyboarded it. The episode itself was nominated for an Annie Award in "Outstanding Achievement, Production Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production", along with Lynna Blankenship, Dima Malanitchev, Debbie Peterson, Charles Ragins and Jefferson R. Weekley.^[10]

Gallery

Wikisimpsons has a collection of images related to Treehouse of Horror XXIV.

External links

• Couch gag for the episode at YouTube
• "Together as One" clip at YouTube
• "Barnsum and Bailey" clip at YouTube

References