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Difference between revisions of "Bart's Inner Child"

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{{episode
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{{EpisodePrevNext|Marge on the Lam|Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood}}
|image=Bart'sInnerChild.JPG
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{{Quote|You see, folks, we're all trying to please someone else. And as soon as you're not a human be-ing, you're a human do-ing. Then what comes next?|[[Brad Goodman]], self-help guru}}
|Episode Number=88
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{{Quote|A human go-ing!|[[Bart Simpson]], self-help critic}}
|productionCode=1F05
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{{Episode
|originalAirdate=November 11, 1993
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|image=Bart'sInnerChild.png
|blackboardText=
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|number=88
|couchGag=The family squeeze onto the couch next to an overweight man.
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|season=5
|specialGuestVoices=[[James Brown]]
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|snumber=7
|Written By=[[George Meyer]]
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|prodcode=1F05
|Directed By=[[Bob Anderson]]
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|airdate=November 11, [[1993]]
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|blackboard=
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|couchgag=The couch is already occupied by a morbidly obese man, who slides over, giving the family little room to sit.
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|guests=[[Albert Brooks]] as [[Brad Goodman]]<br>[[James Brown]] as {{Ch|James Brown|himself}}<br>[[Phil Hartman]] as [[Troy McClure]]
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|showrunner1= David Mirkin
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|writer=[[George Meyer]]
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|director=[[Bob Anderson]]
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|DVD features = yes
 
}}
 
}}
"'''Bart's Inner Child'''" is the seventh episode of The Simpsons' fifth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 11, 1993. In the episode, [[Marge]] realizes that she is no fun because of her constant nagging and seeks help from self-help guru [[Brad Goodman]], who then uses [[Bart]]'s irreverent attitude as a new example of how people should behave. The entire town of [[Springfield]] begins to act like Bart, who at first enjoys things but begins to feel that his role as a troublemaker is usurped. During the inaugural "Do What You Feel" festival, several things go wrong and the town decides to stop acting like Bart.
 
  
The episode was written by [[George Meyer]] and was the first episode of the show to be directed by [[Bob Anderson]]. Actor Albert Brooks guest stars in the episode as Brad Goodman, a self-help guru modelled after John Bradshaw. It was Brooks' third of five appearances on the show. Singer [[James Brown]] guest stars as himself and he sings his 1965 song "I Got You (I Feel Good)". In 2006, Brooks was named the best Simpsons guest star by IGN, while Brown's appearance has been described as "hilariously over-the-top."
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"'''Bart's Inner Child'''" is the seventh episode of [[season 5]] of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' and the eighty-eighth episode overall. It originally aired on November 11, [[1993]]. The episode was written by [[George Meyer]] and directed by [[Bob Anderson]]. It guest stars [[Albert Brooks]] as [[Brad Goodman]], [[James Brown]] as {{Ch|James Brown|himself}} and [[Phil Hartman]] as [[Troy McClure]].
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== Synopsis ==
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{{Desc|[[Bart]] accidentally has the entire town emulating his actions, thanks to a feel-good therapist. [[James Brown]] guest stars as himself.}}
  
The episode features cultural references to several films, television shows, and songs, including the 1939 film "''Gone with the Wind''", Scott Joplin's piano rag "The Entertainer" and the Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoons. In its original broadcast, "Bart's Inner Child" finished 40th in the weekly ratings with a Nielsen rating of 11.8, and was viewed in 11.12 million households.
 
 
== Plot ==
 
== Plot ==
[[Homer]] sees an add for a trampoline in the ''Springfield Shopper'' and takes it from Krusty. He charges admission for the neighborhood kids to jump on it. When the kids get on it, however, they get injured, so [[Marge]] makes Homer get rid of the trampoline. Homer tells her that she's no fun, so, offended, she goes to her sisters' apartment to vent. [[Patty and Selma Bouvier|Patty and Selma]] show Marge an infomercial starring [[Brad Goodman]], a self-help guru. Taking his methods into practice, Homer and Marge improve their relationship.
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[[File:Bart's Inner Child (Promo Picture).jpg|thumb|left|Promo image for the episode]]
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[[Homer]] sees an add for a trampoline in the ''Springfield Shopper'' and takes it from Krusty. He charges admission for the neighborhood kids to jump on it. When the kids get on it, however, they get injured, so [[Marge]] makes Homer get rid of the trampoline. Homer tells her that she's no fun, so, offended, she goes to her sisters' apartment to vent. [[Patty]] and [[Selma]] show Marge an infomercial starring [[Brad Goodman]], a self-help guru. Taking his methods into practice, Homer and Marge improve their relationship.
  
 
When Goodman comes to [[Springfield]] for a seminar, Marge and Homer decide to take Bart to improve his behavior. During the seminar, Bart speaks out and disrupts Goodman's speech. Rather than get angry, however, Goodman embraces Bart's willingness to speak his mind and tells the citizens to be like [[Bart]] so they could be with their inner child. Though initially enjoying his role as a trendsetter, Bart feels as though he is losing his identity when everyone starts imitating his behavior (such as by speaking out in class and spitting off an overpass).
 
When Goodman comes to [[Springfield]] for a seminar, Marge and Homer decide to take Bart to improve his behavior. During the seminar, Bart speaks out and disrupts Goodman's speech. Rather than get angry, however, Goodman embraces Bart's willingness to speak his mind and tells the citizens to be like [[Bart]] so they could be with their inner child. Though initially enjoying his role as a trendsetter, Bart feels as though he is losing his identity when everyone starts imitating his behavior (such as by speaking out in class and spitting off an overpass).
  
The citizens of Springfield hold a "Do What You Feel Festival" where everyone does what they feel. Unfortunately, this results in workers not doing their jobs, culminating in an ungreased Ferris wheel coming off its hinges and crashing into the zoo whereupon the animals escape and run amuck through town. People begin arguing with one another until they all decide to blame Bart. They form a mob to attack him, but Homer rescues him in a parade float. Giving up, the crowd decides to go to the old mill to get some cider.
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[[File:Brockman-DoFeel.png|thumb|left|220px|[[Kent Brockman]] does what he feels.]]The citizens of Springfield hold a "Do What You Feel Festival" where everyone does what they feel. Unfortunately, this results in workers not doing their jobs, culminating in an ungreased Ferris wheel coming off its hinges and crashing into the zoo whereupon the animals escape and run amuck through town. People begin arguing with one another until they all decide to blame Bart. They form a mob to attack him, but Homer rescues him in a parade float. Giving up, the crowd decides to go to the old mill to get some cider.
  
Back home, the Simpsons discuss what they've learned. Homer believes the entire thing was Bart's fault for being a bad role model, while Marge states that self help should be left to people in big cities. Lisa, however, corrects them by saying anyone can achieve self help, but it has to be through a long process of self exploration, not through quick fix ideas. With that sorted out, the family watches [[McGarnagle]], a show about a cop who solves crimes in his spare time.
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Back home, the Simpsons discuss what they've learned. Homer believes the entire thing was Bart's fault for being a bad role model, while Marge states that self help should be left to people in big cities. Lisa, however, corrects them by saying anyone can achieve self help, but it has to be through a long process of self exploration, not through quick fix ideas. With that sorted out, the family watches [[McGarnigale]], a show about a cop who solves crimes in his spare time.
==Production==
 
"Bart's Inner Child" was written by George Meyer and directed by Bob Anderson. It was Anderson's directorial debut on The Simpsons. Meyer's inspiration for the episode came from the fact that he was going though therapy at the time and he thought it would be a good idea "to send up these self-help gurus".
 
  
Actor Albert Brooks guest starred in the episode as Brad Goodman. It was Brooks' third appearance on the show after playing Jacques in "[[Life on the Fast Lane]]" and [[Cowboy Bob]] in "[[The Call of the Simpsons]]". He would later guest star as [[Hank Scorpio]] in "[[You Only Move Twice]]", [[Tab Spangler]] in "[[The Heartbroke Kid]]" and [[Russ Cargill]] in [[The Simpsons Movie]]. Executive producer [[David Mirkin]] describes Brooks as "really weird to direct" because "almost every one of his takes is flawless, but each one has different material. He makes up the stuff as he goes." He uses a combination of the jokes in the script and his own material and because many of his takes are different, it is difficult for the producers to decide which lines to use. Goodman was based on the American self-help author John Bradshaw, who popularized such psychological ideas as the "wounded inner child" and the dysfunctional family.
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== In other languages ==
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{{LanguageBox
 +
|uk=yes
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|ukName=Внутрішній голос Барта
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|ukTrans=Bart's inner voice
 +
|de=yes
 +
|deName=Bart, das innere Ich
 +
|deTrans=Bart, the inner self
 +
|es=yes
 +
|esName=El niño que hay en Bart
 +
|esTrans=The boy in Bart
 +
|la=yes
 +
|laName=Filosofía Bartiana
 +
|laTrans=Bartian Philosophy
 +
|it=yes
 +
|itName=Il fanciullo interiore di Bart
 +
|itTrans=Bart's inner child
 +
|jp=yes
 +
|jpName=バートを見ならえ!?
 +
|jpTrans=Imitate Bart!?
 +
}}
  
Singer James Brown guest stars as himself. Brown makes an appearance at the "Do What You Feel" festival, during which he sings his 1965 song "I Got You (I Feel Good)". After a bandstand collapses, he proclaims "Hey, wait a minute, hold on here. This bandstand wasn't double-bolted." He described the experience as "good, clean, and humorous. And we need more of that around." According to Mirkin, the writers like to give guest stars awkward lines which then sound funny coming from them. They knew Brown would not be "the greatest actor in the world" but still "gave him these incredibly hilarious, stiff lines that killed." Mirkin described Brown's line as "horrible" but because of Brown's reading, "you have something that just sounds perfectly wrong and it makes it funny." In his book Planet Simpson, Chris Turner describes James Brown's performance as "hilariously over-the-top" and uses it as an example of how the early seasons of the show would include celebrity cameos and not point out the "enormity of their fame."
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{{Images|ep=yes}}
==Reception==
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{{Season 5}}
In its original broadcast, "Bart's Inner Child" finished 40th in the weekly ratings during the week of November 8–14, 1993 with a Nielsen rating of 11.8, and was viewed in 11.12 million households. It was the highest rated show on Fox that week.
 
  
In 2006, Albert Brooks was named the best Simpsons guest star by IGN, who said he "captivate[s] the audience with his unique characters". In Planet Simpson, Chris Turner also praised Brooks' performance, writing that "Brooks went for a subtle, slow-burn lampoon rather than broad caricature: his Goodman doesn't ooze insincerity, he just lightly dribbles it. [...] Through a dozen little touches, Brooks created a timeless Simpsons character."
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[[Category:1993]]
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[[Category:Bart episodes]]
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[[Category:Episodes written by George Meyer]]
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[[Category:Episodes directed by Bob Anderson]]
  
MSNBC's Patrick Enwright listed the episode as his ninth favorite in the show in 2007, saying it "brilliantly skewers new-agey self-help gurus" and adding that "it's also noteworthy for clever pop-cultural references." The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, described it as "A very bizarre episode in which everyone just has a good time." DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson wrote: "A certified classic, 'Child' mocks the self-help field and makes a good point along the way. Of course, it does all this with scads of clever moments and becomes a great show. As one who works in psychology, it's hard to resist this program's spoofery." Patrick Bromley of DVD Verdict gave the episode a grade of B+ and described Homer's escapades with the trampoline as "the episode's brightest spot." Turner described the Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner homage as "one of the show's most overt and inspired tributes to the Warner cartoons."[15] Bill Gibron of DVD Talk gave the episode a score of 4.5 out of 5.
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[[sv:Bart's Inner Child]]
 
 
 
 
 
 
{{Season 5}}
 
[[es:Bart's Inner Child]]
 
[[pt:A criança enrustida de Bart]]
 
[[Category:Episodes]]
 
[[Category:Season 5]]
 

Latest revision as of 10:18, July 9, 2024

Season 5 Episode
087 "Marge on the Lam"
088
"Bart's Inner Child"
"Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood" 089
"You see, folks, we're all trying to please someone else. And as soon as you're not a human be-ing, you're a human do-ing. Then what comes next?"
Brad Goodman, self-help guru
"A human go-ing!"
Bart Simpson, self-help critic
"Bart's Inner Child"
Bart'sInnerChild.png
Episode Information
Episode number: 88
Season number: S5 E7
Production code: 1F05
Original airdate: November 11, 1993
Couch gag: The couch is already occupied by a morbidly obese man, who slides over, giving the family little room to sit.
Guest star(s): Albert Brooks as Brad Goodman
James Brown as himself
Phil Hartman as Troy McClure
Showrunner: David Mirkin
Written by: George Meyer
Directed by: Bob Anderson
DVD features


"Bart's Inner Child" is the seventh episode of season 5 of The Simpsons and the eighty-eighth episode overall. It originally aired on November 11, 1993. The episode was written by George Meyer and directed by Bob Anderson. It guest stars Albert Brooks as Brad Goodman, James Brown as himself and Phil Hartman as Troy McClure.

Synopsis[edit]

"Bart accidentally has the entire town emulating his actions, thanks to a feel-good therapist. James Brown guest stars as himself."


Plot[edit]

Promo image for the episode

Homer sees an add for a trampoline in the Springfield Shopper and takes it from Krusty. He charges admission for the neighborhood kids to jump on it. When the kids get on it, however, they get injured, so Marge makes Homer get rid of the trampoline. Homer tells her that she's no fun, so, offended, she goes to her sisters' apartment to vent. Patty and Selma show Marge an infomercial starring Brad Goodman, a self-help guru. Taking his methods into practice, Homer and Marge improve their relationship.

When Goodman comes to Springfield for a seminar, Marge and Homer decide to take Bart to improve his behavior. During the seminar, Bart speaks out and disrupts Goodman's speech. Rather than get angry, however, Goodman embraces Bart's willingness to speak his mind and tells the citizens to be like Bart so they could be with their inner child. Though initially enjoying his role as a trendsetter, Bart feels as though he is losing his identity when everyone starts imitating his behavior (such as by speaking out in class and spitting off an overpass).

Kent Brockman does what he feels.
The citizens of Springfield hold a "Do What You Feel Festival" where everyone does what they feel. Unfortunately, this results in workers not doing their jobs, culminating in an ungreased Ferris wheel coming off its hinges and crashing into the zoo whereupon the animals escape and run amuck through town. People begin arguing with one another until they all decide to blame Bart. They form a mob to attack him, but Homer rescues him in a parade float. Giving up, the crowd decides to go to the old mill to get some cider.

Back home, the Simpsons discuss what they've learned. Homer believes the entire thing was Bart's fault for being a bad role model, while Marge states that self help should be left to people in big cities. Lisa, however, corrects them by saying anyone can achieve self help, but it has to be through a long process of self exploration, not through quick fix ideas. With that sorted out, the family watches McGarnigale, a show about a cop who solves crimes in his spare time.

In other languages[edit]

Language Name Translation
Germany.png Deutsch "Bart, das innere Ich" Bart, the inner self
Spain flag.png Español "El niño que hay en Bart" The boy in Bart
Hispanic America.gif Español "Filosofía Bartiana" Bartian Philosophy
Italy Flag.png Italiano "Il fanciullo interiore di Bart" Bart's inner child
Ukraine flag.png Українська "Внутрішній голос Барта" Bart's inner voice
Flag of Japan.png 日本語 "バートを見ならえ!?" Imitate Bart!?


The Saga of Carl - title screen.png Wikisimpsons has a collection of images related to "Bart's Inner Child".
Season 5 Episodes
Homer's Barbershop Quartet Cape Feare Homer Goes to College Rosebud Treehouse of Horror IV Marge on the Lam Bart's Inner Child Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood The Last Temptation of Homer $pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling) Homer the Vigilante Bart Gets Famous Homer and Apu Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy Deep Space Homer Homer Loves Flanders Bart Gets an Elephant Burns' Heir Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song The Boy Who Knew Too Much Lady Bouvier's Lover Secrets of a Successful Marriage