Difference between revisions of "The Squirt and the Whale"

Revision as of 13:36, July 27, 2010

Template:EpisodeHD The Squirt and the Whale is the nineteenth episode of Season 21, which aired on April 25, 2010. It was written by Matt Warburton and directed by Mark Kirkland. The episode features contains references to the 2005 film The Squid and the Whale and the TV show, South Park.

Fed up with high electric bills, Homer puts up a windmill generator in the backyard. When he sees that the excess energy goes back to the power company, he takes the house off the power grid, making it entirely dependent on the windmill. Then a violent windstorm hits Springfield, and among the victims are the windmill and a whale which ends up beached, prompting Lisa, Homer, and many other townspeople to attempt to save it.

Plot

Seeking a cheaper, alternate source of energy, the Simpsons put up a windmill generator in their backyard. But once Homer discovers that the windmill's surplus power is being sent back to the power grid (and therefore to the electric company), he refuses to be a part of anything that benefits "the man" and has their home removed from the power grid. This leaves the Simpsons completely dependent on the windmill, which proves to be an untrustworthy source of power: they only have electricity when the wind is blowing. Ironically, a huge windstorm blows into the Springfield area, giving the Simpsons electricity galore until the windmill is knocked out of commission. The next morning, Bart and Lisa walk around looking at the damage from the storm, and discover that a 150-foot-long blue whale has beached itself.

The whole town tries to help the whale, but without success. Lisa comes to care deeply for the whale, reading poetry to it at night and falling asleep beside it. She dreams of the US military coming to the whale's rescue, lifting it up with a net and dropping it back into the ocean. In her dream, Lisa is overjoyed to see the whale frolicking in the ocean. The whale then jumps into the stars and swims through the galaxy, which makes Lisa feel confused.

Lisa wakes up from her dream to see that the whale has died, which makes her very sad. Later, Lisa is standing at the docks and sees the whale's two calves surrounded by a group of sharks. She feels helpless to do anything until Homer drives up to the dock in a boat he claims he is trying out. Lisa and Homer try to fend off the sharks, but are stopped by two activists in another boat labelled the "Sea Huggers." Homer ends up in the water with the sharks. The sharks turn their attention from the whale calves to Homer, thinking that Homer is another whale. Fortunately, the whales' father shows up just in time and saves both its babies and Homer. The episode ends with the family going back home to draw pictures of the father whale forming a romantic relationship with an octopus. The pictures are shown during the closing credits.