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"The Principal and the Pauper"

Episode Information Showrunner: [[{{{showrunner}}}]] DVD features

"The Principal and the Pauper" is the second episode of season 9. It originally aired on September 28, 1997. The episode was written by Ken Keeler and directed by Steven Dean Moore. The episode is one of the most controversial episodes ever produced and received negative reviews from critics.

Synopsis

During a surprise banquet to honor his twentieth anniversary as principal, Seymour Skinner's true identity is revealed to be Armin Tamzarian. Now established as an impostor, Tamzarian retires and relocates to his old neighborhood in Capitol City. Guest starring Martin Sheen as the real Seymour Skinner.

Plot

Seymour Skinner is about to celebrate his 20th anniversary as school principal, and it goes smoothly until a man who claims he is the real Seymour Skinner comes in, pointing out that Agnes Skinner is his mother. Principal Skinner admits he is not the real Seymour Skinner, and is only an impostor. He tells his story, in a parody of the life of Martin Guerre, and admits that his real name is Armin Tamzarian, but assumed the identity of Sergeant Seymour Skinner. Soon, the sergeant becomes the school's new principal, because he says he had intentions to be the principal of Springfield Elementary School.

Afterwards, Springfield prefers Tamzarian over the real Skinner, even Agnes. Tamzarian, however, had left Springfield and gone to Capital City. The Simpsons devise a plan to get Tamzarian back to Springfield, by coming to Capital City to get him. Back in town, the citizens of Springfield force Sergeant Skinner to leave on a train (actually tied to a chair on a freight train car), and Tamzarian returns to being Principal Skinner through an order by Judge Snyder, saying that no one will mention "Tamzarian" again under penalty of torture (this Reset button technique being a meta-reference to their maintaining of the status quo).

Production

The episode was the last episode of the show written by Ken Keeler. Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein were very excited about the episode because Principal Skinner was their favorite character. The pair had already written the season five episode "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song", which was an in-depth study of the character. Keeler used the name Armin Tamzarian from a claims adjuster who had assisted him after a car accident when he moved to Los Angeles. However, the real Tamzarian was unaware his name was being used until after the episode aired.

Reception

Many critics agree that the episode signaled a decline in the show. In The Guardian, Ian Jones argues that the "show became stupid" in 1997, pointing to "The Principal and the Pauper" as the culprit. "Come again? A major character in a long-running series gets unmasked as a fraud? It was cheap, idle storytelling."

However, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, have praised the episode, calling it "one of the series' all-time best episodes, mainly because it shows us a human side, not just of Principal Skinner, but of his hectorish Mom as well." They add that "Martin Sheen steals the show in a brief but important slice of Simpsons history." Total Film named Martin Sheen's performance in the episode the 20th best guest appearance on the show.

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