Little Big Girl
"Little Big Girl" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons' eighteenth season, which originally aired on February 11, 2007. It was written by Don Payne, and directed by Raymond S. Persi. Natalie Portman guest starred as a new character, Darcy. The title is a play on the Dustin Hoffman movie Little Big Man.
Plot
At his farm, Cletus is milking his cow when he accidentally kicks over a lantern, starting a fire. In contrast to the famously rumored origins of the Great Chicago Fire, Cletus's cow actually succeeds in extinguishing the fire by kicking over a bucket. Shocked, Cletus drops his smoking pipe on the hay, starting a Rube Goldberg-esque wildfire around Springfield. Everyone tries to extinguish it, but it is not enough. At Springfield Elementary, Principal Skinner asks Groundskeeper Willie to get the fire extinguishers, but they have been stolen. Apparently, Bart has been preparing to use them for a wild ride on his wagon. Nevertheless, while the wagon rockets around town, the foam released from the extinguishers puts the wildfire out quickly for good, and Bart is cheered by everyone then rewarded with a driver's license by Mayor Quimby.
Bart starts using Homer's car for driving, and in an attempt to escape endless family errands and chauffeuring (mostly Homer), he flees to North Haverbrook, where he meets a 15 year old girl named Darcy (voiced by Natalie Portman), who believes Bart to be 16. They quickly begin a romantic relationship and Darcy soon proposes marriage. At the Court house, Bart reveals his age, whereupon a shocked Darcy reveals that she is pregnant, causing Bart to flee (to no avail). Despite Bart's initial reaction, Darcy admits that Bart is not the father - the real father is a Norwegian exchange student, and she wants to get married because her parents would be angry with her unwed pregnancy. In an act of uncharacteristic and oddly mature chivalry, Bart agrees to marry Darcy, and they drove to Utah, where marriage restrictions are known to be a 'little' loose. Eventually, Homer, Marge and Darcy's parents catch up with them to stop them, knowing that they are too young to get married. Darcy's mother reveals that she is pregnant herself, and the family agrees to pass the two babies off as twins so as not to reveal Darcy's sin. Darcy and Bart end their relationship, while Bart, (in his own way) assures her they will meet again, to which she agrees. Later, Bart admits to Homer that he looked forward to being a father, and they both end up driving happily while singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" in the night.
Meanwhile, when Lisa struggles to find excitement and intrigue in her family heritage for a school presentation, she decides to take creative license. Inspired by Bart's "Indian butter trick" and the kitchen curtains (that have corn on them) Lisa claims to be Native American, from the Hitachi tribe (named after the brand of the family's microwave oven). What begins as an innocent embellishment quickly turns into a web of lies when Lisa is chosen to represent the school and her "people" at City Hall, then as a keynote speaker for the National Native American Tribal Council. She eventually admits that she had lied about her heritage, which compels others to admit they are not Native Americans as well. Homer compares his daughter to CBS News in a reference to the 2004 Killian documents controversy. He also mentions at the end that his great-great-grandmother actually was a Native American, much to Lisa's chagrin.
Soundtrack
- "Powerhouse" by Raymond Scott (used during the sequence at where the fire is lit)
- "Low Rider" by War (played when Bart drives to North Haverbrook)
- "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets (played after Bart's visit in the comic book store)
- "Polovetsian Dances" from Alexander Borodin's opera Prince Igor (during Bart's fantasy life in Utah)
- "Jessica", by the Allman Brothers Band (played during the parody of the opening sequence, also known as the theme song for Top Gear)
- "Für Elise" (The ringtone of Bart's cell phone)
