Eight Misbehavin'
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"Eight Misbehavin'"
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Episode Information
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"Eight Misbehavin'" is the seventh episode of Season 11. It aired on November 21, 1999. The episode was written by Matt Selman and directed by Steven Dean Moore.
Contents
Synopsis
- "Apu's wife Manjula gives birth to octuplets. Everyone in Springfield soon pitches in to help, until a couple in Shelbyville gives birth to nine, causing everyone to forget about Apu and Manjula."
Plot
The family visits Shøp and when they eat there, they meet Apu and Manjula. They say that they would like to have a baby. They eventually do, and Manjula gives birth to octuplets because the Simpsons and Apu slipped her fertility drugs (Which she had been taking herself, already). It makes headlines across Springfield, with local companies giving the Nahasapeemapetilons free products. However, their feat is eclipsed when a family in Shelbyville give birth to nine babies (All of the gifts given to the Nahasapeemapetilons were instantly revoked upon the hearing of the Shelbyville birth). After the feat is made, Apu and Manjula have to deal with raising eight kids all at once.
Later, Apu is met by the owner of the Springfield Zoo, a man named Larry Kidkill. Kidkill offers to put Apu's children in a nursery. Although Apu is not open to the idea at first, he caves in and reluctantly accepts. The children are the stars of a show at the zoo named "Octopia", but Apu is not impressed and he wants to liberate his children from the zoo's owner, but he will not let them because they are under contract. Apu talks with Homer, and he suggests that they, with Butch Patrick's help, perform at the zoo through a new contract.
Production
George Meyer is the person who came up with the name "Larry Kidkill". Matt Selman came up with the story of the episode after reading about quintuplets being born recently.[1] Larry Kidkill's role was written without Garry Marshall in mind to play him. His name was then thrown about to voice him and everyone was on board with that.[2] It was a challenge to come up with eight different designs for the babies to make them all distinct.[3]
The writers wanted to explore what the media's reaction would be when the next big thing comes along, and how that would leave Apu and the Octuplets. Selman choose the named of the Octuplets. He went to a website of Indian names and chose the eight silliest ones.[1] There was a line that was cut during the Octopia show where Bart says "Go back to Germanistan!".[4]
Reception
The episode has become study material for sociology courses at University of California Berkeley, where it is used to "examine issues of the production and reception of cultural objects, in this case, a satirical cartoon show", and to figure out what it is "trying to tell audiences about aspects primarily of American society, and, to a lesser extent, about other societies."[5] In August 2007, the quote "Kids are the best, Apu. You can teach them to hate the things you hate. And they practically raise themselves, what with the Internet and all." entered The Oxford Dictionary of Modern Quotations.[6]
References
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Wikisimpsons has a collection of images related to "Eight Misbehavin'". |
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Selman, Matt (2008). Commentary for "Eight Misbehavin'", in The Simpsons: The Complete Eleventh Season.
- ↑ Meyer, George (2008). Commentary for "Eight Misbehavin'", in The Simpsons: The Complete Eleventh Season.
- ↑ Moore, Steven Dean (2008). Commentary for "Eight Misbehavin'", in The Simpsons: The Complete Eleventh Season.
- ↑ Scully, Mike (2008). Commentary for "Eight Misbehavin'", in The Simpsons: The Complete Eleventh Season.
- ↑ The Simpsons Global Mirror (archived on Wayback Machine)
- ↑ Telegraph.co.uk - "Simpsons quotes enter new Oxford dictionary" (archived on Wayback Machine)
