22 Short Films About Springfield
"22 Short Films About Springfield"
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Episode Information
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"22 Short Films About Springfield" is the twenty-first episode of The Simpsons' seventh season.
Contents
Plot
The episode opens with Bart and Milhouse spitting off of a bridge, and wondering about the lives of other people in Springfield. The rmainder of the episode consists of a variety of skits focusing on different supporting characters, as well as the Simpsons family. A few of these segments feature their own title cards or theme songs. At other times, the segments simply segue from one to the next.
Apu's skit
Sanjay asks Apu to go to a party. so Apu leaves the store for the next five minutes. During this period, he eats an uncooked hot dog, dances to the song "Trapezoid," and has sex with a woman in a tool shed.
Lisa's skit
Lisa accidentally gets gum in her hair and has to go though a series of the towns peoples painful homemade remedys to only in the end just get a haircut
Mr Burns' skit
Mr. Burns and Smithers on are on a bike ride and smithers gets stung by a bee but also has an allergic reaction. Mr. Burns orders Smithers to pedal even faster to the hospital, but in the end the paramedic pick up the unconscious Mr.Burns instead of the ailing Smithers.
Dr Nick's skit
Dr. Nick walks into the medical boardroom to have a meeting about his gross incompetence. Suddenly, a docter walks in and tells them that a lunatic with a scalpel (Abraham Simpson) is demanding to see a quack. The board members turn to look at Dr. Nick. Dr. Nick walks though the door giving Grandpa Simpson a nonsensical diagnosis, which appeases him. The grateful board allows Dr. Nick to keep his medical license, and he celebrates by offering free nosejobs to everyone (starting with Jasper).
Trivia
General
- The episode does not actually feature twenty-two stories, but the according to the DVD commentary, the title was decided from the start, regardless of how many stories would actually end up in the episode.
Production notes
- The very tall man is a caricature of writer Ian Maxtone-Graham.
- The episode was inspired by "The Adventures of Ned Flanders" segment at the end of "The Front".
Animation/continuity errors
- Smithers suffers severe allergic reactions to the bee sting in this episode, yet in "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk" was stung by several bees but suffered no problems at all.
- Despite having returned to the house on a date with Agnes Skinner in "Bart the Fink", in this episode Chalmers apparently required directions to Skinner's house as if he'd never been before.
- In "Bart Gets Famous", Bumblebee Man was revealed to be putting on a fake Spanish accent and actually spoke with an upper class voice, yet now he speaks Spanish all the time. This was a deliberate change as the writer's felt the revelation that he was English was a terrible joke.
- The Spanish used by Bumblebee Man is completely inaccurate. This was also done deliberatly, to make sure that everyone could understand what he was saying without subtitles.
- Chief Wiggum loses his hat in the fight with Snake, but in the next chapter of his story he is wearing it again.
- Jasper supposedly got a nose job but he's seen with his regular nose later on.
Legacy
- The episode spawned the concept of a possible spin-off series Tales from Springfield, although nothing has materialised as of 2008.
Cultural references
- Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould: The episode's title is a play on that of the 1993 film.
- Pulp Fiction: Like Quentin Tarantino's film, the episode's plot is episodic and interconnected. Additionally there are several more lengthy parodies. The whole of the Chief Wiggum, Snake and Herman plot is based on the "Gold Watch" segment of the film. Wiggum, Lou and Eddie's conversation about McDonald's parallels the famous "Royale With Cheese" discussion between Vince Vega and Jules Winnfield. Later, Snake runs down Wiggum like Butch Coolidge does to Marsellus Wallace. He then crashes into a wall, running down a fire hydrant and mailbox just like in the film. The two then fight and roll into Herman's shop, he ties them up and waits for Zed to arrive before being knocked out by a medieval weapon yielded by Milhouse. This again mirrors the film, with Herman in the role of Maynard.
- "1999": Apu's line "I'm going to party like it was on sale for $19.99!" references Prince's song.
- "Freak-A-Zoid": Apu sings the song by Midnight Star.
- E.R.: Dr. Nick's scenes parody the popular medical series.
