Season 6
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Season 6
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Season Information
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The Sixth Season of The Simpsons originally aired from September 4, 1994, to May 21, 1995.
Highlights
Season 6 began on September 4, 1994 with the first episode, "Bart of Darkness". The season finale, which aired on May 21, 1995, was "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part One)". It was the only two-part episode of the series; the conclusion aired as the premiere of the seventh season. David Mirkin was the show runner throughout the season, as he had been for Season 5.
Season 6 had two holdover episodes from Season 5: "Bart of Darkness" and "Lisa's Rival". They aired as part of Season 6 because of the 1994 Northridge earthquake, which put production a month behind schedule. Consequently, they have the Season 5 production code, 1FXX, rather than Season 6's, 2FXX.
Controversy erupted as Matt Groening requested to have his name left off the credits of "A Star is Burns", a crossover episode which featured Jay Sherman from the ABC/FOX animated series The Critic. Groening's reason was reportedly that he felt that having Sherman appear on The Simpsons was merely a blatant advertisement for the other show, as the FOX premiere of The Critic aired immediately after "A Star is Burns".
The sixth season won one Emmy Award, and received three other nominations. "Lisa's Wedding" won the Emmy for "Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming One Hour or Less). Alf Clausen was nominated for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore)" for "Treehouse of Horror V", while he and John Swartzwelder were nominated for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics" for the Stonecutters' song "We Do" in the episode "Homer the Great". Finally, "Bart vs. Australia" was nominated for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special".
All 25 episodes of Season 6 including extras were released on DVD on August 16, 2005 in Region 1, October 17, 2005 in Region 2 and September 24, 2005 in Region 4. The sixth season also marked the beginning of the "clam-shell" packaging design for DVD boxsets, with the package being shaped like a Simpsons character's head as a limited alternative to the regular DVD boxset. The Season 6 clamshell design featured Homer's head and was received with much criticism.
Episodes
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Title |
Original airdate |
Directed by |
Written by |
Prod. code |
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104 - 1 | "Bart of Darkness" | September 4, 1994 | Jim Reardon | Dan McGrath | 1F22 |
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Springfield is hit by a summer heat wave, and the Simpsons buy a backyard swimming pool. Bart breaks his leg in a diving accident and is stuck indoors for the rest of the summer. To help him pass the time, Lisa gives him her telescope. He quickly becomes bored with it, until he hears a high-pitched scream coming from the Flanders house and sees Ned burying something in his backyard. Suspecting that Ned killed his wife Maude, Bart has Lisa go next door and investigate, but Ned catches her. Still in his cast, Bart hobbles next door and confronts Ned about Maude's murder. All is revealed when Maude comes home and explains that she was at Bible camp, and Ned confesses to accidentally killing Maude's favorite plant. Bart had seen Ned burying the plant, and the scream had come from Ned himself. Meanwhile, Lisa enjoys the popularity that comes with having a pool until Martin Prince gets an even better one. Martin's reign, however, is cut short when his pool collapses and Nelson steals his swimming trunks. | ||||||
| 100px | 105 - 2 | "Lisa's Rival" | September 11, 1994 | Mark Kirkland | Mike Scully | 1F17 |
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Lisa is outperformed in everything she does by new student Allison Taylor, who is younger than Lisa yet smarter and a better saxophone player. Lisa vows to beat her in the school diorama contest, and enlists Bart's help. Allison makes an elaborate diorama based on a scene from "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe, and Bart and Lisa replace it with a cow's heart. Principal Skinner, judging the contest, strongly criticizes the cow heart and questions Allison's overall academic prowess. The guilt gets to Lisa, however, and she puts Allison's real diorama back. Skinner is unimpressed with both Allison's and Lisa's dioramas and declares Ralph Wiggum's collection of Star Wars action figures to be the winner. Allison and Lisa set aside their differences and become friends. Meanwhile, Homer gets 100 pounds of sugar from an overturned truck and goes to obsessive lengths to protect it and sell it. Special Guest Voice: Winona Ryder as Allison Taylor. | ||||||
| 100px | 106 - 3 | "Another Simpsons Clip Show" | September 25, 1993 | David Silverman |
Jon Vitti (Credited as "Penny Wise") |
2F33 |
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Marge decides that the family should share their romantic experiences. Marge tells of her near-affair with Jacques the bowling instructor ("Life on the Fast Lane") and Homer of his near-affair with Mindy Simmons ("The Last Temptation of Homer"). Lisa tells about Ralph Wiggum's crush on her ("I Love Lisa") and Bart about his crush on Laura Powers ("New Kid on the Block"). In search of a love story with a happy ending, they next talk about other family members' experiences ("Black Widower", "Lady Bouvier's Lover"), but still don't find one. Finally, Homer tells the story of his and Marge's first kiss ("The Way We Was"), which Homer describes as "one time I got it right". Marge and Homer joyfully kiss at having found a happy ending, and Marge tries to tell the kids that's what she means by romance, but the kids have already lost interest in the story and are watching Itchy & Scratchy. | ||||||
| 100px | 107 - 4 | "Itchy & Scratchy Land" | October 2, 1994 | Wes Archer | John Swartzwelder | 2F01 |
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Bart and Lisa want the family vacation to be at the newly opened Itchy & Scratchy Land theme park, and Marge and Homer are persuaded by the park's "Parents' Island", an area with adult-friendly entertainment. The family at first has a good time (among other things, enjoying the Itchy & Scratchy robots on parade attacking each other), but behind the scenes Professor Frink delivers a dire warning that eventually the robots will attack humans. The Simpsons' fine time begins to unravel when both Bart and Homer assault a park cast member dressed as Itchy, and the vacation derails completely when the robots (as predicted) start attacking humans. Park officials evacuate the guests, but leave the Simpsons behind due to the assault incidents. Left to face the robots on their own, the family discover that photography flashes make the robots malfunction and succeed in defeating the robots with cameras from the gift shop. In the end, Marge accepts Lisa's reasoning that it was indeed the best vacation ever, but asks that they never speak of it again. | ||||||
| 100px | 108 - 5 | "Sideshow Bob Roberts" | October 9, 1994 | Mark Kirkland |
Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein |
2F02 |
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Sideshow Bob is released from prison and becomes the Republican candidate for Mayor of Springfield in the upcoming election. Bob wins handily, defeating Mayor Quimby by a nearly unanimous vote. Bart and Lisa suspect foul play when Bob, immediately after he takes office, tells the Simspons that his pet project, the Matlock Expressway, will demolish their house. Bart's and Lisa's efforts to uncover evidence of fraud come up empty, until a mysterious man (revealed to be Waylon Smithers, who disagrees with Bob's policies) gives them a name to check. They discover that the man Smithers named is dead, yet voted for Sideshow Bob. Further investigation of voter records reveals that many deceased Springfieldians (including family pets) voted in the election, and all of them for Sideshow Bob. Armed with this evidence, Bart and Lisa confront Bob and manipulate him into confessing to rigging the election. Sideshow Bob is sent back to prison and Mayor Quimby returns to office. Special Guest Voices: Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob; Larry King and Dr. Demento as themselves; Phil Hartman as Lionel Hutz; Henry Corden as Fred Flintstone. | ||||||
| 100px | 109 - 6 | "Treehouse of Horror V" | October 30, 1994 | Jim Reardon | Bob Kushell, Greg Daniels, Dan McGrath and David S. Cohen | 2F03 |
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Prologue: Marge warns the viewers that the upcoming Halloween episode is very, very scary. Then she receives a note saying that Congress won't allow the episode to be shown and they should air a classic Western film instead. A clip from the film briefly rolls, but is quickly replaced by an oscilloscope whose waves move as Bart introduces the episode. Homer discovers the oscilloscope waves and plays with them, annoying Bart. However, Bart finishes the introduction as the oscilliscope waves form the shapes of the Simpsons' heads. The Shinning: The Simpsons are the winter caretakers at Mr. Burns' mountain lodge. While the family tours the lodge, Bart meets Groundskeeper Willie and learns that they both have a form of telepathy called "The Shinning". Homer discovers that Burns has cut the TV cable and taken away the beer to ensure an honest winter's work from the family. Homer later encounters a ghostly Moe, who tells Homer he can have beer if he kills his family. Homer agrees and goes on a rampage, chasing them with an axe. Bart calls Willie for help, but Willie is quickly hit in the back with the axe by Homer when he tries to come to the rescue. The chase moves outdoors, where Lisa finds Willie's portable TV and the sight of it brings Homer back to normal. Later, the family is frozen in the snow. As the Tony Awards come on and the family is unable to change the channel, Homer's urge to kill begins rising again. Time and Punishment: Homer fixes the family's toaster and inadvertently turns it into a time machine. When he tries to make toast, he is transported back to the era of the dinosaurs. Homer remembers that Grampa told him to not touch anything if he ever traveled back to the past so that he wouldn't change the future. However, Homer kills a mosquito and when he returns to the present, he finds himself in a world where Ned Flanders is the ruler of the world. Trying to get back to his own world, Homer makes several trips to the past and back, each time returning to a different world as he keeps changing things in the past. Groundskeeper Willie appears and says he can help Homer get back to his own time, but before he can say anything else he is hit in the back with an axe by Maggie. Homer finally gets to a world where everything is normal except that humans have lizard-like tongues and use them to eat instead of silverware. Homer shrugs and decides it's close enough. Nightmare Cafeteria: Principal Skinner notes that the detention area is dangerously overcrowded, and Lunchlady Doris complains about not having decent meat to serve in the cafeteria. Skinner figures out a solution to both problems: serving the detention students as food. When the first two students disappear, Bart and Lisa become suspicious and tell Marge, but she refuses to intervene, instead telling them that they're old enough to fight their own battles. At school, most of the students are in "permanent detention" and Bart, Lisa and Milhouse are among the few left in class. The trio decide to escape, but are quickly caught by Lunchlady Doris. Groundskeeper Willie tries to come to the rescue, but is hit in the back with an axe by Skinner, which prompts Willie to say, "Ach, I'm bad at this." The three of them are cornered above a giant food processor and Milhouse falls in to his death, quickly followed by Bart and Lisa. Closing Sequence: After falling into the food processor, Bart screams and wakes up in his own bed. Marge tells him that he had a nightmare and that there's nothing to worry about except the mysterious fog that turns people inside out. The fog seeps in through the window and does just that. Then, as the closing credits roll, the family and Groundskeeper Willie perform a musical number where they sing about being inside out. At the end, Santa's Little Helper drags Bart away by his intestines. Special Guest Voice: James Earl Jones as Alternate Universe Maggie ("Time and Punishment"). | ||||||
| 100px | 110 - 7 | "Bart's Girlfriend" | November 6, 1994 | Susie Dietter | Jonathen Collier | 2F04 |
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Reverend Lovejoy's daughter Jessica returns from boarding school and Bart quickly falls for her. He tries to impress her by doing good, but can't keep it up. He is later overjoyed to learn that she's as bad as he is, and they begin a relationship. Bart becomes disillusioned, however, when he sees that her behavior is even worse than his. Matters come to a head when Jessica steals the money from a church collection plate and everyone in the church suspects Bart. Lisa comes to Bart's aid and exposes Jessica as the thief. Everyone apologizes to Bart, and Jessica gets a new boyfriend but continues to beguile Bart by flirting with him. Special Guest Voice: Meryl Streep as Jessica Lovejoy. | ||||||
| 100px | 111 - 8 | "Lisa on Ice" | November 13, 1994 | Mark Kirkland | Mike Scully | 2F05 |
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Lisa learns that she is failing gym, but can pass if she joins a Peewee team outside of school. Hockey coach Apu sees that she is a natural at goaltending, and Lisa joins Apu's team. This gives rise to sibling rivalry at home as Bart plays for a rival team and resents sharing the spotlight with Lisa. The rivalry culminates when their teams play each other and Bart is awarded a penalty shot with the score tied and only four seconds left in the game. Bart and Lisa remember past events when they helped each other and decide not to compete, resulting in the game ending in a tie. The tie enrages the fans, and as Bart and Lisa skate off the ice arm-in-arm, a riot breaks out in the arena. | ||||||
| 100px | 112 - 9 | "Homer Badman" | November 27, 1994 | Jeffery Lynch | Greg Daniels | 2F06 |
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Homer and Marge attend a candy convention and hire college student Ashley Grant to babysit the kids. When Homer takes Ashley home, he spots a rare Gummi Venus de Milo candy from the convention stuck to the back of Ashley's pants and peels it off, which Ashley mistakes for Homer grabbing her behind. The very next morning, a mob of protesters takes up residence in the Simpsons' yard and accuses Homer of sexual harrassment. The situation escalates into all the local media denouncing Homer as a pervert, in spite of Homer's efforts to clear his name. Groundskeeper Willie saves the day when he provides a videotape (the result of his habit of taping people) that clearly shows Homer grabbing the Gummi Venus rather than Ashley. Presented with the new evidence, Ashley and the media withdraw their accusations against Homer. When things finally calm down, Homer makes sure he's alone in the living room, then hugs the TV and says, "Let's never fight again." Special Guest Voice: Dennis Franz as himself (playing Homer in a TV movie). | ||||||
| 100px | 113 - 10 | "Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy" | December 4, 1994 | Wes Archer | Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein | 2F07 |
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Homer's and Marge's sex life begins to fade, and Grampa Simpson creates a tonic which puts the spark back in their relationship. Homer and Abe then go on the road promoting "Simpson & Son Revitalizing Tonic", and the tonic sells very well. During their road-tripping, however, they get into a fight and Abe angrily says that Homer was an accident—he wouldn't even exist if not for the tonic. Homer quits the sales trip, goes back home and sets out to be a better father to his kids than Abe was to him. Homer does some soul-searching and meets up with Abe at the old family farmhouse where they reconcile their differences, even though they accidentally set the building on fire. Meanwhile, inspired by a UFO book, Bart and the kids of Springfield develop an elaborate conspiracy-style theory to explain the adults' sudden behavior (brought on by the tonic) of rushing home and immediately going indoors. | ||||||
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114 - 11 | "Fear of Flying" | December 18, 1994 | Mark Kirkland | David Sacks | 2F08 |
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When Homer is kicked out of Moe's Tavern, he goes in search of another bar to drink in (in the process visiting the bar from Cheers) and bluffs his way into a pilots-only bar at the airport. The ruse backfires when Homer is called upon to fly an airplane and ends up damaging the plane. Embarrassed about the incident, the airline offers the family a free trip anywhere in the continental USA in exchange for Homer's keeping quiet about it. However, they end up going nowhere as Marge has a panic attack as soon as they board the plane. Marge admits to having a fear of flying, and when her phobia begins affecting her everyday life, Lisa encourages her to see a therapist. Through several sessions with Dr. Zweig, Marge learns that her fear of flying stems from discovering as a child that her father was a flight attendant and she was ashamed as she had previously been told he was a pilot. Zweig points out that while male flight attendants are now common, her father was one of the first and therefore a pioneer of sorts. No longer ashamed of her father, Marge is cured of her phobia. The family attempt another airplane trip and Marge boards with confidence, remaining unafraid even though the plane drives off the runway and into a swamp. Special Guest Voices: Anne Bancroft as Dr. Zweig; Ted Danson, Woody Harrelson, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger and George Wendt as the Cheers bar staff and customers. | ||||||
| 100px | 115 - 12 | "Homer the Great" | January 8, 1995 | Jim Reardon |
John Swartzwelder |
2F09 |
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Mystified by Lenny and Carl having better work benefits than he does, Homer stalks them and learns that they are members of a secret society called the Stonecutters. Homer seeks to join, but is told that he must either save the life of a Stonecutter or be a son of a member. As it turns out, Abe is a member, which provides Homer with a way in. He joins and is put through the initiation ritual by the chapter's leader, Number One. However, Homer damages the group's sacred parchment and is about to be expelled when it's revealed he has a birthmark which identifies him as the Chosen One who will lead the Stonecutters to glory. Homer at first enjoys his new power, but then becomes bored and, encouraged by Lisa, involves the group in community service. This enrages the other members, and they form a new secret society which specifically bars Homer from being a member. Special Guest Voice: Patrick Stewart as Number One. | ||||||
| 100px | 116 - 13 | "And Maggie Makes Three" | January 22, 1995 | Swinton O. Scott III | Jennifer Crittenden | 2F10 |
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While looking through the family photo albums, Bart and Lisa ask why there are no pictures of Maggie. To answer, Homer tells the story of when Maggie was born. Through careful financial planning, Homer figured that as long as nothing changed, the family could afford for him to quit the nuclear plant for his dream job at the bowling alley, even though the bowling alley paid less. He did so and loved the new job, but a night of romantic celebration led to Marge becoming pregnant with Maggie. Homer was forced to return to the plant and beg for his old job back, which Mr. Burns granted, but told Homer he could never leave again. To make his point, Burns put a wall plaque reading "DON'T FORGET, YOU'RE HERE FOREVER" at Homer's workstation. Back in the present, Bart and Lisa ask where Maggie's pictures are, and Homer replies that he keeps them where he needs the most cheering up. The episode's closing shot shows many photos of Maggie at Homer's workstation, placed around and on the wall plaque so that it now reads "DO IT FOR HER". | ||||||
| 100px | 117 - 14 | "Bart's Comet" | February 5, 1995 | Bob Anderson | John Swartzwelder | 2F11 |
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Bart pranks the school's new weather balloon by turning it into a caricature of Principal Skinner, and for punishment he is forced to help Skinner with his early-morning astronomical observations. While doing so, Bart discovers a comet, which scientists at the town observatory determine is heading for Springfield. The town launches a rocket to destroy the comet, but the rocket goes off course and blows up the only bridge leading out of town. With no way to escape and the comet's arrival imminent, the townspeople cram into the only safe place: the Flanders family's bomb shelter. Ned is forced out due to lack of space, and sings cheerily as he awaits his fate. Ned's bravery shames the rest of the townspeople into joining him, just as the comet arrives. The town's pollution makes the comet break up in the atmosphere so that only a small chunk (the size of a Chihuahua's head) reaches the ground, and the only damage is the destruction of the vandalized weather balloon and, ironically, the just-vacated bomb shelter. The townspeople decide to burn down the observatory to prevent the same thing from happening again. | ||||||
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118 - 15 | "Homie the Clown" | February 12, 1995 | David Silverman | John Swartzwelder | 2F12 |
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Krusty the Clown is informed by his accountant that he is nearly bankrupt, due to his wasteful spending habits and gambling debts. To increase his income, Krusty reluctantly opens a Clown College, where he trains people to stand in for him at events in which Krusty himself would never agree to appear. Homer is one of the first graduates, and his impersonation is so good that people constantly mistake him for the real Krusty. Homer then exploits the resemblance to take advantage of all the informal perks Krusty enjoys around town, but it backfires when the Springfield Mafia mistake him for Krusty and kidnap him to force him to make good on Krusty's gambling debt to them. Homer is about to be killed when the real Krusty arrives and the mobsters realize one of them is an imposter, but can't tell which one. Under threat from the Mob, Homer and Krusty perform a difficult clowning trick together, which saves their lives. Krusty then repays his gambling debt to the Mob—which turns out to be only $48.00. Special Guest Voices: Joe Mantegna as Fat Tony; Dick Cavett and Johnny Unitas as themselves. | ||||||
| 100px | 119 - 16 | "Bart vs. Australia" | February 19, 1995 | Wes Archer | Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein | 2F13 |
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Bart notices that water always drains counterclockwise, but Lisa tells him that in the southern hemisphere, it drains clockwise. In an attempt to prove her wrong, Bart makes several phone calls to countries in the southern hemisphere, among them a collect call to a boy in Australia named Tobias. Tobias confirms that water does in fact drain clockwise, but the call lasts six hours and his father Bruno receives a bill for AUD$900. Bruno tries to make Bart pay, but Bart refuses and the situation escalates into a diplomatic incident. U.S. diplomat Evan Conover arranges for the Simpsons to go to Australia so Bart can apologize in person. Bart does so, but the Australians demand that as additional punishment Bart receive a booting—a kick in the butt with a giant boot. After further negotiation, they settle for a kick with a regular shoe. When the time comes for Bart to receive his kick, he instead drops his pants and moons the Australians, revealing "DON'T TREAD ON ME" written on his behind. Now furious, the Australians storm the U.S. Embassy and the Simpsons are forced to flee the country via helicopter. As they fly away, they notice a plague of frogs (all descended from one frog which Bart had brought with him) overrunning the country and devouring all the crops, to their considerable amusement. Special Guest Voice: Phil Hartman as Evan Conover. | ||||||
| 100px | 120 - 17 | "Homer vs. Patty and Selma" | February 26, 1995 | Mark Kirkland | Brent Forrester | 2F14 |
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Homer loses the family savings in a bad investment: buying pumpkin futures and failing to sell before Halloween. Short on funds, he borrows money from Patty and Selma for a mortgage payment and asks that they not tell Marge. Patty and Selma take advantage of the situation, making Homer do humiliating and degrading things for them in exchange for their continued silence. Marge finds out anyway, however, when the I.O.U. for the loan lands on a lamp. For extra income, Homer becomes a chauffer and is delighted to have Mel Brooks as his first passenger, but soon gets in trouble for not having a chauffer's license. To get one, he goes to the DMV, where his examiners turn out to be Patty and Selma. They sabotage his test, then gleefully light up cigarettes to celebrate, which gets them in trouble with their boss. At Marge's pleading, Homer takes the blame for the cigarettes, and Patty and Selma forgive the loan. Meanwhile, Bart is late for school on gym class signup day and is forced to take ballet. Despite disliking it at first, Bart comes to enjoy it, but performs in disguise to avoid being recognized by the bullies. The bullies enjoy the show, but when Bart reveals himself they revert to type and chase him to beat him up. Bart tries to use his ballet skills to escape, but ends up falling into a trench and getting hurt. Special Guest Voices: Mel Brooks as himself; Susan Sarandon as the ballet teacher. | ||||||
| 100px | 121 - 18 | "A Star is Burns" | March 5, 1995 | Susie Dietter | Ken Keeler | 2F31 |
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After a national survey ranks Springfield as the least popular city in America, Marge suggests holding a film festival to boost the town's image. The townspeople support the idea, and Marge invites film critic Jay Sherman to be a judge. When Jay upstages Homer in everything he does (including belching), Homer feels inadequate and questions whether Marge respects him. To allay his concern, Marge reluctantly agrees to have Homer as a film judge, along with herself, Jay, Mayor Quimby and Krusty the Clown. The films are shown, and the judges vote. Quimby and Krusty, having been bribed by Mr. Burns, vote for Burns' entry, a self-aggrandizing and poorly made biopic which steals scenes from E.T. and Ben-Hur. Marge and Jay vote for Barney Gumble's touching documentary about his struggle with alchoholism. Homer votes for a film that shows Hans Moleman being hit in the groin with a football, which produces a tie in the voting. However, after a heart-to-heart talk with Jay and Marge and a night of soul-searching, Homer changes his vote to Barney's movie, making Barney the winner. In an epilogue six months later, Mr. Burns' movie has been nominated for an Academy Award, but loses to a remake of Moleman's movie (now starring George C. Scott), in spite of Burns' having bribed everyone in Hollywood. Special Guest Voices: Jon Lovitz as Jay Sherman; Phil Hartman as Charlton Heston (in Burns' movie); Maurice LaMarche as George C. Scott. | ||||||
| 100px | 122 - 19 | "Lisa's Wedding" | March 19, 1995 | Jim Reardon | Greg Daniels | 2F15 |
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The Simpsons attend a Renaissance Fair, and Lisa is disgusted at Homer's gluttony (eating eight different kinds of meat). She wanders into the woods and finds the tent of a fortune teller, who predicts Lisa's future fifteen years from now. In 2010, Lisa is 23 and a student at an eastern university. She meets a British student named Hugh Parkfield, and although they quarrel at first, they discover they have much in common and soon fall in love. Hugh takes Lisa to meet his family, and she is impressed with their home and their manners. During the visit, Hugh proposes marriage, and Lisa accepts. They go to Springfield for the wedding, so Hugh can meet the Simpsons, and Lisa is concerned that her family will embarrass her. Hugh finds their behavior appalling, and says he'll be glad when he and Lisa can return to England and never have to see them again. Outraged at Hugh's lack of respect for her family, Lisa calls off the wedding. Back in the present, the fortune teller says that Hugh went back to England and never saw Lisa again. Lisa leaves the tent and finds Homer. The two of them walk together as Homer tells about his day at the fair and Lisa listens raptly. Special Guest Voices: Mandy Patinkin as Hugh Parkfield; Phil Hartman as Troy McClure. | ||||||
| 100px | 123 - 20 | "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds" | April 9, 1995 | Bob Anderson | Mike Scully | 2F18 |
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Santa's Little Helper falls in love with a female racing greyhound named She's the Fastest. Her owner gives her to the Simpsons, and she eventually gives birth to 25 puppies. The Simpsons find caring for them to be a struggle, and Marge and Homer decide to sell the puppies. However, they don't want to be separated, which means they need one person to take all of them. Mr. Burns comes to look at the puppies, and while the Simpsons question his reasons for being interested in them, he and Smithers steal them. Bart and Lisa follow him to his mansion and learn that he plans to kill all the puppies for their fur, except one, which he takes a shine to because it can stand on its hind legs. Bart and Lisa try to break the puppies out and are caught, but they get all the puppies to stand on their hind legs, which leaves Burns unable to kill any of them because he can't tell which one is his favorite. An unspecified time later, it is revealed that Burns raised all 25 puppies to be racers, and so far their combined winnings have earned him over ten million dollars, to Homer's disgust and dismay. Special Guest Voice: Frank Welker as Santa's Little Helper and various other dogs. | ||||||
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124 - 21 |
"The PTA Disbands" | April 16, 1995 | Swinton O. Scott III | Jennifer Crittenden | 2F19 |
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A school field trip goes terribly wrong, and Principal Skinner and Mrs. Krabappel get into an argument over the school's spending. Bart eggs on Skinner and Krabappel against each other, resulting in a teachers' strike being called. The strike drags on, with Bart's behind-the-scenes agitation keeping both sides locked in conflict. The PTA intervenes and puts townspeople to work as substitute teachers, whom Bart drives away in quick succession. When the school turns into a madhouse and Bart is faced with the one sub—his mother—whom he can't prank into quitting, Bart realizes they need the real teachers back and turns his energies to resolving the strike. He locks Skinner and Krabappel into Skinner's office, telling them he won't let them out until they come to an agreement. After several hours, Skinner admits that there's no more money in the budget, and they agree that they dislike being held like prisoners. The thought gives them an idea: renting out unused classroom space to the prison. The idea solves the school's budget problem, the teachers return to work, and things go back to normal. However, ominously, prisoner Snake begins negotiating a deal with Bart to help him escape, and Bart listens with interest. | ||||||
| 100px | 125 - 22 | "'Round Springfield" | April 30, 1995 | Steven Dean Moore | Al Jean & Mike Reiss
Joshua Sternin and Jeffrey Ventimilia |
2F32 |
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Bart accidentally swallows a jagged metal Krusty-O and is taken to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy. When the Simpsons visit Bart, Lisa discovers that her jazz hero, Bleeding Gums Murphy, is also in the hospital and visits him. Murphy reminisces about his career, during which he recorded only one album (titled Sax on the Beach), made guest appearances on TV shows (with Steve Allen and Bill Cosby), and lost his money due to his Fabergé egg addiction. They have a jam session (to the Carole King song "Jazzman") which moves everyone in the hospital. Lisa has to leave to play in a school recital, and Murphy gives her his saxophone to use. The recital nearly falls flat, but Lisa's inspired impromptu performance saves the day. She eagerly returns to the hospital to share her triumph with Bleeding Gums, only to find that he has passed away. The only people attending Murphy's funeral are Lisa, Homer and Marge, and Lisa is outraged when Rev. Lovejoy can't get Murphy's name or life story correct. She vows to make sure that everyone in Springfield knows who Murphy was, and decides to have Murphy's album played on the radio, but even the local jazz station doesn't have a copy. She finds the album in Comic Book Guy's shop, but the price is $250, and Comic Book Guy doubles it to $500 when he learns that Murphy is dead. Lisa, dejected, walks away. However, Bart has successfully sued Krusty for $100,000 for the jagged metal Krusty-O incident, and his share (after paying the fees of Lionel Hutz and the other lawyers) comes to $500. Bart buys the album and gives it to Lisa, and Lisa has the jazz station play it. A freak lightning strike causes Murphy's album to be heard all over Springfield in spite of the station's low-powered signal, and the whole town is moved by the music. Lisa is satisfied, and Bleeding Gums appears to her in a cloud and says that she's made him happy. The two of them say a final goodbye and jam to "Jazzman" one last time. Special Guest Voices: Ron Taylor as Bleeding Gums Murphy; Steve Allen as himself; Phil Hartman as Lionel Hutz. | ||||||
| 100px | 126 - 23 | "The Springfield Connection" | May 7, 1995 | Mark Kirkland | Jonathan Collier | 2F21 |
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When Snake steals $20 from Homer in a Three-card Monte con, Marge chases and apprehends Snake herself, and finds the experience to be so exhilarating that she decides to become a police officer. After training, Marge qualifies as a Springfield police officer, goes on the beat, and enjoys her job. However, she finds that with her new status, her friends don't treat her the same as before. Homer, meantime, exploits his position as a "police spouse", using Marge's crime scene tape to prank Flanders and inviting his friends over for poker and illegal Cuban cigars. He changes his tune when he challenges Marge's authority and she arrests him. After Homer is released, he discovers that Herman the military antiques dealer has been operating a counterfeit-jeans smuggling ring out of Homer's garage. Herman threatens to shoot Homer, but Marge arrives in time to save the day and arrest all the smugglers, including Herman. Chief Wiggum, however, says that the smugglers can't be held because the evidence has "mysteriously disappeared"—due to the cops having helped themselves to the jeans. Marge, disgusted, announces that she's quitting because of all the corruption on the police force. After Wiggum and the cops have a good laugh, Wiggum accepts her resignation. Special Guest Voice: Phil Hartman as Lionel Hutz. | ||||||
| 100px | 127 - 24 | "Lemon of Troy" | May 14, 1995 | Jim Reardon | Brent Forrester | 2F22 |
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The boys of Springfield visit the town's lemon tree and get into a confrontation with a group of boys from Shelbyville, Springfield's neighboring (and rival) town. Afterwards, Grampa Simpson tells of the origin of the rivalry and the planting of the lemon tree. The next day, the boys find that the tree has been stolen and the trail leads to Shelbyville, so they go into Shelbyville in search of the tree. The boys have some encounters with the Shelbyville gang, and eventually find the lemon tree in the locked and guarded police impound lot. Meanwhile, the boys' fathers pile into Ned Flanders' RV and find the boys right after they learn where the tree is. The boys persuade their fathers to help, and in a Trojan Horse-style scheme they have the RV towed (with the Springfieldians inside) to the impound lot, where they tie the tree to the roof of the RV, make their getaway and return to Springfield, albeit damaging the tree in the process. In Springfield, the story of the tree's return is told by Grampa as a great victory, and they celebrate over lemonade. In Shelbyville, however, the story is told by an old man as the successful banishment of the awful haunted lemon tree, and they celebrate by drinking turnip juice, to the boys' disgust. | ||||||
| 100px | 128 - 25 | "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part One)" | May 21, 1995 | Jeffery Lynch | Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein | 2F16 |
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Groundskeeper Willie accidentally strikes oil in the basement of Springfield Elementary School. The school immediately makes plans for spending the oil money, accepting a number of suggestions, including Lisa's to hire Tito Puente to teach a jazz program at the school. Mr. Burns, however, is outraged that the school has an oil well. He builds a slant-drilling rig and succeeds in reaching the oil before the school can, and the school is forced to cancel its new spending plans and even cut existing programs such as music and maintenance. When Burns's rig reaches the oil, the resulting gusher destroys Bart's treehouse and injures Santa's Little Helper. Elsewhere in Springfield, Moe's Tavern is forced to close due to fumes from Burns's well, and Springfield Retirement Castle collapses into a sinkhole caused by Burns's rapid removal of the oil. With his opponents vanquished, Burns tells Smithers his next plan: to build a giant shield to block out the sun, making Springfield totally dependent on Burns for its energy. Smithers, aghast, quits his job. When word of Burns's sun-blocking plan gets out, the town calls an emergency meeting. Homer, meanwhile, is becoming increasingly frustrated with Burns's inability to remember his name. In desperation, he breaks into Burns's office and spray-paints "I AM HOMER SIMPSON" on the wall, only for Burns to catch him and exclaim "Who the devil are you?" Now enraged, Homer attacks Burns and gives him several good shakes (while saying "My name is Homer Simpson!") before security guards escort him out. At 3:00 p.m. on Friday, the Springfieldians gather for the town meeting. Quimby announces his plan to have a polite but firm letter sent to Burns, and then opens up the floor for townspeople to speak. It quickly becomes clear that everyone in town is angry with Burns. At that point, Burns arrives. When the angry townspeople advance on him, Burns opens his jacket and displays a pistol in a chest holster. They quickly back off, and Burns taunts everyone for not having the guts to stop him. He then asks if anyone's ever seen the sun set at 3:00 p.m and activates his sun-blocking shield, plunging the town into darkness. The meeting breaks up and Burns walks away, pleased with himself. He then talks with an unseen and unpseaking person, asking why they're so happy and telling them to drop something. Nearby, the townspeople hear a gunshot, and a wounded Burns staggers into view and collapses on the town sundial. People quickly gather around, and Marge says she doesn't think they'll ever know who shot Burns, because everyone in town is a suspect. Dr. Hibbert says he can't solve this mystery, but asks Chief Wiggum if he can. Somewhat hesitantly, Wiggum says he'll give it a shot, because it's his job. The story concludes in "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)", the premiere episode of Season 7. Special Guest Voice: Tito Puente as himself. | ||||||
DVD Release
Season 6 was released on DVD in its entirety as The Complete Sixth Season on August 16, 2005 in Region 1, October 17, 2005 in Region 2, and September 24, 2005 in Region 4 by 20th Century Fox. While primarily containing the season's 25 episodes, the boxset also has bonus features such as storyboards.
| The Complete Sixth Season | |||||
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December 21, 2004 |
March 21, 2005 | March 23, 2005 | |||
Awards
The sixth season won one Emmy Award, and received three other nominations. "Lisa's Wedding" won the Emmy for "Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming One Hour or Less). Alf Clausen was nominated for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore)" for "Treehouse of Horror V", while he and John Swartzwelder were nominated for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics" for the Stonecutters' song "We Do" in the episode "Homer the Great". Finally, "Bart vs. Australia" was nominated for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special".
References
Seasons
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| Season 1 • Season 2 • Season 3 • Season 4 • Season 5 • Season 6 • Season 7 • Season 8 • Season 9 • Season 10 • Season 11 • Season 12 Season 13 • Season 14 • Season 15 • Season 16 • Season 17 • Season 18 • Season 19 • Season 20 • Season 21 • Season 22 • Season 23 • Season 24 Season 25 • Season 26 • Season 27 • Season 28 • Season 29 • Season 30 • Season 31 • Season 32 • Season 33 • Season 34 • Season 35 • Season 36* Upcoming episodes Special episodes |
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