Treehouse of Horror XIX
"Treehouse of Horror XIX"
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Episode Information
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Treehouse of Horror XIX is the fourth episode from season 20.
Contents
Stories
Opening segment
In the opening scene, Homer tries to vote for Obama in the presidential election, but the voting machine is rigged to turn his vote into one for McCain, and after six attempts to vote for Obama the machine kills him.
Untitled Robot Parody
In a parody of Transformers, Bart buys for Lisa a Malibu Stacy convertible from a 99 cent store for Christmas, which turns out to be a Transformer. The robot transforms all the technology in Springfield into robots so they can wage war with each other. In an attempt to end the fighting, Marge asks why the robots war with one another, inspiring the two sides to team up and conquer the human race, using the residents of Springfield in a game of foosball.
How to Get Ahead in Dead-Vertising
Homer discovers that the likenesses of dead celebrities can be put in commercials for free, so he starts killing celebrities such as George Clooney, Prince, and Neil Armstrong. Krusty the Clown, after being killed by Homer accidentally, convinces dead celebrities to descend from Heaven and stage an attack upon everyone who benefited from these exploits, with Krusty blowing Homer's head off with a shotgun. When they return to Heaven, they find that Homer had locked them outside for revenge.
It's the Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse
In a parody of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Milhouse is waiting in the pumpkin patch for the Grand Pumpkin on Halloween, and Lisa accompanies him because (as she puts it) his glasses fog up when he cries, which he would probably do to learn that the Grand Pumpkin doesn't exist. Soon Lisa leaves in frustration when she sees everyone at school having a Halloween party. Using his childlike belief, Milhouse's tears bring the Grand Pumpkin to life. However, the Pumpkin is appalled to find that his kindred pumpkins are being carved up on Halloween, and vows revenge by eating several people whole, including Homer, Groundskeeper Willie, and Nelson. Realizing that Milhouse can bring things to life by believing in them, Lisa tells him about "Tom Turkey", a symbol of Thanksgiving, who comes to life and kills the Grand Pumpkin, freeing everyone he ate. However, when Tom Turkey learns of what people do to turkeys on Thanksgiving, he vows revenge and starts eating the children as well.
Production
The reason the segment couldn't be named "It's the Great Pumpkin, Milhouse" to exactly match its namesake was because of a "big legal issue", according to executive producer Al Jean. However, the characters were redesigned to resemble the style of Peanuts, and they also obtained rights to use Vince Guaraldi's music. "Untitled Robot Parody" is modeled on the live action film, rather than the cartoon. Al Jean said it was "just really fun to do transformations [and] you can see why they enjoyed doing that film." "How to Get Ahead in Dead-Vertising" featured a parody of the title sequence of Mad Men. Jean was a fan of the series and pitched the scene.
Cultural References
Homer kills several celebrities, including Prince and George Clooney. The beginning of "How to Get Ahead in Dead-Vertising" is a parody of Mad Men.[8] Milhouse' prayer to the Grand Pumpkin is similar to the Nicene Creed. The dance scene in "It's the Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse" is a parody of the dance scene in A Charlie Brown Christmas. Before the first transformer (The one in the 99 cents store) was a Malibu Stacy convertible, it was of the form of the original Optimus Prime.
Reception
Rick Bentley, of the Seattle Times, described "Treehouse of Horror XIX" as a "paint-by-numbers episode". Robert Canning of IGN gave the episode a 7.9/10, calling it "funny, entertaining and even nostalgic [which] only makes this yearly tradition that much better." "It's the Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse" was regarded by reviewers as the best segment in the episode. Canning wrote, "this segment may not be all that gory, but it's funny and, quite honestly, it will just make you feel good."[8] Bentley described it as "a dead-on comedy assault of the Charlie Brown animated Halloween special."[10] Rob Owen concurred, writing that it, "succeeds because it offers sly cultural commentary." Showpatrol wrote "The nostalgia factor makes “Grand Pumpkin” the best of these amusing bits for me, but they all lack that trademark “Simpsons” brand of satirical smartness."
Appearances
Characters
- Abraham Simpson
- Homer Simpson
- Mrs. Glick
- Kearney
- Rich Texan
- Jasper Beardley
- Old Jewish Man
- Bart Simpson
- Wiseguy
- Marge Simpson
- Lisa Simpson
- Maggie Simpson
- Malibu Stacey
- Snooze
- Three-Way
- Melody
- Sex Toy
- Car-Bot Leader
- Microwave Bot
- Kitchen Bots
- Coffee Machine Bot
- Toaster Bot
- Sedan Bot
- White Bot Leader
- Plane Bot
- Airport Stair Bot
- Apu Nahasapeemapetilon
- Squishee Machine Bot
- Hot Dog Oven Bot
- Nacho Bot
- ATM Bot
- Otto Mann
- Moe Syzlak
- Milhouse Van Houten
- Barney Gumble
- Carl Carlson
- Rod Flanders
- Todd Flanders
- Janey Powell
- Gerald
- Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon
- Seymour Skinner
- Willie
Locations
- Springfield Town Hall
- Statue of Jebediah Springfield
- Springfield Town Square
- Springfield Elementary School
- Springfield Nuclear Power Plant
- You Forgot-Me-Nots
- 742 Evergreen Terrace
- Kwik-E-Mart
- Springfield Airport
