Bart's Girlfriend

"Bart's Girlfriend" is the seventh episode of The Simpsons' sixth season.

Synopsis

Bart and Lisa are playing Cowboys and Indians with their friends, until their game is interrupted by their parents, who want them to go to church, among other things. In church, Bart is bored and is not listening to Reverend Lovejoy's sermon. Lovejoy's daughter, Jessica, reads the very same sermon. Seeing her, Bart is delighted by her, thinking his search for a girl is finally over. However, when he approaches her, she ignores him. The next Sunday, Bart decides to be in Sunday school, and tries to be nice to her. Again, she ignores him. Frustrated, Bart goes to the park to play a prank on Groundskeeper Willie at the Scotchtoberfest, which turns out to be a setup by Principal Skinner. Bart is punished with three months of detention. Jessica then asks him to dinner with her family. He accepts.

At the Lovejoy house, Bart is kicked out for allegedly swearing after Rev. Lovejoy hears him say the word "butt." Jessica instantly sees Bart as a bad boy, and she finds him very interesting. He sees Jessica as being "smart, beautiful, and a liar". They go out on the town, vandalizing landmarks and having the time of their lives. Bart, however, develops a problem with seeing her. Lisa suggests that Bart not see Jessica for three months. He agrees, but when he goes to church, he sits next to Jessica, who steals the money from the church collection plate, and puts the plate in Bart's lap. The congregation declares Bart the perpetrator of the theft, and indicts him as a thief and a crook. However, Chief Wiggum cannot officially charge or arrest Bart due to lack of evidence. When Bart tells that he didn't steal back at his house, Homer gets initially furious at him for supposedly stealing, but believes him after Marge tells Homer that her son is innocent, and Bart later reveals the truth to Lisa, who vows not to let him take the blame for this.

The next week in church, Lisa tells the congregation that they should not indict Bart without evidence, and she wants all people considering themselves guilty to confess to a bad thing they did. She waits for the real culprit to come forward, but Jessica stays silent. Lisa then rats her out and suggests the congregation search Jessica's room. The money is found hidden under Jessica's bed, having everyone to reallize that she did it all alone and not Bart. Even though everyone's convinced about the truth, Rev. Lovejoy still refused to admit to the evidence by telling that Bart moved his room to their house in order to save his daughter, but Jessica admits that she did it, to gain attention from her father. After that, the whole congregation apologizes to Bart for indicting him. In the end, Jessica becomes punished and finds a new boyfriend, but she remains intrigued with Bart, who did not rat her out and, in turn, is still attracted to her.