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Difference between revisions of "Oh Brother, Where Bart Thou?"

Wikisimpsons - The Simpsons Wiki
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{{EpisodePrevNext|Rednecks and Broomsticks|Thursdays with Abie}}
 
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{{quote|Dad... I want a baby brother.|[[Bart Simpson]]}}
|image             = MABF01.jpg
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{{Episode
|Episode Number    = 449
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|image= MABF01.jpg
|productionCode    = MABF01
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|number= 449
|originalAirdate    = December 13, 2009
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|season=21
|blackboardText    = None
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|snumber=8
|couchGag          = The living room furniture is dancing to disco music until the Simpsons come in and Homer yells, "Hey!" The furniture returns to normal and the Simpsons sit on the couch without incident.
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|prodcode= MABF01
|billboard = none
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|airdate= December 13, [[2009]]
|titlescreen = [[Homer]] on a lawn chair with balloons flies by
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|couchgag= The living room furniture is dancing to disco music until the Simpsons come in and Homer yells, "Hey!" The furniture returns to normal and the Simpsons sit on the couch without incident.
|specialGuestVoices = [[Peyton Manning]] <br/> [[Eli Manning]] <br/> [[Cooper Manning]] <br/> [[Smothers Brothers]] <br/> [[Kim Cattrall]] <br/> [[Huell Howser]] <br/> [[Jordan Nagai]] as [[Charlie]]
+
|titlescreen= [[Homer]] on a lawn chair with balloons flies by
|Written By        = [[Matt Selman]]
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|guests= [[Peyton Manning]] as {{Ch|Peyton Manning|himself}}<br>[[Eli Manning]] as {{Ch|Eli Manning|himself}}<br>[[Cooper Manning]] as {{Ch|Cooper Manning|himself}}<br>[[Smothers Brothers]] as {{Chs|Smothers Brothers|themselves}}<br>[[Kim Cattrall]] as the [[dream Simpson sister]]<br>[[Huell Howser]] as {{Ch|Huell Howser|himself}}<br>[[Jordan Nagai]] as {{ap|Charlie|Oh Brother, Where Bart Thou?}}
|Directed By        = [[Steven Dean Moore]]
+
|showrunner1= Al Jean
|Show Runner        = [[Al Jean]]
+
|writer= [[Matt Selman]]
 +
|director= [[Steven Dean Moore]]
 
}}
 
}}
'''O Brother, Where Bart Thou?''' is the eighth episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki> [[Season 21|twenty-first season]]. It aired on December 13, 2009. [[Peyton Manning]], [[Eli Manning]], [[Cooper Manning]], [[Smothers Brothers]], [[Kim Cattrall]], [[Huell Howser]] and [[Jordan Nagai]] guest starred in this episode.
 
  
When [[Lisa]] tells [[Bart]] he'll never have the special bond that she has with [[Maggie]] because he doesn't have any brothers, he tries to get [[Homer]] and [[Marge]] to make him a baby brother, but when that doesn't work, he goes to the orphanage - where a young boy follows him home.
+
"'''Oh Brother, Where Bart Thou?'''" is the eighth episode of [[season 21]] of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' and the four-hundred and forty-ninth episode overall. It originally aired on December 13, [[2009]]. The episode was written by [[Matt Selman]] and directed by [[Steven Dean Moore]]. It guest stars [[Peyton Manning]] as {{Ch|Peyton Manning|himself}}, [[Eli Manning]] as {{Ch|Eli Manning|himself}}, [[Cooper Manning]] as {{Ch|Cooper Manning|himself}}, [[Smothers Brothers]] as {{Chs|Smothers Brothers|themselves}}, [[Kim Cattrall]] as the [[dream Simpson sister]], [[Huell Howser]] as {{Ch|Huell Howser|himself}} and [[Jordan Nagai]] as [[Charlie]].
 +
 
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== Synopsis ==
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{{Desc|When [[Lisa]] tells [[Bart]] he'll never have the special bond that she has with [[Maggie]] because he doesn't have any brothers, he tries to get [[Homer]] and [[Marge]] to make him a baby brother, but when that doesn't work, he goes to the orphanage - where a young boy follows him home.}}
  
 
== Plot ==
 
== Plot ==
The Simpson family stays at home during a blizzard. The weather is too wild to play outside and the power goes out, so Bart participates in a pretend fashion show put on by Lisa and Maggie. When he notices the bond shared by the two girls, Lisa suggests that he is jealous because he doesn't have a brother. That night, Bart dreams about many famous brothers: the Smothers Brothers, the Marx Brothers, the Blues Brothers, the Smith Brothers, the Wright Brothers, the Mario Brothers and Cooper, Eli and Peyton Manning, plus Sideshow Bob and his brother Cecil. He awakes with the realization that he wants a baby brother.
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[[Homer]] and [[Lisa]] are watching ''[[Under the Wrapper]]'', starring {{Ch|Huell Howser}} when it begins to show horses being turned into gelatin. They then panic and try to change the channel. The next morning, [[Bart]] finds out that schools are closed due to a huge snowstorm. The snowstorm is too strong for Bart to go out and play so he stays in to play games. However, the power then goes out. When Bart gets bored, he hears music coming from [[Lisa]]'s room and finds that she and [[Maggie]] are putting on a fake fashion show. Bart asks to join in at first but quickly gets annoyed at it after being given {{W|Hello Kitty}} stockings to wear. Bart then notices Lisa and Maggie's sisterly bond and gets jealous of it.
  
Bart consults with his friends, who advise him to trick Marge and Homer into making love. Bart's first attempt is to make them a romantic dinner, but Marge and Homer are too stuffed to feel amorous. In his second attempt, Bart leaves a kama sutra DVD in his parents' bedroom, but they hurt themselves when trying unusual positions. Frustrated, he seeks the advice of Nelson and the other bullies, who tell him to hide Marge's birth control pills. He switches them with [[Tac Tics]], a parody of Tic Tacs (just as he did with Mrs. Krabappel's in "[[Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie]]") and throws the Tac Tic container (which now contains birth control pills) out the window, where it is found by Nelson. Marge catches Bart tampering with her pills and he confesses that he wants a brother. When Marge explains that she and Homer only wanted three children and that a fourth attempt could result in another girl, Bart goes to the local orphanage. He is turned away because he is too young, but a young boy named [[Charlie (orphan)|Charlie]] follows him home.
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That night, Bart has a dream, seeing lots of brothers with each other. This includes {{Ch|Peyton Manning|Peyton}}, {{Ch|Eli Manning|Eli}} and {{Ch|Cooper Manning}}, who were playing football with each other, and the {{Chs|Smothers Brothers}}, who were performing together. Bart then wakes up and realizes that he needs a younger brother. Bart tries to get Homer and [[Marge]] to have another child, helping set up a romantic dinner for them and giving them a copy of ''[[Kama Sutra: A Soulmate's Journey to Sensual Nirvana]]'' to try out. However, neither of these work. Bart then goes to [[Jimbo]], [[Dolph]] and [[Kearney]] who tell Bart that he needs to get rid of Marge's birth control. Bart does this, throwing them out the window in a [[Tac Tics]] box which [[Nelson]] picks up. Marge then walks in on Bart and gets mad at him for messing with her birth control.
  
Bart and Charlie do brotherly things together, including playing pranks on Principal Skinner and hanging out at the Kwik-E-Mart. When Lisa insists that Charlie be returned to the orphanage, Bart disregards her and takes Charlie to see a horror movie entitled "Sever V." The movie terrifies Charlie, which makes Bart realize that being a brother requires responsibility. On their way back from the movie, Chief Wiggum tries to apprehend Charlie, but the two boys escape and hide in a snowbank. Meanwhile, Nelson has become increasingly emotional and weepy from eating Marge's birth control pills. Back in the snowbank, Lisa pleads with Bart to do the right thing and let Charlie be legally adopted by another family. When the children are sealed in the snowbank by a snow plow, Bart and Charlie urinate out of the tunnels, much to Lisa's disgust. Charlie is later adopted by a family with six girls. Homer sees that his son misses Charlie, so the two watch a scary movie together.
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Marge explains to Bart that he shouldn't mess with her birth control, and asks him why. When Bart opens up about wanting a little brother, Marge tells Bart that even if she and Homer did have another baby, there was no guarantee it would be a boy. Bart then imagines carrying around shopping bags for an older Lisa, Maggie and [[Dream Simpson sister|a third sister]], which horrifies him. Bart then decides to come up with another plan to get a brother and goes to the [[Springfield Orphanage]]. However, he is told that he can't adopt a kid as he's too young, so he goes home. However, {{ap|Charlie|Oh Brother, Where Bart Thou?}} notices Bart and follows him.
  
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Bart is woken up in the morning by Charlie squirting whipped cream on his face. When Bart questions who he is, Charlie reveals that he escaped from the orphanage and followed Bart home. Bart is happy to have a little brother and the two of them spend the day together, going to school and playing pranks on people. At the [[Kwik-E-Mart]], Lisa finds Bart and Charlie and [[Apu]] asks Lisa about her new brother. Lisa then tells Bart that he has to take him back but Bart refuses. Bart then takes Charlie to see ''[[Sever V]]'' at the theater, which scares Charlie. As they were going home, [[Chief Wiggum]] comes out of the bushes and tries to take Charlie back to the orphanage. Charlie grabs Wiggum's pepper spray and sprays him in the face as he and Bart run away and hide in a huge snow pile. Bart tells Charlie that they're going to run away together and live off garbage.
  
 +
Lisa then finds Bart and Charlie, having followed a trail of lost Winter clothing. She tells Bart that he has to choose between her and Charlie, and tells Bart to hurry as [[Plow King]] was about to close them in. Bart takes too long and they get trapped in the snow cave. Bart then tells Lisa that he and Charlie have something she doesn't, and the two boys pee on the snow to melt a tunnel out, which disgusts Lisa. Charlie goes back to the orphanage and Homer and Bart go to visit him. However, they find that Charlie has been adopted by a new family, who have six daughters. Charlie bangs on the rear window of the car as it drives off, asking for Bart to save him.
 +
 +
Over the end credits, the Smothers Brothers perform "[[Boil That Cabbage Down]]" and talk with each other.
 +
 +
== Reception ==
 +
In its original airing, "Oh Brother, Where Bart Thou?" had a 3.2/8 share with 7.11 million viewers. ''The Simpsons'' was the third most viewed show on Fox that night.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100513024135/http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/12/14/tv-ratings-sunday-night-football-wins-oprahs-christmas-at-the-white-house-rates-below-brothers-sisters/36103 TV by the Numbers - "TV Ratings Sunday: Football Wins, Oprah's Christmas Rates Below Brothers & Sisters"] (archived on {{W|Wayback Machine}})</ref>
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 +
Robert Canning of {{W|IGN}} gave the episode a 7.6 rating, praising the fact that there was no weaker "B" storyline for the episode.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120324014802/http://tv.ign.com/articles/105/1054851p1.html IGN - "The Simpsons: "O Brother, Where Bart Thou" Review"] (archived on {{W|Wayback Machine}})</ref> Emily Todd VanDerWerff of {{W|The A.V. Club}} gave the episode a B+ rating.<ref>[https://tv.avclub.com/o-brother-where-bart-thou-a-cleveland-brown-chris-1798207630 The A.V. Club - ""O, Brother, Where Bart Thou?"/"A Cleveland Brown Christmas"/"Business Guy"/"Rapture's Delight""]</ref>
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 +
"Oh Brother, Where Bart Thou?" was nominated for a [[2011]] Writers Guild of America award in Animation, but it lost to "{{IS|The Prisoner of Benda}}" from ''[[Futurama]]''.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000710/2011/1/ IMDb - "Writers Guild of America, USA 2011 Awards"]</ref>
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As of April [[2020]], the episode has a 7.1 rating on {{W|IMDb}}<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1563958/ IMDb - "Oh Brother, Where Bart Thou?"]</ref> and a 8.9 rating on {{W|TV.com}}.<ref>[http://www.tv.com/shows/the-simpsons/oh-brother-where-art-thou-1313/ TV.com - "Oh Brother, Where Bart Thou?"]</ref>
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== References ==
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{{Reflist}}
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{{Images|ep=yes}}
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{{season 21}}
  
{{Season 21}}
 
[[Category:Episodes]]
 
[[Category:Season 21]]
 
[[Category:Real World Articles]]
 
 
[[Category:2009]]
 
[[Category:2009]]
 
[[Category:Bart episodes]]
 
[[Category:Bart episodes]]
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[[Category:WGA Award nominated episodes]]
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[[Category:Episodes written by Matt Selman]]
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[[Category:Episodes directed by Steven Dean Moore]]
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[[sv:Oh Brother, Where Bart Thou?]]

Latest revision as of 14:20, March 28, 2024

Season 21 Episode
448 "Rednecks and Broomsticks"
449
"Oh Brother, Where Bart Thou?"
"Thursdays with Abie" 450
"Dad... I want a baby brother."
Bart Simpson
"Oh Brother, Where Bart Thou?"
MABF01.jpg
Episode Information
Episode number: 449
Season number: S21 E8
Production code: MABF01
Original airdate: December 13, 2009
Title screen: Homer on a lawn chair with balloons flies by
Couch gag: The living room furniture is dancing to disco music until the Simpsons come in and Homer yells, "Hey!" The furniture returns to normal and the Simpsons sit on the couch without incident.
Guest star(s): Peyton Manning as himself
Eli Manning as himself
Cooper Manning as himself
Smothers Brothers as themselves
Kim Cattrall as the dream Simpson sister
Huell Howser as himself
Jordan Nagai as Charlie
Showrunner: Al Jean
Written by: Matt Selman
Directed by: Steven Dean Moore


"Oh Brother, Where Bart Thou?" is the eighth episode of season 21 of The Simpsons and the four-hundred and forty-ninth episode overall. It originally aired on December 13, 2009. The episode was written by Matt Selman and directed by Steven Dean Moore. It guest stars Peyton Manning as himself, Eli Manning as himself, Cooper Manning as himself, Smothers Brothers as themselves, Kim Cattrall as the dream Simpson sister, Huell Howser as himself and Jordan Nagai as Charlie.

Synopsis[edit]

"When Lisa tells Bart he'll never have the special bond that she has with Maggie because he doesn't have any brothers, he tries to get Homer and Marge to make him a baby brother, but when that doesn't work, he goes to the orphanage - where a young boy follows him home."


Plot[edit]

Homer and Lisa are watching Under the Wrapper, starring Huell Howser when it begins to show horses being turned into gelatin. They then panic and try to change the channel. The next morning, Bart finds out that schools are closed due to a huge snowstorm. The snowstorm is too strong for Bart to go out and play so he stays in to play games. However, the power then goes out. When Bart gets bored, he hears music coming from Lisa's room and finds that she and Maggie are putting on a fake fashion show. Bart asks to join in at first but quickly gets annoyed at it after being given Hello Kitty stockings to wear. Bart then notices Lisa and Maggie's sisterly bond and gets jealous of it.

That night, Bart has a dream, seeing lots of brothers with each other. This includes Peyton, Eli and Cooper Manning, who were playing football with each other, and the Smothers Brothers, who were performing together. Bart then wakes up and realizes that he needs a younger brother. Bart tries to get Homer and Marge to have another child, helping set up a romantic dinner for them and giving them a copy of Kama Sutra: A Soulmate's Journey to Sensual Nirvana to try out. However, neither of these work. Bart then goes to Jimbo, Dolph and Kearney who tell Bart that he needs to get rid of Marge's birth control. Bart does this, throwing them out the window in a Tac Tics box which Nelson picks up. Marge then walks in on Bart and gets mad at him for messing with her birth control.

Marge explains to Bart that he shouldn't mess with her birth control, and asks him why. When Bart opens up about wanting a little brother, Marge tells Bart that even if she and Homer did have another baby, there was no guarantee it would be a boy. Bart then imagines carrying around shopping bags for an older Lisa, Maggie and a third sister, which horrifies him. Bart then decides to come up with another plan to get a brother and goes to the Springfield Orphanage. However, he is told that he can't adopt a kid as he's too young, so he goes home. However, Charlie notices Bart and follows him.

Bart is woken up in the morning by Charlie squirting whipped cream on his face. When Bart questions who he is, Charlie reveals that he escaped from the orphanage and followed Bart home. Bart is happy to have a little brother and the two of them spend the day together, going to school and playing pranks on people. At the Kwik-E-Mart, Lisa finds Bart and Charlie and Apu asks Lisa about her new brother. Lisa then tells Bart that he has to take him back but Bart refuses. Bart then takes Charlie to see Sever V at the theater, which scares Charlie. As they were going home, Chief Wiggum comes out of the bushes and tries to take Charlie back to the orphanage. Charlie grabs Wiggum's pepper spray and sprays him in the face as he and Bart run away and hide in a huge snow pile. Bart tells Charlie that they're going to run away together and live off garbage.

Lisa then finds Bart and Charlie, having followed a trail of lost Winter clothing. She tells Bart that he has to choose between her and Charlie, and tells Bart to hurry as Plow King was about to close them in. Bart takes too long and they get trapped in the snow cave. Bart then tells Lisa that he and Charlie have something she doesn't, and the two boys pee on the snow to melt a tunnel out, which disgusts Lisa. Charlie goes back to the orphanage and Homer and Bart go to visit him. However, they find that Charlie has been adopted by a new family, who have six daughters. Charlie bangs on the rear window of the car as it drives off, asking for Bart to save him.

Over the end credits, the Smothers Brothers perform "Boil That Cabbage Down" and talk with each other.

Reception[edit]

In its original airing, "Oh Brother, Where Bart Thou?" had a 3.2/8 share with 7.11 million viewers. The Simpsons was the third most viewed show on Fox that night.[1]

Robert Canning of IGN gave the episode a 7.6 rating, praising the fact that there was no weaker "B" storyline for the episode.[2] Emily Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B+ rating.[3]

"Oh Brother, Where Bart Thou?" was nominated for a 2011 Writers Guild of America award in Animation, but it lost to "The Prisoner of Benda" from Futurama.[4]

As of April 2020, the episode has a 7.1 rating on IMDb[5] and a 8.9 rating on TV.com.[6]

References[edit]


The Saga of Carl - title screen.png Wikisimpsons has a collection of images related to "Oh Brother, Where Bart Thou?".
Season 21 Episodes
Homer the Whopper Bart Gets a "Z" The Great Wife Hope Treehouse of Horror XX The Devil Wears Nada Pranks and Greens Rednecks and Broomsticks Oh Brother, Where Bart Thou? Thursdays with Abie Once Upon a Time in Springfield Million Dollar Maybe Boy Meets Curl The Color Yellow Postcards from the Wedge Stealing First Base The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed American History X-cellent Chief of Hearts The Squirt and the Whale To Surveil with Love Moe Letter Blues The Bob Next Door Judge Me Tender