• Wikisimpsons needs more Featured Article, Picture, Quote, Episode and Comprehensive article nominations!
  • Wikisimpsons has a Discord server! Click here for your invite! Join to talk about the wiki, Simpsons and Tapped Out news, or just to talk to other users.
  • Make an account! It's easy, free, and your work on the wiki can be attributed to you.
TwitterFacebookDiscord

The Great Money Caper

Wikisimpsons - The Simpsons Wiki
Revision as of 19:03, January 15, 2020 by HomerGriffin (talk | contribs)
Season 12 Episode
254 "The Computer Wore Menace Shoes"
255
"The Great Money Caper"
"Skinner's Sense of Snow" 256
"The Great Money Caper"
CABF03.png
Episode Information
Showrunner: [[{{{showrunner}}}]]
DVD features



"The Great Money Caper" is the seventh episode of season 12. It originally aired on December 10, 2000.

Synopsis

"Strapped for cash, Homer and Bart thumb their way through A Child's Garden of Cons in search of the road to easy money."


Plot

The episode opens with the Simpson family eating at the Springfield Dinner Theater. Bart buys a magic kit and as the family drives home, a sturgeon falls from the sky (from the Russian space station Mir), damaging the car. Bart offers to pay for the damages by making money from his magic act, but it doesn't make enough. Homer is angry with Bart and leaves him to walk home.

People seeing Bart's dilemma give him money to get home. Homer gets the idea to trick people to give him and Bart money. They take up grifting, and decide to continue doing so after earning enough money to fix the car. When trying to grift the Springfield Retirement Castle, they are caught by a member of the FBI.

When they arrive at the police station, the man lets Bart and Homer turn themselves in. The FBI member is revealed to be a grifter, who has stolen Homer's car and the money they took from the old folks. Bart and Homer lie that the car was stolen by a foreign loner with wild, bushy hair; the next day, Groundskeeper Willie is arrested.

During the trial, Homer is led by the lawyer to implicate Willie. Once Willie is found guilty and given his sentence, he goes berserk until Homer tells the truth about the theft. It's then revealed that the theft and arrest were all a hoax, in which everyone in the courthouse, TV news, and Devon Bradley (who played the car thief) was involved (except Willie) to teach Bart and Homer a lesson about grifting. Homer, showing a rare moment of intelligence, asks why everyone in town felt the need to teach him and Bart a lesson. Just when Lisa was about to explain why, Otto bursts in and declares "Surfs Up!" and everyone goes surfing.

Production

The episode was written by Carolyn Omine and directed by Michael Polcino. Edward Norton guest starred as Devon Bradley.

Reception

Simpson Crazy labelled this as the worst episode of all-time.

Season 12 Episodes
Treehouse of Horror XI A Tale of Two Springfields Insane Clown Poppy Lisa the Tree Hugger Homer vs. Dignity The Computer Wore Menace Shoes The Great Money Caper Skinner's Sense of Snow HOMЯ Pokey Mom Worst Episode Ever Tennis the Menace Day of the Jackanapes New Kids on the Blecch Hungry, Hungry Homer Bye, Bye, Nerdie Simpson Safari Trilogy of Error I'm Goin' to Praiseland Children of a Lesser Clod Simpsons Tall Tales