How Munched Is That Birdie in the Window?

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References/Trivia

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Gags

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Quotes

	Season 22 Episode
← 470 "The Fool Monty"	471 "How Munched Is That Birdie in the Window?"	"The Fight Before Christmas" 472 →

"I'm contractually obligated by my sponsors to appear in random fans' fantasies."

―Danica Patrick

"How Munched Is That Birdie in the Window?"

Episode Information Episode number: 471 Season number: S22 E7 Production code: NABF02 Original airdate: November 28, 2010 Title screen: A Fox News helicopter flies by, with "Not Suitable For Viewers Under 75" on it. (original airing) King Homer climbs up the Empire State Building and takes the three-eyed crow in his hand. (online & international version) Billboard gag: Springfield Kwik-E-Mart: Thoughtless gifts for people you don't like Chalkboard gag: "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" is as good as "A Charlie Brown Christmas" Couch gag: Professor Frink is sitting on the couch, and he zaps the family, causing them to shrink. Grampa almost steps on them, then Homer takes a bite out of a giant chip. Snowball II chases the family, who escape into a mousehole. They sit on a piece of cheese, but it turns out to be on a mousetrap, which goes off, trapping them. Guest star(s): Danica Patrick as herself Rachel Weisz as Dr. Thurston Showrunner: Al Jean Written by: Kevin Curran Directed by: Michael Polcino

"How Munched Is That Birdie in the Window?" is the seventh episode of broadcast season 22 of The Simpsons and the four hundred seventy-first episode overall. It originally aired on November 28, 2010. The episode was written by Kevin Curran and directed by Michael Polcino. It guest stars Danica Patrick as herself and Rachel Weisz as Dr. Thurston.

Synopsis

After a pigeon breaks its wing flying into the Simpson house, Bart looks after him until he recovers. However, Santa's Little Helper eats his new pet. Bart is taken to therapy where the Simpsons are told they need to get rid of the family dog.

Plot

Promotional image.

During a thunderstorm, a carrier pigeon flies into the Simpsons's house. After discovering that its wing is injured, Lisa instructs Bart to take care of it, because she has a phobia of pigeons. Bart agrees to take it in, and nurses it back to health over several weeks. He tries to release it back into the wild, but he and the pigeon (nicknamed "Ray") have become too close, so he decides to keep it as a pet.

After seeing an advertisement for a video about the role of carrier pigeons in the Second World War, Bart and Homer decide to train Ray to carry messages, while Marge teaches Lisa that it is okay to be afraid of a single animal while caring about all others, as she herself is scared of opossums.

After training Ray to deliver messages, Bart and Homer use his ability for several pranks, such as Bart sending Mrs. Krabappel a message stating "who cares?" during a lesson and Homer sending Mr. Burns a message suggesting he should "do a ballet dance without no clothes on". Bart also sends Milhouse a message to become friends with him again, as they had had a fight earlier over a toy Milhouse had broken because he thought it was a Transformer.

Moe comes by the house, suggesting that Ray might become a racing pigeon. As he is discussing it with Homer and Bart, however, Santa's Little Helper eats Ray, despite Homer's attempts to rescue him. Overcome with grief, the family holds a funeral for Ray and Bart becomes resentful of Santa's Little Helper.

Marge and Homer take Bart to see Dr. Thurston, a psychologist. She suggests to Bart that he should forgive Santa's Little Helper, as he is the smarter of the two and knows that dogs do not have the brain capacity to know that it is wrong to kill small birds. Bart still cannot forgive Santa's Little Helper, so the family plan to take him to live on a farm upstate, Ostrich World. Bart shares parting words with Santa's Little Helper, telling him never to kill a bird ever again.

As the family are about to leave, Homer releases an ostrich and it starts attacking the family. Bart calls for Santa's Little Helper to help, but he is confused, since Bart told him earlier it was wrong to hurt birds. Bart ends up clobbering the bird with some nearby tools, forgives Santa's Little Helper, and the family leaves happily, taking the seemingly dead ostrich as meat for dinner. As they are driving, though, the bird wakes up, breaks through the roof, and starts strangling Homer with its foot. The episode ends with the car swerving down the roads as Homer tries to steer.

References

Wikisimpsons has a collection of images related to "How Munched Is That Birdie in the Window?".

← Season 21 Season 22 Episodes Season 23 →

Elementary School Musical • Loan-a Lisa • MoneyBart • Treehouse of Horror XXI • Lisa Simpson, This Isn't Your Life • The Fool Monty • How Munched Is That Birdie in the Window? • The Fight Before Christmas • Donnie Fatso • Moms I'd Like to Forget • Flaming Moe • Homer the Father • The Blue and the Gray • Angry Dad: The Movie • The Scorpion's Tale • A Midsummer's Nice Dreams • Love Is a Many-Strangled Thing • The Great Simpsina • The Real Housewives of Fat Tony • Homer Scissorhands • 500 Keys • The Ned-liest Catch

← Season MABF Production season NABF Episodes Season PABF →

The Fool Monty • How Munched Is That Birdie in the Window? • Moms I'd Like to Forget • Flaming Moe • Homer the Father • The Blue and the Gray • Angry Dad: The Movie • The Scorpion's Tale • A Midsummer's Nice Dreams • Love Is a Many-Strangled Thing • The Great Simpsina • The Real Housewives of Fat Tony • Homer Scissorhands • 500 Keys • The Ned-liest Catch • The Falcon and the D'ohman • Bart Stops to Smell the Roosevelts • Holidays of Future Passed • Treehouse of Horror XXII • The Food Wife • Replaceable You • The Book Job