The Changing of the Guardian

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	Season 24 Episode
← 518 "A Test Before Trying"	519 "The Changing of the Guardian"	"Love Is a Many-Splintered Thing" 520 →

"The Changing of the Guardian"

Episode Information Episode number: 519 Season number: S24 E11 Production code: RABF04 Original airdate: January 27, 2013 Title screen: Ned flies diagonally across the screen wearing an angel suit. Couch gag: The Simpsons sit down on the couch, which zooms out to a ball whacking game. Nelson hits the target and a the living room falls in the water. Guest star(s): Rashida Jones as Portia Danny DeVito as Herb Powell Showrunner: Al Jean Written by: Rob LaZebnik Directed by: Bob Anderson

"The Changing of the Guardian" is the eleventh episode of season 24 of The Simpsons and the five-hundred and nineteenth episode overall. It originally aired on January 27, 2013. The episode was written by Rob LaZebnik and directed by Bob Anderson. It guest stars Rashida Jones as Portia and Danny DeVito as Herb Powell.

Synopsis

"After surviving a tornado, Marge and Homer seek out guardians for the kids, in case the worst should happen. They first turn to friends and family, including Homer's half-brother, Herb Powell with whom to entrust their kids, but when Bart and Lisa fall in love with a super-cool couple, Mav and Portia, Marge starts to question their potential guardians' true motivations."

Plot

The Simpson family play a board game when a storm hits Springfield. The family discovers that Santa's Little Helper is caught by the tornado and Homer and Marge follow the dog with Carl and Lenny. The storm calms down and they find the dog, but Homer and Marge get stuck in the door to the National Bank of Springfield after the storm got ahold of it, and it landed on them. They are freed after a while and realize that if they were dead, they'd have no guardian for their children.

They decide to search for a guardian, checking first with their relatives, but soon realizes that it's not a good idea. So they begin looking at the other residents of Springfield, but no one wants to be their guardian, forcing them to look outside the city. They can not find a couple they like, so they give up and go to the beach instead, where they meet Portia and Mav, whom they find to be acceptable.

After eating dinner with Portia and Mav, they tell them they want the two to be their kids guardian's and the couple accepts, as long as they let them meet the kids. Homer and Marge start spending more time for themselves while Portia and Mav are taking care of the kids. However, they soon realize that Portia and Mav see the kids as their own, and decide to end the arrangement. The kids are happy Homer and Marge want them, since they are their real parents, and Portia and Mav accept their decision. The family goes home and enjoys spending time together as a family again.

Production

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International airdates

Country Date Channel Note Latin America June 2, 2013 Fox Latin America United Kingdom December 22, 2013; 6pm Sky1 Gathered 508,000 viewers Spain January 2, 2015 Antena 3

Promotional images

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Moonshine River • Treehouse of Horror XXIII • Adventures in Baby-Getting • Gone Abie Gone • Penny-Wiseguys • A Tree Grows in Springfield • The Day the Earth Stood Cool • To Cur, with Love • Homer Goes to Prep School • A Test Before Trying • The Changing of the Guardian • Love Is a Many-Splintered Thing • Hardly Kirk-ing • Gorgeous Grampa • Black-Eyed, Please • Dark Knight Court • What Animated Women Want • Pulpit Friction • Whiskey Business • The Fabulous Faker Boy • The Saga of Carl • Dangers on a Train