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The Way of the Dog

Wikisimpsons - The Simpsons Wiki
Season 31 Episode
683 "The Hateful Eight-Year-Olds"
684
"The Way of the Dog"
"Undercover Burns" 685
"Please. My dog is having a breakdown. So if these tears mean nothing to you... ...help our dog, or let's do this!"
Lisa Simpson
"The Way of the Dog"
Way of the Dog promo 4.png
Episode Information
Episode number: 684
Season number: S31 E22
Production code: ZABF16
Original airdate: May 17, 2020
Title screen: Snowball I, Nibbles, Bart's turtle and Mr. Pinchy fly through the screen with angel wings on their backs
Guest star(s): Cate Blanchett as Elaine Wolff
Michael York as Clayton
Showrunner(s): Al Jean
Written by: Carolyn Omine
Directed by: Matthew Faughnan

"The Way of the Dog" is the twenty-second and finale episode of season 31 of The Simpsons and the six-hundred and eighty-fourth episode overall. It originally aired on May 17, 2020. The episode was written by Carolyn Omine and directed by Matthew Faughnan. It guest stars Cate Blanchett as Elaine Wolff and Michael York as Clayton.

"The Way of the Dog" was dedicated in memory of Little Richard, who died on May 9.

Synopsis[edit]

"After the Simpsons' dog bites Marge, the family explores the tragic past of Santa's Little Helper."


Plot[edit]

Santa's Little Helper is dreaming at the Simpson house, watching Ralph reaching for popcorn. When he wakes up to the smell of popcorn prepared by Marge so Bart and Lisa could make a string to put on the Christmas tree.

When Marge tries to put a Santa hat on Santa's Little Helper, he is afraid, getting flashbacks from his past, and resists them putting it on for a picture for the Christmas family card.

When the family returns from shopping for presents, they found the couch shredded by the dog and the dog depressed on an angle, and Lisa proposes to take him to a psychologist, Elaine Wolff.

They bring him at the Springfield Knowledge College, where Elaine is giving a lecture, which gets interrupted by her lover Clayton informing her that he left his ex, but after the lecture she refuses to help them. At home, when Marge tries to take the Santa hat to clean it, the dog bites her, so they take him to a pet doctor that proposes to put him down but they refuse.

While they make arrangements to keep the dog outside, unsuccessfully, Chief Wiggum arrives at the house informing them that animal control is coming to take him away, but Elaine arrives before them, taking him with her at the Dognitive Behavioral Therapy Institute.

At the institute, Santa's Little Helper dreams of his mother, when his previous owner took him from his mother, so Elaine gives him a pill to sleep better. Meanwhile in Bart's room, Bart asks Homer when the dog will back, and then they both start praying and Lisa and Marge join the prayer. But Homer says the dog was possibly lost forever, which make Bart cry. The next day, Elaine asks him how he feels about the family, during which she is interrupted by Clay proposing to her, but she refuses.

Right after, he attacks another dog in his chest, and she finds out that he hid the Santa hat in it, the reason for his behavior. She takes him home and Bart remember it's the hat that Bart was wearing the evening they got him. Elaine says he has to confront his previous owner due to him having PTSD of him.

At his place he recounts the story of how he took him away from his mother once he finds out how fast he is and everyone take turn slapping him for his action, till the dog finally reunites with his mother, She Biscuit. In the end the family take She Biscuit home with them, working out the issues, but Snowball signals their fish she's going to eat it.

Production[edit]

Gallery[edit]

Promo videos[edit]


The Saga of Carl - title screen.png Wikisimpsons has a collection of images related to "The Way of the Dog".
Season 31 Episodes
The Winter of Our Monetized Content Go Big or Go Homer The Fat Blue Line Treehouse of Horror XXX Gorillas on the Mast Marge the Lumberjill Livin La Pura Vida Thanksgiving of Horror Todd, Todd, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me? Bobby, It's Cold Outside Hail to the Teeth The Miseducation of Lisa Simpson Frinkcoin Bart the Bad Guy Screenless Better Off Ned Highway to Well The Incredible Lightness of Being a Baby Warrin' Priests: Part One Warrin' Priests: Part Two The Hateful Eight-Year-Olds The Way of the Dog