Bart Sells His Soul
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"Bart Sells His Soul" is the fourth episode of The Simpsons' seventh season.
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[edit] Synopsis
The Simpsons serve as church ushers one Sunday morning. Bart uses the opportunity to switch the intended hymn with a song called "In the Garden of Eden" by "I. Ron Butterfly"; actually, the song is Iron Butterfly's "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida." Rev. Lovejoy initially fails to notice anything amiss (or the lewd behavior of congregants) but he eventually catches on, noting "This sounds like rock and/or roll." At the end of the 17-minute song, exhausted organist Mrs. Feesch collapses on the organ.
An angry Rev. Lovejoy assembles the children into his office and demands that the culprit identify himself. When Milhouse sees a crow squawk at him menacingly, he immediately rats out Bart. As punishment for his prank, Bart is told to clean the organ pipes ... and for being "snitchy", Milhouse is forced to help Bart. Bart blames Milhouse for snitching on him, and when Milhouse says he feared crows pecking at his soul for eternity if he didn't tell, Bart scoffs at the very notion of having a soul, saying there is no such thing. Milhouse calls his bluff, and tells Bart he'd like to buy it (in the form of a piece of paper saying "Bart Simpson's soul") for $5.
Lisa tells Bart that he will regret selling his soul, but Bart is still disbelieving. Soon, however, Santa's Little Helper won't play with him, automatic doors fail to open for him, and when he blows on the freezer doors at the Kwik-E-Mart, no condensation forms. Also, he finds Itchy & Scratchy cartoons to no longer be funny (actually he still knows they're funny but he simply can't laugh any longer). Bart begins to suspect he really did lose his soul, and sets out to get it back.
He finds Milhouse playing maniacally with the piece of paper. Bart makes several offers to buy back his "soul", but Milhouse refuses each time. That night, Bart has a nightmare about being the only child in Springfield to not have a soul, and is mocked as a result. Lisa also taunts Bart with a dinnertime prayer, leading him to make a desperate, all-out attempt to get the piece of paper back.
In desperation, Bart makes a late-night attempt to retrieve his soul, having to travel across town where Milhouse and his parents are staying with his grandmother. However, the 2 a.m. visit is in vain; Milhouse had traded it to the Comic Book Guy for Alf pogs. A frustrated Bart camps the rest of the night in front of the Android's Dungeon to get his soul back.
In the morning, an annoyed Comic Book Guy tells Bart that he does not have said piece of paper anymore, refuses to disclose who he sold it to and tells him to go home. A despondent Bart walks home in the rain, and in his room dejectedly prays to God for his soul. Then, floating down from above is a piece of paper, with the words "Bart Simpson's soul." Lisa had purchased the piece of paper, and while explaining philosophers' opinions on the human soul, Bart maniacally eats it up. That night, he rests easy with the pets curled at his feet, and has a dream about his soul helping him get even with Martin and his soul.
In the subplot, Moe wants to expand his customer base by turning his tavern into a family restaurant called Uncle Moe's Family Feedbag, styled a la T.G.I. Friday's and Applebee's. The gimmick: If he doesn't smile when he services a customer, the meal is on the house.
Moe's surly demeanor and the stress of running a family restaurant by himself ultimately unnerve him, and it isn't long before he finally snaps at a little girl (who complains that her ice-cold soft drink causes pain in her mouth). The restaurant is a resounding failure, forcing Moe to revert the restaurant back into his run-down tavern.
[edit] Trivia
- The song originally intended for the opening scene was Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven".
- As Mrs. Feesch plays "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" in church, a caption appears (to indicate a passage of time) that reads "Seventeen minutes later." That song actually does run seventeen minutes long.
- Technically, Mrs. Feesch wouldn't have been able to play "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" in its entirety on the organ, because a sizeable portion of the song is Ron Bushy's drum solo; this solo is very distinct, and difficult to reproduce on another instrument.
- Sherri and Terri's mom is seen.
- The idea of selling someone's soul is taken from Greg Daniel's childhood, when he bought the soul of a bully. When the bully came to Daniels crying one night he jacked up the price and the bully got his soul back.
[edit] Cultural References
- In the opening scene Reverend Lovejoy mispronounces the band name "Iron Butterfly" as "I. Ron Butterfly", in reference to L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Church of Scientology. He also refers to the song "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" as "In the Garden of Eden", effectively pronouncing it correctly.
- The restaurant model and atmosphere used for the design of Moe's new restaurant was a combination of Chili's and T.G.I. Friday's.
- In this episode heaven is meant to look like Oz, from The Wizard of Oz.
[edit] Quotes
- Moe: Yeah, come on. Take it all.
Barney: Ya know Moe, you might as well keep the fire extinguishers.
Moe: Nah. Too many bad memories. - Milhouse: Every religion says you have a soul, Bart. Why would they lie? What would they have to gain?
(Camera pans to Rev. Lovejoy, who's counting the contents of many very full collection plates)
Rev. Lovejoy: I don't hear any scrubbing! - Bart: Soul? Come on, Milhouse, there is no such thing as a soul. It's just something they made up to scare kids, like the boogeyman or Michael Jackson.
- Milhouse: I traded your soul for Alf pogs. Remember Alf? He's back. In pog form.
- Ralph: Uh, hi Bart. I know you from school.
Bart: Ralph, how'd you like to make a dollar?
Ralph: I don't know.
Bart: It's easy. All you have to do is sign a piece of paper that says I can have your soul. (sinister) I need a soul, Ralph! Any soul! YOURS! (begins advancing toward a terrified Ralph)
Chief Wiggum: Hey, what's going on in there?!
(Bart hisses, flashes cat pupils, and runs into a cloud of steam, disappearing into the night) - Lisa: For five dollars, Milhouse could own you for a zillion years.
Bart: If you think he got such a great deal, I'll sell you my conscience for four-fifty. (Lisa walks away) I'll throw in my sense of decency too! It's the Bart Sales Event. Everything about me must go! - Lisa: Hmm. Pablo Neruda said, "Laughter is the language of the soul."
Bart: I am familiar with the works of Pablo Neruda. - Rev. Lovejoy: I know one of you is responsible for this, so repeat after me. If I withhold the truth may I go straight to hell, where I will eat naught but burning hot coals and drink naught but burning hot cola.
Ralph Wiggum: [continuing the repeating] Where fiery demons will punch me in the back.
Bart: [nonchalant] Where my soul will be chopped into confetti, strewn upon a parade of murderers and single mothers.
Milhouse: [clearly nervous] Where my tongue will be torn out by ravenous birds.
[raven outside crows menacingly]
Milhouse: Bart did it! That Bart right there! - Bart: You bought my soul back?
Lisa: With the spare change in my piggy bank.
Bart: You don't have any spare change in your piggy bank.
Lisa: Not in any of the ones you know of.
[edit] Uncle Moe's Family Feedbag
[edit] Moe's Television Commercial
Moe: "If you like good food, good fun, and a whole lot of crazy crap on the walls, then come on down to Uncle Moe's Family Feedbag."
Announcer: "At Moe's, we serve good old-fashioned home cooking deep fried to perfection."
- (A tray covered with food, utensils, etc., is submerged into a deep-fat fryer. Moe takes the tray to a couple, where they eat the items and give their approval.)
Moe: "Now that's Moe like it! So bring the whole family. Mom, Dad, kids -- er, no old people. They're not covered by our insurance. It's fun! And remember our guarantee: if I'm not smiling when your check comes, your meal's on me. Uncle Moe's!" (forces a smile into the camera)
Singers: "Come to Uncle Moe's for family fun. It's good, good, good, good, good good-good!"
[edit] The end
Little girl: "Unky Moe?"
Moe: (growing unnerved but trying to keep his composure) "Whaaat … is it, sweetheart?"
Little girl: "My sodie is too cold. My teef hurt!"
Moe: (feigning sympathy, growing angry) "Oh, your 'teef' hurt, huh? Your 'teef' hurt?! (finally loses his temper) "Well, that's too freaking bad! You hear me?! I'll tell you where you can put your freakin' 'sodie' too!!"
Todd: "Ow, my freaking ears!"
Maude: (gasps) "Oh, let's go, dear!"
Ned: (appalled) "Well, I expect that type of language at Denny's, but not here!"
- (patrons quickly leave restaurant)
Moe: (realizing what he's done, begging) "Aw, come on, folks. Wait, please come back! Please, I got a new offer: whenever Uncle Moe threatens you, you get a free steak … fish."
- (Moe is alone in his restaurant)
[edit] External links
- "Bart Sells His Soul" episode capsule at The Simpsons Archive
