Bart vs. Lisa vs. the Third Grade
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| The Simpsons episode | |
| "Bart vs. Lisa vs. The Third Grade" | |
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| Episode no. | 294 |
| Prod. code | DABF20 |
| Orig. Airdate | November 17, 2002 |
| Written by | Tim Long |
| Directed by | Steven Dean Moore |
| Chalkboard | "Fish do not like coffee." |
| Couch gag | Homer is seen in a parody of the Get Smart opening |
| Guest star | Tony Bennett |
| SNPP capsule | |
| Season 14 November 3, 2002 – May 18, 2003 |
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| List of all Simpsons episodes... | |
"Bart vs. Lisa vs. The Third Grade" is the third episode of The Simpsons' fourteenth season. It aired on November 17, 2002.
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[edit] Synopsis
The family is just bored with reality shows on the six major networks. Luckily, Bart has a suggestion: buy a satellite dish. They do when Homer makes money from betting on a horse named No Risk. Eventually, they buy a satellite system with over 500 channels. Homer and Bart get addicted to it, leading Bart to not study for an important achievement test that is about to occur, even as Lisa is studying. During the test, Bart begins hallucinating, showing what he's seen on TV in the school. Once the test is done, the results are in: Bart fails the test and is held back to the third grade, but Lisa also passes the test and goes up to the third grade, where they meet their new teacher. Sibling rivalry ensues.
In third grade, Bart and Lisa each have their own results. Bart is doing extremely well on tests, while Lisa has a hard time adjusting to the conditions of third grade. Their new teacher decides to clamp their desks together after Bart gets an A on a test and Lisa got an A- also because she thinks that Lisa needs Bart's help. Bart says that the test was easy and recites all of the answers to Lisa, which he had memorized in his head. Lisa proclaims that Bart cheated but the teacher didn't hear Bart's recitation and tells Lisa to stop being jealous and changes Bart's grade to an A+. They are made buddies as part of the buddy system on a field trip to Capital City. When they are there, they hear that the flag for the state Springfield is an embarrassment (it contains a Confederate flag, despite the state being from the North), and their teacher assigns for homework an assignment to design a new flag. Lisa calls Marge as she designs her flag, which says "To Fraternal Love". On the phone, she complains about and makes fun of Bart, unmindful of the fact that Bart is overhearing the conversation on another phone. A vengeful Bart then changes the flag.
The next day, Bart, Lisa and the other third-graders hand over their flag designs to the Governor. When the Governor sees Lisa's flag, she starts to cry and displays the flag which now says "Learn to Fart". This appalls Lisa, as Bart innocently admonishes her for making the Governor cry. Later, Bart again teases Lisa and they get in a fight and miss the bus heading back to Springfield. The fight brings them out of the parking lot and into the forest. As a result, the two wind up getting lost.
Back in Springfield, Principal Skinner informs Homer and Marge that Bart and Lisa are missing. He says that they will not spare any expense to find Lisa, and have already elected a Class Clown pro tem (Milhouse) in Bart's absence. They go to Capital City to find them, but Bart and Lisa are confronted by a family of hillbillies, who save them by driving them back to Capital City. Marge is ecstatic on seeing her children safe and sound. Principal Skinner, worried about the effects of placing Bart and Lisa in the same class, suggests that they return to the "status quo" - both Simpson kids go back to their proper grades. Everything is back to the way it should be.
[edit] Trivia
- In Bart's vision in class, Bender from Futurama, Pikachu from Pokémon, robots from Robot Rumble and Japanese-style Friends appear. He also turns Mrs. Krabappel into Tom Brokaw barfing. The Japanese Friends, Tom Brokaw, and Robot Rumble were all things Bart saw on the satellite TV, and Robot Rumble reoccurs in "I, D'oh-Bot"
- When Bart is lifted up in his vision by the TV characters he conjured up with his remote, the song that they sing is Hava Nagila, a famous Hebrew folk song.
- Governor Mary Bailey beat Mr. Burns in the gubernatorial race for governor in the episode "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish".
- When the Simpsons are watching Animal Survivor at the beginning of the episode, the Hypnotoad from Futurama can be briefly seen.
- When he learns that Bart and Lisa got lost on their trip to Capital City, Skinner orders Willy to engrave their names on the memorial to the kids who got lost on a school trip on the black wall (a clear parody of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial); one can see the name of members of punk band NOFX such as El Hefe (misspelled as El Jefe) and Fat Mike.
- This episode may help find out which state the Simpsons live in. When Bart turns on the satellite TV the beam shows which leaves the Simpsons house.
- Lisa can be seen reading a book titled "Love in the Time of Coloring Books", a reference to Love in the Time of Cholera.
