Fat Man and Little Boy (The Simpsons episode)
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| The Simpsons episode | |
| "Fat Man and Little Boy" | |
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| Episode no. | 340 |
| Prod. code | FABF21 |
| Orig. Airdate | December 12, 2004 |
| Written by | Joel H. Cohen |
| Directed by | Mike B. Anderson |
| Chalkboard | None |
| Couch gag | The family sits on the couch, which turns out to be the lure of an anglerfish |
| Guest star | Eric Idle as Declan Desmond |
| SNPP capsule | |
| Season 16 November 7, 2004 – May 15, 2005 |
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| List of all Simpsons episodes... | |
"Fat Man and Little Boy" is the fifth episode of The Simpsons' sixteenth season and the last new episode of 2004.
[edit] Synopsis.
After attacking Lisa with spitballs, Bart finds out his last baby tooth is loose. After some failed attempts in getting it out, Bart's tooth comes out when Marge forces a drawer open. Bart puts his tooth under his pillow for the Tooth Fairy and in the morning, he finds a note saying the Tooth Fairy made a donation in his name to the United Way. He soon begins to realize that he is not a kid anymore. After deciding that his childhood is over, Bart puts his toys into a small boat and sets it on fire, a proper "Viking funeral".
Lisa tells Bart that she writes things when she feels depressed. Bart does so and begins writing things on his T-Shirts that became popular. When Milhouse wants one of his shirts, Bart decides to go into business of making T-Shirts. It became a success until the police confiscated his shirts because he has no license. Bart takes his shirts to a retailer show in order to get a license, but however, his stand is destroyed by Krusty the Clown's massive stand. While leaving, Bart is run over by Goose Gladwell, a Willy Wonka-type salesman who sells weird items. He looks at Bart's shirts and decides to sell them in most of his 20 stores which are in 30 states. The shirts are fast sellers and Goose gives Bart enough money to support the Simpson family income. The family structure is soon reversed when Homer asks Bart for $200 to pay the bill for their dinner in a restaurant (he also broke some bathroom fixtures). Homer later gets fired by Mr. Burns by one of Bart's T-shirts he's wearing at work and Homer confront Burns that he will never come back to work again.
While watching a documentary about lions by Declan Desmond (voiced by Eric Idle), Homer decides to nurture Lisa after thinking Bart has replaced him. They quickly bond as Homer plays Malibu Stacey with her (while simultaneously managing to attack Ned Flanders). In Lisa's room, Homer sees her entry for the science fair, which is a history of nuclear physics and a scale model of the first nuclear reactor. However, Martin shows them his project, a child-like robot. With Lisa sure to lose, Homer decides to help her by stealing some plutonium from the power plant and building a small working Class II plutonium fission reactor. At Goose's store, Bart learns that Goose sold the rights to make his shirts into movies, but Bart will get nothing. He runs into Homer after leaving Goose and this angers Homer. In Goose's shop, Homer threatens to detonate his nuclear reactor along with the whole tri-state area if he does not give Bart what he deserves. Goose does so and Homer uses his leverage to get himself some novelty items as well.
[edit] Trivia
- While on the Nuclear-Secret.com website, Homer is shown using a tabbed browser
- When Homer is stealing the plutonium from the power plant, the Pink Panther theme song plays. The final note plays when Lisa opens the basement door.
- Before the episode first aired, Matt Groening registered the domain nuclear-secrets.com, but never created a website.
- Goose's Gags and Gifts sells the "Squat -N- Squirt" from Smart and Smarter.
- Martin Prince is referring to the poem "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" by Robert Herrick when he is leaving with his robot.
[edit] Cultural references
- The episode is named after the two nuclear bombs that were dropped on Japan during World War II, codenamed Fat Man and Little Boy.
- The Spitball-attack was a reference to the Omaha Beach scene from Saving Private Ryan.
- The eccentric Goose Gladwell seems to be a parody of Willy Wonka; this episode was released six months before the 2005 film, though Gladwell's appearance is based more on the 1971 version. Homer also makes a reference to strange adults befriending small children, which is possibly a reference to Michael Jackson, who was acquitted of child molestation charges about the same time the Depp film hit theaters.
- Songs used:
- The Sea Captain recites the end of the poem Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost as Bart burns his toys.
- Lisa and Janie sing part of the Miss Susie song.
- In the Goose's Gags and Gifts novelty shop there is a model of a Star Destroyer hanging from the ceiling.
- Moe is inquiring if Bart is selling T-shirts with Calvin and Hobbes.
