Little Big Girl
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"Little Big Girl" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons' eighteenth season, which was originally broadcast on February 11, 2007. It was written by Don Payne, and directed by Raymond S. Persi. Natalie Portman guest starred as a new character, Darcy. The title is a play on the Dustin Hoffman movie Little Big Man. 8.3 million people tuned into this episode
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[edit] Plot
At his farm, Cletus is milking his cow when he accidentally kicks over a lantern, prompting a series of Rube Goldberg-esque events that leads to his cow starting a fire. In contrast to the famously-rumored origin of the Great Chicago Fire, Cletus's cow also succeeds in extinguishing the fire, but Cletus drops his smoking pipe, leading to a Rube Goldberg-type wildfire around Springfield. Everyone tries to extinguish it, but it is not enough. At Springfield Elementary, Principal Skinner asks Groundskeeper Willie to get the fire extinguishers, but they have been stolen, as Bart has taken them to propel his wagon. Nevertheless, while Bart rockets around town, the foam released from the extinguishers puts out the wildfire. Bart is cheered by everyone and rewarded with a driver's license by Mayor Quimby.
Bart starts using Homer's car for his own pleasure, but is eventually tabbed for family errands (mostly chauffeuring Homer). Bart flees to North Haverbrook, where he meets a 15 year-old girl named Darcy (voiced by Natalie Portman), who believes Bart is older. They quickly begin a romantic relationship and Darcy soon proposes marriage. At the Court house, Bart reveals his age, whereupon a shocked Darcy reveals that she is pregnant. Darcy admits that Bart is not the father - the real father is a Norwegian exchange student, and she wants to get married because her parents would be angry with her unwed pregnancy. Bart agrees to marry Darcy, and they drive to Utah, where marriage restrictions are looser. Eventually, Homer, Marge and Darcy's parents catch up with them to stop the wedding. Darcy's mother reveals that she is pregnant herself, and the family agrees to pass the two babies off as twins. Darcy and Bart end their relationship, while Bart (in his own way) assures her they will meet again, to which she agrees. Later, Bart admits to Homer that he looked forward to being a father, and they both end up driving happily while singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star".
Throughout the episode, when Lisa struggles to find excitement and intrigue in her family heritage for a school presentation, she decides to take creative license (a concurrent plot for which the episode is titled). Inspired by Bart's "Indian butter trick" and the well-known kitchen curtains (with their stalks-of-corn pattern) Lisa claims to be Native American, from the "Hitachee" tribe, a name Lisa selects after the brand from the family's microwave oven. The embellishment turns into a web of lies when Lisa is chosen to represent the school and her "people" at City Hall, then as a keynote speaker for the National Native American Tribal Council. She eventually admits she lied about her heritage, which compels others to admit they are not true Native Americans. Homer compares his daughter to CBS News in a reference to the 2004 Killian documents controversy. He also mentions that his great-great-grandmother actually was a Native American, much to Lisa's chagrin.
[edit] Soundtrack
- "Powerhouse" by Raymond Scott (used during the sequence at where the fire is lit)
- "Low Rider" by War (played when Bart drives to North Haverbrook)
- "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets (played after Bart's visit in the comic book store)
- "Polovetsian Dances" from Alexander Borodin's opera Prince Igor (during Bart's fantasy life in Utah). This melody is better known as the basis for the popular song Stranger in Paradise credited to Robert Wright and George Forrest. Tony Bennett had a hit with this song in 1954.
- "Jessica", by the Allman Brothers Band (played during the parody of the opening sequence)
- "Für Elise" (The ringtone of Bart's mobile phone)
[edit] Trivia
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- Natalie Portman stars in this episode titled after a Dustin Hoffman movie. Both actors starred together in the 2007 fantasy film Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium.
- In this episode, it's revealed that Lisa has dreams of going to Wellesley College. In I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can, Wellesley was one of the Seven Sisters (represented as the Sirens of Greek mythology) who tried to pressure Lisa into taking a dive at the spelling bee so she can get a scholarship.
- This episode implies references to the British motoring tv-show Top Gear; during the scene where Bart drives recklessly home from school, the Top Gear theme tune is played. References are also made to Richard Hammond, a Top Gear presenter, when bart uses his CO2 powered trolley, a parody of Hammonds CO2 powered wheelchair in the Brainiac series.
[edit] External links
