History Recap / TheSimpsonsS2E10BartGetsHitByACar

* DisproportionateRetribution: Bart dies for a short while and is on his way to Heaven... which sends him straight to hell for ''not holding on to the sides of the escalator taking him up and spitting over the side''. To be kind of fair, they ''did'' tell him not to. And the Devil tells Bart spitting over the side is merely what cinched ending up in hell.

** This is one of few episodes, save for "WesternAnimation/TreehouseOfHorror", where the title appears onscreen at the start of the episode. (The writers said they included it so people would wonder if all the previous episodes had onscreen titles and they just hadn't noticed.)

* BackhandedApology: Zigzagged. Though Marge genuinely feels bad about ruining Homer's lawsuit, she words it as wanting Homer to "forgive [her] for doing the right thing." She never directly apologizes for it. Of course, he ignored her concerns about going too far.

* NeverMyFault:
** Homer refuses to take Burns' offer, and Marge tells him that she doesn't like the situation they're in, including Homer's greed and "phony doctors". Burns overhears this and has Marge up to the stands to confess everything. Later, Homer confesses to Marge that he isn't sure if he loves her anymore for blowing their chance at $1 million.
** Marge takes little responsibility for failing to ensure that at least Bart's medical bills were covered. Despite Homer rejecting Burns' offer of $100 because it didn't cover Bart's medical expenses, Marge focuses only on the $5 that she would have given Bart had he done his chores. Marge is in the right for standing against Homer's greed, but she could have told the truth about Bart's medical bills and still left the Simpsons in position to receive a few thousand dollars in damages from Burns to cover them. Although $5,000 to $10,000 is hardly anything to a billionaire like Burns, it's a significant sum to a middle-class family like the Simpsons, especially in 1991.

** Marge takes no responsibility for failing to ensure that at least Bart's medical bills were covered. Despite Homer rejecting Burns' offer of $100 because it didn't cover Bart's medical expenses, Marge focuses only on the $5 that she would have given Bart had he done his chores. Marge is in the right for standing against Homer's greed, but she could have told the truth about Bart's medical bills and still left the Simpsons in position to receive a few thousand dollars in damages from Burns to cover them. Although $5,000 to $10,000 is hardly anything to a billionaire like Burns, it's a significant sum to a middle-class family like the Simpsons, especially in 1991.

** Marge doesn't believe that an accident that warranted Bart ''waking up in the hospital'' is worth anything more than the $5 she and Homer would give Bart for his allowance. Even if she's uncomfortable with trying to bilk Burns for $1 million, she should have at least mentioned the cost of Bart's hospital bills and gotten those covered.

* GrayAndGrayMorality: Burns is just as wretched as ever and is completely unconcerned when he hits Bart. However, it really was an honest accident on Burns' part, Bart's jaywalking on his skateboard was as much to blame, and Homer's lawsuit against him is [[FrivolousLawsuit completely frivolous]] as Bart's injuries weren't particularly grievous or expensive, which is why Burns' win doesn't make him a KarmaHoudini. Everyone's in the wrong here.

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Hutz is portrayed as more competent than he would be in later episodes, coming very close to winning the court case against Burns, and losing only due to the actions of the Simpsons. Later episodes would go on to show how he's not only a comically inept lawyer but that he may not be qualified to even ''be'' one.

** Homer doesn't get any money, but he's frankly extremely lucky he didn't get fired by Burns for trying to defraud him, not to mention that he didn't get charged with fraud or perjury (given that he's Bart's father, he's legally responsible for Bart perjuring himself in court, not to mention Bart needs to be spoon-fed the lies he tells during the trial).

* SeldomSeenSpecies: As Bart ascends back to life, one can spot the fossilized skeleton of a ''Torosaurus'' as a FreezeFrameBonus.

[[caption-width-right:350: [[BlatantLies Mr. Burns's accurate testimony]].]]

In '''Bart Gets Hit by a Car''', [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Bart is hit by Mr. Burns's car]] and falls into a coma. When he wakes up, his family tries to create a lawsuit against Mr. Burns. Both Burns and the Simpsons exaggerate Bart's injuries, which leads to yet another strain on Marge and Homer's marriage.

The episode marks the FirstAppearance of incompetent lawyer Lionel Hutz, incompetent physician Dr. Nick Riviera and the Blue-Haired Lawyer.

* BackAlleyDoctor: Dr. Nick Riviera makes his first appearance in this episode, and what he does is make sure Bart looks a lot more injured than he really is, including virtually mummifying him in bandages. Marge says in her statement that she really doesn't think he's certified at all.
* BackfireOnTheWitnessStand: When Mr. Burns calls Homer and Marge to his mansion to settle for $500,000 instead of the million Homer is asking for, he eavesdrops on Homer and Marge's conversation, and back at the courtroom, Burns has his lawyers ask Marge to repeat what she said back at the mansion. When Marge testifies, she states that she just wanted Mr. Burns to admit culpability and pay for Bart's hospital bill, but Hutz convinced her and Homer to instead sue for a million dollars and to take Bart to see Nick Riviera instead of Dr. Hibbert, because the former came up with the idea to make Bart's injuries look more serious than they were, and even states that Riviera may be a BackAlleyDoctor. As a result of Marge's testimony, Homer has to settle for zero dollars.

* BlatantLies: Both Bart and Mr. Burns's testimony at trial is pretty much this, though the jury seems more inclined to believe Bart's.

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Hutz is portrayed as more competent than he would be in later episodes, coming very close to winning the court case against Mr. Burns, and losing only due to the actions of the Simpsons. Later episodes would go on to show how he's not only a comically inept lawyer but that he may not be qualified to even ''be'' one.

** This is one of few episodes, save for "Treehouse of Horror", where the title appears on the screen at the start of the episode. (The writers said they included it so people would wonder if all the previous episodes had onscreen titles and they just hadn't noticed.)

** Mr. Burns is driving himself as he hits Bart when the later episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E17HomerTheSmithers Homer the Smithers]]" establishes that Burns avoids doing anything for himself, including driving.
** In later episodes, Orville Simpson looks [[IdenticalGrandson almost identical to either Homer or Abe.]] Here, he looks like neither, though this could be due to his appearance being entirely in Bart's imagination.
* EasilyForgiven: DoubleSubverted: Homer actually spends some time wrestling with the fact that Marge's actions cost him a million dollars, fearing it's something he won't be able to live peacefully with and even that it may have caused him to fall out of love with her. However, after she urges him to look her in the eyes and decide how he feels, his anger melts away and he declares that he loves her more than ever.

* EvenTheDogIsAshamed: Well, right-hand man. Even Smithers scowls unimpressed at Burns's false testimony. Not helped in the least that he vilified him in his retelling to make himself look good.

--> '''Smithers:''' Uh-oh, I think the boy's hurt.\\

--> '''Burns:''' HANG YOUR HEADS IN SHAME, YOU OVERPRICED, UNDER-BRAINED GLORIFIED NOTARY PUBLICS!! JUST GET THAT BIG APE TO MY HOUSE TONIGHT! AND WE'LL BUY HIM OFF WITH A BANANA OR TWO!!!

--> '''Burns:''' ''(while holding an unconscious Bart in his arms)'' [[BigNo NOOOOOOO!]] TAKE ME! I'M OLLLLLD!

* FrivolousLawsuit: Mr. Burns accidentally hits Bart with his limo; the family attorney 'tricks' Homer into exaggerating the resulting injuries to squeeze more money from Burns.
-->'''Lionel Hutz:''' Doctor, are you sure there isn't a little soft tissue trauma in the facial area?\\
'''Dr. Nick''': Oh yeah, tons of it! ''[wrapping Bart's head with bandages]'' Just say when!

* GrayAndGrayMorality: Mr. Burns is just as wretched as ever and is completely unconcerned when he hits Bart. However, it really was an honest accident on Burns' part, Bart's jaywalking on his skateboard was as much to blame, and Homer's lawsuit against him is [[FrivolousLawsuit completely frivolous]] as Bart's injuries weren't particularly grievous or expensive, which is why Burns' win doesn't make him a KarmaHoudini. Everyone's in the wrong here.

* JerkassHasAPoint: Mr. Burns angrily berates his lawyers for nearly losing the case. He's arguably justified given that they're being outwitted by the incompetent AmbulanceChaser Lionel Hutz. Notably, Burns wins the case almost on his own by inviting Homer and Marge to his house and then eavesdropping on their conversation and Marge's concerns about Hutz's sleazy tactics. His lawyers' only real contribution was to formally call Marge to the stand.

* KickTheDog: Mr. Burns scathingly tells Smithers to "just give [Bart] a nickel and let's get going", showing his obvious [[NoSympathy lack of concern for Bart's safety]].

* MyCard: Lionel Hutz gives the Simpsons a card that ''turns into a sponge when you put it in water''.

** Homer refuses to take Mr. Burns's offer, and Marge tells him that she doesn't like the situation they're in, including Homer's greed and "phony doctors". Burns overhears this and has Marge up to the stands to confess everything. Later, Homer confesses to Marge that he isn't sure if he loves her anymore for blowing their chance at $1 million.
** Marge takes no responsibility for failing to ensure that at least Bart's medical bills were covered. Despite Homer rejecting Mr. Burns' offer of $100 because it didn't cover Bart's medical expenses, Marge focuses only on the $5 that she would have given Bart had he done his chores. Marge is in the right for standing against Homer's greed, but she could have told the truth about Bart's medical bills and still left the Simpsons in position to receive a few thousand dollars in damages from Mr. Burns to cover them. Although $5,000 to $10,000 is hardly anything to a billionaire like Burns, it's a significant sum to a middle-class family like the Simpsons, especially in 1991.

* NotHelpingYourCase: Mr. Burns proclaiming that a man of his stature should be allowed to run over as many kids as he wants probably played a significant role in the court believing Bart's story.

* OpenMouthInsertFoot: Marge brings up the “phony doctors” whilst at Mr. Burns's mansion, while he and Smithers were spying on them. She may not have known this fact, but she should have remembered to be careful of what she mentioned regardless.

* PatheticallyWeak: Mr. Burns threatens to crush Homer like a paper cup, then discovers he has great difficulty crushing a ''real'' paper cup.

* PragmaticVillainy: Mr. Burns doesn't fire Homer because of the media backlash he would likely suffer as a result. He has to be convinced by Smithers first, though, as he initially [[ImagineSpot imagines]] that he'll be regarded as a hero.
* RashomonStyle: Both Bart and Mr. Burns deliver different retellings of the accident to the court, exaggerating things to make themselves look more sympathetic in order to win the case. Bart claims that Mr. Burns intentionally tried to run him down, while Mr. Burns says that the boy moved wildly all over the road as he desperately tried to avoid hitting Bart (and let out an emotional BigNo and TakeMeInstead when he did). Neither are remotely true, but the court clearly sides with Bart and doesn't buy Mr. Burns's story for a second.
* RunningOverThePlot: As the episode's title says, Bart is hit by a car. Being more specific, he's hit by Monty Burns' car and the episode revolves around Homer [[FrivolousLawsuit trying to fleece Burns for all the money he can in court]].

* TakeMeInstead: Mr. Burns's cry when Bart is hit by a car, according to his testimony.

* TimeMarchesOn: Satan says Bart isn't supposed to arrive in Hell, until ''"the Yankees wins the pennant. That's nearly a century from now."'' In RealLife, the Yankees have won the A.L. pennant seven times and the World Series five times since the episode aired, the first time for each in 1996.[[note]](As of January 1, 2015.)[[/note]]

** Bart forgot to look both ways before skateboarding across the street, and [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin is hit by Mr. Burns' car]].

** Satan says: ''"[[WaxingLyrical Please, allow me to introduce myself]]"'', which is a reference to the first line in Music/TheRollingStones' song "Sympathy for the Devil" from ''Music/BeggarsBanquet''.

* TooDumbToLive: Bart actually goes to Heaven first, but he blows it by disobeying the rules immediately after hearing them. After which he plummets to Hell.

* SpannerInTheWorks: The lawsuit was definitely going to be won by Hutz and Homer, up until Marge makes clear out loud one time too many that she doesn't feel comfortable about being part of it. She then cinches it by confessing in court (thanks to Burns's lawyers summoning her as a witness) that Bart wasn't hurt too badly (that she knows of) as a result of being hit by the car.

* NeverMyFault: Homer refuses to take Mr. Burns's offer, and Marge tells him that she doesn't like the situation they're in, including Homer's greed and "phony doctors". Burns overhears this and has Marge up to the stands to confess everything. Later, Homer confesses to Marge that he isn't sure if he loves her anymore for blowing their chance at $1 million.

Episode - 7F10\\
First Aired - 1/10/1991

In '''Bart Gets Hit by a Car''', [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Bart is hit by Mr. Burns's car]] and falls into a coma. When he wakes up his family tries to create a lawsuit against Mr. Burns. Both Burns and the Simpsons exaggarate Bart's injuries, which leads to yet another strain on Marge and Homer's marriage.

* KickTheDog:
** Mr. Burns scathingly tells Smithers to "just give [Bart] a nickel and let's get going", showing his obvious [[NoSympathy lack of concern for Bart's safety]].
%% ** Marge comparing the "hardships" of Bart's injuries to the $5 she pays him to take out the trash every week. While Dr. Nick did exaggerate Bart's injuries and Homer's lawsuit was frivolous, Marge seems remarkably unconcerned about the fact that Bart was injured at all after the hub-bub died down.