History Recap / TheSimpsonsS2E7BartVsThanksgiving

The definitive Thanksgiving episode—and [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS31E8ThanksgivingOfHorror one of only two]] that ''The Simpsons'' has done—is '''Bart vs. Thanksgiving''', where Bart learns the meaning of the holiday, remorse, and forgiveness after getting into a fight with his family and running away from home.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
** Although Bart was able to fool the blood bank into thinking he was 18 (by using Homer's ID) to get $12 and a cookie, since he's only ten, he promptly faints upon leaving. And Santa's Little Helper eats the cookie himself.
** This is why Lou and Eddie are shocked that Marge told Bart he ruined Thanksgiving; it's one thing that he wasn't sorry about destroying Lisa's centerpiece, but it's another that Bart was the kid in the situation and Marge is the adult. Thus she ought to be the mature one about it or maybe have stopped the fight before it went too far. Marge herself realizes that what she said was uncalled for and out of line when recounting it.

* AwkwardPoetryReading: Lisa channels her anger at Bart into a poem, "[[Literature/Howl1995 Howl]] of the Unappreciated". She tries to read it to her family, but gets five words in before they [[CoincidentalBroadcast notice Bart on a TV broadcast]] and push her aside indifferently.

* AwkwardPoetryReading: Lisa channels her anger at Bart into a poem, "Literature/{{Howl}} of the Unappreciated". She tries to read it to her family, but gets five words in before they [[CoincidentalBroadcast notice Bart on a TV broadcast]] and push her aside indifferently.

* YouAreGrounded: This is essentially what happens to Bart at the end of Act 1. The beginning of Act 2 has Bart feeling unloved and mistreated due to said grounding. The shot of Bart stating that he always gets blamed for everything while stewing in anger over what happened prior, sums up the whole notion of what being grounded is all about. In one single shot!

* ScapeGoat: Bart imagines that everyone will blame him for everything from Homer being bald to America losing its way on him if he apologizes to Lisa.

* {{Hypocrite}}: The adults don't step in when Bart tries to move Lisa's centerpiece, nor try to save it when he throws it into the fire, but are quick to come down on him once it's destroyed. They pay for this when Bart runs away.

* OffModel:
** Kent Brockman, when leaving the homeless shelter. He looks more like Rainer Wolfcastle with white hair.
** Lou and Eddie's voices are switched when they question Homer and Marge.

* OffModel: Kent Brockman, when leaving the homeless shelter. He looks more like Rainer Wolfcastle with white hair.

* FreezeFrameBonus: Bart tossing Lisa's centerpiece into the fire was no accident. If one pauses the scene at the right moment, [[https://ibb.co/ctGG3k he is seen]] [[SlasherSmile smiling evilly]] as it gets thrown into the fire. Of course, there's no way he'd known that would set the fire.

* AdultsAreUseless: When Bart and Lisa fight over the centerpiece, and then Bart throws said centerpiece into the fire, the adults just sit and watch—with Grampa even getting ''excited'' watching it. It isn't until after Lisa runs crying to her room that Marge and Homer come down hard on Bart when it's too late to deescalate the situation.

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: While she wasn't exactly the warmest of people in her subsequent appearances (especially towards her son-in-law and for the episodes that she actually appears), here Mrs. Bouvier is a {{Jerkass}} towards almost the entire family, even tells her youngest daughter that she never does anything right, compared to the deadpan but somewhat lonely and passive character she is in later episodes.

* ItsAllMyFault: Bart hears Lisa crying in her room telling herself that she can't help but feel responsible for Bart running away. Homer and Marge also feel this way looking back at the nasty things they said.

* LaserGuidedKarma: Bart and his family inflict this on each other. He destroys the centerpiece in a fit of anger or accident and refuses to apologize, but the adults could have split up the siblings and made room on the table for both the centerpiece and the turkey. Bart is sent to his room after Marge tells him "You ruined Thanksgiving!" and ordered to apologize. He runs away from home, causing the motherload of fear when his family realizes he went to a homeless shelter and then vanished. Bart eventually suffers a JerkassRealization after he hears Lisa crying and talks to her. It's only when he apologizes to Lisa, that his parents let him come inside without any fuss, that they can finally enjoy dinner in peace. All in all, Lisa is the only innocent party who didn't deserve any of the drama.

* CantGetAwayWithNuthin: After the centerpiece flings into the fireplace, it spontaneously sets alight and burns the whole thing to char. To really punctuate this, Homer had been arduously trying in vain to light it earlier.

* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: At the end of the episode, when Bart finally apologizes for wrecking Lisa's centerpiece and she happily accepts it. She kisses his cheek, and Marge and Homer listen through the vent and remark that they ''are'' good parents.

* FreezeFrameBonus: Bart tossing Lisa's centerpiece into the fire was no accident. If one pauses the scene at the right moment, [[https://ibb.co/ctGG3k he is seen]] [[SlasherSmile smiling evilly]] as it gets thrown into the fire. Of course, there's no way he'd knew that would set the fire.

* BadBoss: Mr Burns doesn't offer any of the leftovers from his overly extravagant meal to Smithers or any of his other employees, simply telling the former to throw it all away.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodSandwich: Mr. Burns, who has a table of food that could feed people for months. He only eats a little of the slice of turkey and orders the rest to be thrown out and is waiting for the pumpkin pie.

* WouldHurtAChild: After being notified about Bart's presence by security, Mr Burns doesn't hesitate to set his vicious attack hounds on the young boy, instead of simply having him escorted off the premises.

-->"I hope you're happy, Bart. You've ruined Thanksgiving!"

* ThanksgivingEpisode: This episode actually aired on ''the same day as'' Thanksgiving and centred on a Thanksgiving meal gone bad (as a result of Bart and Lisa's fighting). While many Thanksgiving episodes indeed are about ill-fated dinners, and there are plenty of in-jokes and gags, this episode had actual sentiment and one of its central characters was enlightened about the meaning of the holiday (after he runs into two homeless men who have very little, if anything).

* SuddenlyVoiced: It's only in Bart's ImagineSpot, but Maggie says, "It's your fault I can't talk!".

* JerkassHasAPoint: While Homer and Marge went too far in punishing Bart and declaring that "he ruined Thanksgiving" [[WasTooHardOnHim regretful or not,]] Bart did throw the centerpiece in the fireplace on purpose and without any remorse. Along with that, Marge has to deal with her sisters, her mother, and father-in-law, not to mention the preparation of the feast itself. One's patience can only go so far, especially if one has Bart for a child.

** This is why Lou and Eddie are shocked that Marge told Bart he ruined Thanksgiving; it's one thing that he wasn't sorry about destroying her centrepiece, but it's another that Bart was the kid in the situation and Marge is the adult. Thus she ought to be the mature one about it or maybe have stopped the fight before it went too far. Marge herself realizes that what she said was uncalled for and out of line when recounting it.

* AdultFear: Whilst the whole family is shocked to see that Bart is down at the homeless shelter, rather than in his room, Marge and Homer are especially concerned. They even worry if they will ever see Bart again.

* OhCrap: As far as everyone was concerned, Bart was still in his room, refusing to apologize for the incident at dinner. So naturally they are shocked to see Bart appear during Kent Brockman's report from the homeless shelter.

* SelfDeprecation: See BreakingTheFourthWall above.

* ThanksgivingEpisode: While "Homer vs. Dignity"[[note]]The climax centres around a parade like the Macy's parade and Homer being expected to shower the audience with fish guts as a prank to end all pranks.[[/note]] and "Homer the Moe"[[note]]Homer hunting for a Thanksgiving turkey as part of his hunting club which was an attempt to get around local liquor laws.[[/note]] also have Thanksgiving in the plot, those episodes aired on Sunday instead of Thursday and had Thanksgiving shoehorned into the final act. This episode actually aired on Thanksgiving (which is on the fourth Thursday of November in America, while ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' were competing with ''Series/TheCosbyShow'' on Thursdays. Canadian Thanksgiving is in October) and centred on a Thanksgiving meal gone bad. While many Thanksgiving episodes indeed are about ill-fated dinners, and there are plenty of in-jokes and gags, critics lauded this episode because it had actual sentiment and one of its central characters was enlightened about the meaning of the holiday (after he runs into two homeless men who have very little, if anything).