Line #10 Recap/TheSimpsonsS15E21BartMangledBanner


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bart_mangled_banner.jpg]]
2	'''Original air date:''' 5/16/2004
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4	'''Production code:''' FABF-17
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6	The episode starts with Marge and Homer tricking the kids into getting flu shots, giving them cute kittens to distract them while they drive to the hospital. Bart, however, is too fast and escapes from Dr. Hibbert's office before he can inoculate him. The doctor then makes it his sworn duty to give the boy a jab of the needle, as shown in a montage where he tries to get him at his school, at a funfair, and by plane in a ''[[Film/NorthByNorthwest North By Northwest]]'' homage. He eventually gets him by getting town drunk Barney to dress up as him and then rip his face mask off while the doctor takes advantage of Bart's confusion by jabbing him when he's unprepared. Bart then suddenly goes deaf as a side effect of the shot, unfortunately the annual teacher vs. student school donkey basketball game is coming up.
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8	Before the game, a deaf Bart plays a prank on one of the donkeys by waving a carrot repeatedly in front of his face, then puts it in the back of his shorts, all while the national anthem plays. The donkey gets revenge on Bart by chewing off his shorts from the back just as the flag comes down, giving the appearance that he is mooning the flag. School photographer Martin takes a snap and eventually the picture becomes popular, with newspapers and subsequently the townspeople jumping on the idea that the Simpsons hate America, making the family pariahs as a result. This goes on for days and eventually Homer gets the idea to go on a popular talk show to prove that they don't hate the country.
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10	While on the show, the host Nash Castor repeatedly tries to get the family to say that they hate America. Marge sarcastically says that if all Americans are loudmouthed talk show hosts, then she does hate America. Everyone reacts in shock. She tries to defend her case by saying that she is very well-liked in Springfield, then Castor uses that as an excuse to say that Springfield hates America, which soon catches on worldwide. The town's reputation having been ruined, Mayor Quimby gets the idea to rename it to "Libertyville", where people wear flag-themed clothing everything is on sale for $17.76. During a patriotism-themed church sermon Lisa points out that people are being forced to love America, which goes against the foundation of the country. The family are then promptly arrested and put on Alcatraz for violation of the "Government Knows Best Act".
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12	After days stuck in a small, lonely jail cell, a strange old man who touts himself as "the last registered Democrat" offers to help the family escape during a prison talent show where they sing an ultra-patriotic song. The audience are so distracted by the act that they miss the family escaping through a trap door below the stage. They dig up through the tunnel where they're being hunted in, and discover that the prison they're in is indeed on an island in a middle of an ocean. The family have no choice but to jump into the sea, where they come across a barge ran by French sea-farers, who rescue the family as they believe they hate America, just like them. The family enjoy their new life in France, but eventually decide that there's no place like home and decide to come back to America pretending to be immigrants to avoid a witch hunt.
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15	!!This episode contains examples of:
16	* ActuallyPrettyFunny:
17	** Skinner brings up other times Bart has [[CryingWolf feigned illness for mischief]], showing photos of Blind Bart, Wheelchair Bart, and Pregnant Bart. He then adds that his personal favorite is Railroad Spike-Through-Head Bart.
18	** Lisa laughs uproariously at the propaganda video's portrayal of the Bill of Rights as a drunken, vomiting cousin to the Constitution.
19	--->'''Marge:''' Lisa, that's not funny. You believe in the Bill of Rights.
20	--->'''Lisa:''' I don't know whether it's the lack of sleep, the sodium pentothal, or that it's the only cartoon I've seen in two months--[[OOCIsSeriousBusiness but this is what I believe in now]].
21	* ActuallyQuiteCatchy: When the Simpsons escape from Alcatraz, Homer is still singing the song they sang for the talent show.
22	-->'''Homer''': [singing] Okay, kids, show off your pipes!
23	-->'''Bart''': Dad, why are you still singing that stupid song?
24	-->'''Homer''': Because if they catch us, we'll have to do it again. And this time, I want it tight!
25	* AfraidOfNeedles: The Simpson children are as enthused about getting their flu shots as any kid, but Bart takes avoidance to the next level by escaping out a window.
26	* ArtisticLicenseBiology: While temporary hearing loss after a flu shot is certainly possible, it's less likely that it would set in within seconds of the jab.
27	* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Alcatraz hasn't been used as an actual prison since 1963, and these days, is a tourist attraction, so The Simpsons (along with [[Series/SesameStreet Elmo]], the Music/DixieChicks and anyone who opposes George W. Bush) should not have been locked away there. Though it could be that all these prisoners are in some sort of underground facility that the tourists would not know about.
28	* TheCatCameBack: Parodied with Dr. Hibbert's pursuit of Bart. It turns out they were several characters disguised as Hibbert.
29	* ContinuityNod:
30	** The title of the episode is taken from a line in "Bart vs. Lisa vs. the Third Grade."
31	** The RandomEventsPlot of the week finally necessitates a trip to Paris, as Marge hoped it would in "The Great Louse Detective." While there, she also gets to replace the Chanel suit she bought in "Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield," as in France they're five for a dollar.
32	* CryingWolf: Marge tries to tell Skinner that Bart was deaf when he mooned the flag; however, due to Bart having a historial of similar pranks, Skinner doesn't buy it.
33	-->'''Marge''': I swear, Bart didn't know what he was doing. He was deaf.
34	-->'''Skinner''': Oh, sure, Marge. Just like Blind Bart, Wheelchair Bart, Pregnant Bart, and my personal favorite, Railroad Spike-Through-Head Bart.
35	* CuteKitten: Homer has a ''bag'' of these on hand to lure the kids into a false sense of security when taking them for their shots.
36	-->'''Lisa:''' Make mine calico!
37	* DerangedAnimation: After Dr. Hibbert tricked Homer to sign a malpractice waiver, he runs away ''very stiffly''.
38	* {{Determinator}}: Bart escapes through a window before he can get a shot, so Dr. Hibbert pursues him for days with increasingly bizarre attempts to finish the job, finally succeeding by enlisting Barney (and Moe) to don LatexPerfection disguises and pretend to be him so that he can sneak up on Bart from another angle.
39	* DeusExMachina: The French come to the Simpsons' aid as they are fleeing from Alcatraz. Not only do they save them from having to swim for hours and be pursued by the police, but they even pamper the Simpsons with fine cuisine and sumptuous fashion in Paris.
40	* DrivenToSuicide: Homer mentions that Elmo hung himself in his cell.
41	* DumbassHasAPoint: ''Homer'' correctly advises Bart and his family to just apologize about the incident and not say anything else to make things worse. However, [[IdiotBall Marge]] has to ruin it.
42	* EnemyMine: The French rescue and naturalize the Simpsons on the account that they must hate America because they've been thrown into Alcatraz and are escaping from it.
43	* EveryoneHasStandards: Although he immediately twists it to his own benefit, even Nash Castor gives Marge (who almost always is an example of WomenAreWiser) a wide-eyed and wide-mouthed shocked stare when ''she'' is the one who snaps and says something on national television that will put the family in deeper trouble.
44	* HalfwayPlotSwitch: It started with Bart going deaf from a bad innoculation and then becomes a satire of post 9/11 Patriotism.
45	* HandWave: PlayedForLaughs. While Bart is temporarily deaf, he unwittingly intimidates the bullies, who don't realize he can't hear their demands and think he's standing his ground, [[PaperTiger causing them to flee him in alarm]]. Later, they beat him up for his supposed disrespect of the flag, leading to this exchange:
46	-->'''Kearney:''' [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse Weren't we afraid of him just a few days ago?]]
47	-->'''Dolph:''' [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall We're complex!]]
48	* HeroWithBadPublicity: The Simpsons become this and ostracized then imprisoned for apparently hating America and spewing anti-American sentiment.
49	* {{Hypocrite}}: The patriotic Americans claim their country endorses liberty and freedoms, but they're battling freedom of speech by locking up people with liberal, leftist opinions (including Bill Clinton) and demonizing whoever dislikes America. The Simpsons got locked up in Alcatraz just for controversial speech!
50	* IdiotBall:
51	** Bart for not telling the people around him that his ears got swollen shut so they need to write down their messages to him, instead just trying to guess what they're saying by reading their lips. It's like he ''immediately'' adapted to living like a deaf person!
52	** Was it even a good idea for Homer and Marge to let Bart return to school without letting his ears heal first?
53	* InjectionPlot: Over the first couple of minutes, until Dr. Hibbert finally sticks Bart after multiple attempts only for him to go temporarily deaf when his ear canal swells shut.
54	* InstantlyProvenWrong: A tenth of a second after Lisa gives a speech in church that America is built on the concept of free speech, and that this has all been an overreaction and people should be ashamed, federal agents [[DynamicEntry burst through the church's windows]] and arrest the Simpson family at gunpoint for violating the [[ThoughtCrime "Government Knows Best" act]].
55	* KarmaHoudini: Needless to say, despite being responsible for the following chain of events, Hibbert and Barney get away with making Bart deaf. The unseen handler of the donkey also gets no recourse for letting it go after the boy.
56	* KafkaKomedy: The family become town pariahs after Bart accidentally moons the flag after a donkey rips his shorts off (although it did so as revenge for Bart torturing it with a carrot, which is pretty mean in the first place).
57	* KidsDrivingCars: Implied when Bart escapes the medical center by jumping through a window. The next thing we hear is the sound of a car pulling out of the parking lot.
58	* TheMagazineRule: Bart reads a magazine called ''Temporarily Deaf Weekly'' whose cover model is an attractive, bikini-clad woman with an ear trumpet.
59	* MassOhCrap: The Simpson kids' reaction upon realizing that their parents are taking them to get their flu shots.
60	* {{Mooning}}: Would you believe Bart did this by ''accident?'' Well, neither would anybody else.
61	* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: Hibbert's first response to Bart developing an allergic reaction to the flu shot he gave him is not to do anything about it, but instead to swindle Homer into signing a document that will prevent him from suing Hibbert for malpractice and then run away.
62	* MyCountryTisOfTheeThatISting: The whole episode is a satire of post-9/11 American patriotism, taking specific potshots at the American Republican Party. Though near the end of the episode The Simpsons do migrate back to the USA, because they miss it, despite everything that happened.
63	* NoIndoorVoice: The conservative talk show host who brings the family on to frame them as anti-Americans. He even goes to commercial break promising to "talk even louder than this" when they return.
64	* NoodleIncident:
65	** Elmo is in Alcatraz because he "went to wrong fundraiser".
66	** [[RiddleForTheAges For reasons unknown]], [[PersonaNonGrata Dr. Hibbert is not allowed in the library anymore]]. All we know is that Moe did ''something'' to make it happen while disguised as Hibbert.
67	* NotWhatItLooksLike: Due to being temporarily deaf after a flu shot, Bart has no idea the National Anthem is being performed and is busy teasing a donkey with a carrot, which he then sticks in the back of his shorts. The donkey rips his shorts off right around the moment that the flag is unfurled behind him, making everybody think he was mooning the flag.
68	* TheOldConvict: The last registered Democrat.
69	* PaperTiger: The bullies demand Bart's wallet, not realizing he's deaf. They're stymied by his failure to comply and end up fleeing in terror.
70	-->'''Kearney:''' He's just standing his ground!
71	-->'''Dolph:''' He knows that deep down, all bullies are cowards!
72	-->'''Jimbo:''' We're undone!
73	* PatrioticFervor: Mercilessly parodied, since this episode aired recently after the 9/11 attacks, which triggered a strong wave of patriotism in the United States.
74	* PersonaNonGrata: Thanks to Moe, Hibbert got banned from the library for reasons unknown.
75	* PoliticalOvercorrectness: The switch from Springfield to "Libertyville", including making everything themed with PatrioticFervor to the point it's actually stupid ''and'' dangerous, like changing traffic lights to red, white and blue and apparently not keeping the red on the regular "stop" position, or changing '''all''' of the prices of items for sale in town to $17.76, which would only allow items like pizza slices to prosper.
76	* PompousPoliticalPundit: Nash Castor, the talk show host who interviews the Simpsons (or rather, badgers them into saying something stupid by questioning them if they hate America). He tells the audience to tune in next time to hear him talk louder.
77	* PostTreatmentLollipop: Lisa get one after receiving her shot.
78	* PrisonerPerformance: The prison inmates who have been arrested for hating America perform a talent show. It starts with former president Bill Clinton putting one hundred cigarettes in his mouth. Then the Simpsons perform a musical number about America, which turns out to be a distraction for the guards in order for the family to escape the prison.
79	-->'''Last Registered Democrat:''' You guys are on after Al Franken, so the guards will have used up most of their bullets.
80	* PropagandaMachine: Lisa falls for the WesternAnimation/SchoolhouseRock[=-esque=] propaganda video at her re-education center because it's the first cartoon she's seen in 2 months.
81	* PunBasedTitle: On "Star-Spangled Banner".
82	* RageBreakingPoint: Marge can't tolerate the talk show host's constant instigation towards her family (he just asks them if they hate America and which part of it in specific, rather than allowing them to explain what happened with Bart which is the reason they were allegedly invited), so when she finally snaps she sarcastically says that she hates America and a lot of things in it, ''especially'' crappy talk show hosts. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero It puts her family in deeper water, eventually leading to them getting arrested.]]
83	* RandomEventsPlot: The episode begins with Bart going deaf and ends with the Simpsons in France, with a plot of Springfield changing its name to "Libertyville" in the middle. Need we say more?
84	* RepeatingSoTheAudienceCanHear:
85	-->'''Homer:''' Hello? Appear on your TV show? Tell our side of the story? You'll see us there? [[ParrotExposition Goodbye? Dial tone?]]
86	* SeriesContinuityError: At the end of the episode, the Simpson family decides to live in New York. This also includes Homer, despite him expressing his hatred towards the city in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS9E1TheCityOfNewYorkVsHomerSimpson The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson]]".
87	* ShoutOut:
88	** The Simpsons escaping fleeing military surveillance while singing in public? You would expect them to sing "[[Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic Edelweiss]]".
89	** "Headbutt" The talk show the family appears on is a reference to the CNN debate show "Crossfire" with Nash Castor being an expy of Tucker Carlson.
90	* SingleEpisodeHandicap: [[SignatureStyle This being]] ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', [[HalfwayPlotSwitch it's really more of]] [[RandomEventsPlot a quarter-episode handicap]]. However, it kicks off the whole story when Bart's temporarily deafness causes the episode's [[NotWhatItLooksLike inciting misunderstanding]].
91	* StatusQuoIsGod: By the time the next episode takes place, the changes in this episode is reversed with zero explanation.
92	* StealthPun: The donkey literally [[CharacterCatchphrase ate Bart's shorts]].
93	* TakeThat:
94	** At the overzealous patriotic attitudes of post-9/11 America during Bush's first term. The "Government Knows Best Act" is a jab at the controversial Patriot Act.
95	** The prisoners at Alcatraz include various people known for their opposition to Bush's America, including filmmaker Creator/MichaelMoore, the Music/DixieChicks and (for some reason) [[Series/SesameStreet Elmo]].
96	--->'''Elmo''': Elmo go to wrong fundraiser.
97	** "Headbutt" with Nash Castor serves as a TakeThat to the CNN debate show "Crossfire" (which Jon Stewart famously criticized when he appeared on it, which many say played a major role in its cancellation) and its host Tucker Carlson (who was infamous for getting loud and obnoxious with any guest who didn't agree with him, which lead to the Stewart incident).
98	** A couple of swipes at California cities.
99	-->'''Lisa''': Swim toward UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco!
100	-->'''Homer''': I'm not made of money! We'll swim to UsefulNotes/{{Oakland}}!
101	* ThoughtCrime: The "Government Knows Best" Act, which tosses the Simpsons in federal prison.
102	* ATragedyOfImpulsiveness: Marge getting fed up with Nash Castor and doing a sarcastic, angry rant ''on national television'' about how she hates America because it produces jerky, loudmouthed TV hosts. Everybody on the set (''even Castor'') looks at her in shock and sure enough the family turns into pariahs.
103	* TrickedIntoSigning: Homer upon a malpractice waiver agreeing not to sue Dr. Hibbert.
104	* WantingIsBetterThanHaving: Moving to France actually (eventually) gets the Simpsons fed up with stuff like eating bread all day long which makes them flee back to America... bear in mind, one of the show's running gags is Marge having a very deep desire to visit Paris.

Context Recap / TheSimpsonsS15E21BartMangledBanner