Line #5 Recap/TheSimpsonsS1E8TheTelltaleHead


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/simpsons_season_1_8_the_telltale_head.jpg]]
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3	'''Original air date:''' 2/25/1990
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5	'''Production code:''' 7G07
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7	Cornered at the town square by a pitchfork and torch-wielding mob, Bart tells the rioting townspeople the story of how he stole the head of town founder Jebediah Springfield to impress some local thugs, Dolph, Jimbo Jones, and Kearney.
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9	This is one of four episodes ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' creator Creator/MattGroening has a writing credit on.
10	----
11	!!This episode contains examples of:
12	* ArmorPiercingQuestion: "Is the Lincoln Memorial just a statue?! Is the Art/StatueOfLiberty just a statue?!"
13	* BlandNameProduct: The Aztec Theater makes its first appearance in this episode. A parody of the "Egyptian Theatre" cinemas that started to pop up in America in the 1920s.
14	* CharacterisationClickMoment: The first glimpse of Smithers's affection towards his boss.
15	-->''[after Bart puts the head back on the statue]''\
16	'''Mr. Burns:''' I love you, Smithers.\
17	'''Smithers:''' The feeling's more than mutual, sir.
18	* CouchGag: The family sits on the couch and squashes Bart into the air. He comes back down during the TV scene.
19	* EarlyBirdCameo:
20	** Apu makes his first appearance in this episode; at the time he was not intended to be anything more than a one-off topical joke about immigrant workers at chain retailer stores.
21	** Sideshow Bob appears in this episode briefly on Krusty's show, and again as part of the crowd at the end.
22	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
23	** The statue of Jebediah Springfield does not have his motto, "A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man", engraved on it. The motto itself would not debut until Season 7.
24	** Shoplifting is referred to by Dolph as "FiveFingerDiscount", while in subsequent episodes they call it "Four-Finger Discount" due to everyone in the show having FourFingeredHands.
25	** This episode opens with a CouchGag that continues into the shot of the television screen ("[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS1E2BartTheGenius Bart the Genius]]" also used this gag). The next episode to have this is "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS26E2TheWreckOfTheRelationship The Wreck of the Relationship]]" from Season 26.
26	** Homer is shown browsing photos of bowling balls in several scenes. Outside of "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS1E9LifeOnTheFastLane Life on the Fast Lane]]" and "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS3E15HomerAlone Homer Alone]]", he never displays such an interest in bowling (or indeed, [[LazyBum any kind of sport]]). He did briefly have a job at a Bowling Alley according to "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS6E13AndMaggieMakesThree And Maggie Makes Three]]", but apparently treated it as an excuse to goof off and not actually bowl.
27	** Sideshow Bob is shown to be more or less happy working on Krusty the Clown's show, and you'd never guess he was harboring any of the resentment that would [[StartOfDarkness drive him to frame Krusty for armed robbery]] and become [[BigBad the show's most prominent recurring villain]] (though "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS1E12KrustyGetsBusted Krusty Gets Busted]]" had something to do with Sideshow Bob's change in personality). And with the exception of one really brief scene Sideshow Bob's hair looks completely different than it normally does, instead looking closer to Krusty's replacement sidekick, Sideshow Mel.
28	** This is one of the few episodes to feature an EpisodeTitleCard.
29	* EasilyForgiven: Given just ''how'' eager the crowd was for Bart's blood, they're charmed off their game awfully fast. Particularly true in the revised version, which throws in a LampshadeHanging courtesy of Homer.
30	-->'''Homer:''' Good going, son! But remember, most lynch mobs aren't this nice.
31	* EpisodeTitleCard: One of the rare ''Simpsons'' episodes to have its title in the opening credits.
32	* EvenEvilHasStandards:
33	** Dolph, Jimbo, and Kearney may be petty thugs, but when they hear that someone defaced the statue of Jebediah Springfield, they want to bash his face in, explaining that what they said about wanting to deface the statue themselves was just "cloud talk". Oddly enough, [[CharacterizationMarchesOn they seem happy enough to cut it off in the revised intro]] some seasons later.
34	** It may be a case of EarlyInstallmentWeirdness, but Mr. Burns -- ''the'' Charles Montgomery Burns -- actually cries at the sight of the headless statue and joins the angry mob in retaliation.
35	** Sideshow Bob is among those seen smiling in gratitude after Bart restores the head to the statue. (Granted, at this point, he hasn't undergone his StartOfDarkness yet.)
36	* FelonyMisdemeanor: Bart's crime of stealing the statue's head plunges the town into gloom and is treated as an atrocity the like of which no one has ever seen. No matter what your feelings are on statue vandalism, sending a lynch mob out after a 10-year-old is probably a little much.
37	* FiveFingerDiscount: Dolph, Jimbo, and Kearney make off with a bunch of stuff from the Kwik-E-Mart while Bart is buying Squishees from Apu. Dolph even uses the trope-naming euphemism.
38	* HaveAGayOldTime: When Homer was Bart's age, he "pulled a few boners" (in this context, a "boner" is a slang term for a mistake, not a RagingStiffie. The "mistake" definition of "boner" is not used much these days).
39	* HealthyInHeaven: The Sunday school class discusses heaven, and Bart brings up what happens to people with amputated limbs ([[OhNoNotAgain apparently not for the first time]]).
40	--> '''Bart:''' Um, ma'am, what if you're a really good person, but you're in a really, really bad fight and your leg gets gangrene, and it has to be amputated? Will it be waiting for you in heaven?\
41	'''Teacher:''' For the last time, Bart, yes!
42	* HearingVoices: A guilt-ridden Bart hears Jebediah Springfield's voice in his head when he buries the statue's head in the backyard.
43	* {{Heaven}}: Discussed in Bart's Sunday school class. Bart stumps the teacher by asking her who/what will be there. Lisa is told a flat "No" when she asks [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman if pets go to Heaven]], and Milhouse gets the same answer when he asks about cavemen.
44	-->'''Teacher:''' ''(exasperated)'' The ventriloquist goes to Heaven, but the dummy doesn't. ''(Bart raises his hand)'' Bart?\
45	'''Bart:''' What about a robot with a human brain?\
46	'''Teacher:''' ''(frazzled)'' I don't know! All these questions; is a little blind faith too much to ask?!
47	* HeelRealization: Homer has one when his advice to Bart (being cool is the most important thing in the world) backfires on him after Bart reveals he was the one who cut off the statue's head. Though in his defense, he had no idea why Bart wanted advice.
48	* InMediasRes:
49	** The episode begins with Bart and Homer carrying the statue's head and being chased by the angry mob. After they're cornered, Bart convinces the townspeople to allow him to explain HowWeGotHere.
50	** The use of the latter trope is parodied when, after Homer agrees to come with Bart to put the head back on the statue, the opening sequence repeats until the mob interrupts the story, saying they already know that part.
51	* InnocuouslyImportantEpisode: The first appearance of Sideshow Bob (and, if you wanna get technical, the first time he tries to kill Bart, although as just one member of an [[TorchesAndPitchforks angry mob]]). Also, the first intimation of Smithers' feelings for Mr. Burns:
52	-->'''Burns:''' I love you, Smithers.
53	-->'''Smithers:''' The feeling is ''[[IgnoredEnamoredUnderling more]]'' [[IgnoredEnamoredUnderling than mutual]], sir.
54	* InsultBackfire: Bart refers to Kearney and Jimbo as "the worst kids in school", prompting the latter to eagerly reply, "Thanks!".
55	* KidHasAPoint: In the original ending, the mob has this reaction to Bart's speech about how they've taken Springfield's heritage for granted, with Moe saying this line almost verbatim.
56	* KnewItAllAlong: Homer angrily proclaims this after Bart confesses to him and Marge he was the one who beheaded the statue.
57	* LastSecondWordSwap: In church, Homer's listening to the football game on headphones. Homer's football team scores, causing Homer to jump up and shout, "It's GOOD! It's GOOD!" The congregation stares at him, and he adds, "It's... good to see you all in church". Nobody buys it.
58	* LikeFatherLikeSon: Marge takes away Bart's headphones before heading into church. When she's not looking, Homer swipes the headphones for himself and listens to them in church.
59	* LimitedAnimation: In the third act, when Marge says, "Homer...", her mouth only has two unique frames: Open and closed. And it only opens and closes once, whereas a double-syllable word like "Homer" should've at least opened and closed twice. [[https://frinkiac.com/video/S01E08/WDugAlrP3otHKfqInGkPqD7uHts=.gif See here.]]
60	* LiteraryAllusionTitle: The title is a parody of "Literature/TheTellTaleHeart".
61	* MediumAwareness: Bart tells the mob his story will take 23 minutes and 5 seconds to tell. [[note]]Probably less in syndication.[[/note]]
62	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Bart says, "Oh, what have I done?" after sawing off Jebediah's head.
63	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Marge holds Homer responsible for inspiring Bart of his popularity advice that caused him to commit the crime in the first place. She also called him out for setting a bad example earlier in the episode.
64	* NotSoStoic: Mr. Burns, who cries over the decapitated statue of Jebidiah Springfield.
65	* RevisedEnding: Bart's speech to the mob at the end was longer in the original broadcast. Later broadcasts cut a section of it out, drew out the "repeated opening scene" gag a little longer and added incidental comments from Dr. Monroe and Otto about the statue after Bart puts the head back (note how Barney has a white shirt and his original yellow hair during this part), and added Homer's "most lynch mobs aren't this nice" line.
66	* ShamingTheMob: "Well, that's my story, and if you still wanna tear apart this young Sunday school student as he stands on the brink of salvation, I await your wrath." In the original ending, [[WouldHurtAChild it's not this line that dissuades the mob from killing Bart]] but his additional point that none of them realized how they'd been taking Springfield's heritage for granted until he decapitated the statue, meaning that they're also guilty of disrespecting their founder's legacy.
67	* SpecialEditionTitle: {{Downplayed\|Trope}} in that the TitleSequence had Bart fall past the screen during the "Created By/Developed By" part (due to the CouchGag having Homer force Bart out of the couch).[[note]]This particular opening is also used in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS1E2BartTheGenius Bart the Genius]]", which had the same Couch Gag.[[/note]]
68	* ThatCloudLooksLike: One of the things Bart, Jimbo, Dolph, and Kearney do is stare at clouds that look like disturbing and violent things (like a school bus crashing or a man stabbed in the back with a switchblade). One looks like the Jebediah Springfield statue without its head, which inspires Bart to cut it off to impress the others.
69	* TorchesAndPitchforks: The Springfield Angry Mob's first appearance is when they chase Bart and Homer with the statue's head down the street.
70	* TrilogyCreep: ''Space Mutants 4: The Trilogy Continues''.
71	* WhatTheHellHero: Marge gets angry at Homer for telling Bart that being popular is all that matters, leading him to cut off the head of the statue out of a desire to impress the bullies.
72	* WholeEpisodeFlashback: Of how Bart stole the head off the statue and his motivations for doing so.
73	* WouldHurtAChild: [[ComedicSociopathy Most of Springfield, it would seem]]—though, ultimately, their softer sides win out.
74	* WouldntHurtAChild: While the rest of the mob were willing to kill Bart, you can hear Otto saying "Lay off the boy".

Context Recap / TheSimpsonsS1E8TheTelltaleHead