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Context Recap / TheSimpsonsS8E17MySisterMySitter

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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/4f13a.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:350:"Dislocated shoulder, bump on the noggin. My diagnosis? Bad babysitting!"]]
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4'''Original air date:''' 3/2/1997 ''(produced in 1996)''
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6'''Production code:''' 4F13
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8"My Sister, My Sitter" is the seventeenth episode of the eighth season of ''The Simpsons''. In this episode, Lisa decides to become a babysitter -- and finds that her biggest challenge is her own brother, who she has to look after as Homer and Marge check out the new outdoor mall.
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10!!Plot Summary
11Lisa and Janey discuss ''[[Literature/TheBabySittersClub The Babysitter Twins]]'', their favorite book series. While Janey talks about the mysteries they solve and the free cookies, Lisa prefers to talk about being a responsible babysitter. Her first attempts, however are unsuccessful, as most parents would rather have someone older to watch their kids. However, one afternoon Ned has to make a quick trip to Capital City to get Maude out of Holy Land (where she and her mother are held hostage) and has no one to leave Rod and Todd with. While Homer bald-facedly tells him Marge is also an hostage there, Lisa offers to look for them. As she manages to make them sleep after being scared by a moth, an impressed Flanders spreads the word, and Lisa becomes a highly-sought sitter.
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13Meanwhile, gentrification fever has reached Springfield, as the old pier has been repurposed into an upscale shopping mall that will open on Saturday. The entire town joins in the expectation, with Homer even renting a dress suit. He and Marge decide to have Lisa take control in light of her reputation as a babysitter, while a dismayed Bart swears he'll make her night a living hell, dropping his manners at the dinner table, scaring off Maggie and comforting her by giving her some coffee-flavored ice cream, as well as a caffeine overdrive that ends in chaos at the bathroom. Once Lisa gets Maggie out, she finds out Bart has called a dozen numbers, including Krusty (thinking he's been hired for a bachelor party), a pizza parlor sending a giant submarine sandwich, the hospital coming for a "sisterectomy", two government officials thinking that Lisa saw an alien, and a chauffeur waiting for the Ghanian ambassador. After getting all of them out, Lisa demands Bart go to bed (or "to bread", as he understands at first), but ends up goofing around in Lisa's room. She then chases Bart, who loses balance and falls down the stairs, ending up unconscious. Krusty then returns asking for the submarine sandwich, but high-tails it as he sees Bart, thinking he's dead.
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15After regaining consciousness, Bart decides to use his dislocated arm and a bump in his head to ruin Lisa's reputation. He then locks himself in his room and bangs his head on the door until losing consciousness again. A desperate Lisa finds out 9-1-1 won't take her as they think it's another of Bart's prank calls, while realizing that her babysitting days will be over if Bart is taken to Dr. Hibbert. So, she has no other choice than to head downtown (carrying Bart on a wheelbarrow and the caffeine-addled Maggie inside a pet cage) to Dr Nick Riviera's clinic where we see a number of strange cases, such as Snake allegedly tripping over a bullet, or Smithers being unable to sit down [[NoodleIncident for some reason]]. But the line for the wheelbarrow emergency ward is too long (including Comic Book Guy, who had an hamburger binge), Lisa decides to go to the hospital.
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17Homer arrives to the´Springfield Squidport mall driving through the promenade and getting entangled with a dancing fountain. The tenants include Planet Hollywood, Itchy & Scratchy Store (having a Poochie bargain sale) and even Moe's tavern (actually just a long passage to the regular Moe's). But Marge grows worried about the kids, wondering if they're all fine. Cut to Lisa carrying the wheelbarrow down the highway, where she is spotted by Chief Wiggum, who... compliments the wheelbarrow. But as Lisa waves back at Chief Wiggum, the wheelbarrow turns over, and Bart and Maggie roll down a muddy river that leads to the boardwalk, precisely as Mayor Quimby turns on the lights and reveals it all, making the townspeople think Lisa is on drugs, has killed Bart and wants to dispose of his body as well as wanting to bury Maggie alive. Next morning, Bart apologizes to Lisa for ruining her reputation, yet she still gets babysitting requests as there are no other sitters available.
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19!!"My Sister, My Sitter" features examples of:
20* ArmorPiercingQuestion: When Flanders asks Lisa to babysit his kids -- the morning ''after'' he and the others accused her of being a violent psychopath who incapacitated Bart -- Lisa asks him if he is worried she might do terrible things to them like she allegedly did to Bart. After a {{Beat}}, Flanders [[NonAnswer refuses to answer and instead asks when she is coming over to his house]].
21* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: Positive example as Janey lists the accomplishments of the ''Babysitter Twins'' as stopping counterfeiters, rescuring the President, and making four dollars for their work.
22* ArtisticLicenseLaw: It's illegal in some states to leave children younger than 12 home alone. Then again, AnthropicPrinciple and the law isn't well-adjusted in Springfield anyway.
23* BabysittersNightmare: {{Invoked}}. Bart, outraged that his ''younger'' sister is babysitting him, tries to make Lisa's job difficult by being be the worst kid ever, which includes feeding Maggie coffee ice cream and making several prank phone calls.
24* BabysittingEpisode: In this episode, eight-year-old Lisa offers her services as a babysitter, proving to do a good job of it despite her young age, until Homer and Marge have her watch Bart and Maggie. Bart does a lot of stupid things mostly for the sake of being contrarian, which eventually lands him in the hospital (she even has to drive him there in a wheelbarrow because he prank-called them earlier), but she still gets work afterward.
25* BadlyBatteredBabysitter: Lisa goes through hell and back trying to babysit Bart and Maggie. Bart actively trying to make things harder for her by doing prank calls early on and then injuring himself later had clearly taken a mental toll on Lisa.
26* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Lisa says to Janey that one of the things she loves about babysitting is the pressure. Bart would end up giving her as much pressure as a babysitter could possibly have.
27* BigEater: Comic Book Guy, which actually illustrates one of the drawbacks of relying too much on ComfortFood:
28-->'''CBG''': Oh loneliness and cheeseburgers are a dangerous mix!
29* BigWhat: Bart when Marge tells him Lisa is the one babysitting him.
30* BittersweetEnding: Lisa's reputation as a perfectly reliable babysitter is completely nuked flat overnight by Bart's mischief, but Bart apologizes for doing so and there is a chance she will be able to rebuild it... or maybe Springfield (as is typical of it) forgot their condemnation of her as fast as they placed it on her.
31* BlatantLies: At Doctor Nick's clinic, Snake is clutching an obvious gunshot wound to the stomach, but claims he tripped and fell onto a bullet. The receptionist ticks off "Liquor Store Robbery" off a checklist of injury causes.
32-->'''Dr. Nick Riviera''': Don't worry. You don't have to make up stories here. Save that for court!
33* CassandraTruth: Lisa calls 911 to report Bart's injuries, but they mistake it as another prank call and hang up.
34* ChangeTheUncomfortableSubject: When Lisa asks Flanders if he's worried she might get coked up and do horrible things to his kids like allegedly with Bart, Flanders skips the question after a {{Beat}} and [[NonAnswer asks when she is coming over to his house]], likely to change the subject.
35* ComicallyMissingThePoint:
36** Deliberately invoked. Bart taunts Lisa by purposely misconstruing her demand to go to bed for "going to bread", then goes to the master bedroom instead of his own because she didn't say ''which'' bed.
37** Bart makes a series of prank calls to mess with Lisa. She angrily shouts at everyone who showed up (a sandwich delivery guy, Krusty the Clown, and a chauffeur for the ambassador from Ghana, among others) that they had all been tricked, the chauffeur wonders aloud, "Why would the ambassador do such a thing?"
38* CouchGag: The couch is on the deck of a ship at sea in rough waters. The family, dressed in rain gear, sit on the couch, before an enormous wave washes them away.
39* CryingWolf: The 911 operator dismisses Lisa's call due to Bart's previous prank calls.
40* DeathGlare: Bart gives one to Lisa when Homer and Marge leave Lisa in charge of him. She responds with an OhCrapSmile. He also has one in the next scene when he tells Lisa, "[[TranquilFury You're dead. You are so dead.]]"
41* DidntThinkThisThrough:
42** After getting a huge bump on his head and dislocating his arm, Bart decides to lock himself in his bedroom and repeatedly bash his head against the door to make the bump bigger just to further ruin Lisa's reputation as a babysitter. He ends up knocking himself out.
43** Homer and Marge for thinking that Bart would actually be okay with his ''younger'' sister being left in charge of him. This causes Bart to injure himself and Lisa to be seen as a psycho who injured her own brother.
44* EasilyCondemned: Lisa's public humiliation at the climax happens because everybody in Springfield, who Lisa had babysat for repeatedly throughout the episode and had nothing more to give than praises, immediately assumes the absolute worst (up to and including her being on drugs) and believes her to be a "bad babysitter"...
45* EasilyForgiven: The day after the entire town condemns Lisa, Hibbert and Flanders both call Lisa and asks her to babysit their children (even after Lisa insists on asking them both about whether or not he believes she won't get coked up and do horrible things to them, Flanders just stays silent for a {{Beat}} and [[NonAnswer then asks when she can get to his home]]).
46* EntitledBastard: Towards the end of the episode, when Bart is injured, Doctor Hibbert declares to the whole town that Bart's injuries were caused by bad babysitting, ruining Lisa's babysitting business. The next day, he calls Lisa up and asks her to look after his kids while he has Judo.
47* ExactWords: One of the many ways Bart trolls Lisa. When she sends him to bed he goes and jumps on the bed in their parents' bedroom, pointing out that she never said ''which'' bed.
48* GovernmentConspiracy: One of the prank calls Bart makes is about a UFO.
49-->'''Pilot:''' We got a report that a Lisa Simpson spotted a UFO.\
50'''Lisa:''' I didn't see any UFO!\
51'''Pilot:''' That's right, Miss. You didn't. ''[waves off a scientist with a needle]''
52* HiddenDepths: His phone call at the end reveals that Dr Hibbert practices Judo and has achieved a red belt, making him at least a sixth dan practitioner.
53* HopeSpot: Lisa comes this close to keeping anyone from finding out about this mess, even after arriving at the boardwalk. Then a startled Quimby calls attention to the three of them.
54-->'''Quimby:''' Citizens of Springfield, I officially declare this... ''(notices Lisa)'' What the hell is that?!
55** Not long after being caught, Dr. Hibbert looked at Bart almost exactly like Lisa's fantasy earlier, where after looking at Bart, he immediately points at Lisa and declares his diagnosis as "BAD BABYSITTING"! However, when he does looks at him in real life it seems like he's not going to pin the whole thing on Lisa's incompetent babysitting. Except...
56-->'''Dr. Hibbert:''' My diagnosis... a rather nasty fall ''(turns around and points at Lisa like in her fantasy)'' CAUSED BY BAD BABYSITTING!!
57* HostageSituation: What sets the plot in motion; Ned has to travel to Capitol City to speak to someone at the U.S. Embassy after Maude and her mother get taken hostage while on pilgrimage in the Holy Land and asks Homer if he can watch Rod and Todd. Since Homer can't bring himself to help Ned, Lisa volunteers to do it.
58* HumiliationConga: Lisa gets ridiculed by Bart, and when Bart is injured, she is unable to call for help [[CryingWolf because Bart had made various prank calls beforehand]]. Then she gets made into a pariah by the town who [[EasilyCondemned automatically believe she is a dangerous psychopath]].
59* IFellForHours: It takes Bart six seconds to fall down one flight of stairs; a normal fall would have ended in one second, tops.
60* IWasNeverHere: Lisa has to babysit Bart, who makes her life a living hell by calling up random services. Lisa opens the door to find a military man who asks to see Lisa Simpson, who was reported to have seen a UFO. Lisa screams that she didn't see a UFO. The military man leans in threateningly and says, "That's right, you didn't." He then waves off a doctor with a syringe and leaves.
61* IdiotBall: Homer, Marge, and Lisa carry it when the former two assumed [[BrattyHalfPint Bart, of all people]], would be mature enough to accept being taken care of by his younger sister, and Lisa was arrogant enough to think [[BigBrotherBully Bart, who frequently bullies her]], would obey her simply because she was left in charge of him.
62* ImagineSpot: Lisa tries to call Dr. Hibbert about Bart's condition, but then proceeds to have a spot where she would be blamed for it, therefore ruining her reputation. To her dismay, this ends up happening, albeit toned down with her parents' comments.
63* JerkassBall: Bart is much more malicious than usual in this episode, to rather disturbing levels. Being annoying is in line with what he's done before, but then he shows he's perfectly okay with ''[[SelfHarm self-harm]]'' in order to ruin Lisa's reputation, all because she was chosen to babysit him, despite Bart being two years older.
64* JerkassRealization: At the end of the episode as Lisa lies on her bed, Bart, in an arm cast and sling, comes into her room and apologizes for making her so miserable the previous night and destroying her babysitting business.
65* KarmaHoudini: Outside of his (self-inflicted) injuries and an apology to her at the end, Bart pretty much gets away with ruining Lisa's reputation as a babysitter.
66* MathematiciansAnswer: When Flanders calls Lisa to ask her to look after his kids (the day after he became one of the biggest criers of her being a bad babysitter), Lisa insists on asking him if he's not afraid she will not perform something as horrible to them that what they assume she did to Bart. After a {{Beat}}, Flanders [[NonAnswer pretty much dodges the question and just asks when can she get to his home.]]
67* MisplacedRetribution: The 911 operator ignores Lisa's call because of ''Bart's'' continuous prank calls beforehand.
68* MistakenForJunkie: When a flashlight is shone in Lisa, causing her to recoil from the light, Helen Lovejoy accuses her of being on drugs.
69-->'''Homer:''' Gimme the drugs, Lisa.
70* MistakenForPrankCall: When Bart is unconscious, Lisa tries calling 9-1-1, but they refuse to take it [[CryingWolf because Bart called earlier about "a sisterectomy, a case of severe butt rot, and a leprechaun fight"]].
71* MondegreenGag: Bart is seen eating bread after Lisa told him to go to bed, but he, [[{{Jerkass}} being Bart]], tells Lisa that she actually said "go to bread".
72* NightmareFetishist: Bart's initial reaction upon noticing that he has dislocated one of his arms at the elbow and his forearm is dangling like a pendulum is to say that it's cool.
73* NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity: [[invoked]] As the ending shows, the incident with Bart ultimately had no effect on Lisa's babysitting career, and may have actually boosted it as she's shown to have received ''multiple'' calls at once.
74* NoodleIncident:
75** Lisa is trying to get Bart medical attention at a clinic and Smithers won't let Lisa in front of him because of a serious injury that seemingly makes it painful for him to sit down (though given the RunningGag of Smithers' TransparentCloset, it's presumably involves an AssShove)
76** The entire waiting room in that episode was full of people bizarrely injured in {{Noodle Incident}}s, including a line specifically for people who have to be carted into the clinic in a wheelbarrow.
77--->'''Jasper''': Excuse me, little lady. The wheelbarrow line's over there.
78* NotWhatItLooksLike: A combination of these (mostly the result of Bart being a jerk) ends up resulting in the public humiliation of Lisa and people thinking she's some kind of psychotic drug junkie and overall ''bad'' babysitter.
79* NothingIsScarier: What is more frightening to Lisa than Bart -- who fell down the stairs and has locked himself in his room -- repeatedly banging his head against the door "to make the bump bigger"? When Bart ''stops'' repeatedly banging his head against the door to make the bump bigger.
80-->'''Lisa:''' ''(worriedly)'' Did you stop because I said to? If so, thank you. ''({{beat}})'' Bart?
81* OhCrap: Bart when he loses his balance at the top of the stairs. Lisa gets one when she sees Bart tumbling down.
82* OhCrapSmile: Lisa when Bart gives her a DeathGlare the moment she is left in charge of him.
83* OverlyNarrowSuperlative: Bart's compliment to Homer is oddly and humorously specific: "You could be Abe Lincoln's father's boss."
84* PoliceAreUseless:
85** The 911 operator refuses to send an ambulance to the Simpson house because of all the prank calls made in the past.
86--->'''911 operator:''' Simpson? Look, we've already been out there tonight for a sister-ectomy, a case of severe butt rot and a leprechaun bite. [[HypocriticalHumor How dumb do you think we are]]?
87** A more positive example on Lisa's part with Chief Wiggum. On her way to the hospital, she gets stopped by him, and he compliments the brand of the wheelbarrow, rather than question why an injured Bart and Maggie in a pet carrier are in it. Though Bart already fell off the wheelbarrow and Wiggum was only interested in the wheelbarrow's brand.
88* PunnyName: One of "[[Literature/TheBabySittersClub The Babysitter Twins]]" books Lisa and Janey are reading is named "The Formula Formula".
89* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Krusty returns to argue with Lisa, only to see Bart lying unconscious on the floor.
90* SelfHarm: After accidentally falling down the stairs and gaining both a dislocated arm and a nasty bump on his head, Bart decides to leave his arm unattended to convince his parents that Lisa's a bad babysitter and purposely slams his head into his bedroom door to make his bump worse, knocking himself out.
91* ShoutOut:
92** When asking Homer for help, Ned says he's got "a [[Franchise/TheMuppets Fozzie of a Bear]] of a problem."
93** The title alludes to [[ComicBook/SpiderMan Spider-Man #131: "My Uncle, My Enemy"]]
94** The ''Babysitter Twins'' book series is a combination of ''Literature/TheBabySittersClub'' and ''Literature/SweetValleyTwins''.
95* StaircaseTumble: As Lisa tries to catch Bart, he jumps backwards, eventually ending up at the top of the stairs and falling down them. If you listen carefully, you can hear when Bart [[SickeningCrunch dislocates his arm]].
96* TemptingFate: In the episode's beginning, Lisa says the pressure is one of the best and most appealing parts about being a babysitter. Then she got tasked with babysitting Bart. BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor.
97* ThisIsGonnaSuck: After Homer and Marge leave, Bart stares angrily at Lisa. She smiles nervously.
98* ThrowTheDogABone: Despite all of her trouble, Lisa still gets calls at the end.

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