Episode 7G01
First Aired 5/13/90
After Homer hears Marge call a radio psychology show about how she feels unappreciated by her husband, Homer decides to make it up to her by taking her out on a romantic evening at a roadside hotel. The trouble comes when Homer hires a babysitter for the kids whose last jobs were a prisoner of Springfield Pentitentary and a "guest appearance" on
Springfield's Most Wanted as a wanted fugitive.
This episode contains examples of:
- Babysitter From Hell
- Badly Battered Babysitter: The Simpsons kids (at least in this season) are so bad that no babysitter from the "Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers Babysitting Service" wants to care for them (they also don't like Homer — or, as they call him, "that big ape father"), so Homer has to change his name to Sampson to trick the agency.
- Justified with Ms. Botz, as she's actually a wanted criminal who tied the kids up and is planning to rob the family blind, so the Simpson kids team up to get rid of her.
- Karma Houdini: Homer frees Ms. Botz, who gets away seconds before Bart returns with the cops.
- In a later episode (season eight's "Hurricane Neddy"), Ms. Botz is seen in a mental hospital cell. Maybe they finally caught her and she copped an insanity plea?
- Little Miss Badass: Maggie manages to untie Bart and Lisa and acts as a lure to get Ms. Botz off her game long enough to knock her out.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Homer has this reaction when a TV news crew informs him that he just let loose a wanted criminal.
- Off Model: Scenes from the original version of the episode look much worse than the reanimated scenes (the original version can be found as a special feature on the season one DVD set for the show). The sad part is that the final product is considered the best that they can do.
- Old Shame: The DVD commentary for this episode has nothing good to say about this episode.
- Out of Order: The episode was originally designed as the pilot (hence the opening breakfast scene introducing each family member) but ended up as the season finale after the entire thing had to be re-animated several times.
- Special Guest: Penny Marshall as Ms. Botz
- Through the Eyes of Madness: While waiting for Homer to get home from work, as Marge thinks about how mad she is the background slowly starts to shift to match her anger, becoming a rather hellish setting.
- What Could Have Been: Matt Groening was threatening to have the show cancelled if this episode wasn't up to par, as this episode gave him so much grief due to animation and color issues overseas and domestically.
- Would Hurt a Child: Ms. Botz.
