YMMV / The Simpsons S2 E8 "Bart the Daredevil"

• Common Knowledge: The iconic Signature Scene where Homer falls down Springfield Gorge has been subject to multiple misconceptions:
  • Homer did not intentionally attempt to jump Springfield Gorge. While he threatened to do so in a desperate attempt to dissuade Bart, the actual jump was an accident resulting from Homer thoughtlessly standing on Bart's skateboard while lecturing him, causing him to unwittingly roll down the slope. This is not helped by future Call Backs making it sound like Homer did attempt the jump on-purpose.
  • The scene is often noted as the first time the series resorted to full-blown slapstick comedy at Homer's expense, in contrast to the relatively down-to-earth tone of the series up to that point. It's actually the other way around, the point of the scene is to subvert Amusing Injuries by showing what'd realistically happen were such a thing to happen in real life. Homer's fall (actually a prolonged tumble down multiple cliff faces) is entirely survivable if extremely painful, and he ends up in a full-body cast afterwards despite this.
  • Contrary to popular belief, the second time Homer fell down Springfield Gorge after falling out of the ambulance was never shown the first time the episode aired, nor was it the writers' intention to do so. That footage was created exclusively for "So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show", produced two years later.
• Crosses the Line Twice: One of the most notably hilarious moments of the series occurs when Homer tumbles down Springfield Gorge, which is followed by the skateboard he was using falling on him, him getting repeatedly bumped on his way up via airlift, and then finally the ambulance he was put in crashing into a tree, causing him to fall down the Gorge again.
• Delusion Conclusion: Homer failing to jump the gorge has led to the long running theory that everything past this episode has just been a part of Homer's comatose dreams. Notably, this actually gets referenced in one of the (supposed) scrapped episodes in "Lisa the Boy Scout".
• Harsher in Hindsight: The dramatic stakes for most of the episode, which ride on the assumption that nobody could survive a tumble into Springfield Gorge, seem to be lessened by a Rule of Funny-fueled ending in which Homer handily survives the fall, twice. However, later episodes such as "Homerpalooza" and "The Homer They Fall" would reveal that Homer is uniquely physically durable, to the point of being able to travel with a freak show on the basis of his ability to take cannonball hits to the stomach, besides having a brain with extra cushioning that makes him highly resilient to head trauma. In other words, Homer may have only been able to survive the stunt his son attempted because he's a freak of nature, meaning that Bart really was about to leap to near-certain death before Homer intervened.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • A later episode, "The Homer They Fall," would reveal that Homer has a unique medical condition that makes his head thicker than usual, giving him increased damage resistance. That would explain how he managed to survive the Springfield Gorge fall at all.
  • Homer yells out "I'm king of the world!"
• Padding: The whole ordeal regarding Lisa's saxophone solo at the beginning of the episode ultimately has nothing to do with the rest of the episode's plot, nor does it get any sort of callback.
• Signature Scene: Homer skateboarding over Springfield Gorge, overconfident in his survival, before dropping midair over the gorge and falling over the rocks, and the second time after being hauled into the ambulance. This scene would be so iconic that it would end up being featured and referenced in several future Simpsons mediums, including:
  • "Brother from the Same Planet": During Homer's big brawl with Tom, they both end up falling down the gorge, though they almost immediately climb back out and continue their fight.
  • "So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show": Which adds a new shot of the second time Homer falls down the cliff after falling out of the ambulance, then being hit by the gurney.
  • "Behind the Laughter": Bart reveals that he was originally supposed to do this stunt, but Homer volunteered in his place after seeing that Bart was exhausted from bribing people to kiss the previous night. Homer then reveals that after shooting the stunt, he becomes addicted to painkillers.
  • "The Blunder Years": Homer begins to reminisce about this scene, but Lisa interrupts saying, "Dad, everyone's tired of that story", referring to the number of times the scene has been seen both in episodes and behind-the-scenes documentaries.
  • "Treehouse of Horror XIII": In "Send in the Clones", all the Homer clones are sent into Springfield Gorge, and most of them imitate the animation of Homer falling from the original episode.
  • "Lisa the Boy Scout": One of the many clips shown during this episode involves Homer waking up in the hospital only two days after jumping the gorge and realizing the "more than 700 adventures" (and their B-stories) he and his family went on were All Just a Dream that he had during in his two-day coma, much to his distress.
  • "Treehouse of Horror XXXIII": In "Simpsonsworld," taking place at a Westworld-like Simpsons theme park, Homer's plunge unfolds in the background of a scene as part of the segment's general Continuity Cavalcade.
  • The Simpsons: Road Rage: The gorge appears in the stage "Springfield Mountains". And yes, it's possible to drive across it.
  • The Simpsons: Tapped Out: Purchasing Springfield Gorge and placing it in your Springfield unlocks a questline referencing "Bart the Daredevil" and a new animated character action for Homer, "Jump Springfield Gorge."
  • The Simpsons Movie: During the climax after Bart and Homer throw the bomb over the dome on the motorbike, the bike flies up the ramp and over Springfield Gorge. Eagle-eyed viewers will note that the crashed ambulance is still there!
  • "The Simpsons Guy": During Homer and Peter's chicken fight, while they are on Kang and Kodos's ship, the ship goes over the gorge and Peter says, "We're gonna make it!", to which Homer responds, "Trust me, we're not."

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