Line #59 Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E22BehindTheLaughter


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/take_1.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:250:"Son, let's go out for Frosty Chocolate Milkshakes."\
3	"Cowabunga, dude!"]]
4
5	'''Original air date:''' 5/21/2000
6
7	'''Production code:''' BABF-19
8
9	In a parody of Creator/VH1's ''Series/BehindTheMusic'' (and other cable documentaries that chronicle the rise and fall of celebrities and casts of famed TV shows, like ''E! True Hollywood Story''), this episode of ''The Simpsons'' depicts The Simpson family as actual celebrities whose egos, addictions, feuds, and run-ins with the law are jeopardizing the future of the show. The episode had four writers, one of them being Tim Long.
10
11	----
12	!!This episode contains examples of:
13
14	* AbandonedCatchphrase: The scene depicting the "origins" of the RunningGag where Homer strangles Bart uses two of these in rapid succession (Homer's being from the ''Tracey Ullman Show'' shorts) to make the point that the show is very early in its run.
15	-->'''Homer:''' Son, let's go out for frosty chocolate milkshakes!
16	-->'''Bart:''' Cowabunga, dude!
17	* ActorAllusion: The Episode's narrator states that Bart is good friends with ComicBook/RichieRich. This is a nod to Bart's voice actor, Creator/NancyCartwright, who previously provided the voice of Richie's girlfriend, Gloria Glad in the [[WesternAnimation/RichieRich1980 80's series]].
18	* AffectionateParody: Of ''Behind the Music''[[note]]Complete with the series's narrator, Jim Forbes[[/note]] and other celebrity documentary shows.
19	* AllPartOfTheShow:
20	** Lisa tries to reassure the audience during the Simpsons' argument at Habitat for Hilarity, but everything goes to hell from there.
21	** Earlier, when Homer strangles Bart during rehearsal, hearing the crew laugh at this prompts Homer and Bart to work it into the series.
22	* AnimatedActors: The Simpsons and their fellow Springfieldians are presented as such.
23	* AscendedMeme: There's a joke about ''WesternAnimation/HuckleberryHound'' being gay but not able to tell anyone. The ''ComicBook/HannaBarberaBeyond'' comic, ''ComicBook/ExitStageLeftTheSnagglepussChronicles'' had the blind being closet gay.
24	* AsHimself: Music/WillieNelson does his own face.
25	* AsYouKnow: Parodied in the ''Rent 2: Condo Fever'' scene, where the first line is one character saying to a friend, "As a young female artist, I really love living in this East Village loft."
26	* AudienceAlienatingEra: In-universe, the period when Richie Rich stood in for Bart.
27	-->'''Narrator''': Fans reacted to these slapdash episodes with yawns. ''(audience yawns)'' Angry yawns. ''(audience yawns angrily)''
28	* AwardCategoryFraud: "Simpsons Christmas Boogie" somehow manages to win the "Best Hardcore Thrash Metal" award, much to the disgust of Music/OzzyOsbourne. %%InUniverse
29	* BetterThanABareBulb: The episode is full of LampshadeHanging. One particular example ties in with a MythologyGag where Bart criticizes Homer's script for making him say "Cowabunga, dude!" (which winds up also being the incident that created the "Why you little!" RunningGag).
30	* BitingTheHandHumor: Plenty at Fox's expense, including the idea that president Rupert Murdoch has to moonlight as a hair dresser who can barely write his name, their main offices are in a closet, and Fox temporarily having to replace the show with footage of changing rooms in an Ann Taylor store (''Peepin It Real'').
31	* BlandNameProduct: The big screen on Times Square in New York is marked as Sorny. A CallBack to a TV brand in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E14ScenesFromTheClassStruggleInSpringfield Scenes From A Class Struggle in Springfield]]".
32	* TheCameo:
33	** WesternAnimation/HuckleberryHound appears in a teaser for a "future" episode of ''Behind the Laughter'' admitting he is a closeted homosexual.
34	** While Bart is briefly in jail for assaulting a flight attendant, his role is covered by ComicBook/RichieRich.
35	* CelebrityParadox: Lisa says Creator/MerylStreep spit on her during an Oscars ceremony. Streep had played Jessica Lovejoy in Season 6's "Bart's Girlfriend".
36	* CharacterCatchphrase: In the very cheaply-produced "My Funny Family" pilot, Homer's catchphrase is an exaggerated "Mamma-mia!" in place of his signature "D'oh!"
37	* ChewingTheScenery: Literally, as Homer reveals with [[VisualPun a prop with a bite taken out of it]].
38	* ChristmasSongs: "Simpsons Christmas Boogie", which is really just "Simpsons Boogie" with "Christmas" and jingle bells added on.
39	* ClipShow: Midway through the episode, the episode shows a series of clips of Homer getting hurt as the narrator goes on to explain about how Homer became addicted to painkillers while performing these stunts. Both the opening and ending credits show more of the stunts, the ending credits set to "Simpsons Christmas Boogie".
40	* ComicBooksAreReal: A rare non-Superhero example. Back in episode 21 of Season 2, "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS2E21ThreeMenAndAComicBook Three Men and a Comic Book]]", Richie Rich was mentioned as a comic book character. Here, he's a real actor who becomes TheOtherDarrin (in-universe) for Bart while the real Bart is in rehab.
41	* CouchGag: The family sits down, and Bart puts a coin in the "Magic Fingers" slot on his side of the couch. The couch vibrates away, taking the family with it.
42	** One scene features a failed couch gag that apparently involves the Simpsons dressing up as cowboys; it's ruined when Bart doesn't get into the scene due to being called to partake in another sequel to ''Film/TeenWolf''.
43	* CourtroomEpisode: ComicBook/RichieRich replaces Bart in the episode "Disorder In the Court", where "Bart" has JuryDuty.
44	* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: [[NoNameGiven Comic Book Guy]] is subtitled as "comic book guy" by the show.
45	* DinnerWithTheBoss: The plot of Homer's pilot for the show, with Bart as the boss.
46	* DisproportionateRetribution: Apu snitched on Homer's tax evasion because he abused the Kwik-E-Mart's Take a Penny/Leave a Penny tray.
47	* DocumentaryEpisode: This episode is presented as a ''Behind the Music''-style {{mockumentary}}.
48	* DontAnswerThat: The dinner with the lawyers has this.
49	* DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale: During the family's break up at Habitat for Hilarity, all the family tear into each other, but only the Simpson girls are shown landing blows. By the time they are restrained, Bart in particular has been beaten unconscious by Lisa.
50	* ExpressiveHair: Willie Nelson's pigtails.
51	* FormulaBreakingEpisode: The entire episode's format is a parody of ''Behind the Music'', and it takes a sledgehammer to the fourth wall in the process.
52	* FromBadToWorse: After the incident at the Iowa State Fair, here is how the narrator described the situation.
53	-->'''Narrator''': The Simpsons' TV show started out on a wing and a prayer. But now the wing was on fire, and the prayer had been answered by Satan.
54	* IllKillYou: Exclaimed by Homer during the Iowa State Fair.
55	-->'''Homer''': I'll kill you!\
56	'''Marge''': (''prods him in the chest'') You don't have the guts, little man!
57	* InCharacterCommentaries: Homer provides commentary for his famous gorge jump from "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS2E8BartTheDaredevil Bart the Daredevil]]":
58	-->'''Homer:''' Everything was going great at first. I felt like I was king of the world. Right about here, I realize something's wrong. Yep, there I go. Then came the rocks -- jagged rocks, hitting me with their jags.
59	** Bart says that he would've done the stunt as originally planned if he hadn't been up all night paying people to kiss; Homer volunteered to do it in his place.
60	* IncrediblyLameFun: The final joke of the episode is a gag about the show's many [[VacationEpisode Vacation Episodes]] in which the family edit an upcoming episode set in Delaware, where the kids are excited to see Wilmington and visit a screen door factory.
61	* InstantlyProvenWrong: At the end of the episode, the narrator declares, "Whether choking their son or poking some fun, the Simpsons will keep on gagging for years to come!" The scene then cuts to the Simpsons in an editing room watching an upcoming episode, with Homer telling the editor, "This will be the last season." The editor nods in agreement.
62	* IntimidatingRevenueService: In a manner parodying other celebrities that have done the same, the Simpsons get busted for tax evasion and the IRS agents are shown literally carting off their mansion.
63	* IsThisThingStillOn: {{Inverted\|Trope}} with Moe.
64	-->'''Moe:''' Oh, Homer was spending money like a teenage Arab. (''chuckles'') He bought me a Rolex and, uh, Cashmere jeans. I felt kinda guilty 'cause I was always trying to score with his wife. So, when do we start filming? (''beat'') Oh.
65	* ItsTheBestWhateverEver: Homer's opinion on the Thanksgiving the family had with their lawyers during their falling out.
66	-->'''Homer:''' I mean, emotionally, it was terrible, but the turkey was so moist!
67	* LemonyNarrator: Using such odd metaphors as:
68	** "''The Simpsons'' began on a wing and a prayer, but now the wing was on fire, and the prayer had been answered... by Satan."
69	** "The dream was over. Coming up: Was the dream ''really'' over? Yes it was. Or ''was'' it?"
70	** "Would Willie's fence-mending eggs bear fruit? Or would his olive branch be torn apart, by woodpeckers of mistrust? That night, fate wore a cummerbund... of suspense."
71	* LetsSeeYouDoBetter: Homer set about the show's creation when he wanted to make a sitcom more relatable and down to earth than those seen on TV. [[HypocriticalHumor The result is a very cheap, wooden pilot which uses practically every standard 50s sitcom cliche.]]
72	* {{Metaphorgotten}}:
73	-->'''Homer:''' Why did I take such punishment? Let's just say that fame was like a drug, but what was even more like a drug [[ShapedLikeItself was the drugs]].
74	* MusicalNod: "Dr. Zaius" is briefly heard at the awards ceremony arranged by Willie Nelson.
75	* NiceCharacterMeanActor: The "real" Marge Simpson has much more of an edge than the sweet-natured WetBlanketWife we know from the show, apparently having told Homer to "either ''([[SoundEffectBleep bleep]])'' or get off the pot" when he was contemplating creating a sitcom, and responding to an IllKillYou from Homer with "You don't have the guts, little man!"
76	* NoodleIncident: Lisa once hosted the Oscars and did such a bad job that Creator/MerylStreep spat at her afterwards.
77	* NotAllowedToGrowUp: Lisa alleges in a tell-all book that she was given anti-growth hormones.
78	* NotHelpingYourCase:
79	** Homer gives this gem:
80	--->'''Homer:''' I want to set the record straight: I thought the cop was a prostitute. (''gives a satisfied smile'')
81	** Another one:
82	--->'''Homer:''' Then we figured out we could park them in front of the TV. That's how I was raised, and I turned out TV.
83	* NotHyperbole:
84	** Ned recounts seeing the Simpsons sitting down and watching TV, referring to what they were watching as "Hollywood hogwash". Cut to Homer:
85	--->'''Homer''': Our favorite show was ''Hollywood Hogwash''.
86	** Homer has to pull out a set piece with a bite in it to show that he was ''literally'' ChewingTheScenery during his theater stint.
87	* TheOtherDarrin: In-universe, when Bart gets replaced by his friend Richie Rich.
88	* ParentInducedExtendedChildhood: Lisa writes a tell-all book about the show and reveals that she was secretly given anti-growth hormones as a way of prolonging the series' run.
89	-->'''Homer:''' That's ridiculous! How could I even get [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial all five necessary drops]] into her cereal? ''(beat)'' [[DefensiveWhat What?]]
90	* ParodyAssistance: Jim Forbes guested as the narrator, and the ''Behind the Music'' producers let the ''Simpsons'' animators use their graphics package to get the look just right.
91	* RealLifeWritesThePlot: InUniverse, "Bart the Daredevil" was supposed to end with Bart ''actually'' jumping Springfield Gorge, but Homer decided to do the stunt for him because he was exhausted after spending the whole night [[BrickJoke paying people to kiss]]. Homer made a serious attempt to clear the gorge and [[ThrowItIn his unintentional tumble]] launched his famed career in physical comedy but also caused him to develop an addiction to painkillers.
92	* RecycledAnimation: Animation for an "aborted" 1992 Couch Gag was reworked from a Season 8 Couch Gag appearing in both "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E3TheHomerTheyFall The Homer They Fall]]" and "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E18HomerVsTheEighteenthAmendment Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment]]".
93	* SayingTooMuch: When Lisa brings up being forced to ingest anti-growth hormones:
94	-->'''Homer''': How could I even get all five necessary drops into her cereal? ...what?
95	* SelfDeprecation:
96	** The special is not afraid to acknowledge the show's AudienceAlienatingEra, bringing up "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS9E2ThePrincipalAndThePauper episodes increasingly resort[ing] to gimmicky premises and nonsensical plots]]" and "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E7EightMisbehavin trendy]] [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E15DeepSpaceHomer guest stars]] [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E14ScenesFromTheClassStruggleInSpringfield [being] shamelessly trotted out]] [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS10E22TheySavedLisasBrain to grab]] [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E9GriftOfTheMagi ratings]]".
97	** An earlier segment showed that the president of Fox was allegedly the man who cut Marge's hair.
98	* ShoutOut:
99	** During a Grammy award show, the presenter Music/OzzyOsbourne announces that, somehow, "Simpsons Christmas Boogie" won a Grammy for Best Thrash Metal, a reference to the 1988 Grammy Awards, where people were stunned that Music/{{Metallica}} [[AwardSnub lost to]] Music/JethroTull [[AwardSnub for best metal recording]]. (The backing track on "Simpsons Christmas Boogie" comes from the 1978 disco hit "Boogie Oogie Oogie" by A Taste of Honey, meaning that it could also be a reference to how that year A Taste of Honey infamously won the Best New Artist Grammy Award over Music/ElvisCostello, Music/TheCars, Music/{{Toto}} and Music/ChrisRea.) Ozzy's reaction is a reference to Music/AliceCooper's similarly incredulous reaction to the award. Angered, he bites off the "head" of the Grammy, causing it to bleed, referencing a similar incident with a bat.
100	** Homer talks about his return to legitimate theater and is shown in a performance of ''Theatre/{{RENT}} II''. He acts as the characters' new landlord, Mr. Stingely, who apparently dresses like [[WesternAnimation/DudleyDoRight Snidely]] [[DastardlyWhiplash Whiplash]].
101	** There's a statue of ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant'' in Comic Book Guy's office, as a nod to former ''Simpsons'' producer Creator/BradBird, who directed the film.
102	** Krusty complains that the Simpsons' music album caused his own album, ''[[Music/{{Quadrophenia}} Krustophinia]]'', to tank.
103	** The host of the Grammy's briefly mentions a tribute to Music/{{Falco}} by Music/{{Taco}}, both of whom are [[OneHitWonder One-Hit Wonders]] from the 80's. [[note]] Taco's only hit was a cover of "Putting on the Ritz" while Falco is known for "Rock Me Amadeus." [[/note]]
104	* SignsOfDisrepair: Homer whacks Music/MCHammer's "[=HammerTime=]" sign to make it say "[=HomerTime=]".
105	* SoundEffectBleep: Both Marge ''[[RefugeInAudacity and the narrator]]'' have a single contribution to the rare instances of censored dialogue in ''The Simpsons''.
106	--> '''Marge''': Finally, I said, "So do it. Either ''(bleep)'' or get off the pot."\
107	'''Narrator''': And ''(bleep)'', he did.
108	* SpecialEditionTitle: Oddly, averted. Despite the documentary pretense seemingly calling for it, and the ShowWithinAShow having its own intro sequence, the episode still plays out the standard intro in full.
109	* SpitefulSpit: Apparently, Creator/MerylStreep spat on Lisa after an award show; she does it on-screen to a Simpsons photograph.
110	* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Homer's various pratfalls throughout the show (MadeOfIron or not) were not "truly" just shrugged off: he had lengthy hospital stays and became addicted to painkillers.
111	* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: After the breakup, Lisa writes a tell-all book revealing harsh behind-the-scenes events of the show, such as being fed anti-growth hormones. Homer responds as such.
112	-->'''Homer''': That's ridiculous! How could I even get all five necessary drops into her cereal? ''({{beat}})'' What?
113	* SymbolicallyBrokenObject: The photograph of the Simpson family early on breaks into four pieces foreshadowing the disrupted relationship between the cast members.
114	* TakeThat:
115	** The Simpsons mention televison shows they used to watch, which consist of terrible-sounding fictional shows - and ''Series/HomeImprovement''.
116	** "Simpsons Christmas Boogie" is a jab at "Taking Care Of Christmas", a hastily-written Christmas-themed version of [[Music/TheGuessWho Randy Bachman's]] earlier hit "Taking Care of Business'.
117	** A scene from an upcoming episode has this pot-shot at Delaware's supposed boring nature:
118	--->'''Marge''': I can't believe it! We won another contest!\
119	'''Homer''': The Simpsons are going to Delaware!\
120	'''Lisa''': I wanna see Wilmington!\
121	'''Bart''': I wanna visit a screen door factory!\
122	'''Homer''': ''(watching this scene with an editor)'' [[SelfDeprecation This'll be the last season.]]\
123	'''Editor''': ''(nods in agreement)''
124	** Creator/WoodyAllen finally gets awards, but they [[YankTheDogsChain turn out to be no good]].
125	* TalksLikeASimile: A running gag with the narrator.
126	* TickertapeParade: We see one given for the family.
127	* ThrowItIn: InUniverse, the RunningGag of Homer strangling Bart began as a real incident of violence when Bart complained about Homer's script.
128	* ATrueStoryInMyUniverse: This episode reimagines The Simpsons as a family starring in a SitCom based on their own life.
129	* UnInstallment: Apparently, there's an episode called "Disorder In the Court", in which ComicBook/RichieRich substitutes for Bart while the latter is in rehab.
130	-->'''Marge:''' Bart, what do you mean you have jury duty?\
131	'''"Bart":''' [[MangledCatchPhrase Don't have a cow, Mother.]]
132	* UnusualEuphemism: Skinner: "Awards and honors are great, but they don't pay the pickle man."
133	* WhereTheHellIsSpringfield: After years of speculation as to what state Springfield is in, the narrator just casually calls The Simpsons "this northern Kentucky family"... at least, he did in the original broadcast (and the syndicated version). Both Fox repeats changed it to "southern Missouri". The intention was for it to change to a different state ''every'' time the episode ran -- several more were recorded but not used and can be heard on the DVD's special features (including western Oregon, eastern Nebraska, southern Illinois and the small island of Lanai).
134	* WouldHurtAChild: After the crew thinks Homer strangling Bart is AllPartOfTheShow, Homer reflects on how "that horrible act of child abuse" became a trademark gag.
135	* WritersSuck: [[TheDitz Homer]] is the primary writer on the show, at least early on, and also writes the Sunday newspaper comic strip adaptation (about which Bart snarks, "[[SarcasmMode So you know it's good]]").
136	* WrittenByCastmember: Invoked; Marge mentioned that Homer writes the Sunday ''Simpsons'' comic strip.
137	-->'''Bart''': So you ''know'' it's good!\
138	'''Homer''': Why you little... ''(chokes Bart)''

Context Recap / TheSimpsonsS11E22BehindTheLaughter