| "New Kid on the Block" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 8 |
| Directed by | Wes Archer |
| Written by | Conan O'Brien |
| Production code | 9F06 |
| Original air date | November 12, 1992 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
| Episode features | |
| Chalkboard gag | "I will not bring sheep to class" |
| Couch gag | The Simpsons sit on the couch and it falls through the floor. |
| Commentary | Matt Groening Al Jean Mike Reiss Conan O'Brien David Silverman |
"New Kid on the Block" is the eighth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 12, 1992. After meeting his new neighbor, Laura, Bart falls in love with her, only to later discover that she has a boyfriend, Jimbo Jones, whom he attempts to scare off so that he can have a relationship with Laura. Meanwhile, Homer sues the Sea Captain Horatio McCallister after being kicked out of his all-you-can-eat restaurant while still hungry.[1]
The episode was written by Conan O'Brien and directed by Wes Archer.
Plot
The Simpsons' elderly neighbors, the Winfields, finally relocate to Florida because of Homer's antics. The Winfields' old house is purchased by single mother Ruth Powers and her teenage daughter Laura, with whom Bart falls in love at first sight.
After seeing a television advertisement about an all-you-can-eat seafood restaurant called "The Frying Dutchman", Homer decides to go and take Marge with him, and Bart suggests that Laura should babysit him, Lisa, and Maggie. While Laura babysits the Simpson children, Bart attempts to impress her. However, Laura tells Bart that she is dating Jimbo Jones, one of the bullies at Springfield Elementary School, much to Bart's dismay.
Meanwhile, at the restaurant, Homer quickly enrages the Sea Captain, devouring nearly all the food in the buffet, and is eventually hauled out before he has finished. Enraged, Homer sues the restaurant for false advertising, as the ad that he heard on the television prior to the incident claimed that it was "All You Can Eat", despite Homer not being full before being kicked out.
Homer hires Lionel Hutz to represent him in court, and the case is successful after Hutz convinces the jurors that Homer had not had all he could eat. To avoid further legal trouble, the Sea Captain and Homer eventually strike a deal together that Homer will be displayed in the restaurant as "Bottomless Pete: Nature's Cruelest Mistake" to draw in more customers and offset the cost of his eating, much to Marge's embarrassment.
When Laura, babysitting, invites Jimbo over to the Simpson household, Bart, in an attempt to make Jimbo look bad, prank-calls Moe's Tavern, giving his name as "Jimbo Jones", and giving Moe the Simpsons' address. Believing Jimbo is the one who has been pranking him all the time, Moe rushes to the Simpson house brandishing a large, "rusty and dull" kitchen knife. He finds Jimbo, who bursts into tears and begs for his life; Moe spares him out of pity. Laura breaks up with Jimbo for not being the tough "outlaw" she thought. She tells Bart that she would certainly date him if he were older, and the episode ends with the pair laughing after prank-calling Moe again.
Production
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The episode was written by Conan O'Brien and directed by Wes Archer.[1] The episode's original subplot was intended to include American actor and comedian Don Rickles as a guest star presenting a comedy show and Homer laughing excessively at his jokes, until Rickles ridicules him.[2] The pair were intended to start fighting and end up having to go to court.[2] Despite O'Brien and other production staff being sure that Rickles would appear in the episode, he was reportedly upset by the concept of the storyline, as he did not wish to be portrayed as a "mean guy".[3]
When attending a Fox Broadcasting Company publicity event in New York City with Rupert Murdoch, show producer Matt Groening was introduced by Murdoch to Rickles. Rickles began shouting at Groening, accusing him of spying on his Las Vegas act and using material from that for the episode.[3] The cast actually had been receiving recordings from Rickles from the 1950s to use as ideas on how to get the style for his animatic portrayal.[2] Another side story the writers produced was for Homer to become an outstanding barber and hair dresser, but this was not used until the season 22 episode "Homer Scissorhands".[4]
"New Kid on the Block" features first time appearances from Laura Powers, Ruth Powers, and The Sea Captain. Hank Azaria based the Sea Captain's voice on that of actor Robert Newton.[4]
Cultural references
The title is a standard phrase, but also plays on the name of a boy band, New Kids on the Block. The courtroom scene in which numerous sacks of letters to Santa Claus are delivered to court is a parody of the 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street.[2]
Reception
Critical reception
In 1998, TV Guide included it in its list of the top twelve Simpsons episodes.[5]
Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, commented that it was "a fun episode, introducing the Powers family [and featuring] the last appearance of the Winfields".[1]
Ratings
In its original broadcast, "New Kid on the Block" finished 23rd in ratings for the week of November 9–16, 1992, with a Nielsen rating of 14.4, equivalent to approximately 13.4 million viewing households. It was the highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, beating Beverly Hills, 90210.[6]
References
- 1 2 3 "New Kid on the Block". BBC. Retrieved March 15, 2008.
- 1 2 3 4 O'Brien, Conan (2004). The Simpsons: The Complete Fourth Season Commentary for the Episode "New Kid on the Block" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- 1 2 Groening, Matt (2004). The Simpsons: The Complete Fourth Season Commentary for the Episode "New Kid on the Block" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- 1 2 Jean, Al (2004). The Simpsons: The Complete Fourth Season Commentary for the Episode "New Kid on the Block" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ↑ "A Dozen Doozies". TV Guide. January 3–9, 1998. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
- ↑ Elber, Lynn (November 19, 1992). "Jackson 5? Nope, it was no. 3 last week". Sun-Sentinel. p. 4E.
External links
