WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.660 Welcome, everyone, to the Deep Dive. Today, we're 00:00:02.660 --> 00:00:04.400 strapping in and heading straight for Springfield. 00:00:04.700 --> 00:00:07.620 But we are looking beyond the nuclear safety 00:00:07.620 --> 00:00:09.859 inspector. Right. We're focusing straight into 00:00:09.859 --> 00:00:12.019 the foundational figures that really built that 00:00:12.019 --> 00:00:15.119 entire cultural universe. Exactly. We're looking 00:00:15.119 --> 00:00:17.679 at the matriarch, the mischief maker, the marvelous 00:00:17.679 --> 00:00:21.239 prodigy, and, well, one very cynical burnt -out 00:00:21.239 --> 00:00:24.640 clown. yeah these sources provide a truly remarkable 00:00:24.640 --> 00:00:28.559 look into the creation the you know the bizarre 00:00:28.559 --> 00:00:32.399 inner lives and the just massive cultural footprint 00:00:32.399 --> 00:00:36.020 of bart lisa marge and crusty the clown we're 00:00:36.020 --> 00:00:39.099 charting the journey of how these like hastily 00:00:39.099 --> 00:00:41.560 sketched, slightly crude characters became some 00:00:41.560 --> 00:00:44.979 of the most enduring, recognizable and deeply 00:00:44.979 --> 00:00:47.439 analyzed fictional figures in American history. 00:00:47.539 --> 00:00:49.340 It's quite something. So our mission here is 00:00:49.340 --> 00:00:52.079 to quickly synthesize this creation story. We 00:00:52.079 --> 00:00:53.500 want to understand the foundational creative 00:00:53.500 --> 00:00:55.520 decisions, you know, the mistakes, the accidents, 00:00:55.679 --> 00:00:57.820 maybe the genius strokes and those behind the 00:00:57.820 --> 00:01:00.320 scenes compromises. Right. That built characters 00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:03.990 who. despite being eternally the same age, have 00:01:03.990 --> 00:01:07.230 launched decades of social commentary. It's kind 00:01:07.230 --> 00:01:08.930 of wild when you think about it. It really is. 00:01:09.010 --> 00:01:11.489 And we absolutely have to set the stage in 1987 00:01:11.489 --> 00:01:15.909 because the rapid -fire genesis of the show really 00:01:15.909 --> 00:01:19.409 defines its chaotic, spontaneous nature. Matt 00:01:19.409 --> 00:01:21.969 Groening is sitting in the office of James L. 00:01:22.010 --> 00:01:24.670 Brooks. Now, Brooks, for those who need a reminder, 00:01:24.829 --> 00:01:27.730 is just this entertainment titan. Oh, yeah. Emmys 00:01:27.730 --> 00:01:30.239 for The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Taxi. An Oscar 00:01:30.239 --> 00:01:32.879 for directing Terms of Endearment. He was huge. 00:01:33.799 --> 00:01:36.459 And he needed animated shorts for the Tracy Ullman 00:01:36.459 --> 00:01:38.620 show. Right, the Variety show. Yeah. And Groening 00:01:38.620 --> 00:01:40.480 originally planned to pitch an animated version 00:01:40.480 --> 00:01:42.980 of his beloved comic strip, Life in Hell. That 00:01:42.980 --> 00:01:45.099 was his main thing. That was the plan. But then 00:01:45.099 --> 00:01:47.560 in a moment of panic, like right there in the 00:01:47.560 --> 00:01:49.939 waiting room. Literally. Yeah, literally. He 00:01:49.939 --> 00:01:52.239 realized pitching Life in Hell would mean signing 00:01:52.239 --> 00:01:54.400 away the publishing rights to his life's work. 00:01:54.560 --> 00:01:56.560 He didn't want to lose control. Understandable. 00:01:56.579 --> 00:01:59.500 So literally on the fly, he just sketched out 00:01:59.500 --> 00:02:02.000 this dysfunctional family, named them after his 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:06.189 own parents and sister. Marge, Homer, Lisa, Maggie. 00:02:06.829 --> 00:02:09.469 Bart was the outlier name. It's a remarkable 00:02:09.469 --> 00:02:11.689 piece of creative history, isn't it? The entire 00:02:11.689 --> 00:02:15.009 franchise basically born out of a last minute 00:02:15.009 --> 00:02:17.610 business decision just to keep copyright control. 00:02:17.770 --> 00:02:20.590 It's pure serendipity. But maybe the single most 00:02:20.590 --> 00:02:22.969 crucial foundational move wasn't even the drawing 00:02:22.969 --> 00:02:25.449 of the characters. What was it then? It was the 00:02:25.449 --> 00:02:28.449 contractual protection provided by Brooks. James 00:02:28.449 --> 00:02:30.330 L. Brooks was an established heavyweight. You 00:02:30.330 --> 00:02:33.250 know, he had clout. A lot of clout. And he negotiated 00:02:33.250 --> 00:02:36.430 this provision that is now legendary. Fox was 00:02:36.430 --> 00:02:38.729 explicitly prevented from interfering with the 00:02:38.729 --> 00:02:40.469 show's content. Okay, wait, let's pause on that 00:02:40.469 --> 00:02:43.159 for a second. Why was that provision so... Like 00:02:43.159 --> 00:02:46.419 revolutionary back in 1989. Because network television, 00:02:46.759 --> 00:02:49.240 especially primetime, was just micromanaged to 00:02:49.240 --> 00:02:51.759 death. Right. Network notes everywhere. Executive 00:02:51.759 --> 00:02:53.860 oversight was the absolute norm, particularly 00:02:53.860 --> 00:02:57.000 on anything satirical or, you know, potentially 00:02:57.000 --> 00:02:59.139 controversial. So Bronx basically bought them 00:02:59.139 --> 00:03:02.120 freedom. Exactly. By guaranteeing creative freedom. 00:03:02.650 --> 00:03:04.870 Brooks essentially built a protective shield 00:03:04.870 --> 00:03:07.710 around the writers. And that shield allowed the 00:03:07.710 --> 00:03:09.889 show to be the sharp -edged, politically aware 00:03:09.889 --> 00:03:12.569 satire it became. Which then paved the way for, 00:03:12.710 --> 00:03:16.110 well, everything that followed. South Park, Family 00:03:16.110 --> 00:03:19.069 Guy. All of them. Without that contractual promise. 00:03:19.169 --> 00:03:21.430 Honestly, we likely wouldn't be sitting here 00:03:21.430 --> 00:03:23.229 talking about the show's legacy today. It was 00:03:23.229 --> 00:03:26.110 that important. That context really changes everything. 00:03:26.349 --> 00:03:29.430 So the family appeared as shorts on the Tracy 00:03:29.430 --> 00:03:32.530 Ullman show starting in April 87. Yep. And then 00:03:32.530 --> 00:03:34.789 spun out into their own half hour series in December 00:03:34.789 --> 00:03:38.830 1989. And when that series debuted, the biggest 00:03:38.830 --> 00:03:41.689 cultural shockwave, I mean, the absolute biggest, 00:03:41.870 --> 00:03:44.669 came from the first son, Bart Simpson. Oh, Bart 00:03:44.669 --> 00:03:47.229 was the absolute phenomenon. He was the figurehead 00:03:47.229 --> 00:03:49.150 of the show for those first, what, two, three 00:03:49.150 --> 00:03:52.069 sons? Totally dumb. Conceived in 1987, right? 00:03:52.150 --> 00:03:54.479 And his name. Yeah. It's kind of brilliant in 00:03:54.479 --> 00:03:56.819 its simplicity. It's pure creative cynicism, 00:03:56.840 --> 00:03:59.680 isn't it? Bart is an exact anagram of brat. Right 00:03:59.680 --> 00:04:02.039 there from the start. And the details of his 00:04:02.039 --> 00:04:04.280 full name are surprisingly deep for a cartoon 00:04:04.280 --> 00:04:06.620 character you find. Bartholomew Jojo Simpson. 00:04:06.919 --> 00:04:10.919 That middle initial. It's an explicit homage. 00:04:11.300 --> 00:04:14.000 To Jay Ward characters. Exactly. Bullwinkle Jay 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:17.160 Moose. Rocket Jay Squirrel. A nod to the history 00:04:17.160 --> 00:04:20.220 of American animation. But the Jojo part. Yeah. 00:04:20.379 --> 00:04:23.019 That wasn't planned. Nope. Pure accident. It 00:04:23.019 --> 00:04:25.259 was an ad lib during a recording session. I, 00:04:25.300 --> 00:04:27.279 Nancy Cartwright. I, Nancy Cartwright. His voice 00:04:27.279 --> 00:04:29.980 actress, she just threw it in and it stuck, which 00:04:29.980 --> 00:04:32.279 tells you a lot about how much of the show's 00:04:32.279 --> 00:04:34.779 DNA was solidified right there in those early 00:04:34.779 --> 00:04:37.800 chaotic voice sessions. That's amazing. So Groening's 00:04:37.800 --> 00:04:40.439 inspiration for Bart. Yeah. It was his older 00:04:40.439 --> 00:04:43.189 brother, Mark, partly. Partly, Mark, but he also 00:04:43.189 --> 00:04:46.009 envisioned Bart as this, like, exaggerated combination 00:04:46.009 --> 00:04:48.889 of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Okay. He 00:04:48.889 --> 00:04:51.850 explicitly aimed for a genuinely mischievous, 00:04:51.949 --> 00:04:55.189 subversive character. He said he was always disappointed 00:04:55.189 --> 00:04:58.110 by Dennis the Menace. Really? Why? He felt Dennis 00:04:58.110 --> 00:05:00.329 was never truly rebellious enough to earn his 00:05:00.329 --> 00:05:02.589 reputation. You know, he wasn't really a menace. 00:05:02.649 --> 00:05:05.079 Okay, I see that. Groening wanted a character 00:05:05.079 --> 00:05:08.160 who actually dared to do what others only thought 00:05:08.160 --> 00:05:11.100 about doing. But the character's path, his whole 00:05:11.100 --> 00:05:13.579 vibe, was completely redefined by one of the 00:05:13.579 --> 00:05:16.600 most famous casting reversals in TV history. 00:05:16.759 --> 00:05:19.000 Ah, the voice swap. This is where it gets really 00:05:19.000 --> 00:05:20.439 interesting, especially for you, the listener, 00:05:20.519 --> 00:05:22.740 if you don't know the full story. Nancy Cartwright, 00:05:22.860 --> 00:05:27.269 who gives Bart that iconic sound. She originally 00:05:27.269 --> 00:05:29.649 went in to audition for Lisa. The intellectual 00:05:29.649 --> 00:05:32.410 sister. Right. But she found the character description 00:05:32.410 --> 00:05:34.649 for Lisa at the time totally unappealing. It 00:05:34.649 --> 00:05:37.430 just said something like middle child. Not much 00:05:37.430 --> 00:05:41.110 to go on. Not at all. Bart, though, his description 00:05:41.110 --> 00:05:46.009 was dynamic, devious, underachieving, school 00:05:46.009 --> 00:05:48.870 -hating, irreverent, and clever. That sounds 00:05:48.870 --> 00:05:51.649 way more fun to voice. Exactly. Cartwright saw 00:05:51.649 --> 00:05:54.170 the potential for Fen. switched her focus right 00:05:54.170 --> 00:05:56.589 there, tried out for Bart. And got it immediately. 00:05:56.870 --> 00:05:59.670 Secured the role instantly. Her energetic kind 00:05:59.670 --> 00:06:02.029 of nasal reading just clicked. And the irony 00:06:02.029 --> 00:06:03.910 is just beautiful because the reverse happened 00:06:03.910 --> 00:06:06.850 too, didn't it? It did. Yeardley Smith, who actually 00:06:06.850 --> 00:06:08.930 wanted the role of Bart. She auditioned for Bart. 00:06:09.069 --> 00:06:11.810 Yep. But she was told her voice was too high 00:06:11.810 --> 00:06:14.889 pitched for a boy. So they cast her as Lisa instead. 00:06:15.250 --> 00:06:18.930 Think about that. The foundational, iconic sound 00:06:18.930 --> 00:06:21.300 of Bart Simpson. the voice that launched this 00:06:21.300 --> 00:06:24.220 massive franchise, came down to a snap decision 00:06:24.220 --> 00:06:27.199 and a voice actor swap right there in the room. 00:06:27.300 --> 00:06:30.240 It's sheer cultural lightning. Just pure chance, 00:06:30.379 --> 00:06:32.459 almost. And it's also notable you mentioned that 00:06:32.459 --> 00:06:34.439 Cartwright was the only one of the six main cast 00:06:34.439 --> 00:06:36.699 members with formal voice acting training when 00:06:36.699 --> 00:06:38.779 the show began. She was the pro in the room, 00:06:38.860 --> 00:06:42.360 yeah. But despite her professionalism, the Fox 00:06:42.360 --> 00:06:45.269 network felt they needed to hide something. What 00:06:45.269 --> 00:06:47.970 was that? The fact that the voice of this rebellious, 00:06:48.050 --> 00:06:50.990 underachieving boy was actually provided by a 00:06:50.990 --> 00:06:53.649 grown woman. They initially barred her from interviews. 00:06:53.870 --> 00:06:55.870 Seriously. Seriously. They thought revealing 00:06:55.870 --> 00:06:58.129 it would break the illusion, shatter the magic 00:06:58.129 --> 00:07:01.050 or something. But the phenomenon was just unstoppable, 00:07:01.250 --> 00:07:04.149 wasn't it? Totally unstoppable. Bart became television's 00:07:04.149 --> 00:07:07.350 king of 1990. It triggered this massive consumer 00:07:07.350 --> 00:07:11.100 frenzy, immediately dubbed Bartmania. Entertainment 00:07:11.100 --> 00:07:13.980 Weekly didn't just notice. They named him Entertainer 00:07:13.980 --> 00:07:17.120 of the Year that year over actual humans. Which 00:07:17.120 --> 00:07:19.839 is incredible. And the merchandising just exploded. 00:07:19.839 --> 00:07:21.879 You couldn't go anywhere without seeing Bart's 00:07:21.879 --> 00:07:23.779 face. How much money are we talking? Get this. 00:07:24.540 --> 00:07:28.740 They generated $2 billion in revenue in the first 00:07:28.740 --> 00:07:32.449 14 months alone. Two billion. Wow. But this huge 00:07:32.449 --> 00:07:35.350 commercial success immediately collided with 00:07:35.350 --> 00:07:38.329 political and social controversy. It wasn't all 00:07:38.329 --> 00:07:40.550 smooth sailing. Oh, absolutely. The success of 00:07:40.550 --> 00:07:42.610 the merchandise itself was the flashpoint, wasn't 00:07:42.610 --> 00:07:44.629 it? Those T -shirts. Millions of Bart -themed 00:07:44.629 --> 00:07:48.170 T -shirts sold, often featuring these anti -authority 00:07:48.170 --> 00:07:50.550 slogans like the infamous, I'm Bart Simpson, 00:07:50.870 --> 00:07:53.089 who the hell are you? And the classic, underachiever? 00:07:53.189 --> 00:07:55.110 Yeah. I'm proud of it, man. That T -shirt, by 00:07:55.110 --> 00:07:57.910 the way, the underachiever one. It sparked so 00:07:57.910 --> 00:08:00.310 much debate, got banned in some American public 00:08:00.310 --> 00:08:02.689 schools. I remember that. That it is now housed 00:08:02.689 --> 00:08:05.410 in the National Museum of American History. That's 00:08:05.410 --> 00:08:08.410 the ultimate symbol, isn't it? A cartoon character's 00:08:08.410 --> 00:08:11.029 T -shirt transcending media and becoming a genuine 00:08:11.029 --> 00:08:14.029 sociological artifact. It really is. And the 00:08:14.029 --> 00:08:17.529 backlash was profound. William Bennett, who was 00:08:17.529 --> 00:08:20.089 the U .S. drug czar at the time. Right, in 1990. 00:08:20.620 --> 00:08:22.160 He criticized the show, said it was promoting 00:08:22.160 --> 00:08:24.699 bad behavior, wasn't helpful. And Bill Cosby 00:08:24.699 --> 00:08:28.839 jumped in, too. Yep, in 1991. Called Bart angry, 00:08:29.060 --> 00:08:31.500 confused, frustrated. And Groening's response 00:08:31.500 --> 00:08:34.039 was perfect, wasn't it? Legendary. Because it 00:08:34.039 --> 00:08:37.259 articulated the show's core appeal. He said Bart 00:08:37.259 --> 00:08:40.500 is who others just wish they dare do. He was 00:08:40.500 --> 00:08:43.860 channeling the suppressed id of America, basically. 00:08:43.879 --> 00:08:46.059 And then, of course, the big one. The political 00:08:46.059 --> 00:08:48.519 slapdown from President George H .W. Bush in 00:08:48.519 --> 00:08:51.679 92. saying he wanted families to be a lot less 00:08:51.679 --> 00:08:54.240 like the Simpsons and a lot more like the Waltons. 00:08:54.240 --> 00:08:57.220 A direct hit. But the show's writers, remember, 00:08:57.399 --> 00:09:00.360 protected by that Brooks contract? Ah, the shield. 00:09:00.580 --> 00:09:03.340 They delivered an immediate and perfect on -air 00:09:03.340 --> 00:09:05.539 retort just three days later. It was incredibly 00:09:05.539 --> 00:09:08.139 fast. What did they do? The segment showed Bart 00:09:08.139 --> 00:09:10.600 watching the speech and replying directly, Hey, 00:09:10.720 --> 00:09:12.860 we're just like the Waltons. We're praying for 00:09:12.860 --> 00:09:16.000 an end to the Depression, too. Oof, that's sharp. 00:09:16.409 --> 00:09:19.289 That speed, that topicality, that biting social 00:09:19.289 --> 00:09:21.990 awareness, it defined the show's early power 00:09:21.990 --> 00:09:24.210 and proved exactly why those content protections 00:09:24.210 --> 00:09:26.750 were so vital. Okay, before we move on from Bart, 00:09:26.870 --> 00:09:29.610 we have to touch on the hallmarks and quirks 00:09:29.610 --> 00:09:31.509 that really making who he is, starting with those 00:09:31.509 --> 00:09:34.750 catchphrases. Oh, yeah. Eat my shorts, a classic. 00:09:35.360 --> 00:09:37.460 But few people know where it actually came from. 00:09:37.600 --> 00:09:39.220 It was Nancy Cartwright again, right? From high 00:09:39.220 --> 00:09:41.419 school. Exactly. Her high school marching band. 00:09:41.639 --> 00:09:44.039 She ad -libbed it at a table read, recalling 00:09:44.039 --> 00:09:47.039 this chant her band used to yell, Fairmont West! 00:09:47.580 --> 00:09:51.200 Fairmont West! Eat my shorts! Another accidental 00:09:51.200 --> 00:09:54.139 moment that just became cultural shorthand. Amazing. 00:09:54.179 --> 00:09:57.340 Totally. And don't have a cow, man. is similar, 00:09:57.480 --> 00:09:59.980 popularized by Bart, but it actually originated 00:09:59.980 --> 00:10:02.559 from an older British phrase, don't have kittens. 00:10:02.779 --> 00:10:05.519 From the 50s, I think. Yeah, popular in the 1950s. 00:10:05.519 --> 00:10:08.759 And the versatile, slightly exasperated, ah, 00:10:08.940 --> 00:10:11.480 caramba. Where'd that come from? Apparently inspired 00:10:11.480 --> 00:10:14.240 by the passionate outbursts of a Portuguese flamenco 00:10:14.240 --> 00:10:17.519 dancer. Just these little bits of cultural ephemera 00:10:17.519 --> 00:10:20.080 grabbed and made iconic. We also need to bring 00:10:20.080 --> 00:10:21.440 in something else about Bart, something that 00:10:21.440 --> 00:10:23.960 adds another layer to his character, his learning 00:10:23.960 --> 00:10:26.629 difficulties. Yes, this is important for later. 00:10:26.950 --> 00:10:29.909 Bart was actually diagnosed with attention deficit 00:10:29.909 --> 00:10:33.370 disorder, ADD, in season 11. And there's also 00:10:33.370 --> 00:10:35.230 the Simpson gene, right? The hereditary Simpson 00:10:35.230 --> 00:10:37.889 gene, yeah. Established later, it's linked to 00:10:37.889 --> 00:10:40.309 the Y chromosome, affecting the males in the 00:10:40.309 --> 00:10:44.149 family, basically leading to lower intelligence 00:10:44.149 --> 00:10:46.549 and, well, poor achievement. So Bart's whole 00:10:46.549 --> 00:10:49.370 underachiever status isn't just him being lazy 00:10:49.370 --> 00:10:52.730 or rebellious. It's literally coded into him. 00:10:53.159 --> 00:10:55.480 chemically and genetically within the show's 00:10:55.480 --> 00:10:58.580 own rules. It adds this layer of tragicomic depth 00:10:58.580 --> 00:11:00.840 to all his mischief, doesn't it? He can't entirely 00:11:00.840 --> 00:11:03.220 help it. Which feeds directly into another classic 00:11:03.220 --> 00:11:06.139 Bart element, the chalkboard gag. That opening 00:11:06.139 --> 00:11:08.919 scene, Bart writing lines, it varies every single 00:11:08.919 --> 00:11:11.100 episode. It's like a quick throwaway moment for 00:11:11.100 --> 00:11:13.460 satire. Right, political humor like the First 00:11:13.460 --> 00:11:15.320 Amendment does not cover burping. Pop culture 00:11:15.320 --> 00:11:17.480 references, I can't see dead people. Or even 00:11:17.480 --> 00:11:19.740 meta commentary on the show itself. I am not 00:11:19.740 --> 00:11:23.200 a 32 -year -old woman. A nod to Nancy Cartwright. 00:11:23.340 --> 00:11:25.220 They even used the chalkboard as an official 00:11:25.220 --> 00:11:27.659 apology platform once. Remember the New Orleans 00:11:27.659 --> 00:11:30.600 song controversy? Vaguely. What happened? In 00:11:30.600 --> 00:11:33.940 1992, an episode called A Streetcar Named Marge 00:11:33.940 --> 00:11:36.679 had the song described in New Orleans as a home 00:11:36.679 --> 00:11:39.320 of pirates, drunks, and whores. Caused a bit 00:11:39.320 --> 00:11:41.539 of an uproar. Oh dear. So the next episode's 00:11:41.539 --> 00:11:44.610 chalkboard gag read simply... I will not defame 00:11:44.610 --> 00:11:47.809 New Orleans. Direct apology. Wow. Using the open 00:11:47.809 --> 00:11:50.809 gag for damage control. And a final, critical, 00:11:50.950 --> 00:11:54.950 early hallmark. The prank calls. To Moe's Tavern, 00:11:54.970 --> 00:11:57.649 yeah. Bart would ask Moe Syslack for someone 00:11:57.649 --> 00:12:00.110 with a ridiculous gag name. Huge ass, alcoholic, 00:12:00.490 --> 00:12:02.929 Seymour Butts. And Moe's reaction was the whole 00:12:02.929 --> 00:12:05.970 joke. Immediate, profane, violent threats. And 00:12:05.970 --> 00:12:07.289 those reactions, they weren't just pulled out 00:12:07.289 --> 00:12:09.820 of Sin Air. Moe's violent temperament was inspired 00:12:09.820 --> 00:12:12.500 by something real. What? The tube bar recordings. 00:12:12.759 --> 00:12:14.759 Ever hear of those? No, tell me. They were these 00:12:14.759 --> 00:12:17.340 infamous real -life prank calls made to Louis 00:12:17.340 --> 00:12:19.740 Red Deutsch, a bar owner in New Jersey back in 00:12:19.740 --> 00:12:22.580 the 70s. Highly profane, hilarious recordings 00:12:22.580 --> 00:12:25.399 circulated underground. So Red's genuine explosive 00:12:25.399 --> 00:12:28.289 anger. directly influenced how Moe would react 00:12:28.289 --> 00:12:30.929 to Bart's childish tricks. The show was pulling 00:12:30.929 --> 00:12:33.110 from this obscure underground comedy history 00:12:33.110 --> 00:12:36.149 to fuel a recurring gag. That's fascinating. 00:12:36.370 --> 00:12:38.710 The show was layering references from everywhere. 00:12:38.950 --> 00:12:41.169 So why did they eventually phase out the prank 00:12:41.169 --> 00:12:43.730 calls? They were so iconic early on. Honestly, 00:12:43.929 --> 00:12:46.909 they just ran out of steam. The writers found 00:12:46.909 --> 00:12:49.929 it harder and harder to invent new, clever gag 00:12:49.929 --> 00:12:52.429 names that hadn't been done. And the joke itself, 00:12:52.850 --> 00:12:55.870 Moe getting mad. Probably got repetitive. Exactly. 00:12:55.870 --> 00:12:58.070 It became a well. They couldn't draw from endlessly 00:12:58.070 --> 00:13:01.490 without it feeling stale or predictable. Okay. 00:13:01.570 --> 00:13:04.570 Makes sense. Let's pivot now from the eternal 00:13:04.570 --> 00:13:07.350 underachiever, Bart, whose struggles are both 00:13:07.350 --> 00:13:10.990 behavioral and, well, genetic. Right. To his 00:13:10.990 --> 00:13:14.129 younger sister. The intellectual powerhouse and 00:13:14.129 --> 00:13:17.460 arguably the moral center of the family. Lisa 00:13:17.460 --> 00:13:19.799 Simpson. Lisa. Yeah. At eight years old, she 00:13:19.799 --> 00:13:21.940 carries the intellectual weight of the entire 00:13:21.940 --> 00:13:24.500 Simpson family, maybe the whole town. She's established 00:13:24.500 --> 00:13:27.340 as having an IQ of 159, right? And she's a member 00:13:27.340 --> 00:13:30.080 of Mensa. Confirmed member. She really embodies 00:13:30.080 --> 00:13:32.279 that whole prodigy curse within the world of 00:13:32.279 --> 00:13:34.679 Springfield. She's brilliant, but often isolated 00:13:34.679 --> 00:13:36.799 because of it. And she's a very specific kind 00:13:36.799 --> 00:13:39.240 of prodigy, too. Her passion is jazz. She's a 00:13:39.240 --> 00:13:42.019 real purist about it. Totally. She names Miles 00:13:42.019 --> 00:13:45.500 Davis's 1957 album, Birth of the Cool, as her 00:13:45.500 --> 00:13:48.299 personal favorite. That's deep for an eight -year 00:13:48.299 --> 00:13:50.779 -old. And she plays the baritone saxophone, which 00:13:50.779 --> 00:13:53.320 is not an easy instrument. Not at all. And she 00:13:53.320 --> 00:13:55.360 had that famous friendship with the late great 00:13:55.360 --> 00:13:58.639 jazz musician Bleeding Gums Murphy. Oh, Bleeding 00:13:58.639 --> 00:14:01.820 Gums. Yeah. Her intellect is also just completely 00:14:01.820 --> 00:14:03.759 tied up with her political identity, isn't it? 00:14:03.980 --> 00:14:07.100 inextricably linked lisa is firmly established 00:14:07.100 --> 00:14:10.659 as a strong left -wing liberal she advocates 00:14:10.659 --> 00:14:14.120 for basically every progressive cause imaginable 00:14:14.120 --> 00:14:17.879 universal health care feminism gay rights environmentalism 00:14:17.879 --> 00:14:21.179 the free tibet movement You name it, Lisa's probably 00:14:21.179 --> 00:14:23.600 protested for it. What's really fascinating here, 00:14:23.659 --> 00:14:26.340 I think, is how the writers use that activism. 00:14:26.539 --> 00:14:28.820 It's not just like a checklist of causes they 00:14:28.820 --> 00:14:30.840 throw at her. No, it allows the show to tackle 00:14:30.840 --> 00:14:33.000 really complex political issues, but through 00:14:33.000 --> 00:14:35.740 the lens of an eight -year -old's earnest idealism. 00:14:35.940 --> 00:14:37.419 Which must have been pretty bold for a major 00:14:37.419 --> 00:14:39.320 network show in the early 90s tackling things 00:14:39.320 --> 00:14:42.279 like environmentalism or Tibetan freedom. It 00:14:42.279 --> 00:14:44.740 was a significant statement, and it often got 00:14:44.740 --> 00:14:47.480 filtered through the comedic absurdity of Springfield, 00:14:47.620 --> 00:14:50.090 which maybe made it more... palatable, but the 00:14:50.090 --> 00:14:52.429 points were still there. And this activism is 00:14:52.429 --> 00:14:54.690 one of the rare areas where the show actually 00:14:54.690 --> 00:14:57.580 allows for permanent character changes. which 00:14:57.580 --> 00:14:59.580 almost never happens on The Simpsons. That's 00:14:59.580 --> 00:15:02.600 a huge point. Lisa permanently became a vegetarian 00:15:02.600 --> 00:15:05.379 in season seven in Lisa the Vegetarian. And that 00:15:05.379 --> 00:15:07.019 was because of Paul McCartney, wasn't it? It 00:15:07.019 --> 00:15:09.799 was famously a condition set by guest star Paul 00:15:09.799 --> 00:15:12.600 McCartney and his then -wife Linda. They agreed 00:15:12.600 --> 00:15:15.559 to appear only if Lisa's vegetarianism stuck, 00:15:15.740 --> 00:15:18.179 becoming a permanent trait within the show's 00:15:18.179 --> 00:15:20.840 floating timeline. Wow. And she also converted 00:15:20.840 --> 00:15:23.000 to Buddhism later on. Permanently converted in 00:15:23.000 --> 00:15:25.870 season 13, yeah. Embracing the Noble Eightfold 00:15:25.870 --> 00:15:28.570 Path. The Noble Eightfold Path. Remind us what 00:15:28.570 --> 00:15:30.350 that involves. Well, essentially, it's the heart 00:15:30.350 --> 00:15:32.250 of Buddhist practice. It offers a systematic 00:15:32.250 --> 00:15:35.210 way to end suffering and achieve self -awakening. 00:15:35.549 --> 00:15:38.110 It includes things like right understanding, 00:15:38.450 --> 00:15:41.350 right intention, right speech, right action, 00:15:41.470 --> 00:15:44.190 right livelihood. The fact that the show grounded 00:15:44.190 --> 00:15:47.110 her conversion in such a specific philosophical 00:15:47.110 --> 00:15:50.830 detail really demonstrates the depth the writers 00:15:50.830 --> 00:15:52.830 invested in her character, even that late in 00:15:52.830 --> 00:15:55.240 the run. But her greatest strength, her intellect, 00:15:55.480 --> 00:15:58.100 is also kind of her biggest flaw, isn't it? That 00:15:58.100 --> 00:16:01.120 prodigy curse you mentioned. Definitely. Lisa 00:16:01.120 --> 00:16:03.919 often feels like a total misfit in Springfield. 00:16:04.120 --> 00:16:06.679 She needs constant validation for her intelligence. 00:16:07.000 --> 00:16:08.940 She even suffers withdrawal symptoms if she can't 00:16:08.940 --> 00:16:10.919 go to school. Yeah, due to a lack of praise, 00:16:10.980 --> 00:16:14.080 that was in the PTA disbands. She craves that 00:16:14.080 --> 00:16:17.639 academic approval. And her idealism. Sometimes 00:16:17.639 --> 00:16:20.820 it tips over into being kind of, well... Self 00:16:20.820 --> 00:16:23.419 -righteous. It frequently flips into self -righteousness 00:16:23.419 --> 00:16:25.759 or just an intolerance of differing opinions. 00:16:26.539 --> 00:16:29.019 Her moral compass is so strong, sometimes too 00:16:29.019 --> 00:16:31.519 strong, that she can't really tolerate anything 00:16:31.519 --> 00:16:33.419 that doesn't align perfectly with it. Which, 00:16:33.500 --> 00:16:35.480 ironically, can make her less effective as an 00:16:35.480 --> 00:16:37.820 activist sometimes. Exactly. That moment in Bart 00:16:37.820 --> 00:16:39.659 Starr you mentioned is perfect for illustrating 00:16:39.659 --> 00:16:42.299 this. Remind me. She tries to join the Pee -wee 00:16:42.299 --> 00:16:44.320 football team, assuming she's breaking down gender 00:16:44.320 --> 00:16:46.700 barriers. Right. Fighting the good fight. But 00:16:46.700 --> 00:16:49.639 then the coach, Ned Flanders, I think, reveals 00:16:49.639 --> 00:16:52.960 the team already includes several girls, they 00:16:52.960 --> 00:16:55.620 use synthetic leather footballs, and they donate 00:16:55.620 --> 00:16:57.940 proceeds to Amnesty International. So all her 00:16:57.940 --> 00:16:59.980 causes were already covered. Completely covered. 00:17:00.059 --> 00:17:02.580 And having no moral high ground left, no crusade 00:17:02.580 --> 00:17:06.380 to lead, she just runs off crying. That captures 00:17:06.380 --> 00:17:09.119 it beautifully. Even though she is, as the source 00:17:09.119 --> 00:17:11.920 says, preternaturally wise, she's still an eight 00:17:11.920 --> 00:17:14.500 -year -old. Still a kid who sometimes seeks moral 00:17:14.500 --> 00:17:16.740 superiority just for the ego boost or maybe the 00:17:16.740 --> 00:17:19.539 drama of the fight itself. Yet, despite carrying 00:17:19.539 --> 00:17:23.140 this enormous intellectual weight, she does still 00:17:23.140 --> 00:17:26.480 act like a child sometimes. Oh, yeah. She obsessively 00:17:26.480 --> 00:17:28.779 watches the Itchy and Scratchy show right alongside 00:17:28.779 --> 00:17:30.900 Bart. Total hypocrite on that one. And she has 00:17:30.900 --> 00:17:33.700 those very typical childhood obsessions like 00:17:33.700 --> 00:17:36.660 teenage heartthrobs. Remember Corey? My name 00:17:36.660 --> 00:17:39.660 is Corey. Oh God, Corey, yes. With the delegates? 00:17:40.099 --> 00:17:42.440 Hilarious. Her future love life has also been 00:17:42.440 --> 00:17:44.759 a fun source of speculation for the writers over 00:17:44.759 --> 00:17:46.759 the years. She's had confirmed relationships, 00:17:46.859 --> 00:17:49.539 right? Nelson Muntz. Nelson, yeah. And Colin, 00:17:49.759 --> 00:17:51.900 the Irish boy from the Simpsons movie. Right. 00:17:52.359 --> 00:17:54.779 And while those non -canon flash forward episodes 00:17:54.779 --> 00:17:57.960 often show her eventually settling down with 00:17:57.960 --> 00:18:00.299 Milhouse Van Houten. Which feels depressingly 00:18:00.299 --> 00:18:03.299 inevitable sometimes. The showrunners have also 00:18:03.299 --> 00:18:05.299 been having fun playing with her identity as 00:18:05.299 --> 00:18:08.039 this progressive future forward character, haven't 00:18:08.039 --> 00:18:10.559 they? They have. In that same big flash forward 00:18:10.559 --> 00:18:13.440 episode, Holidays of Future Past, Lisa has actually 00:18:13.440 --> 00:18:16.279 shown having relationships with women. before 00:18:16.279 --> 00:18:18.740 ending up with millhouse oh interesting i didn't 00:18:18.740 --> 00:18:21.119 remember that detail and showrunner al jean even 00:18:21.119 --> 00:18:24.140 confirmed back in 2019 that he personally viewed 00:18:24.140 --> 00:18:27.359 lisa as being Possibly polyamorous in the future. 00:18:28.039 --> 00:18:30.339 Polyamorous, wow. It's a compelling suggestion 00:18:30.339 --> 00:18:32.940 for a character who's so often the moral and 00:18:32.940 --> 00:18:35.579 ethical compass. It suggests a future where she 00:18:35.579 --> 00:18:37.660 continues to challenge traditional structures, 00:18:37.880 --> 00:18:39.920 including maybe those defining relationships. 00:18:40.279 --> 00:18:42.339 That fits her character, actually. And Lisa's 00:18:42.339 --> 00:18:44.599 impact extends beyond the show, even into our 00:18:44.599 --> 00:18:47.200 real world language. She won awards for her activism, 00:18:47.420 --> 00:18:49.680 definitely. The Genesis Award for the vegetarian 00:18:49.680 --> 00:18:52.299 episode was a big one. But the greatest linguistic 00:18:52.299 --> 00:18:56.900 honor has to be. Meh. That simple three -letter 00:18:56.900 --> 00:18:59.079 expression of complete indifference. Which the 00:18:59.079 --> 00:19:01.160 character first uttered, yeah. It officially 00:19:01.160 --> 00:19:04.359 entered the Collins English Dictionary in 2008. 00:19:04.740 --> 00:19:07.079 When a fictional eight -year -old manages to 00:19:07.079 --> 00:19:09.460 embed a new word into the dictionary, you know 00:19:09.460 --> 00:19:11.900 they've made it. Absolutely cemented into the 00:19:11.900 --> 00:19:14.000 cultural landscape, no question. Okay, let's 00:19:14.000 --> 00:19:16.180 move now from the prodigy to the foundation of 00:19:16.180 --> 00:19:19.720 the family. The necessary grounding voice, the 00:19:19.720 --> 00:19:22.759 often overlooked but utterly essential matriarch. 00:19:23.540 --> 00:19:28.079 Marge Simpson. Marge! Or Marjorie Jacqueline 00:19:28.079 --> 00:19:30.900 Simpson, to use her full name. Visually, she's 00:19:30.900 --> 00:19:34.759 defined by one thing above all else. That unmistakable, 00:19:34.759 --> 00:19:37.880 gigantic blue beehive hairdo. Where did that 00:19:37.880 --> 00:19:39.859 even come from? The source material confirms 00:19:39.859 --> 00:19:42.299 a dual inspiration, actually. The towering shape 00:19:42.299 --> 00:19:44.519 was modeled after the Bride of Frankenstein. 00:19:44.579 --> 00:19:46.740 Okay, I can see that. And the color and general 00:19:46.740 --> 00:19:48.900 style were inspired by the hair Matt Groening's 00:19:48.900 --> 00:19:51.660 own mother, Margaret, wore back in the 1960s. 00:19:51.700 --> 00:19:54.359 Though Mrs. Groening's hair was presumably not 00:19:54.359 --> 00:19:56.779 blue. Thankfully, no, never blue. That was purely 00:19:56.779 --> 00:19:59.359 a cartoon flourish. And the voice is just as 00:19:59.359 --> 00:20:02.319 defining, isn't it? That gravelly murmur. Provided 00:20:02.319 --> 00:20:04.619 by Julie Kavner. She was already part of the 00:20:04.619 --> 00:20:07.819 Tracy Ullman show cast, remember? Right. They 00:20:07.819 --> 00:20:09.980 just asked her to voice the mom. Basically, yeah. 00:20:10.160 --> 00:20:13.380 To minimize the cost of hiring more voice actors 00:20:13.380 --> 00:20:16.200 for the shorts initially, her signature raspy, 00:20:16.200 --> 00:20:19.599 honeyed gravel voice is famous now. Cagner herself 00:20:19.599 --> 00:20:23.039 attributes it to a bump on her vocal cords. Just 00:20:23.039 --> 00:20:25.460 a physical quirk that created an iconic sound. 00:20:25.720 --> 00:20:28.099 Exactly. Now, Marge is traditionally positioned 00:20:28.099 --> 00:20:31.519 as the stereotypical sitcom mother, right? The 00:20:31.519 --> 00:20:34.240 moral force holding the chaotic family structure 00:20:34.240 --> 00:20:37.319 together. She's essential. The necessary ballast, 00:20:37.400 --> 00:20:39.339 keeping Homer from sinking the ship entirely. 00:20:39.660 --> 00:20:41.859 She was ranked first on Entertainment Weekly's 00:20:41.859 --> 00:20:44.740 list of top TV moms back in 1994. But the real 00:20:44.740 --> 00:20:46.720 brilliance of Marge's character, I think, is 00:20:46.720 --> 00:20:49.460 how the show continuously undermines and explores 00:20:49.460 --> 00:20:52.220 the discontent within that stereotype. How so? 00:20:52.440 --> 00:20:54.339 Well, while she's mostly a homemaker, think about 00:20:54.339 --> 00:20:56.980 her frequent temporary jobs. Nuclear technician. 00:20:57.240 --> 00:20:59.910 Real estate agent. Pretzel business owner. Right. 00:21:00.009 --> 00:21:03.230 They all reflect this underlying search for fulfillment, 00:21:03.390 --> 00:21:05.569 for something more, outside the purely domestic 00:21:05.569 --> 00:21:08.250 sphere. Maybe boredom, maybe ambition. Her time 00:21:08.250 --> 00:21:10.529 as a police officer in the Springfield Connection. 00:21:10.940 --> 00:21:13.119 Feels like the most profound example of that. 00:21:13.259 --> 00:21:17.000 I agree. She genuinely sought excitement and 00:21:17.000 --> 00:21:19.140 a purpose beyond just managing Homer and the 00:21:19.140 --> 00:21:21.880 kids. But what happened? She quit because the 00:21:21.880 --> 00:21:23.900 corruption in the Springfield PD was just too 00:21:23.900 --> 00:21:27.099 much for her. Exactly. Her uncompromising morality 00:21:27.099 --> 00:21:30.359 simply could not coexist with the ingrained cynicism 00:21:30.359 --> 00:21:32.660 of the city's authority figures. She couldn't 00:21:32.660 --> 00:21:36.819 stomach it. And her marriage to Homer. It's messy. 00:21:37.279 --> 00:21:40.160 Definitely, but somehow enduring. It is. She 00:21:40.160 --> 00:21:42.819 has remained faithful despite some serious temptation, 00:21:43.240 --> 00:21:46.559 most famously resisting Jacques, the suave French 00:21:46.559 --> 00:21:49.319 bowling instructor in Life on the Fastlane. A 00:21:49.319 --> 00:21:51.339 classic episode. Their relationship is often 00:21:51.339 --> 00:21:53.960 defined by Homer's almost pathological reliance 00:21:53.960 --> 00:21:56.160 on her emotional stability. Remember that famous 00:21:56.160 --> 00:21:58.920 example? After a fight, she throws him out. And 00:21:58.920 --> 00:22:01.059 he begs to come back. And the one thing he offers 00:22:01.059 --> 00:22:03.359 her, the thing he knows she craves, or maybe 00:22:03.359 --> 00:22:06.339 just needs, is his complete and utter dependence. 00:22:06.880 --> 00:22:09.900 Which is such a perverse but weirdly effective 00:22:09.900 --> 00:22:12.500 way for Marge to feel fundamentally needed, isn't 00:22:12.500 --> 00:22:14.640 it? It's dark, but it works for them somehow. 00:22:15.160 --> 00:22:17.880 Now, as a parent, Marge provides that necessary 00:22:17.880 --> 00:22:22.720 nurturing counterpoint to Homer's negligence, 00:22:22.720 --> 00:22:24.940 let's call it that. She calls Bart her special 00:22:24.940 --> 00:22:27.539 little guy. She's often the one defending his 00:22:27.539 --> 00:22:29.799 complexity. Right. She acknowledges his spark. 00:22:30.099 --> 00:22:32.759 Remember her line. He's got a spark. It's not 00:22:32.759 --> 00:22:34.980 a bad thing. Of course, it makes him do bad things. 00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:37.039 She gets the nuance of his struggles, doesn't 00:22:37.039 --> 00:22:39.259 she? Connecting back to those genetic and behavioral 00:22:39.259 --> 00:22:42.019 issues we talked about earlier with the ADD and 00:22:42.019 --> 00:22:44.440 the Simpson gene. Totally. And her relationship 00:22:44.440 --> 00:22:47.069 with Lisa, while generally... pretty positive, 00:22:47.190 --> 00:22:50.490 often showcases that generational gap, conventional 00:22:50.490 --> 00:22:53.170 morality versus philosophical intellect. Like 00:22:53.170 --> 00:22:55.049 in Lisa the Skeptic with the angel skeleton. 00:22:55.230 --> 00:22:57.970 Exactly. Marge genuinely believes the skeleton 00:22:57.970 --> 00:23:00.190 discovered in Springfield is real. She tells 00:23:00.190 --> 00:23:02.509 Lisa, there has to be more to life than just 00:23:02.509 --> 00:23:04.690 what we see. Everyone needs something to believe 00:23:04.690 --> 00:23:07.369 in. So Marge relies on faith, maybe comfort, 00:23:07.529 --> 00:23:10.109 whereas Lisa demands empirical scientific proof. 00:23:10.430 --> 00:23:13.349 That's a core tension. It is. But here's where 00:23:13.349 --> 00:23:15.730 the analysis gets deeper, I think. The supposed 00:23:15.730 --> 00:23:19.069 moral compass of the family, Marge, is actually 00:23:19.069 --> 00:23:21.890 deeply flawed herself. You mean her vices. Yeah. 00:23:21.970 --> 00:23:24.869 She struggles significantly with personal issues, 00:23:25.069 --> 00:23:27.829 notably a gambling addiction that remains this 00:23:27.829 --> 00:23:30.559 underlying... unresolved problem throughout the 00:23:30.559 --> 00:23:33.200 entire series that's a crucial detail isn't it 00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:36.259 because it actively subverts that perfect sitcom 00:23:36.259 --> 00:23:39.619 mother trope she's not just baking cookies not 00:23:39.619 --> 00:23:42.039 at all her addiction feels like a manifestation 00:23:42.039 --> 00:23:45.460 of her suppressed dissatisfaction her search 00:23:45.460 --> 00:23:48.380 for high stakes excitement outside the monotony 00:23:48.380 --> 00:23:51.339 of her daily life it's a really dark psychological 00:23:51.339 --> 00:23:54.119 layer beneath the supportive mother facade and 00:23:54.119 --> 00:23:56.880 she also has ocd right Obsessive compulsive disorder. 00:23:57.079 --> 00:24:00.119 Yes. Which manifests in these intense, almost 00:24:00.119 --> 00:24:02.700 manic cleaning frenzies. Remember when she won 00:24:02.700 --> 00:24:05.480 that house cleaning contest? Or forced Lisa to 00:24:05.480 --> 00:24:08.160 clean Mr. Burns' entire mansion? Oh, yeah. She 00:24:08.160 --> 00:24:10.220 even had a nervous breakdown once in Homer Alone, 00:24:10.500 --> 00:24:12.839 just due to the sheer workload and stress of 00:24:12.839 --> 00:24:15.339 managing the house and family. So her compulsion 00:24:15.339 --> 00:24:18.240 for order, for cleaning, it's another response 00:24:18.240 --> 00:24:21.180 to the constant chaos surrounding her. Bart's 00:24:21.180 --> 00:24:24.140 antics, Homer's dangerous incompetence. It seems 00:24:24.140 --> 00:24:27.140 like it. A coping mechanism. The show subtly 00:24:27.140 --> 00:24:30.400 uses these flaws, the bambling, the OCD, to argue 00:24:30.400 --> 00:24:32.819 that even the stabilizing force of the family 00:24:32.819 --> 00:24:35.480 is actually deeply fragile and reliant on these 00:24:35.480 --> 00:24:38.460 mechanisms just to get by. Wow. That makes the 00:24:38.460 --> 00:24:40.640 character so much richer than just the blue hair 00:24:40.640 --> 00:24:44.250 and the... Okay, let's leave the Simpson home 00:24:44.250 --> 00:24:46.930 now and discuss the fourth key figure in our 00:24:46.930 --> 00:24:49.890 deep jive today, someone who operates right at 00:24:49.890 --> 00:24:51.789 the cynical heart of Springfield's entertainment 00:24:51.789 --> 00:24:55.440 world. Krusty the Clown. Krusty, whose full name, 00:24:55.480 --> 00:24:57.720 believe it or not, is Herschel Schmeichel Pinchas 00:24:57.720 --> 00:25:00.720 Yurachom Krustofsky. That's his real name. That's 00:25:00.720 --> 00:25:03.500 his canonical name, yeah. He is the quintessential 00:25:03.500 --> 00:25:06.140 showbiz cynic, isn't he? Totally. He hosts the 00:25:06.140 --> 00:25:08.559 Krusty the Clown show, this high -energy, supposedly 00:25:08.559 --> 00:25:11.319 kid -friendly variety program featuring violent 00:25:11.319 --> 00:25:13.640 cartoons like The Itchy and Scratchy Show. Right. 00:25:13.740 --> 00:25:16.740 But off -camera, he is just a complete mess. 00:25:17.079 --> 00:25:19.319 Chain -smoking, burnt -out, addiction -riddled. 00:25:19.630 --> 00:25:21.549 Absolutely miserable because of show business. 00:25:21.710 --> 00:25:24.269 He hates kids, hates his job. He's the walking, 00:25:24.369 --> 00:25:27.450 talking embodiment of the ugly facade of children's 00:25:27.450 --> 00:25:29.609 entertainment. Where did the inspiration for 00:25:29.609 --> 00:25:32.730 him come from? Interesting roots. He was partially 00:25:32.730 --> 00:25:35.829 inspired by a real -life Portland TV clown named 00:25:35.829 --> 00:25:38.549 Rusty Nails. Rusty Nails. That's kind of creepy. 00:25:38.769 --> 00:25:41.230 Matt Groening admitted that name actually scared 00:25:41.230 --> 00:25:43.269 him when he was a child, so that stuck with him. 00:25:43.369 --> 00:25:47.210 And the voice. That famous raspy laugh. Provided 00:25:47.210 --> 00:25:49.849 by Dan Castellaneta, who also voices Homer, of 00:25:49.849 --> 00:25:53.269 course. He based Krusty's sound on Bob Bell. 00:25:53.950 --> 00:25:56.609 Who was? The man who portrayed Chicago's Bozo 00:25:56.609 --> 00:26:00.210 the Clown on WGN for over two decades. Bell was 00:26:00.210 --> 00:26:02.569 famous for his gravelly, weary sounding voice. 00:26:03.170 --> 00:26:05.490 Castellaneta nailed it. But the sources also 00:26:05.490 --> 00:26:07.630 point to some pretty extensive parallels between 00:26:07.630 --> 00:26:11.490 Krusty's life and career and someone else famous. 00:26:11.690 --> 00:26:15.269 Comedian Jerry Lewis. Ah, how so? Well, both 00:26:15.269 --> 00:26:17.250 share a Jewish background, which is explored 00:26:17.250 --> 00:26:19.250 in Krusty's relationship with his father, Rabbi 00:26:19.250 --> 00:26:22.390 Krustofsky. Both struggled with severe Percodan 00:26:22.390 --> 00:26:24.529 addiction. Right. was very public about that 00:26:24.529 --> 00:26:26.470 later in life. And both were heavily involved 00:26:26.470 --> 00:26:29.589 in hosting these massive, often quite cynical 00:26:29.589 --> 00:26:32.450 -feeling delathons. That parallel feels critical 00:26:32.450 --> 00:26:34.630 for the satire, doesn't it? Ah. Krusty represents 00:26:34.630 --> 00:26:36.650 the dark side of that demanding entertainment 00:26:36.650 --> 00:26:39.619 career. Absolutely. The relentless need to perform, 00:26:39.920 --> 00:26:42.420 to sell, regardless of your own personal misery 00:26:42.420 --> 00:26:45.359 or health. The telethon's crusty hosts are often 00:26:45.359 --> 00:26:48.819 depicted as exploitative and self -serving, perfectly 00:26:48.819 --> 00:26:51.500 reflecting that cynical, burnt out celebrity 00:26:51.500 --> 00:26:54.240 persona that Lewis, despite his charity work, 00:26:54.420 --> 00:26:57.720 sometimes embodied. Now, the most famous creative 00:26:57.720 --> 00:26:59.460 decision about Krusty, the one everyone talks 00:26:59.460 --> 00:27:02.779 about, relates to the original. scrapped concept 00:27:02.779 --> 00:27:05.660 for him, right? The Homer connection, yes. Krusty 00:27:05.660 --> 00:27:07.619 was originally designed to look exactly like 00:27:07.619 --> 00:27:10.099 Homer Simpson, just with clown makeup on. Same 00:27:10.099 --> 00:27:12.779 head shape, same spiky hair outline under the 00:27:12.779 --> 00:27:14.720 wig. And the satirical intention behind that 00:27:14.720 --> 00:27:17.259 was? Really powerful, actually. The idea was 00:27:17.259 --> 00:27:19.740 that Bart had absolutely zero respect for his 00:27:19.740 --> 00:27:22.720 own father, Homer, a guy who worked hard but 00:27:22.720 --> 00:27:25.319 was often incompetent and oblivious. Right. Yet 00:27:25.319 --> 00:27:27.779 Bart worshipped this celebrity clown who looked 00:27:27.779 --> 00:27:30.380 exactly like his dad. It was meant to be a direct 00:27:30.380 --> 00:27:32.740 commentary on how how society idolizes fame, 00:27:33.019 --> 00:27:36.140 even hollow fame, over genuine familial connection 00:27:36.140 --> 00:27:38.799 or stability. That's a great satirical idea. 00:27:39.140 --> 00:27:41.759 Why on earth did they drop it? According to the 00:27:41.759 --> 00:27:44.099 writers, they just found it too complex and confusing 00:27:44.099 --> 00:27:46.359 to maintain visually across the whole series. 00:27:46.619 --> 00:27:49.079 It was a joke that would constantly need explaining 00:27:49.079 --> 00:27:51.660 or reminding the audience. A bit too high concept 00:27:51.660 --> 00:27:54.160 for a running visual gag, maybe? Makes sense, 00:27:54.180 --> 00:27:56.160 I guess. But they did revisit it, didn't they? 00:27:56.509 --> 00:27:59.910 They revisited the concept perfectly in the season 00:27:59.910 --> 00:28:03.289 six episode, Homie the Clown, where Homer actually 00:28:03.289 --> 00:28:06.130 goes to clown college and is perpetually mistaken 00:28:06.130 --> 00:28:09.930 for Krusty, leading to mob debts and chaos. A 00:28:09.930 --> 00:28:12.549 classic. And later, Krusty's actual design was 00:28:12.549 --> 00:28:15.009 permanently adjusted. They gave him a slightly 00:28:15.009 --> 00:28:17.549 different shaped mouth muzzle, those permanent 00:28:17.549 --> 00:28:20.829 bags under his eyes, just subtle tweaks to distinguish 00:28:20.829 --> 00:28:23.690 him visually from Homer a bit more. Looking at 00:28:23.690 --> 00:28:26.859 Krusty's career history within the show, is like 00:28:26.859 --> 00:28:29.299 a microcosm of the degradation of American media, 00:28:29.420 --> 00:28:31.099 isn't it? It really is. They show clips sometimes. 00:28:31.460 --> 00:28:34.539 Like in 1961, the Krusty the Clown show was apparently 00:28:34.539 --> 00:28:37.420 a serious black and white talk show. Krusty interviewed 00:28:37.420 --> 00:28:40.460 figures like the AFL -CIO president, George Meany. 00:28:40.599 --> 00:28:43.500 Seriously, Krusty doing serious interviews? Apparently. 00:28:43.740 --> 00:28:47.039 Then by 1963, they show him interviewing the 00:28:47.039 --> 00:28:51.000 famous American poet Robert Frost and then absurdly 00:28:51.000 --> 00:28:53.579 dumping a bucket of snow on him. Oh, Krusty. 00:28:53.680 --> 00:28:55.980 The devolution just accelerated from there. Later 00:28:55.980 --> 00:28:58.700 clips show him in the 1970s howling a drugged 00:28:58.700 --> 00:29:01.099 out version of The Doors Break on Through to 00:29:01.099 --> 00:29:03.640 the other side. It's the perfect comedic commentary, 00:29:03.779 --> 00:29:07.240 isn't it? The shift from serious, maybe intellectual 00:29:07.240 --> 00:29:10.000 television to bland children's entertainment 00:29:10.000 --> 00:29:12.940 and eventually just to drug -fueled celebrity 00:29:12.940 --> 00:29:15.859 absurdity. Absolutely. And even the children's 00:29:15.859 --> 00:29:17.779 show he hosts in the present day of the series. 00:29:18.039 --> 00:29:20.500 Remember during the 1980s flashbacks, he was 00:29:20.500 --> 00:29:22.960 giving updates on the 1982 Argentine invasion 00:29:22.960 --> 00:29:25.920 of the Falkland Islands? Yes. Completely irrelevant 00:29:25.920 --> 00:29:29.059 and bewildering content for a children's show 00:29:29.059 --> 00:29:30.960 host to be delivering. It's brilliant. And we 00:29:30.960 --> 00:29:32.900 can't forget his sidekicks. They tell a story, 00:29:32.960 --> 00:29:35.839 too. Sideshow Bob, the original, played by Kelsey 00:29:35.839 --> 00:29:39.200 Grammer. Right. The cultured, intelligent sidekick 00:29:39.200 --> 00:29:41.799 who eventually snapped and framed Krusty for 00:29:41.799 --> 00:29:44.779 armed robbery. A plot foiled by Bart, of course. 00:29:44.880 --> 00:29:46.819 Bob represents the character who tried to break 00:29:46.819 --> 00:29:49.519 free from Krusty's abusive, cynical system. And 00:29:49.519 --> 00:29:52.299 he was replaced by... Sideshow Mel, voiced by 00:29:52.299 --> 00:29:55.789 Dan Castellaneta again. Mel is perpetually abused, 00:29:56.029 --> 00:29:58.150 often seen wearing a neck brace or suffering 00:29:58.150 --> 00:30:02.410 some indignity. Yet he remains completely bafflingly 00:30:02.410 --> 00:30:05.130 loyal to Krusty. He's like a symbol of the entertainment 00:30:05.130 --> 00:30:07.789 functionary. Yeah. Who's maybe too weak or too 00:30:07.789 --> 00:30:09.950 addicted to the lifestyle to ever actually leave, 00:30:09.970 --> 00:30:12.920 no matter how bad it gets. Perfectly put. Cresty 00:30:12.920 --> 00:30:15.259 has even held political office, remember? He 00:30:15.259 --> 00:30:17.539 served briefly as a Republican congressman for 00:30:17.539 --> 00:30:20.019 Springfield. Which just illustrates the show's 00:30:20.019 --> 00:30:22.460 cynical point that if you have enough fame and 00:30:22.460 --> 00:30:24.700 brand recognition, you can succeed in almost 00:30:24.700 --> 00:30:27.380 anything, regardless of actual competence or 00:30:27.380 --> 00:30:30.160 morals. Pretty much. And finally, you have to 00:30:30.160 --> 00:30:32.779 mention his bizarre medical history. It adds 00:30:32.779 --> 00:30:35.440 to the tapestry of misery. He has a third nipple. 00:30:35.539 --> 00:30:38.119 A third nipple, a veal -shaped birthmark on his 00:30:38.119 --> 00:30:40.660 back, and that visible scar on his chest. From 00:30:40.660 --> 00:30:42.819 a pacemaker. From a pacemaker, yeah. Inserted 00:30:42.819 --> 00:30:44.940 after he had an on -air heart attack back in 00:30:44.940 --> 00:30:49.839 1986. These minute, strange, awful details. What 00:30:49.839 --> 00:30:52.059 do they do for the character? Well, they provide 00:30:52.059 --> 00:30:54.720 endless fodder for trivia nerds, for one thing. 00:30:54.779 --> 00:30:57.220 But more importantly, I think, they give these 00:30:57.220 --> 00:30:59.740 background characters this unsettlingly fully 00:30:59.740 --> 00:31:03.220 formed and often deeply miserable life outside 00:31:03.220 --> 00:31:06.200 the main Simpson family plot. Krusty is just 00:31:06.200 --> 00:31:08.680 a walking monument to poor choices and the sheer 00:31:08.680 --> 00:31:11.539 ravages of show business. A tragic figure in 00:31:11.539 --> 00:31:14.079 his own bizarre way. Okay, let's zoom out now 00:31:14.079 --> 00:31:16.279 from the individuals and talk about maybe the 00:31:16.279 --> 00:31:18.640 most important non -family character in the entire 00:31:18.640 --> 00:31:21.640 show. Right. The town of Springfield itself, 00:31:21.819 --> 00:31:25.380 and then the massive enduring legacy of the whole 00:31:25.380 --> 00:31:28.079 series. Springfield. The setting for everything. 00:31:28.200 --> 00:31:30.200 It's intentionally designed as a mystery, isn't 00:31:30.200 --> 00:31:32.000 it? Matt Groening named it after Springfield, 00:31:32.019 --> 00:31:34.000 Oregon, which is near his hometown of Portland. 00:31:34.420 --> 00:31:36.799 But his stated hope was that everyone will think 00:31:36.799 --> 00:31:38.839 it's their Springfield. It's meant to be any 00:31:38.839 --> 00:31:41.839 town USA. And the writers work incredibly diligently 00:31:41.839 --> 00:31:44.019 to keep that geographical mystery alive, mainly 00:31:44.019 --> 00:31:46.220 through outright contradiction. It's a running 00:31:46.220 --> 00:31:48.720 gag. Like in the Simpsons movie, right? Where 00:31:48.720 --> 00:31:51.200 Ned Flanders shows Bart on a map that Springfield 00:31:51.200 --> 00:31:53.539 is apparently bordered by Ohio, Nevada, Maine 00:31:53.539 --> 00:31:57.519 and Kentucky. Which is a literal, physical, geographical 00:31:57.519 --> 00:32:00.339 impossibility, given where those states actually 00:32:00.339 --> 00:32:02.299 are. They can't touch like that. It's perfect. 00:32:02.440 --> 00:32:04.839 And the town's topography is just as nonsensical, 00:32:04.839 --> 00:32:07.599 isn't it? Completely. It shifts constantly to 00:32:07.599 --> 00:32:10.299 suit whatever the plot needs that week. In one 00:32:10.299 --> 00:32:12.940 fictional location, Springfield somehow manages 00:32:12.940 --> 00:32:16.400 to feature dense forests, arid deserts, steep 00:32:16.400 --> 00:32:19.599 canyons, massive glaciers, and a working harbor. 00:32:19.819 --> 00:32:22.859 It's a pure, elastic, conic landscape designed 00:32:22.859 --> 00:32:25.799 purely for narrative convenience and jokes. Exactly. 00:32:25.799 --> 00:32:28.240 Now, the history of Springfield within the show 00:32:28.240 --> 00:32:30.940 is often defined by its intense rivalry with 00:32:30.940 --> 00:32:33.640 the neighboring city, Shelbyville. Ah, Shelbyville. 00:32:33.680 --> 00:32:36.099 Those lemon -stealing monsters. The rivalry dates 00:32:36.099 --> 00:32:38.240 back to the very founding of the two settlements. 00:32:39.119 --> 00:32:41.339 has it, Shelbyville was founded by Shelbyville 00:32:41.339 --> 00:32:44.019 Manhattan, who apparently advocated for cousin 00:32:44.019 --> 00:32:46.839 marriage. This led to a split with the founder 00:32:46.839 --> 00:32:49.819 of Springfield, Jebediah Springfield, who advocated 00:32:49.819 --> 00:32:53.559 abstinence and a more wholesome lifestyle. Though 00:32:53.559 --> 00:32:55.579 Jebediah had his own dark secrets. Of course 00:32:55.579 --> 00:32:58.539 he did. And the rivalry is fierce, right? Manifesting 00:32:58.539 --> 00:33:00.460 in things as petty as stealing Springfield's 00:33:00.460 --> 00:33:03.720 prized lemon tree. A symbol of town pride. Even 00:33:03.720 --> 00:33:06.359 their fashion choices are divided. It's established 00:33:06.359 --> 00:33:08.259 that Shelbyville residents are the home of the 00:33:08.259 --> 00:33:11.059 buttonfly, while Springfield prefers zippers. 00:33:11.339 --> 00:33:14.500 These little details build the world. Speaking 00:33:14.500 --> 00:33:17.519 of bizarre geography, we have to mention the 00:33:17.519 --> 00:33:20.519 Five Corners. Oh, the Five Corners! A famous 00:33:20.519 --> 00:33:23.279 spoof of the real Four Corners Monument in the 00:33:23.279 --> 00:33:25.819 U .S. Southwest. The show imagines it as the 00:33:25.819 --> 00:33:28.380 only spot in the U .S. where five states somehow 00:33:28.380 --> 00:33:31.490 meet. Pure absurdity. And it served a plot purpose, 00:33:31.650 --> 00:33:34.150 didn't it? It did. It was the setting for one 00:33:34.150 --> 00:33:36.910 of Sideshow Bob's most complex murder plots against 00:33:36.910 --> 00:33:39.730 Bart. How'd it work? His reasoning was he could 00:33:39.730 --> 00:33:42.500 stand in one state. fire a gun across the border 00:33:42.500 --> 00:33:44.500 of a second, have the bullet travel through a 00:33:44.500 --> 00:33:47.099 third, hit Bart standing in the fourth, and have 00:33:47.099 --> 00:33:49.380 Bart fall dead into the fifth state. Creating 00:33:49.380 --> 00:33:52.000 a jurisdictional nightmare. Exactly. A crime 00:33:52.000 --> 00:33:55.180 spanning five states simultaneously, which would 00:33:55.180 --> 00:33:57.720 theoretically nullify any single state's ability 00:33:57.720 --> 00:34:00.180 to prosecute him. It's a perfect example of this 00:34:00.180 --> 00:34:02.920 show using completely nonsensical geography just 00:34:02.920 --> 00:34:05.640 to enhance a joke about legal loopholes. Brilliant. 00:34:05.779 --> 00:34:07.819 And the smaller towns around Springfield add 00:34:07.819 --> 00:34:10.199 flavor too, don't they? Like Ogdenville. Ogdenville, 00:34:10.260 --> 00:34:12.739 yeah. Yeah. Settled by Norwegian immigrants with 00:34:12.739 --> 00:34:15.440 those famously thick accents. They suffered that 00:34:15.440 --> 00:34:18.179 scandal involving tainted barley from the Krusty 00:34:18.179 --> 00:34:20.699 Burger franchise. And Groening, who has Norwegian 00:34:20.699 --> 00:34:23.119 and German heritage himself. Humorously described 00:34:23.119 --> 00:34:26.239 those groups as two of the unfunniest ethnic 00:34:26.239 --> 00:34:29.059 groups in the history of the world. Little self 00:34:29.059 --> 00:34:31.019 -deprecation there. And then there's Guidopolis. 00:34:31.079 --> 00:34:34.019 Guidopolis, yeah. A nearby town primarily inhabited 00:34:34.019 --> 00:34:37.139 by Italian -American greaser stereotypes. These 00:34:37.139 --> 00:34:39.320 little surrounding details just help establish 00:34:39.320 --> 00:34:43.519 Springfield as this genuine, if completely absurd, 00:34:43.780 --> 00:34:47.320 ecosystem. It feels lived in despite the chaos. 00:34:47.380 --> 00:34:49.599 It does. Now let's turn to the show's incredible 00:34:49.599 --> 00:34:52.500 legacy. You really can't overstate it. The Simpsons 00:34:52.500 --> 00:34:55.340 is widely regarded as the first truly successful 00:34:55.340 --> 00:34:59.019 primetime animated program since, what, the 1970s? 00:34:59.019 --> 00:35:01.480 Maybe even the 60s with the Flintstones. It wasn't 00:35:01.480 --> 00:35:04.260 just a hit. It was a genuine trailblazer. It 00:35:04.260 --> 00:35:06.300 fundamentally changed the television landscape. 00:35:06.800 --> 00:35:09.619 Its success proved definitively that animation 00:35:09.619 --> 00:35:12.659 could not only survive, but thrive in primetime 00:35:12.659 --> 00:35:16.059 aimed at an adult audience. And that paved the 00:35:16.059 --> 00:35:18.820 way for the entire subsequent boom in adult animated 00:35:18.820 --> 00:35:21.940 series. South Park, King of the Hill, Family 00:35:21.940 --> 00:35:25.739 Guy, Bob's Burgers. The list goes on. Seth MacFarlane, 00:35:25.860 --> 00:35:28.159 the creator of Family Guy, even stated explicitly 00:35:28.159 --> 00:35:30.960 that The Simpsons created an audience for primetime 00:35:30.960 --> 00:35:33.019 animation that had not been there for many, many 00:35:33.019 --> 00:35:36.119 years. They opened the door. But that longevity. 00:35:36.780 --> 00:35:39.739 over 35 seasons now, has inevitably brought continuous 00:35:39.739 --> 00:35:42.519 criticism too, hasn't it? Oh, absolutely. The 00:35:42.519 --> 00:35:44.800 initial outcry over Bart being a bad role model 00:35:44.800 --> 00:35:47.280 seems quaint now. That was quickly replaced by 00:35:47.280 --> 00:35:49.500 critical focus on a perceived decline in quality 00:35:49.500 --> 00:35:51.880 over the years. The dreaded zombie Simpsons argument. 00:35:52.119 --> 00:35:54.760 Exactly. Particularly the shift away from the 00:35:54.760 --> 00:35:57.059 early season's more grounded character work towards 00:35:57.059 --> 00:35:59.619 increasingly absurd, often celebrity -driven 00:35:59.619 --> 00:36:02.559 plots. The Golden Age is still generally cited 00:36:02.559 --> 00:36:04.760 by fans and critics as being roughly seasons 00:36:04.760 --> 00:36:07.429 one through nine or... maybe 10. But there's 00:36:07.429 --> 00:36:09.530 a fascinating counter narrative emerging more 00:36:09.530 --> 00:36:11.909 recently, isn't there? There is. Since around 00:36:11.909 --> 00:36:14.869 mid -2023, some critics have begun pointing to 00:36:14.869 --> 00:36:17.489 an obvious uptick in quality, even suggesting 00:36:17.489 --> 00:36:20.389 a genuine comeback in the later seasons, specifically 00:36:20.389 --> 00:36:23.610 mentioning seasons 33 and 34 as showing renewed 00:36:23.610 --> 00:36:26.090 creative energy. Interesting. Maybe the show 00:36:26.090 --> 00:36:27.929 is finding its footing again after all this time. 00:36:28.030 --> 00:36:30.409 Perhaps. But regardless of the cyclical critique, 00:36:30.630 --> 00:36:33.329 the show remains an undeniable cultural powerhouse. 00:36:33.570 --> 00:36:36.690 The entire family, Marge, Bart, and Lisa included, 00:36:36.989 --> 00:36:39.030 along with Homer and Maggie, were honored with 00:36:39.030 --> 00:36:40.739 a star on the Hollywood Hollywood Walk of Fame 00:36:40.739 --> 00:36:42.980 back in 2000. And they were even featured on 00:36:42.980 --> 00:36:46.539 official U .S. postage stamps. USPS 44 cent stamps 00:36:46.539 --> 00:36:50.000 in 2009. When you're on a stamp, you're basically 00:36:50.000 --> 00:36:53.000 a fixed American cultural icon. They are permanently 00:36:53.000 --> 00:36:55.380 preserved in that floating timeline forever the 00:36:55.380 --> 00:36:58.099 same age. So let's try and connect the dots here. 00:36:58.179 --> 00:37:00.320 We've covered the core of this unique fictional 00:37:00.320 --> 00:37:03.880 universe. We have Bart, the anagram of brat whose 00:37:03.880 --> 00:37:06.480 accidental voice defined him becoming this cultural 00:37:06.480 --> 00:37:08.940 rebel whose behavioral issues and maybe even 00:37:08.940 --> 00:37:14.440 genetic. Right. Then Lisa, the fierce intellectual 00:37:14.440 --> 00:37:17.119 and moral conscience whose activism actually 00:37:17.119 --> 00:37:19.559 brought about rare permanent character changes 00:37:19.559 --> 00:37:22.719 like vegetarianism and Buddhism in this otherwise 00:37:22.719 --> 00:37:25.960 static world. Marge? The supportive but often 00:37:25.960 --> 00:37:29.159 stifled matriarch battling her own secret vices 00:37:29.159 --> 00:37:32.480 like that gambling addiction and OCD, which constantly 00:37:32.480 --> 00:37:34.880 undermine the perfect sitcom mother trope she 00:37:34.880 --> 00:37:38.059 seems to embody. And Krusty, the utterly jaded 00:37:38.059 --> 00:37:40.760 clown whose entire persona is a cynical commentary 00:37:40.760 --> 00:37:43.780 on the destructive facade of modern show business, 00:37:44.000 --> 00:37:46.659 drawing inspiration from real figures like Jerry 00:37:46.659 --> 00:37:49.159 Lewis and even the dark history of underground 00:37:49.159 --> 00:37:51.750 prank comedy. The enduring reality is that these 00:37:51.750 --> 00:37:53.710 four characters, along with Homer and Maggie, 00:37:53.909 --> 00:37:55.949 exist in this state of perpetual contradiction, 00:37:56.230 --> 00:37:58.050 don't they? They live in a geographically confusing 00:37:58.050 --> 00:38:01.530 town and are eternally aged 8, 10, 30 -something. 00:38:01.750 --> 00:38:04.329 And their defining traits, as we've seen, were 00:38:04.329 --> 00:38:06.750 often born from creative compromises, accidental 00:38:06.750 --> 00:38:10.130 voice casting choices, lucky ad libs, and the 00:38:10.130 --> 00:38:12.530 creator's deep -seated desire to use comedy as 00:38:12.530 --> 00:38:15.530 a vehicle for profound social and political commentary. 00:38:16.059 --> 00:38:18.519 All protected, crucially, by that foundational 00:38:18.519 --> 00:38:21.639 James L. Brooks contract that gave them the freedom 00:38:21.639 --> 00:38:23.860 to do it. Exactly. Now, we established earlier 00:38:23.860 --> 00:38:25.719 that Bart was diagnosed with attention deficit 00:38:25.719 --> 00:38:28.400 disorder in season 11. Right. And that the Simpson 00:38:28.400 --> 00:38:31.400 gene ensures the male line often struggles intellectually 00:38:31.400 --> 00:38:34.409 while the female line seems to avoid it. We see 00:38:34.409 --> 00:38:37.289 that spark of genius primarily confined to Lisa 00:38:37.289 --> 00:38:40.590 and the main family. So it raises a kind of profound 00:38:40.590 --> 00:38:42.789 question about the whole family dynamic, doesn't 00:38:42.789 --> 00:38:45.030 it? What's the question? Well, if the chaotic 00:38:45.030 --> 00:38:47.670 energy, maybe even the chaotic genius of the 00:38:47.670 --> 00:38:51.110 entire Simpson family structure relies so heavily 00:38:51.110 --> 00:38:54.809 on Bart's specific mischievous energy, his underachieving 00:38:54.809 --> 00:38:57.809 drive channeled into this nihilistic, yet often 00:38:57.809 --> 00:39:00.969 weirdly heroic force for change. What happens 00:39:00.969 --> 00:39:03.230 when Bart eventually grows up? How does that 00:39:03.230 --> 00:39:06.340 end? find an adult outlet. Or perhaps even more 00:39:06.340 --> 00:39:08.780 interestingly for the show's structure, what 00:39:08.780 --> 00:39:11.679 happens to Springfield itself, the town perpetually 00:39:11.679 --> 00:39:14.519 stuck in its own repetitive loop when the eternal 00:39:14.519 --> 00:39:16.900 underachiever, Bart, eventually achieves something 00:39:16.900 --> 00:39:19.860 lasting. When that spark of defiance actually 00:39:19.860 --> 00:39:22.860 leads to real meaningful change outside of just 00:39:22.860 --> 00:39:26.230 a temporary prank or a quick gag. That's something 00:39:26.230 --> 00:39:28.289 for you, the listener, to maybe mull over next 00:39:28.289 --> 00:39:30.650 time you hear a simple doe or that iconic slightly 00:39:30.650 --> 00:39:32.949 nasal defiant cry of, eat my shorts.