The Simpsons/Bart vs. Thanksgiving

Bart vs. Thanksgiving
Season 2, Episode 7
Airdate	November 22, 1990
Production Number	7F07
Written by	George Meyer
Directed by	David Silverman
← 2x06 Dead Putting Society	2x08 → Bart the Daredevil
The Simpsons — Season Two

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Bart vs. Thanksgiving is the seventh episode of the second season of The Simpsons, and the twentieth episode overall.

Perhaps one of the definitive Thanksgiving episodes in all of television, the family is reminded what the meaning of the holiday is all about after a major fight between Bart and Lisa leads Bart to run out of the house and wander through Springfield. By the end of the day, a pair of homeless men, who have nothing and are reduced to spending the day at an outreach center serving free Thanksgiving meals, will enlighten Bart on what he has and indirectly remind him he has plenty to be thankful for.

Guest Stars:

Plot Overview

Thanksgiving Day at the Simpsons: Homer watching Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on TV, Marge busy cooking, Bart getting in everybody's way ... and Lisa meticulously assembling a centerpiece to place on the family dinner table (with a little help from Maggie). All in preparation for Thanksgiving dinner with the extended (dysfunctional) family: Patty and Selma arriving with main dishes of their own as they criticize Marge's cooking, and Jacqueline (Marge's mother) snarkily telling her she never does anything right, and Homer picking up Grampa from the nursing home.

At dinner, Lisa brings in the centerpiece and proudly shows it off, just as Bart brings in the turkey. When Bart tries to jockey for position in placing the turkey platter, he gets into an argument with Lisa about where her centerpiece should be set. This results in a fight and, in the middle of the ruckus, the centerpiece lands inside the fireplace and instantly is destroyed in the flames. Lisa is devastated and runs to her room in tears, while Bart refuses to accept responsibility. An angry Marge — with Homer, in a rare move, backing her up — sends Bart to his room without dinner, declaring, "YOU RUINED THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!!!!"

After allowing things to settle down, Marge comforts Lisa and tells her the whole thing wasn't her fault, which is of little consolation to Lisa, who sadly plays her saxophone. Marge then talks to Bart, telling him if he sincerely apologizes, he will be allowed to dinner. Bart is still stewing and convinced he did nothing wrong and that Lisa, not he, was to blame. Bart, in fact, decides he's going to show his family a thing or two by running away. Santa's Little Helper, who had been thrown out of the house for taking Homer's drumstick, decides to join Bart as they wander through town.

Bart first stops at a house that happens to be Mr. Burns' mansion, where he tries to swipe a freshly baked pie but is run off by Burns' bloodthirsty hounds. (Burns later takes a few tiny nibbles of food before telling his servants to throw everything out ... before the scene pans out to reveal a huge feast that likely took days to prepare.)

Later, after donating plasma at a local paid-donor blood bank (that happened to be open on Thanksgiving Day) for $12 cash, Bart passes out on the streets in a run-down part of Springfield. When he awakens, he's greeted by two men, who reveal themselves as street bums and bring him to a community Thanksgiving dinner for the less fortunate. At the center, Kent Brockman is in the middle of a live report, giving a insincere, self-serving commentary about the holiday and how society treats the poor and needy; during his live commentary, he interviews Bart, who claims he's homeless and "didn't apologize." Homer and Marge see the report and call the police, admitting to officers their fear that they may have been too harsh with Bart.

The homeless men overhear Bart and take him aside, asking him whats going on and why he is at the outreach center. Bart bluffs at first, but then looks at their expressions and realizes his two new friends have nothing – no home, no family ... nothing. (Indeed, viewers are told nothing about either man's backgrounds, and they do not bring their reasons for having nothing up. All that is important here is that they have nothing.) Bart then admits that he has a family that loves and cares for him, and that he has plenty to be thankful for. He begins to feel remorseful and, after giving his $12 to the bums, decides to go home... dejected but realizing he may have learned something about the meaning of Thanksgiving.

Upon returning home, Bart starts to go inside, but reconsiders after envisioning his family rejecting his apology and blaming him for everything. He shakes off those thoughts and climbs onto the roof to try to sort out his feelings. When he hears Lisa crying in her room and conceding defeat, Bart — realizing his imagining of how his family would greet him was all in his head — invites her to join him on the roof. Lisa says how hurt she feels and that all she wants is for Bart to say he is sorry for the trouble he caused. Bart struggles to keep his bravado, up but finally admits he was in the wrong and apologizes, and an overjoyed Lisa accepts. Homer and Marge, overhearing the conversation, are relieved that all is OK between the two, and the Thanksgiving holiday at the Simpsons is saved. The episode ends with the family enjoying leftovers in the kitchen, with Homer thanking God for giving them "one more crack at togetherness."

Notes

Title Sequence

• Blackboard:
• Couch Gag:

Arc Advancement

Happenings

Bart peaks into Mr. Burns Window at a lavish Banquet with only Burns, and Smithers. Homer, and Marges relatives arrive at the Simpsons House for Thanksgiving Dinner.

Characters

Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie, Abe Simpson, Patty, Selma, Mrs. Bouvier, Homeless People, etc.

Trivia

Allusions and References

• Criticism of The Simpsons: Already, the series had drawn criticism from conservative groups, claiming they glamorized Bart's deviant behavior among other things. In Bart's imagine spot where the family blames him for everything wrong in their lives, Uncle Sam points at him and tells him "It's your fault America has lost its way!" as a tongue-in-cheek swipe at the criticism.
• "Get Dancin'": The song "Hooray for Everything" (performed at halftime of the Dallas-Detroit game) uses the same music as the 1975 pop hit by Disco Tex and His Sex-o-lettes; the leader also gives a spoken word closing at the end in the same style as "Get Dancin'."
• Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: The annual parade through Manhattan is shown. When Homer quips about TV shows getting their own balloons long before they've proven themselves as hits, a balloon of Bart Simpson floats by.

Memorable Moments

Bart, and Lisa struggling to hold the Thanksgiving Project Lisa earlier made, before it goes into the fireplace. Bart after selling his Blood at the Red Cross staggers outside, and is discovered by two Homeless Men who befriend him.