Treehouse of Horror IX
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"Treehouse of Horror IX" is the fourth episode of The Simpsons' tenth season, as well as the ninth Halloween episode. The episode aired on October 25, 1998, the earliest a Halloween episode has aired
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[edit] Opening Sequence
Bart does his usual blackboard punishment, only he writes "THE SIMPSONS HALLOWEEN SPECIAL IX" on the blackboard, using a blood-soaked brush instead of chalk, and keeping his blood refills in a jack-o'-lantern bucket. At home, as usual, Homer pulls into the driveway and Bart skateboards home but instead bounces off the roof of Homer's car and lands in the driveway. Lisa arrives home on her bicycle and slams into Bart's broken body, propelling her into the wall of the garage just above the door. Marge drives in and, as usual, Homer tries to out-run her to the garage door. This time he fails and is slammed against the wall. Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees sit at the couch, waiting for the Simpsons. Freddy says they should have arrived by now, but Jason replies with 'Eh, what are you gonna do?', and they watch the TV.
[edit] Synopsis
[edit] Hell Toupée
Snake is arrested for smoking inside the Kwik-E-Mart. Chief Wiggum explains that after burning down an orphanage and blowing up a bus full of nuns, this is Snake's third strike, so he will be executed in accordance with the three strikes law. Before hauling Snake away, Chief Wiggum helpfully points out that Apu, Moe and Bart are all witnesses; Snake threatens to kill all of them. Snake is executed in the electric chair on "World's Deadliest Executions", hosted by Ed McMahon and proudly broadcast on Fox. Chief Wiggum then sends the body to the hospital for organ donations. Shortly afterward, Homer visits Dr. Nick Riviera, who gives him a transplant of a full head of still-smoldering hair. The hair, it quickly becomes apparent, was Snake's, evident when Homer starts smoking and speaking in Snake's voice. With the hair controlling his mind, Homer murders Apu by stuffing him in his own Squishee machine. Soon afterward, Homer removes Moe's heart with a corkscrew and leaves him slumped facefirst in a bowl of Penicill-Os cereal. Bart realizes that the other two witnesses have been killed, but is shocked when his own father comes after him. He begs Homer to fight the hair; after a struggle, Homer rips the hair off his head. The hair tries to smother Bart and escape out a window, but is gunned down by Wiggum, Lou and Eddie, and is used for a blanket by Maggie.
[edit] The Terror of Tiny Toon
Marge forbids Bart and Lisa from watching the Itchy and Scratchy Halloween special, even going great lengths to take the batteries out of the remote. They refuse to go trick-or-treating with Marge, Homer dressed up as a hobo, and Maggie dressed up as a pirate. But when Bart and Lisa are at home, Bart finds a piece of highly unstable plutonium in Homer's toolbox, and when they use the remote, they actually end up in the world of Itchy and Scratchy. However, Itchy and a trick-or-treating Scratchy (with his brain scooped out) throw deadly objects, including axes, at Bart and Lisa. Itchy and Scratchy, dressed as police officers, use a chainsaw to kill Bart and Lisa. Homer, seeing the story, returns as the hated character Poochie in the show to save Bart and Lisa, but he is run down by their car. They escape from the car, and wind up on Live with Regis and Kathie Lee in a pot of soup when Homer changes the channel, and he changes it again to Itchy and Scratchy's house and they end up in there. Lisa urges Homer to press the "exit" button, which gets her and Bart (who was bitten by piranhas). She presses the "rewind" button on the remote to bring back Bart's flesh, but unfortunately, Itchy and Scratchy escape through the screen. However, they emerge the same size as their real animal equivalents, and therefore harmless. Homer decides to make Itchy a pet, and upon Scratchy's amorous advances toward Snowball II, Marge decides to neuter him.
[edit] Starship Poopers
On an ordinary day, Marge discovers Maggie's first baby tooth, which appears to be a sharp fang. Maggie later loses her baby legs and grows tentacles. Marge decides to take her to Dr. Hibbert, who suggests prescribing lots of fire. At home, it is found that Maggie can contact somebody by sucking extra-rapidly on her pacifier, which appears to be the aliens Kang and Kodos. They arrive at the Simpson house, coming to see Maggie, and tell Homer that Kang is Maggie's real father. Marge retells the story: Kang and Kodos abducted her while she was doing laundry, selecting Marge for a cross-breeding program. She says the aliens used mind-control techniques on her (when, in fact, Kang simply pointed and said "Look there!" before zapping her with an insemination ray). She recalls that nine months after the abduction, Maggie was born. Kang and Kodos demand that the Simpsons give Maggie to them. Bart suggests there can be only one way to solve the problem: let the Simpsons appear on The Jerry Springer Show. When they appear to discuss things, Kang and Kodos use their ray gun to send the audience to another location. During Jerry's "final thought," Maggie attacks Jerry and kills him. Kang and Kodos now threaten to kill every American politician unless the Simpsons give Maggie to them. Marge and the Simpsons slyly imply that the aliens couldn't possibly kill every politician, and as they fly off to do so, Bart reminds them not to forget Ken Starr. Just about when they were going to leave, Maggie takes out her pacifier and tells everyone (her voice sounding similar to Kang and Kodos) that she will drive them home and then starts laughing. At the end she says she wants blood.
[edit] Trivia
- Ed McMahon's appearance was very surprising: the writers originally got Troy McClure to host World's Deadliest Executions, but the scene had to be re-done after Phil Hartman died.
- Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford appeared as live-action guests as themselves in this episode, a Simpsons first, and the second time live-action has been used in a Simpsons episode. The first time was at the end of Treehouse of Horror VI.
- In 'The Terror of Tiny Toon', Poochie makes a brief appearance, once again voiced by Homer, until he is run over by Itchy and Scratchy who are fighting with Bart and Lisa.
[edit] Cultural references
- "Hell Toupée" is loosely based on the Wes Craven film Shocker, as well as the Amazing Stories episode also called "Hell Toupée." The ending, spoofing the horror convention of the ever-undying villain, specifically parodies the end of the 1988 film Child's Play, about a doll, Chucky, inhabited by the soul of a serial killer, plus that take its ending. Also, the plot's aspect of a innocent patient having serial killer parts transplanted onto them is very similar to 1991's Body Parts, directed by Eric Red.
- Some of the plot from "The Terror of Tiny Toon" is similar to the 1998 movie Pleasantville as well as from segment #3 of "Twilight Zone - The Movie", which was the same segment that contained Nancy Cartwright (the voice of Bart Simpson) getting trapped and killed in a TV cartoon. Also the Dark Comedy "Stay Tuned" and the sixth film of the "A Nightmare on Elm Street" series have cartoon/video game sequences. The title of the episode comes from the 1938 western/comedy movie The Terror of Tiny Town and possibly from the series Tiny Toon Adventures.
- The title of "Starship Poopers" is a parody of the novel Starship Troopers. Maggie kills Jerry Springer in a similar fashion to Alien.
[edit] Quotes
[edit] Intro
- Freddy: I don't get it. They should be here by now.
Jason: Eh, what are ya gonna do?
[edit] Hell Toupée
- Chief Wiggum: Hands up, scuzzbag! (Moe raises his hands) Nah, not you, the smoking scuzzbag.
Snake: (he raises his hands) Yo, chill out dude, I'll pay the fine.
Wiggum: Not this time you won't! This is your third strike. First you torched that orphanage, second you blew up that bus full of nuns...
Snake: Hey, that was self-defense!
Wiggum: Well, you'll be seeing lots of nuns where you're going, pal: Hell! Because the penalty for strike three is death. (Snake is handcuffed.)
Snake: Oh, you'll never make it stick, Chief.
Wiggum: Will too, because this place is full of witnesses - Apu, that scuzzbag Moe...
Snake: I'm not going to forget this, dudes. I'm going to totally kill both of you.
Wiggum: And, uh, don't forget Bart Simpson. (Bart hides behind an arcade game.) He's a witness too, right, Barty?
Bart: Oh...
Snake: You are so dead, little dude.
Bart: Thanks a lot, Chief.
Wiggum: (he tousles Bart's hair) Heh, heh, you kids crack me up. - Ed McMahon: Hi, I'm Ed McMahon. Today on Fox, from the producers of When Skirts Fall Off and Secrets of National Security Revealed, it's World's Deadliest Executions. (the curtains reveal an electric chair and the audience cheers.) Making his first appearance on the show, heeeere's Snake! (The audience cheers Snake as he approaches.)
Snake: Thank you, chickie-pies. (Now the Simpson family watches the show.)
Homer: The chair? Ohh, how come they only do crucifixions during sweeps? (back to the prison)
Announcer: Snake played lacrosse at Ball State University.
Chief Wiggum: So long, Snake. You'll never harm another person with second-hand smoke. (Wiggum pulls the switch as Snake is being executed. The smoke coming off Snake causing Wiggum, Ed McMahon, and others to cough)
Snake: Dude... (he dies.)
Ed McMahon: Hi-yo!
Wiggum: All right, now let's get this carcass over to the hospital and carve it up for organs.
Barney: Dibs on the liver! - Apu: Ooh! Ooh-la-la, Simpson. What can I do for you and your new 'do?
Homer (in Snake's voice): You sent me to the chair.
Apu: Snake? But you're dead!
Homer: I know you are, but what am I? - Chief Wiggum: Homer Simpson, you're under arrest for the murders of Moe Szyslak and Apu Nahasapasa...just Moe. Just Moe.
[edit] The Terror of Tiny Toon
- Krusty: (in a Transylvanian accent) Hey, hey, tonight I'm going to suck-- (normal voice, as Krusty reads cue card) Your blood. Okay, get ready for the violentest, disembowelingest, vomit-inducingest Itchy & Scratchy Halloween special ever!
- Regis Philbin: I'm telling you, the cilantro really gives it a zing!
Kathie Lee Gifford: Reege, there's no cilantro in it.
(Bart and Lisa fall in the pot, splattering everything but the cilantro over the hosts.)
Regis: Oh, ah, for the love (Bart and Lisa run on to the stage) ... this soup is out of control! (Itchy and Scratchy fall into the pot and splatter more soup over the hosts.)
Regis and Kathie Lee: Oh! (Itchy and Scratchy chase after Bart and Lisa.)
Regis: My eyes! My beautiful eyes!
Kathie Lee: That's it! I'm going home! Dom DeLuise can interview himself!
[edit] Starship Poopers
- Homer: What do you prescribe, doctor?
Dr. Hibbert: Fire! And lots of it!
Marge: That's your cure for everything! - Kodos: Commander Kang, receiving transmission from infant pod thirteen.
Kang: Holy flerking schnit! What's the message?
Kodos: Larval stage completed...standing by for orders...experiencing terrible rash. Over.
Kang: Ensign Kodos, set coordinates for the obscure T-shirt-producing planet known as, "Earth". It's time I paid a visit to...MY DAUGHTER!
Kodos: (overwhelmed) Ohh ... - Homer: (he opens the door and sees Kang and Kodos) Hello - oh, great! Mormons!
Kang: Actually, we're Quantum Presbyterians and we've come to see...MY DAUGHTER! (dramatic music as Kang holds a squeak-toy) - Marge: I can't believe it. Jerry Springer didn't solve our conflict.
Lisa: And now he's dead.
Kang: Anyhoo, this is your last chance. Turn over the baby now.
Kodos: Or we will destroy all your leaders in Washington.
Marge: Oh, you couldn't destroy every politician.
Kang: Just watch us. (the aliens laugh menacingly, boarding their flying saucer and taking off)
Bart: Don't forget Ken Starr!
Marge: Suckers!
Homer: C'mon, Maggie, let's go home.
Maggie (in the aliens' voices): Very well. I'll drive! (she laughs menacingly as screen fades to black) I need blood. - Jerry Springer audience member: Yeah, I got a question for that gross thing, whatever it is.
Jerry Springer: Homer?
Jerry Springer audience member: Nah, the green dude. If you're that baby's daddy, where you been at? (audience voices its agreement, though Kang gets mad) Ya know, someone needs to learn your green ass some responsibility.
(Kang gets out his ray gun and vaporizes the audience member)
Jerry Springer: Now hold on Kang. You can't bully my audience with your fancy ray gun!
(Oh, but he can. Kang vaporizes the entire audience)
Jerry: Now for my final thought. Nobody wins when parents put their petty squabbles above the welfare of a child. Let's hope they'll put their differences aside and do what's best for Maggie. (Maggie attacks Jerry) What the (bleep)! Son of a (bleep)! Get the (bleep) baby off me! (Kang and Homer begin fighting between each other)
Marge: I'm so (bleep) embarrassed.
[edit] External links
- "Treehouse of Horror IX" episode capsule at The Simpsons Archive
- "Treehouse of Horror IX" at the Internet Movie Database
| The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror |
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| I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII | XIII | XIV | XV | XVI | XVII |
