Bart the Genius

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Template:Infobox Simpsons episode Bart the Genius was the second non short episode of The Simpsons released on television.“Bart the Genius” has aired 4 times in the US.

  • January 14, 1990
  • March 4, 1990
  • May 27, 1990
  • April 28, 1994.

In this episode, Bart is caught vandalising school property with a crude spray-painting of Principal Skinner and then swaps IQ tests with Martin and is declared a genius.

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Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The first "proper" episode of "The Simpsons" opens with Bart struggling to play Scrabble. To hasten the end of the game, Bart places his tiles on the board to form "K-W-Y-J-I-B-O." Pressed by Homer to define the word, Bart says, "Uh... a big, dumb, balding North American ape. With no chin!" Which results in a "why you little ..." and a chase throughout the house.

At school, Principal Skinner catches Bart vandalizing the building. Actually, Martin had tattled on him, prompting Bart to swear revenge. But there's no time for that now; it's time for the class to take an IQ test, which - according to Mrs. Krabappel - will only determine their success in life.

Martin finishes early and taunts Bart, who struggles to answer the questions. In frustration (and retaliation for having been ratted out earlier), Bart steals Martin's test, writes his name on it, and then (after writing Martin's name on his own test), fills in the test sheet with random answers.

Bart's actions have unintended consequences. While Homer and Marge are visiting with Principal Skinner for his latest misbehavior, the school psychiatrist Dr. Pryor comes in and announces the unthinkable: Bart is a genius. Skinner is skeptical, but Dr. Pryor insists that Bart is indeed gifted and that his misbehavior is due to his being bored with the lessons. Bart is soon enrolled at the Enriched Learning Center for Gifted Children.

Martin, who appears to have no future ahead of him, is sent to train at a vocational center as a dishwasher.

Bart has a hard time fitting in at the Enriched Learning Center, where highly intelligent youngsters are able to:

  • Greet each other in palindromes and foreign languages.
  • Have advanced philosophical discussions on such things as free will and paradoxes.
  • Perform scientific experiments on hamsters.
  • Solve ridiculously complicated mathematical equations.

Bart's new classmates quickly catch on that he doesn't belong there, proving their point by tricking Bart out of his lunch money, snickering and dubbing him "a mediocre genius" behind his back.

However, Bart soon likes the newfound attention he suddenly receives from his parents, who treat him to such activities as a night at the opera – "Carmen" (on this night, only in Russian). Bart later wants to play with his former classmates, but they shun him for his supposed intelligence.

After Bart causes a near catastrophe at the Enriched Learning Center (by mixing acids and bases to form a green goo-like substance), he is sent back to his old school. Visiting with Dr. Pryor and Principal Skinner, Bart tries to back his way out of this big mess by suggesting he go "undercover" to see what makes his classmates tick, but he eventually admits he switched his test with Martin's.

At home, Homer begins to clean up Bart. Bart admits he lied about the test, but says that the past few weeks of father-son bonding were great. Bart expects a big hug from a touched Homer. Instead, Homer grows very angry, does a "Why you little ..." and begins to chase him throughout the house. "Guess Bart isn't a genius anymore", so observes Lisa.

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Trivia

  • During the title sequence, when Homer is in the drive way and the car closes in on him, no sound comes out of his mouth when he opens it.
  • When the family is playing Scrabble Maggie's blocks say E=mc².
  • In the nightmare Bart has during the test, the cord he pulls to stop the train is the number 8.
  • Martin and his parents attend the opera.
  • During Scrabble Marge spells He, Homer spells Do, Lisa spells id (the word not the abbreviation).
  • Homer had the word Oxidize in front of him but did not know that it was a word.
  • Bart uses the word Kwyjibo, which he made up. For more information see List of neologisms on The Simpsons.
  • The game room in the Simpsons house has a picture of homer screaming.
  • Skinner's disciplinary filing cabinets have the following markings:
    • Cr -- Dl
    • Em -- Kl
    • Ty -- Cz
    • Simpson, Bart
    • Zs -- Ds
  • At The Enriched Learning Center for Gifted Children Bart sits in an ergonomic chair.
  • The following books can be found in The Enriched Learning Center for Gifted Children library collection:
    • Plato
    • Puskin
    • Life of Leonardo
    • Crime and Punishment
    • Wana by Emile Zola
    • Shakespeare I -- XV
    • Dante's Inferno
    • Babylonian Myths
    • Design of Computers
    • Moby Dick
    • Paradise Lost
    • Iliad by Homer
    • Odyssey by Homer
    • Radioactive Man (used as a prop in a film about illiteracy)
    • Candide
    • Astrophysics
    • Balzac
  • We see the following at The Enriched Learning Center for Gifted Children cafeteria:
  • The poster at the opera shows that the Simpsons are going to see the opera Carmen, that is a one day showing, that it is in the Russian language and that the conductor is (Boris Csupowski).
  • In his office Dr. Pryor has pictures of Bart and Albert Einstein.
  • Maggie falls once, this is when Lisa's looking up the word id for Homer.
  • Maggie turns into a multi-armed creature when she knocks down her blocks.
  • Lisa's makes a weird face when she grabs the dictionary.
  • Mrs. Krabappel grows an extra two pairs of eyeballs when she tells Bart to face the window.
  • Marge crosses her eyes when trying to think of the word `nurturing'.
  • Barts score (during Scrabble) for Kwyjibo is 152. He gets 5 for k, 4 for w, 8 for y, 8 for j, 1 for i, 3 for b and 1 for o (total of 26). Bart claims to have a triple word score, thus being the cheat he is he would try make a word with a j, which would give 34 points. From there Bart would get a triple, hence 102 points. And since he used all his letters he would get 50 more points, for a grand total of 152. Mind you Kwyjibo isn't technically a real word so Bart gets 0.
  • When Bart causes an explosion he mixes Osmium Hydroxide and Rubidic Acid (a base with an acid). Such a mixture would cause salt dissolved in water (salt water), but if you are not careful it would cause an exothermic reaction (explosion). However for the size of the explosion that happened in Bart's class you would need a large quantity. There would be no green goo.
  • The calculation of derivatives done on the board at Bart's new school are nonstandard, if they are standard it is wrong.
  • Bart is learning calculus at The Enriched Learning Center for Gifted Children.
  • Ethan (the kid who speaks palindromes) says Ol' Mem-sahib to Bart. According to OED the definition is A European married Lady; also, one who behaves like a European woman.
  • After the kids have tricked Bart of his lunch they chat privately. During that brief conversation, the voices are switched.
  • Staphylococcus is mentioned as a virus in the episode, but in reality it is a bacteria genus.
  • The Scrabble scene is considered to be strangly familiar to a similar setting in the 1986 National Film Board of Canada animated short film The Big Snit, where the two main characters have a resemblance to Marge and Homer, and are playing Scrabble as well. The film is mentioned on the DVD commentary for this episode.
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Memorable quotes

  • Bart: (Bart's paradox) You're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't.
  • Homer: I'll bet Einstein turned all sorts of colors before he invented the light-bulb.
  • Bart's Classmate Ethan: O Memsahib, Bart. Rabbi has memo.
  • Bart's Classmate Sidney: Trabgni nrom doog!
  • Mrs. Krabappel: Now I don't want you to worry, class. These tests will have no effect on your grades. They merely determine your future social status and financial success. If any.
  • Bart: Toreador, oh don't spit on the floor. Please use the cuspidor, that's what it's for.
  • Homer: There's nothing wrong with a father kissing his son...I think. Now go on, boy, and pay attention, because if you do, one day you may achieve something that we Simpsons have dreamed about for generations. You may outsmart someone.
  • Lisa: I think Bart's stupid again, Mom. (Lisa explaining to Marge why Homer is chasing Bart through the house.)
  • Martin: (telling on Bart) I hope you won't bear some sort of simple-minded grudge against me. I was merely trying to fend off the desecration of the school building.
    Bart: Eat my shorts.
    Martin: Pardon?
  • Homer: Jeez. No beer...no opera dogs... (Homer, on the opera)
  • Homer: Doc, this is all too much. I mean, my son a genius - how does it happen?
    Dr. Pryor: Well, genius-level intelligence is usually the result of heredity and environment...
    (Pryor sees Homer staring blankly.)
    Uh...although in some cases it's a total mystery.
  • Skinner: Umm...whoever did this is in very deep trouble.
    Martin: And a sloppy speller, too. The preferred spelling of wiener is W-I-E-N-E-R, although E-I is an acceptable ethnic variant.
  • Marge: Bart, this is a big day for you; why don't you eat something a little more nutritious?
    Homer: Nonsense, Marge! Frosted Krusty Flakes are what got him where he is today. It could be one of these chemicals here that makes him so smart. Lisa, maybe you should try some of this.
    Marge: Homer!
    Homer: I'm just saying, why not have two geniuses in the family? Sort of a spare in case Bart's brain blows up.
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External links

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