Bart Gets an "F"

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Apt Pupil (English Original title: Bart Gets an F ) is the first episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It received mostly positive reviews and occupies the 31st place on the " The 100 Greatest Moments in Television" list ( in German: " The 100 best moments in television ") of Entertainment Weekly newspaper.

Action

Since the basic student Bart Simpson is not interested in teaching, his grades are getting worse. While he has to keep Treasure Island a presentation on the book, it is clear that he has not read the book. His teacher, Edna Krabappel warns him because of his poor grades and reminded him of an upcoming exam. In the afternoon before the test beard is also trying to learn, but his father Homer endows him for dawdling. When he finally sits down at the books, he sleeps soon fatigue. The next morning, he simulates a disease in order to push yourself before the exam. Rather than prepare now, he calls his classmates and friend, Milhouse Van Houten, to learn from him the questions and answers of the test. When Bart repeated the test with these answers, it turns out that even Milhouse has the test very badly and therefore has given him only wrong answers; Bart falls through.

Mrs. Krabappel agreed then an appointment with the school psychologist Bart's parents. This suggests that Bart should repeat the school year, an idea that beard very displeased. He promises to increase its performance. Desperate, he asks the next day the best in class Martin Prince for help. The two agree to help each other; Martin is Bart teach the correct learning, while Bart will teach him how he is popular to be no longer dismissed as nerds. First, the plan also runs very successful, but as Martin is becoming more popular with his classmates, he is also lazy and unreliable, so he has no desire to learn together with Bart. This is now - one day before an important exam, he must be now in order not to jeopardize his transfer - without any help there. In the evening, Bart prays to God, the next morning to let the school fail, so he still had time to learn.

When he is awakened the next day by his mother Marge, it snowed in the night. Over the radio, he learns that is why the school fails. Full of joy, he wants to attack with his sleigh outside when his younger sister Lisa reminds him of his prayer. Since his prayer had been heard, he has to use to get the day also obtained. Guiltily looks a beard that he has committed to learn and goes to his room. But from there he can see through the window, how many happy people enjoying the day on the road in the snow. Not to be distracted, he goes to the basement, where he finally deepened with great effort and despite the lure in the books. The next day, the test is performed. Bart worked very long and hard and are the last to from his work. Anxiously he asks his teacher to correct them immediately. She does him a favor, but it turns out that it is the required minimum score fell just short. Disappointed and dejected laments Bart the teacher that his efforts were in vain. However, it did use comparisons show that he has yet dealt extensively with the subject matter. Touched and impressed his teacher evaluates the form of an oral appeal and gives him a bonus point, so it still passes the test and can be set.

Allusions

Bart decided in this episode to the novel Treasure Iceland (English title: The Treasure Island) by Robert Louis Stevenson to read for his book launch, while Martin The Old Man and the Sea (English Title: The Old Man and the Sea) reading of Ernest Hemingway. During the so-called " Snow Day " scene, the citizens of Springfield sing the song Winter Wonderland. This scene, in which the residents stand in a circle, is also an allusion to the book How the Grinch Stole Christmas. When it starts to snow after Barts prayer one evening, is several times "Hallelujah " to hear the chorus of George Frederick Handel's Messiah.

Production

Apt Pupil ( Original title: Bart Gets an F) was the first episode of the series, wrote David M. Stern as the main author. During their production David Silverman directed.

During the summer of 1990 Bart Simpsons rebellious nature of some U.S. parents and conservatives was perceived as a bad role model for children, while several American schools T -shirts with the character Bart next to texts such as " I'm Bart Simpson. Who the hell are you " (in German :" I'm Bart Simpson Who the hell are you ". ? ) Were ruled. Some critics thought that this episode was a response to these controversies have been. However replied the executive producer of the series, James L. Brooks, that it was not this been, but added: " The we are aware. I think it is important for us that Bart is bad in school. There are also students who are like that. I am also very careful with the TV, where everyone is supposed to be the role of a model. It is not that roam many role models in real life. Why should television be full of them? "

This episode is the first of the series The Simpsons, which is a new opening sequence (see The Simpsons opening sequence # ) indicates that differs from the first season. This variant is about 15 seconds shorter than the original. During the opening credits of the first season showed how Bart steals a "Bus Stop " sign, he now moves into a new sequence of multiple characters with his skateboard past, which were introduced during the course of the first season in the series.

In order to have a little more room for the designer of the series, there have been since this season three opening sequences of different lengths: a complete, about 1:15 min long and two variants with a length of about 45 seconds or 25 seconds. According to David Silverman, the authors started " costs " come on by the requirements for the production and the exact length of the episodes was so relaxed.

From the scene in this episode where Bart thinks he is " dumb as a post ," Silverman wanted to cut from many different angles Blink to bring in their anxiety to expression. The design of Martin Prince was changed during production of the episode several times; another design called for about bigger eyes and wilder hair for the scene in which he tells Bart and runs away for him. The " Snow Day " sequence towards the end of the episode describes Silverman as one of the hardest he ever animated. This scene has several long tracking shots, showing a lot of characters at the same time across different activities, he found it difficult, therefore, to time it right.

Original Air Date

New time slot

The first season of The Simpsons ended its Original Air Date on fourth place in the weekly Nielsen ratings and was the first series on American broadcaster Fox, who was a squadron under the 30 the highest-rated series. In addition, Bart Simpson became one of the most popular characters on television, what was referred to as "Bart Mania ". Due to the success of the first season of the Fox decided to change the time slot of the series, in the hope that they could better ratings, just opposite the former series from NBC, reach. Thus, the time slot of Sunday night at 20:00 clock EST laid on Thursday night at the same time, where it would with the series The Cosby Show, the most-watched series at the time to compete. Many of the producers of The Simpsons, including James L. Brooks, were against the postponement of the broadcasting space. The series was in the first season among the top 10 most- watched series during its broadcasts on Sunday, which is why some contributors thought they would be destroyed by the program change the high ratings. Brooks commented: "Suddenly fights a show that was a big hit to their survival. [ ... ] We are not fighting against, Cosby ', we just want to get healthy product reviews. There were two weeks of my life, in which a consignment, with which I was connected, the number one in the ratings was, and on Sunday evening had to be the opportunity to be the number one show in the country. I do not think we have a chance on Thursday night. "

Originally the episode Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish (German title: Fresh fish with three eyes ) were produced as the first of the second season, but was Bart Gets an F (Eng. title: Apt Pupil ) but then first aired because the character Bart Simpson was very popular at that time in the United States and the producers wanted to start with a sequence in which he is mainly involved. The first 13 episodes of The Simpsons were repeated regularly in the summer on Fox and it was advertised for the first new episode in May. During this time, various media published news of an alleged " Bill vs.. Bart " rivalry.

Ratings

During the summer break of the series repeats of episodes from the first season were sent multiple times and kicked it against new episodes of The Cosby Show. They reached the 73rd place of the weekly Nielsen ratings, while The Cosby Show reached third place in comparison. Various critics prophesied then, Bart Gets an F (or Apt Pupil ) would achieve a much lower credit rating than Bill Cosby's series. Peter Chernin, an employee of Fox, said during the summer break, hope the transmitter to be able to establish itself on Thursday, adding: ". , If we're lucky, we'll get to the second place "

Early figures of the Original Episode overnight reckoned high of 24 cities that The Simpsons have had a Nielsen rating of 19.9 and a share of 30 percent, while The Cosby show had a rating of 19.3 and a share of 29 percent. However, the final rating by Bart Gets an F was 18.4 un the share at 29 percent of the audience and came to its transmission time, just to second place behind The Cosby Show, which a final rating of 18.5 and a share of 29 also had percent. The Simpsons ended the weekly ratings finally in eighth place; The Cosby Show came in at number seven. The Nielsen rating based this on the number of household televisions that turn-on there the show, but Nielsen Media Research estimated that 33.6 million viewers had watched the episode and would thus have been the number one in terms of actual number of audience this week (The Cosby Show was seen by approximately 28.5 million television viewers and ended the week at number seven). This The Simpsons episode was the highest rated and most-watched show in the history of channel Fox. She stayed until 1 January 1995 to this position as a National Football League playoff game between the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears reached a Nielsen rating of 21.0. To date (March 2012) it is still the highest rated episode in the history of the series.

Reception

This episode mainly received positive reviews from the media and was praised especially for their emotional scenes. The authors of the book I Can not Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, wrote: " Fantastic opening of the second season - especially memorable for the scene where Bart prays for it that the school the next day turns out to be excluded only to a winter wonderland. "

Virginia man from the newspaper, The Record said that she was "not so wildly funny as the best episodes of the final season, [ but still ] well done, humorous and at times poignant ." Tom Shales, editor of the newspaper News & Record, wrote that she "is not only funny, it 's touching ," praised the scenes in which Bart Simpson pray and added: " There are few other entertainment shows on TV that so profound on. enter into philosophical questions " Phil Kloer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote:" The episode does a good job at emphasizing the importance of learning is [ ... ] " Mark I. Pinsky wrote in his book The Gospel According to the Simpsons " Bart Gets an F provides the most accurate representation of the dynamics of prayers in the Simpsons. " Steve L. Case listed the episode later in his book Toons that teach in its list of the 75 best cartoons that teach biblical lessons on.

In addition, the result was classified as " 100 best moments in television" the newspaper Entertainment Weekly on the 31st place in the list of where you added that it stands for " classic irreverent TV Family ". In 2007, Larina Adamson put, an executive producer of The Simpsons, this episode as their favorite episode of the entire series dar. In 2010, the BBC declared it one of the ten most memorable episodes of the show, describing it as " insightful and poignant ."

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