Bart Gets an "F"
"Bart Gets an 'F'" is the first episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It aired originally on Fox in the United States on October 11, 1990. In this episode, Bart Simpson fails four consecutive history exams, and the district psychiatrist recommends he repeat the fourth grade.
"Bart Gets an 'F'"
Season 2
Episode 1
7F03
October 11, 1990
(first) "I will not encourage others to fly"/(second) "I will not fake my way through life" (during the episode)[1]
Matt Groening
James L. Brooks
Al Jean
Mike Reiss
David Silverman
Written by David M. Stern and directed by David Silverman, "Bart Gets an 'F'" marks the first appearance of Mayor Quimby as well as a new opening sequence. It was the third episode produced for the second season. It was chosen to be the season premiere because it prominently features Bart, who enjoyed popularity during the early 1990s.
Due to the success of the first season of The Simpsons, Fox decided to switch the show's time slot to Thursday at 8:00 p.m. ET where it aired opposite NBC's The Cosby Show, the number one show at the time. Throughout the summer, several news outlets published stories about the supposed "Bill vs. Bart" rivalry and heavily hyped the first episode of the second season. Some critics predicted "Bart gets an 'F'" would do considerably worse in the ratings than The Cosby Show. However, the episode's final Nielsen rating was 18.4, and a 29% share of the audience placed it second in its time slot behind The Cosby Show with an 18.5 rating and 29% share. The episode finished eighth in the weekly ratings, but was watched by an estimated 33.6 million viewers, making it the week's number one show, in terms of actual viewers. It became the highest rated and most watched program in the history of the Fox network and remained so until 1995. It remains the highest rated episode in the history of The Simpsons.
"Bart Gets an 'F'" received positive reviews from television critics. Entertainment Weekly ranked it 31st on its 1999 list of "The 100 Greatest Moments in Television".
Plot[edit]
At Springfield Elementary School, Bart presents a book report on Treasure Island, but it soon becomes obvious that he has not actually read the book. Mrs. Krabappel tells him to stay after class. As a punishment for not doing the assignment, Mrs. Krabappel makes Bart write “I will not fake my way through life” on the chalkboard 100 times. Additionally, Mrs. Krabappel warns Bart that there will be an upcoming exam on Colonial America. On the day of the exam, Bart feigns illness to avoid taking the test, as he has not studied. After asking Milhouse for the test answers, he takes the test but gets an even lower grade than Milhouse.
Homer and Marge meet with the school psychiatrist, Dr. J. Loren Pryor, who recommends for Bart to repeat the fourth grade. Scared for Bart's academic future, Marge and Homer support this idea, but a terrified Bart vows to improve his grades.
In desperation, Bart asks Martin to tutor him, promising to improve Martin's popularity in return. Bart teaches Martin how to play pranks and slack off; Martin discovers he prefers Bart's lifestyle to his own and breaks his promise to Bart. To buy more time to study, Bart prays to God for a miracle to avoid the next day's test at school. A heavy snowfall occurs overnight; the next morning, a snow day is declared throughout Springfield. As Bart prepares to play in the snow, Lisa reveals she overheard him praying and urges him to make good use of his answered prayer. Bart reluctantly studies while everyone else is having fun in the snow; however, Bart is unable to focus on his study material and begins hitting himself, believing the pain will force him to focus.
Despite his best efforts, Bart fails the next day's test by one point. Bart breaks down in tears and compares his failure to George Washington's surrender of Fort Necessity to the French in 1754. Edna is impressed at this obscure historical reference and gives him an extra point for demonstrating applied knowledge. Bart is so ecstatic when he receives a barely passing grade (D-minus), he runs through Springfield, announcing his success. When Bart returns home, his parents post the test on the refrigerator. Bart remarks that "part of this D-minus belongs to God".
Cultural references[edit]
Bart's slapdash book report was on the Robert Louis Stevenson novel Treasure Island, while Martin presents Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea. Later on, Martin makes remarks about the forecastle of the Pequod in reference to Moby Dick.[1] During "Snow Day", the citizens of Springfield sing "Winter Wonderland".[1] The scene where everyone in Springfield gathers around the town circle, holds hands and begins singing is a reference to How the Grinch Stole Christmas![10] "Hallelujah", the chorus from George Frideric Handel's Messiah, can be heard when it starts snowing.[35]
Reception[edit]
The episode has received positive reviews from television critics. The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, wrote, "A cracking opener to the second season – especially memorable for the sequence in which Bart prays for school to be cancelled the following day only to find himself exiled from the ensuing winter wonderland."[2] Virginia Mann of The Record felt it was "not as wildly funny as last season's best episodes, [but still] well-done, humorous, and, at times, poignant."[5] The episode was praised for its emotional scenes. Tom Shales wrote the episode is "not only funny, it's touching" and praised it for the scenes where Bart prays, writing "There are few if any other entertainment shows on television that get into philosophical matters even this deeply. The Simpsons can be as thoughtful as a furrow-browed Bill Moyers pontification – yet infinitely more amusing."[36] The Miami Herald's Hal Boedeker felt it "pulls off a finale that's thoughtful without being preachy, tender without being sappy. Despite the tears, the show keeps its edge. And the way TV usually smears on the schmaltz, that's quite an achievement."[37] Phil Kloer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote "The episode does a good job of emphasizing the importance of studying without getting gooky. For all the talk about the anarchy of The Simpsons, the show sometimes has smuggled in an occasional message, as it does again."[38] In his book The Gospel According to the Simpsons, Mark I. Pinsky writes "Bart gets an 'F'" offers the most detailed portrayal of the dynamic of prayer on The Simpsons."[35] Steve L. Case later included the episode in his book Toons That Teach, a list of 75 cartoons that help teach biblical lessons.[39]
The episode was ranked 31st on Entertainment Weekly's list of "The 100 Greatest Moments in Television", with Bruce Fretts noting it "stands as classic irreverent family TV".[40] In 2007, Larina Adamson, a supervising producer on The Simpsons, named "Bart Gets an 'F'" as her favorite episode of the series.[41] In 2010, the BBC named "Bart gets an 'F'" as one of the ten most memorable episodes of the show, calling it "insightful and poignant".[42]