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"The Haw-Hawed Couple" is the eighth episode of the The Simpsons' eighteenth season and first aired December 10, 2006. In the episode, Bart becomes Nelson's new best friend and under Nelson's protection no one dares to mess with Bart. It was written by Matt Selman and directed by Chris Clements. It was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program and was also nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award. In its original run, the episode received 8.29 million viewers. The episode's title is a pun on The Odd Couple, emphasizing Nelson's style of laughing.

Plot

Marge and Homer are making love in their room while playing a tape of their arguments so the kids will not come in. When a flying article of clothing hits the tape recorder and plays America's "A Horse with No Name", Bart and Lisa decide to come in. Bart ends up traumatized by the sight and is an emotional wreck the following day. While he's coping, Nelson coerces Bart and Milhouse for their lunch money but also invites him and the rest of the class to his upcoming birthday party. Although Bart convinces all his friends not to go to Nelson's birthday party, Marge forces him to attend. After the party, Bart becomes Nelson's new best friend and under Nelson's protection no one dares to mess with Bart. There is only one drawback to his newfound friend/bodyguard; he can no longer pal around with Milhouse because Nelson has never had a best friend before and is overly protective and jealous. Eventually, Nelson discovers that Bart had been playing with Milhouse, which leads him to no longer consider Bart a friend. He eventually decides to forgive Bart, however Bart tells Nelson that he thinks he is a psycho. Later, during a field trip to some tidepools, Nelson confronts Bart in a cave, telling Bart that he is a bad friend.

Suddenly, high tide comes and Nelson saves Bart (but only because they were field trip buddies). Later Bart goes home and remembers the good times he had with Nelson while hugging a Nelson Vest he had received (a Brokeback Mountain movie Reference). Nelson rides by on a bike and shouts "Haw Haw! I touched your heart!" Meanwhile, Homer finds himself hooked on one of Lisa's fantasy books, choosing to read an "Angelica Button" book to Lisa, as opposed to snuggling with Marge. Homer eventually reads ahead and finds that one of the characters, Headmaster Greystash, is killed while trying to save Angelica. Upon hearing that Greystash dying would be the end of Lisa's childhood, Homer is unable to bring himself to read the last chapter to Lisa, and improvises a happy ending instead involving Greystash defeating the evil wizard, Angelica managing to get out of the trap and they ride in a sports car Greystash had conjured to a castle. Afterwards, Lisa reads the real ending and decides that Homer's ending was better. During the credits, Homer is seen at Moe's Tavern, still mourning the loss of the Headmaster ("No man should have to outlive his fictional wizard!") while Carl and Lenny look at him.

Cultural references

• This episode's title is a pun on The Odd Couple, emphasizing Nelson's style of laughing.
• Martin describes himself and his classmates as sticks, who together form a "mighty faggot". The dictionary definition for "faggot" (as in bundle of wood) appears at the bottom of the screen, in an exaggeratedly humorous attempt not to be confused with the pejorative word for homosexual.
• The song played on the tape recorder is "A Horse With No Name" by America. When Lisa hears the song, she asks if it is "county fair music."
• Actors dressed as Spider-Man and Dr. Octopus make an appearance at Nelson's party.
• Lisa's fantasy book is mostly a reference to Harry Potter, specifically the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, with Greystash being a parody of Dumbledore. It also contains elements of The Chronicles of Narnia and Deltora Quest. The name is Angelica Button, who would later appear in "Smoke on the Daughter". The name of the author, T. R. Francis (seen on the front of the book when its "talking" to Homer), may be a reference to both J. K. Rowling and J. R. R. Tolkien, or possibly even J. M. Barrie.
• The scene which follows Bart and Nelson as they enter the cafeteria through the back of the school and through the kitchens while Bart acts as a narrator is a direct parody of the celebrated three minute tracking shot from Goodfellas which shows Henry and Karen Hill as they enter a nightclub through the back accompanied by Henry's narration. The song played is "He's a Rebel" by The Crystals.
• Milhouse asks Bart why he is hanging around with bullies, and Bart tells him not to use the "b-word" because it is offensive. Milhouse then overhears Jimbo and Kearney calling each other bullies, which causes him to ask "How come they can say it?". This is a reference to the fact that "n*****" (commonly referred to as "the n-word") is considered offensive, yet it is considered acceptable for sections of the African-American community to use it to each other.
• The scene with Nelson's vest and picture in the closet is a reference to the end of Brokeback Mountain with the guitar music of Gustavo Santaolalla.

Reception

This episode was subsequently nominated for an Emmy in 2007 for Outstanding Animated Program (Less Than One Hour).

References

1. ^ "Bart Gets a New Bodyguard on "The Simpsons", [[December 10]], [[2006]], on the [[Fox Network]]". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 2008-05-25. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
2. Air Dates for the Simpsons, tvguide.com. Retrieved on 2008-07-11
3. Writer's Guild Awards - Television Nominees 2008, Writer's Guild of America West. Retrieved on 2008-07-11
4. Simpsons Channel' ratings for "The Haw-Hawed Couple"
5. 59th Primetime Emmy Nominations, emmys.tv. Retrieved on 2008-07-11
6. Simpsons Channel | Simpsons Nominated For Emmy Award

• The Simpsons episodes, season 18
• 2006 television episodes