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| {{Infobox Simpsons episode | {{Infobox Simpsons episode | ||
| | image = Yokel Chords.png | | image = Yokel Chords.png | ||
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| | production = JABF09 | | production = JABF09 | ||
| | airdate = {{Start date|2007|03|04}} | | airdate = {{Start date|2007|03|04}} | ||
| | guests = ] as |
| guests = ] as psychologist<br />] as himself<br />] as himself<br />] as Dr. Swanson<br />] as himself<br />] as ] | ||
| | couch_gag = The couch is replaced by a vending machine filled with Simpsons characters. ] uses it, retrieves a ] figurine and bites its head off before leaving. | | couch_gag = The couch is replaced by a vending machine filled with Simpsons characters. ] uses it, retrieves a ] figurine and bites its head off before leaving. | ||
| | commentary = {{Plainlist| | | commentary = {{Plainlist| | ||
| * Al Jean | * ] | ||
| * Michael Price | * Michael Price | ||
| * ] | * ] | ||
| Line 23: | Line 23: | ||
| }} | }} | ||
| "'''Yokel Chords'''" is the fourteenth episode of the ] of the American animated television series '']''. It originally aired on the ] in the United States on March 4, 2007. |
"'''Yokel Chords'''" is the fourteenth episode of the ] of the American animated television series '']''. It originally aired on the ] in the United States on March 4, 2007. The episode was written by ] and directed by ]. | ||
| In this episode, Lisa tutors the Spuckler children while Bart is forced to see a psychiatrist. ] and ] guest starred. Actor ], author ] and composer ] appeared as themselves. The episode received mixed reviews and won an ]. | |||
| It won the 2008 ] for ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.variety.com/awardcentral_article/VR1117980588.html?nav=news&categoryid=1983&cs=1|publisher=Variety|date=February 8, 2008|access-date=February 2, 2009|title='Ratatouille' nearly sweeps Annies|first=Peter|last=Debruge}}</ref> | |||
| ==Plot== | ==Plot== | ||
| ] oversleeps, |
] oversleeps, forcing ] to make the children's lunch for the day, but he gives ] a drawing of a sandwich and gives ] some of ]'s medication. Without any food, Bart scares the students with a story about a cannibal cafeteria worker named Dark Stanley. At lunchtime, Bart pretends to be killed by Dark Stanley, leading all the students to run away while he eats their lunches. Bart is sent to a psychiatrist as punishment. ] fetches the students and brings back seven other children belonging to ]. ] tells ] that the kids have been refused education in fear that they will lower test averages and cost the school federal funding. Lisa overhears them while reporting for the school newspaper, so they try to think of a way to stop her from reporting it. | ||
| Her initial |
They appoint Lisa to tutor the Spuckler children. Her initial efforts are unsuccessful, so she takes the children to downtown Springfield to introduce them to the culture of the world. However, her plans are diverted when ] sees the kids singing. He decides to use them as a musical act for his show and offers them a contract, which Cletus signs immediately. Lisa, however, is worried that Krusty and Cletus are exploiting the children. Meanwhile, Bart must spend five sessions with Dr. Swanson. Bart is dismissive, so she lets Bart play a violent video game with her while she secretly records his reactions while playing. They develop a bond, which gets Bart to have a breakthrough about Homer's alcoholism and other matters. When his sessions end, Bart becomes sad. | ||
| A worried Marge uses money she had been saving to get Bart one more session with Dr. Swanson. Bart uses the session to realize that he misbehaves so his parents will focus on him instead of fighting with each other. Happy with his mental state, Bart leaves the session early, which makes Dr. Swanson sad, so she goes to see her own psychiatrist. Meanwhile, because the Spuckler children spend so much time working, they have no time for their studies. Lisa tells ], who is fighting as a soldier in Iraq, to come home. She tells Cletus to stop exploiting the children. Krusty argues that Cletus signed a contract, but Brandine says only the children who cannot perform well are his. The children thank Lisa, and Cletus and Brandine take them home. | |||
| Meanwhile, Skinner punishes Bart by having him spend five sessions with Dr. Stacey Swanson (]), a qualified ]. Bart is initially dismissive, but ends up developing a close bond with Swanson, who uses a ]-like game and violent video games to get him to open up about Homer's alcoholism and other matters. When his sessions end, Bart starts to miss the time he spent with her and enters into a state of depression. | |||
| ==Production== | |||
| A worried Marge uses the funds she had been saving up for Homer's breast reduction surgery to get her son one more session with Swanson. Bart then reveals that Homer and Marge were young and not ready for parenting when he was born, and that he acts out largely so they will focus on him instead of fighting with each other; he also adds he got the name "Dark Stanley" in part because Homer used to hit him with a Stanley-brand hammer. Happy that he got everything off his chest, Bart leaves therapy feeling good, and upon seeing that Swanson is visibly saddened when he leaves, assures her they will see each other again. Swanson goes to see her own psychiatrist (]) where she says she cannot stop thinking about Bart. It is revealed during this discussion that Dark Stanley is in fact real, and had killed her own son: the therapist believes Swanson is projecting onto Bart, though Swanson claims she is not ready to go into that. | |||
| ===Development=== | |||
| After writer ] wrote the episode "]" the previous season, which was a parody of the musical '']'', executive producer ] asked Price to consider writing another musical episode. He decided to make a parody of '']'' with Lisa as the Maria character and the Spuckler children as the Von Trapp family.<ref name="Marshall"/> | |||
| ===Casting=== | |||
| ] guest starred as Dr. Swanson. ] guest starred as a psychologist.<ref name="TFC">{{cite web|title= Episode Title: (SI-1809) "Yokel Chords"|url= http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20070208fox15/|website=]|access-date=August 18, 2024}}</ref> Price directed Bogdanovich for his appearance in this episode.<ref>{{cite tweet|first=Michael|last=Price|author-link= Michael Price (writer)|user= mikepriceinla|number= 1479149587986149380|title=RIP Peter Bogdanovich. He made some amazing films, including one the greatest comedies of all time, "What’s Up, Doc?" I had the pleasure to direct him for his brief cameo in my episode "Yokel Chords" and he did not disappoint.|access-date=August 18, 2024}}</ref> Actor ] and author ] guest starred as themselves.<ref name="TFC"/> | |||
| Composer ] also appeared as himself. As Price wrote the episode, he attended a birthday party in which screenwriter ] was also in attendance. Logan was working on the ] of '']'' with Sondheim at the time. Price, a Sondheim fan, asked Logan if Sondheim would be interested in appearing in the episode. He advised Price to directly mail Sondheim a letter, and Sondheim replied with a letter accepting the offer. Price recorded Sondheim's part in New York over two days. Sondheim's lines were recorded on the first day. Because there was no piano in the studio that day, Sondheim returned the following day to perform the required music on the piano.<ref name="Marshall">{{cite podcast|first=Kyle|last=Marshall|title=The Ballad of Buzz Cola (with Michael Price)|work=Putting It Together|date=April 1, 2020|url=https://share.transistor.fm/s/c4e0b404|time=20:20|access-date=August 18, 2024|archive-date=August 20, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820070907/https://share.transistor.fm/s/c4e0b404|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
| == Cultural references == | == Cultural references == | ||
| ⚫ | The scene where Dr. Swanson goes to see a therapist is a reference to the television series '']'', where Dr. Melfi, a therapist herself, is treated by Dr. Elliot Kupferberg. Actor Peter Bogdanovich, who plays Dr. Kupferberg on ''The Sopranos'', is the voice of Dr. Swanson's psychologist in this episode.<ref>{{cite video |first=Michael|last=Price|date=2017 |title=The Simpsons: The Complete Eighteenth Season Commentary for the Episode "Yokel Chords" |medium=DVD |publisher=]}}</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | The musical number that plays during Bart's telling of 'Dark Stanley' is ], a song composed by Argentine composer ]. The song is also featured in the movie ]. | ||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | Lisa takes the Spuckler children to a cultural tour in downtown Springfield. The song that forms the backdrop soundtrack for the tour is "Cultural Things", a parody of "]" from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical '']'' (Cultural Things also echoes "]" from another musical, '']''. In that sequence, Lisa takes the kids to an art film screening showing ]'s '']''. The brief two- second sequence in ''The Simpsons'' shows the famous opening scene of the French movie, in which ]'s eye is being opened by Buñuel). There are several more references to ''The Sound of Music'' throughout the episode. | ||
| Bart plays a video game called ''Death Kill City II: Death City Stories'', which is a parody of the '']'' video game series.<ref>{{cite web|first=Jesse|last=Schedeen|date=January 13, 2015|title=The Simpsons' Funniest Video Game Parodies|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/01/13/the-simpsons-funniest-video-game-parodies|website=]|access-date=August 18, 2024|archive-date=August 20, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820070845/https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/01/13/the-simpsons-funniest-video-game-parodies|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
| Bart's story of Dark Stanley is animated in the style of the opening sequence of the television anthology series '']'' drawn by ].<ref name="Canning"/> | |||
| == Reception == | == Reception == | ||
| ===Viewing figures=== | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| The episode earned a 3.2 rating and was watched by 9.04 million viewers, which was the 41st most-watched show that week.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=] Medianet|date=March 6, 2007|url=http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=030607_05|title=Weekly Program Rankings (Feb. 26-Mar. 4)|access-date=June 10, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528010304/http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=030607_05|archive-date=May 28, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
| ===Critical response=== | |||
| Robert Canning of '']'' gave the episode a 6.2 out of 10, stating, | |||
| ⚫ | {{blockquote|This episode of ''The Simpsons'' seemed to have a lot going for it. It had many of the ingredients -- lots of guest stars, a storyline loosely based on an existing musical -- that would normally make for a memorable outing, but when it was all over, the whole thing fell short of producing a stellar half-hour. Still, as is often the case with ''The Simpsons'', there were plenty of great laughs, even if the episode as a whole was a bit choppy.<ref name="Canning">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/03/05/the-simpsons-yokel-chords-review|title=The Simpsons: ''Yokel Chords'' Review|last=Canning|first=Robert|date=2007-03-05|website=]|language=en-US|access-date=2016-11-18|archive-date=November 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161118224232/http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/03/05/the-simpsons-yokel-chords-review|url-status=live}}</ref>}} | ||
| Colin Jacobson of ''DVD Movie Guide'' liked the focus on the Spuckler family and the subplot involving Bart.<ref>{{cite web|first=Colin|last=Jacobson|date=December 19, 2017|title=The Simpsons: The Complete Eighteenth Season (2006-07)|url=http://www.dvdmg.com/simpsonss18.shtml|website=DVD Movie Guide|access-date=August 18, 2024|archive-date=September 30, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230930224657/http://www.dvdmg.com/simpsonss18.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
| ===Themes and analysis=== | |||
| Commenting on the different depiction of the Spuckler family in this episode, Matthew A. Henry wrote, "Cletus and Brandine are humanized in this episode in ways they have not been previously." The author compared their portrayal by Price, who has degrees from ] and ], versus those of the other ''Simpsons'' writers who are "products of the ]."<ref>{{cite book|first=Matthew A.|last=Henry|title= The Simpsons, Satire, and American Culture|publisher=]|date=2012|isbn=9781137027795}}</ref> | |||
| ===Awards and nominations=== | |||
| At the ], composer ] and writer ] won the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2008/digital/awards/ratatouille-nearly-sweeps-annies-1117980588/|website=]|date=February 8, 2008|access-date=August 18, 2024|title='Ratatouille' nearly sweeps Annies|first=Peter|last=Debruge|archive-date=October 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006193230/https://variety.com/2008/digital/awards/ratatouille-nearly-sweeps-annies-1117980588/|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
| == References == | == References == | ||
| Line 48: | Line 77: | ||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| {{ |
{{Wikiquote|The_Simpsons/Season_18#Yokel_Chords|"Yokel Chords"}} | ||
| {{ |
{{Portal|The Simpsons}} | ||
| * {{IMDb episode| |
* {{IMDb episode|0959423}} | ||
| {{The Simpsons episodes|18}} | {{The Simpsons episodes|18}} | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
Latest revision as of 01:39, 30 September 2024
14th episode of the 18th season of The Simpsons
| "Yokel Chords" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |||
 Guest stars (from left) Andy Dick, James Patterson, Meg Ryan (as Dr. Swanson), Stephen Sondheim, and Peter Bogdanovich (as a psychologist) | |||
| Episode no. | Season 18 Episode 14 | ||
| Directed by | Susie Dietter | ||
| Written by | Michael Price | ||
| Production code | JABF09 | ||
| Original air date | March 4, 2007 (2007-03-04) | ||
| Guest appearances | |||
| Peter Bogdanovich as psychologist Andy Dick as himself James Patterson as himself Meg Ryan as Dr. Swanson Stephen Sondheim as himself Marcia Wallace as Edna Krabappel | |||
| Episode features | |||
| Couch gag | The couch is replaced by a vending machine filled with Simpsons characters. Ralph Wiggum uses it, retrieves a Homer figurine and bites its head off before leaving. | ||
| Commentary |
| ||
| Episode chronology | |||
| |||
| The Simpsons season 18 | |||
| List of episodes | |||
"Yokel Chords" is the fourteenth episode of the eighteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 4, 2007. The episode was written by Michael Price and directed by Susie Dietter.
In this episode, Lisa tutors the Spuckler children while Bart is forced to see a psychiatrist. Meg Ryan and Peter Bogdanovich guest starred. Actor Andy Dick, author James Patterson and composer Stephen Sondheim appeared as themselves. The episode received mixed reviews and won an Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production.
Plot
Marge oversleeps, forcing Homer to make the children's lunch for the day, but he gives Lisa a drawing of a sandwich and gives Bart some of Grampa's medication. Without any food, Bart scares the students with a story about a cannibal cafeteria worker named Dark Stanley. At lunchtime, Bart pretends to be killed by Dark Stanley, leading all the students to run away while he eats their lunches. Bart is sent to a psychiatrist as punishment. Groundskeeper Willie fetches the students and brings back seven other children belonging to Cletus. Principal Skinner tells Superintendent Chalmers that the kids have been refused education in fear that they will lower test averages and cost the school federal funding. Lisa overhears them while reporting for the school newspaper, so they try to think of a way to stop her from reporting it.
They appoint Lisa to tutor the Spuckler children. Her initial efforts are unsuccessful, so she takes the children to downtown Springfield to introduce them to the culture of the world. However, her plans are diverted when Krusty sees the kids singing. He decides to use them as a musical act for his show and offers them a contract, which Cletus signs immediately. Lisa, however, is worried that Krusty and Cletus are exploiting the children. Meanwhile, Bart must spend five sessions with Dr. Swanson. Bart is dismissive, so she lets Bart play a violent video game with her while she secretly records his reactions while playing. They develop a bond, which gets Bart to have a breakthrough about Homer's alcoholism and other matters. When his sessions end, Bart becomes sad.
A worried Marge uses money she had been saving to get Bart one more session with Dr. Swanson. Bart uses the session to realize that he misbehaves so his parents will focus on him instead of fighting with each other. Happy with his mental state, Bart leaves the session early, which makes Dr. Swanson sad, so she goes to see her own psychiatrist. Meanwhile, because the Spuckler children spend so much time working, they have no time for their studies. Lisa tells Brandine, who is fighting as a soldier in Iraq, to come home. She tells Cletus to stop exploiting the children. Krusty argues that Cletus signed a contract, but Brandine says only the children who cannot perform well are his. The children thank Lisa, and Cletus and Brandine take them home.
Production
Development
After writer Michael Price wrote the episode "My Fair Laddy" the previous season, which was a parody of the musical My Fair Lady, executive producer Al Jean asked Price to consider writing another musical episode. He decided to make a parody of The Sound of Music with Lisa as the Maria character and the Spuckler children as the Von Trapp family.
Casting
Meg Ryan guest starred as Dr. Swanson. Peter Bogdanovich guest starred as a psychologist. Price directed Bogdanovich for his appearance in this episode. Actor Andy Dick and author James Patterson guest starred as themselves.
Composer Stephen Sondheim also appeared as himself. As Price wrote the episode, he attended a birthday party in which screenwriter John Logan was also in attendance. Logan was working on the film adaptation of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street with Sondheim at the time. Price, a Sondheim fan, asked Logan if Sondheim would be interested in appearing in the episode. He advised Price to directly mail Sondheim a letter, and Sondheim replied with a letter accepting the offer. Price recorded Sondheim's part in New York over two days. Sondheim's lines were recorded on the first day. Because there was no piano in the studio that day, Sondheim returned the following day to perform the required music on the piano.
Cultural references
The scene where Dr. Swanson goes to see a therapist is a reference to the television series The Sopranos, where Dr. Melfi, a therapist herself, is treated by Dr. Elliot Kupferberg. Actor Peter Bogdanovich, who plays Dr. Kupferberg on The Sopranos, is the voice of Dr. Swanson's psychologist in this episode.
The musical number that plays during Bart's telling of 'Dark Stanley' is Suite Punta del Este, a song composed by Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla. The song is also featured in the movie 12 Monkeys.
Lisa takes the Spuckler children to a cultural tour in downtown Springfield. The song that forms the backdrop soundtrack for the tour is "Cultural Things", a parody of "My Favorite Things" from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music (Cultural Things also echoes "Portobello Road" from another musical, Bedknobs and Broomsticks. In that sequence, Lisa takes the kids to an art film screening showing Luis Buñuel's Un Chien Andalou. The brief two- second sequence in The Simpsons shows the famous opening scene of the French movie, in which Simone Mareuil's eye is being opened by Buñuel). There are several more references to The Sound of Music throughout the episode.
Bart plays a video game called Death Kill City II: Death City Stories, which is a parody of the Grand Theft Auto video game series.
Bart's story of Dark Stanley is animated in the style of the opening sequence of the television anthology series Mystery! drawn by Edward Gorey.
Reception
Viewing figures
The episode earned a 3.2 rating and was watched by 9.04 million viewers, which was the 41st most-watched show that week.
Critical response
Robert Canning of IGN gave the episode a 6.2 out of 10, stating,
This episode of The Simpsons seemed to have a lot going for it. It had many of the ingredients -- lots of guest stars, a storyline loosely based on an existing musical -- that would normally make for a memorable outing, but when it was all over, the whole thing fell short of producing a stellar half-hour. Still, as is often the case with The Simpsons, there were plenty of great laughs, even if the episode as a whole was a bit choppy.
Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide liked the focus on the Spuckler family and the subplot involving Bart.
Themes and analysis
Commenting on the different depiction of the Spuckler family in this episode, Matthew A. Henry wrote, "Cletus and Brandine are humanized in this episode in ways they have not been previously." The author compared their portrayal by Price, who has degrees from Montclair State University and Tulane University, versus those of the other Simpsons writers who are "products of the Ivy League."
Awards and nominations
At the 35th Annie Awards, composer Alf Clausen and writer Michael Price won the Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production.
References
- ^ Marshall, Kyle (April 1, 2020). "The Ballad of Buzz Cola (with Michael Price)". Putting It Together (Podcast). Event occurs at 20:20. Archived from the original on August 20, 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
- ^ "Episode Title: (SI-1809) "Yokel Chords"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
- Price, Michael (January 6, 2022). "RIP Peter Bogdanovich. He made some amazing films, including one the greatest comedies of all time, "What's Up, Doc?" I had the pleasure to direct him for his brief cameo in my episode "Yokel Chords" and he did not disappoint" (Tweet). Retrieved August 18, 2024 – via Twitter.
- Price, Michael (2017). The Simpsons: The Complete Eighteenth Season Commentary for the Episode "Yokel Chords" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- Schedeen, Jesse (January 13, 2015). "The Simpsons' Funniest Video Game Parodies". IGN. Archived from the original on August 20, 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
- ^ Canning, Robert (March 5, 2007). "The Simpsons: Yokel Chords Review". IGN. Archived from the original on November 18, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
- "Weekly Program Rankings (Feb. 26-Mar. 4)". ABC Medianet. March 6, 2007. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- Jacobson, Colin (December 19, 2017). "The Simpsons: The Complete Eighteenth Season (2006-07)". DVD Movie Guide. Archived from the original on September 30, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
- Henry, Matthew A. (2012). The Simpsons, Satire, and American Culture. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781137027795.
- Debruge, Peter (February 8, 2008). "'Ratatouille' nearly sweeps Annies". Variety. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
