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| {{Infobox Simpsons episode | {{Infobox Simpsons episode | ||
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| season = 9 | ||
| | episode = 10 | |||
| | airdate = ], ] | |||
| ⚫ | | director = ] | ||
| | show runner = ] | |||
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| | production = 5F07 | |||
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| | airdate = {{Start date|1997|12|21}} | |||
| ⚫ | | blackboard |
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| ⚫ | | guests = * ] as himself | ||
| | couch_gag = Somebody shakes up a ], which contains the Simpsons sitting on a couch | |||
| ⚫ | | blackboard = "Rudolph's red nose is not alcohol-related"<ref name="Book">{{cite book | ||
| ⚫ | | |
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| |last=Gimple |first=Scott M. |title=The Simpsons Forever!: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family ...Continued |publisher=] |date=December 1, 1999 |isbn=978-0-06-098763-3|title-link=The Simpsons Forever!: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family ...Continued }}</ref> | |||
| | image = ] | |||
| | couch_gag = (first) Somebody shakes up a ], which contains the Simpsons sitting on a couch./(second) The Simpsons run to the living room, only to notice that everything has been stolen, which includes their couch.<ref name=bbc>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season9/page10.shtml |title=Miracle on Evergreen Terrace |access-date=2007-12-10 |author1=Martyn, Warren |author2=Wood, Adrian |year=2000 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> | |||
| | commentary |
| commentary = ]<br>Mike Scully<br>]<br>Ron Hauge<br>]<br>]<br>Bob Anderson | ||
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| }} | }} | ||
| "'''Miracle on Evergreen Terrace'''" is the |
"'''Miracle on Evergreen Terrace'''" is the tenth episode of the ] of the American animated television series '']''. It originally aired on ] in the United States on December 21, 1997. ] accidentally ruins Christmas for the Simpson family by burning down the tree and all their presents. | ||
| It was written by ], directed by ], and guest starred ] as himself.<ref name=bbc/> Hauge was inspired to write the episode after learning of an ] that had been ripped off. The episode was included, among other Christmas themed episodes of the series, on a 2005 Christmas special boxed set on DVD. | |||
| This episode is one of the few to receive a ] rating by the ], despite containing mild language. | |||
| ==Plot== | ==Plot== | ||
| Homer and Marge go ] shopping at |
] and ] go ] shopping at a Try-N-Save megastore, where frenzied shoppers are snatching the holiday season's most popular toys. Homer, posing as a store cashier, helps himself to whatever items he finds suitable for the family. He then stuffs the register with cash and leaves with a big grin. | ||
| At |
At bedtime on ], the family makes last-minute preparations at home, as Marge tells everyone that no one can get up to open their presents until 7 AM the next morning, but ] drinks 12 glasses of water to wake up early and unwrap his gifts, one of which is a ] ]. He plays with it until it sprays water on an overloaded electrical socket, causing a fire that engulfs and melts the plastic Christmas tree and all of the presents beneath it. Bart hides the evidence beneath the snow in the front yard. | ||
| At 7:01 AM, Bart attempts to get back inside and hide the incident, but is unsuccessful when the family comes downstairs to find the tree and presents are gone. Bart makes up a story about how he caught a ] taking off with their tree and presents. The police investigate and ] does an interview on the case. | |||
| However, Bart has drunk 12 glasses of water, hoping he'll have to wake up to use the ] and thus get an early look at his presents. Sure enough, he awakes at 5:04 a.m. and - after a quick visit to the bathroom - unwraps his gifts. One of those presents is the coveted Inferno Buster 3000, a remote-controlled ]. Bart has fun playing with the truck, until an accident causes it to catch on fire. The flames immediately engulf the plastic ] and all of the presents beneath it. Bart manages to extinguish the fire before it spreads, and hides the burned evidence outside beneath some ] in the front yard. | |||
| ⚫ | As a result of the report, everyone in Springfield gives them a new Christmas tree and $15,000. With the donations, Homer buys a new car. Driving it home, Homer gets stuck behind ] and impatiently passes it. He drives the car onto a frozen lake, forcing everyone to jump out. The ice cracks, causing the car to sink and blow up. | ||
| When the family comes downstairs at 7:01 a.m., Bart lies to them. He makes up a story about how he caught a ] in process, and the suspect made off with the tree and all of the family's presents. The police investigate, and ] decides to do a human interest story on what he believes is the Simpsons' yuletide misfortune. | |||
| The next morning, a guilt-ridden Bart admits the truth to his family. Though they are rightly furious and strangle him as a group, they also go along with the lie when Brockman and his news crew arrive to do a follow-up story. When a cameraman, with help from ], finds the tree's remains, the family is forced to explain the truth; Springfield's citizens, feeling ], shun them in public and mail them angry letters demanding they pay back the $15,000. Since they apparently did not insure the car they just bought and destroyed, the family cannot get the money back to their former friends and current enraged neighbors. | |||
| ⚫ | As a result of |
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| Marge attempts to win back enough money to make things right on '']'', but is unsuccessful, as she finishes with negative $5,200 and has to flee when eliminated from the winning round. The Simpsons arrive home to find everyone in ] gathered on their lawn and Marge thinks the town has forgiven them. However, while that is technically true, the price was the ransacking of everything the Simpsons had in their house, including Santa's Little Helper and ]. The family find a glimmer of light when they playfully fight over a tattered washcloth, the only thing they have left. | |||
| The next morning, Bart's ] finally gets to him. He admits the truth ... there was no burglar. He caused an accident that resulted in a fire that destroyed his tree and all of the presents. Sonn, Kent Brockman and the Channel 6 news crew conveniently arrive to do a follow-up story. Homer slaps on a plastic smile and tells the "burglar" that he will be caught, but the story quickly unravels when a cameraman, with help from ], finds the burned remains of the Christmas tree. The family is forced to explain, but it's too little, too late for irate viewers, who feel they have been ]. | |||
| ==Production== | |||
| It isn't long before the Simpsons are treated like outcasts, with huge sacks of ] arriving each day and people throwing rotten food at their home. | |||
| ]'' and host ] guest stars as himself.]] | |||
| Writer ] said he got the idea for the episode one day when he was heading to work. He was listening to the radio and heard of an orphanage getting ripped off, and they were getting back more than they gave.<ref name="Hauge">{{cite video |people=Hauge, Ron |date=2006 |title=The Simpsons The Complete Ninth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> The spectators in the stands during Bart's dreams are based on the likenesses of various animators.<ref name="Anderson">{{cite video |people=Anderson, Bob |date=2006 |title=The Simpsons The Complete Ninth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> | |||
| ] saying "15,000 Missoulians" is a reference to Ron Hauge having lived in ].<ref name="Groening">{{cite video |people=Groening, Matt |date=2006 |title=The Simpsons The Complete Ninth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> The text "I'll Keell you" written on the Simpsons' car is a reference to a phrase written on a ] bat that the writers had in the office.<ref name="Scully">{{cite video |people=Scully, Mike |date=2006 |title=The Simpsons The Complete Ninth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> | |||
| Marge decides the only alternative is to get another Christmas tree and the same presents, so she becomes a contestant on ]; however, Marge does very poorly, to say the least. Eventually, everyone in Springfield decides to forgive the Simpsons' lies... in return for the pleasure of buying the Simpsons' house out of everything save for a tattered washcloth, which the family playfully fights over and going into '']'' for their ]. | |||
| == |
==Cultural references== | ||
| The episode has several references to Christmas films. The title is a play on '']'' while the scene where everyone rallies around to support the Simpsons is reminiscent of the last scene of the classic holiday movie '']''. The film is further spoofed when Homer tells ] to stop playing the piano which parodies a similar scene involving ].<ref name="Groening"/> | |||
| * '']'' – The episode title is a play on the Christmas film. | |||
| * "''']'''" – ]'s comment that Marge owed the show $5,200 (based on her negative $5,200 score, which cannot happen in real life on the show) is a spoof of criticism concerning Trebek's sometimes stern rules enforcement of shows he hosted, particularly during the early years of "Jeopardy!" Marge's poor performance is akin to ]'s ineptitude in the music video, "I Lost on Jeopardy!" | |||
| * ''']''' - the scene where everyone rallies around to support the Simpsons is reminiscent of the last scene of the classic holiday movie. The scene where George Bailey tells his child to stop playing the piano is also spoofed by Homer telling Lisa to stop playing the piano. | |||
| '']'' is also parodied when the senior citizens are dancing at the Springfield Retirement Castle—their dancing is based on the way the ] characters dance.<ref name="Anderson"/> Marge appears as a contestant on '']'' with host ] guest starring. One of the stuffed animals ] is carrying is Binky from Matt Groening's comic strip '']''.<ref name="Scully"/> | |||
| ==Trivia== | |||
| {{Trivia|date=June 2007}} | |||
| *] took a ] doll from the Simpsons at the end. His son ] is later seen with it in ]. | |||
| *Homer calls Ned Flanders "Ted" at one point. | |||
| == |
==Reception== | ||
| In its original broadcast, "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" finished 23rd in ratings for the week of December 15–21, 1997, with a ] of 9.8, equivalent to approximately 9.6 million viewing households. It was the second highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following '']''.<ref>{{cite news |title=NBC basks in holiday spirit |work=Rocky Mountain News |agency=Associated Press |page=18D |date=December 25, 1997}}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | {{wikiquote|The_Simpsons# |
||
| The authors of the book ''I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide'' said "A deliberately mawkish Christmas episode that is low on good jokes (although the Simpsons watching their own fire on television is a good start) and a retread of any number of episodes where Bart does wrong, feels guilty and eventually has to fess up. The only real ray of sunshine is the closing moments when the neighbours get their revenge but the Simpsons find the family spirit after all."<ref name="martyn">{{cite book |last=Martyn |first=Warren |author2=Adrian Wood |title=I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide |publisher=Virgin Books |year=2000 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season9/page10.shtml |no-pp=true |page=MiracleonEvergreenTerrace (section, online version) }}</ref> | |||
| In its review of a 2005 DVD boxed set of Christmas themed episodes of ''The Simpsons'', '']'' described "]", "Miracle On Evergreen Terrace", "]", and "]" among memorable episodes of the series.<ref>{{cite news |last=Staff |title=Rent |work=The Journal |pages=Page 40 (The Simpsons: Christmas Double Pack) |date=December 16, 2005 }}</ref> | |||
| In his review of the same DVD, ''Digitally Obsessed'' critic Joel Cunningham wrote that "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" is "a good one A nice combo of humor, satire, and heartwarming holiday fuzzies".<ref name=Cunningham>{{cite web |last=Cunningham |first=Joel |title=Christmas with the Simpsons |url=http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/displaylegacy.php?ID=5441 |publisher=Digitally Obsessed |access-date=2022-01-23 |url-status=dead |date=2003-11-24 |archive-date=2021-07-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210725144436/http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/displaylegacy.php?ID=5441 }}</ref> Andy Dougan wrote in '']'' that the episode is "one of the darkest, blackest Christmas cartoons ever animated".<ref>{{cite news |last=Dougan |first=Andy |title=andy dougan's DVDs of the week |work=] |pages=Page 20 (Christmas with The Simpsons Double Pack) |date=November 12, 2005 }}</ref> | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{Reflist}} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| ⚫ | {{wikiquote|The_Simpsons/Season_9#Miracle_on_Evergreen_Terrace|"Miracle on Evergreen Terrace"}} | ||
| {{portal|The Simpsons}} | {{portal|The Simpsons}} | ||
| * {{snpp capsule|5F07}} | |||
| * | |||
| * {{IMDb episode|id=0701176}} | |||
| * | |||
| {{Jeopardy!}} | |||
| {{Simpsons Christmas episodes}} | |||
| ⚫ | {{The Simpsons episodes|9}} | ||
| ⚫ | {{DEFAULTSORT:Miracle On Evergreen Terrace}} | ||
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Latest revision as of 19:31, 27 December 2024
10th episode of the 9th season of The Simpsons
| "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |||
| Episode no. | Season 9 Episode 10 | ||
| Directed by | Bob Anderson | ||
| Written by | Ron Hauge | ||
| Production code | 5F07 | ||
| Original air date | December 21, 1997 (1997-12-21) | ||
| Guest appearance | |||
| |||
| Episode features | |||
| Chalkboard gag | "Rudolph's red nose is not alcohol-related" | ||
| Couch gag | (first) Somebody shakes up a snow globe, which contains the Simpsons sitting on a couch./(second) The Simpsons run to the living room, only to notice that everything has been stolen, which includes their couch. | ||
| Commentary | Matt Groening Mike Scully George Meyer Ron Hauge Nancy Cartwright Yeardley Smith Bob Anderson | ||
| Episode chronology | |||
| |||
| The Simpsons season 9 | |||
| List of episodes | |||
"Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" is the tenth episode of the ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on December 21, 1997. Bart accidentally ruins Christmas for the Simpson family by burning down the tree and all their presents.
It was written by Ron Hauge, directed by Bob Anderson, and guest starred Alex Trebek as himself. Hauge was inspired to write the episode after learning of an orphanage that had been ripped off. The episode was included, among other Christmas themed episodes of the series, on a 2005 Christmas special boxed set on DVD.
This episode is one of the few to receive a TV-G rating by the FCC, despite containing mild language.
Plot
Homer and Marge go Christmas shopping at a Try-N-Save megastore, where frenzied shoppers are snatching the holiday season's most popular toys. Homer, posing as a store cashier, helps himself to whatever items he finds suitable for the family. He then stuffs the register with cash and leaves with a big grin.
At bedtime on Christmas Eve, the family makes last-minute preparations at home, as Marge tells everyone that no one can get up to open their presents until 7 AM the next morning, but Bart drinks 12 glasses of water to wake up early and unwrap his gifts, one of which is a remote-controlled fire truck. He plays with it until it sprays water on an overloaded electrical socket, causing a fire that engulfs and melts the plastic Christmas tree and all of the presents beneath it. Bart hides the evidence beneath the snow in the front yard.
At 7:01 AM, Bart attempts to get back inside and hide the incident, but is unsuccessful when the family comes downstairs to find the tree and presents are gone. Bart makes up a story about how he caught a burglar taking off with their tree and presents. The police investigate and Kent Brockman does an interview on the case.
As a result of the report, everyone in Springfield gives them a new Christmas tree and $15,000. With the donations, Homer buys a new car. Driving it home, Homer gets stuck behind The Plow King and impatiently passes it. He drives the car onto a frozen lake, forcing everyone to jump out. The ice cracks, causing the car to sink and blow up.
The next morning, a guilt-ridden Bart admits the truth to his family. Though they are rightly furious and strangle him as a group, they also go along with the lie when Brockman and his news crew arrive to do a follow-up story. When a cameraman, with help from Santa's Little Helper, finds the tree's remains, the family is forced to explain the truth; Springfield's citizens, feeling scammed, shun them in public and mail them angry letters demanding they pay back the $15,000. Since they apparently did not insure the car they just bought and destroyed, the family cannot get the money back to their former friends and current enraged neighbors.
Marge attempts to win back enough money to make things right on Jeopardy!, but is unsuccessful, as she finishes with negative $5,200 and has to flee when eliminated from the winning round. The Simpsons arrive home to find everyone in Springfield gathered on their lawn and Marge thinks the town has forgiven them. However, while that is technically true, the price was the ransacking of everything the Simpsons had in their house, including Santa's Little Helper and Snowball II. The family find a glimmer of light when they playfully fight over a tattered washcloth, the only thing they have left.
Production
Writer Ron Hauge said he got the idea for the episode one day when he was heading to work. He was listening to the radio and heard of an orphanage getting ripped off, and they were getting back more than they gave. The spectators in the stands during Bart's dreams are based on the likenesses of various animators.
Krusty saying "15,000 Missoulians" is a reference to Ron Hauge having lived in Missoula, Montana. The text "I'll Keell you" written on the Simpsons' car is a reference to a phrase written on a Wiffleball bat that the writers had in the office.
Cultural references
The episode has several references to Christmas films. The title is a play on Miracle on 34th Street while the scene where everyone rallies around to support the Simpsons is reminiscent of the last scene of the classic holiday movie It's a Wonderful Life. The film is further spoofed when Homer tells Lisa to stop playing the piano which parodies a similar scene involving George Bailey.
A Charlie Brown Christmas is also parodied when the senior citizens are dancing at the Springfield Retirement Castle—their dancing is based on the way the Peanuts characters dance. Marge appears as a contestant on Jeopardy! with host Alex Trebek guest starring. One of the stuffed animals Chief Wiggum is carrying is Binky from Matt Groening's comic strip Life in Hell.
Reception
In its original broadcast, "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" finished 23rd in ratings for the week of December 15–21, 1997, with a Nielsen rating of 9.8, equivalent to approximately 9.6 million viewing households. It was the second highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following King of the Hill.
The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide said "A deliberately mawkish Christmas episode that is low on good jokes (although the Simpsons watching their own fire on television is a good start) and a retread of any number of episodes where Bart does wrong, feels guilty and eventually has to fess up. The only real ray of sunshine is the closing moments when the neighbours get their revenge but the Simpsons find the family spirit after all."
In its review of a 2005 DVD boxed set of Christmas themed episodes of The Simpsons, The Journal described "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", "Miracle On Evergreen Terrace", "Skinner's Sense of Snow", and "Dude, Where's My Ranch?" among memorable episodes of the series.
In his review of the same DVD, Digitally Obsessed critic Joel Cunningham wrote that "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" is "a good one A nice combo of humor, satire, and heartwarming holiday fuzzies". Andy Dougan wrote in Evening Times that the episode is "one of the darkest, blackest Christmas cartoons ever animated".
References
- Gimple, Scott M. (December 1, 1999). The Simpsons Forever!: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family ...Continued. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-098763-3.
- ^ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace". BBC. Retrieved December 10, 2007.
- Hauge, Ron (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Ninth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Anderson, Bob (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Ninth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Groening, Matt (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Ninth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Scully, Mike (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Ninth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- "NBC basks in holiday spirit". Rocky Mountain News. Associated Press. December 25, 1997. p. 18D.
- Martyn, Warren; Adrian Wood (2000). I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide. Virgin Books. MiracleonEvergreenTerrace (section, online version).
- Staff (December 16, 2005). "Rent". The Journal. pp. Page 40 (The Simpsons: Christmas Double Pack).
- Cunningham, Joel (November 24, 2003). "Christmas with the Simpsons". Digitally Obsessed. Archived from the original on July 25, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
- Dougan, Andy (November 12, 2005). "andy dougan's DVDs of the week". Evening Times. pp. Page 20 (Christmas with The Simpsons Double Pack).
External links
- "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace episode capsule". The Simpsons Archive.
- "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" at IMDb
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