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| {{Infobox Simpsons episode | {{Infobox Simpsons episode | ||
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| season = 8 | ||
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| episode = 19 | ||
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| director = ] | ||
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| writer = ] | ||
| | production = 4F09 | |||
| | show runner = ]<br>&<br>] | |||
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| airdate = {{Start date|1997|04|06}} | ||
| | couch_gag = The Simpsons are clear blue bubbles that float to the couch and pop one by one.<ref name="BBC">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season8/page19.shtml |title=Grade School Confidential | |||
| | director = ] | |||
| |access-date=2007-05-02 |author1=Martyn, Warren |author2=Wood, Adrian |year=2000 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> | |||
| | commentary = ]<br>Bill Oakley<br>Josh Weinstein<br>Rachel Pulido<br>Susie Dietter | |||
| | couch_gag = Balloons representing the Simpsons burst as they take their place on the couch. | |||
| | prev = ] | |||
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| | next = ] | |||
| }} | }} | ||
| "'''Grade School Confidential'''" is the nineteenth episode of the ] of the American animated television series '']''. It originally aired on the ] in the United States on April 6, 1997.<ref name="book">{{cite book |last=Groening |first=Matt |authorlink=Matt Groening |editor1-first=Ray |editor1-last=Richmond |editor1-link=Ray Richmond |editor2-first=Antonia |editor2-last=Coffman |title=] |edition=1st |year=1997 |location=New York |publisher=] |lccn=98141857 |ol=433519M |oclc=37796735 |isbn=978-0-06-095252-5 |page= |ref={{harvid|Richmond & Coffman|1997}} }}.</ref> It was written by ] and directed by ].<ref name="book"/> The episode establishes the long-term relationship between ] and ].<ref name="BBC"/> ] witnesses a romantic moment between Principal Skinner and Mrs. Krabappel and acts as a ] for them. However, they later embarrass him and he exposes their romance to the public. | |||
| "'''Grade School Confidential'''" is an episode from the ] of '']''. This episode establishes the long-term relationship between ] and ]. | |||
| ==Plot== | |||
| __TOC__ | |||
| ] invites his classmates to his ], but it ends badly after most of the partygoers get ] and end up leaving by ambulance due to diseased oysters being served instead of cake. After the party, ], who fed his oysters to the Prince family cat, sees ] and ] kissing in Martin's pink playhouse. After failing to provide Bart with a convincing cover story, Edna and Skinner, fearing that they will be fired if anyone discovers their romance, swear him to secrecy in exchange for putting ]'s name on his permanent record. | |||
| Edna and Skinner use Bart as their gofer. When Edna and Skinner accidentally run into ] whilst on a date at the cinema, Skinner fetches Bart, who had been sleeping, so that Edna and Skinner could claim that they were supervising a field trip. Bart is humiliated in front of his classmates after Skinner forces him to say "I love you, Edna Krabappel" aloud as if the message were his own, with Martin making further jibes. Fed up, Bart gathers the entire school in front of a janitor's closet and opens the door to reveal that Skinner and Edna are ]. | |||
| ==Synopsis== | |||
| {{spoiler}} | |||
| ] invites his classmates to his birthday party, but the gathering – which features a ] as the main entertainment – turns out to be incredibly boring. As a result, party guests ] and ] strike up a conversation and discover they have romantic feelings for each other. The party comes to its merciful end when everyone becomes ill with ], as Martin insisted on serving ] instead of a birthday ]. ] ] doesn't get sick, but nevertheless fakes illness to leave the party. ] is the only other one to escape the poisoning, having fed his oysters to Martin's cat; he stays behind and spots Principal Skinner and Mrs. Krabappel kissing inside Martin's playhouse. | |||
| Word quickly spreads throughout Springfield, with the story the students tell growing more illicit and exaggerated. After hearing his son ]'s risqué version involving the two "making babies", ] reports it to Chalmers, who gives Skinner an ultimatum: either he ends his relationship with Edna or they both will be fired. Skinner decides that love trumps his professional goals, so Chalmers fires them and demands they leave the building by day's end. | |||
| Bart plans to reveal what he witnessed, but Principal Skinner and Mrs. Krabappel – wanting their privacy respected – swear him to secrecy. They hire him as their ] so they can secretly exchange messages. Bart agrees for awhile, especially since the reward for his cooperation is that ] will inherit Bart's poor school record. Eventually, Bart grows frustrated about his home, school and social life continually being interrupted to help them advance their relationship. One afternoon at school, after he is embarrassed in front of his classmates by having to say one of Principal Skinners messages to Mrs. Krabappel out loud, an angry Bart gathers the entire student body in front of a janitor's closet ... where Principal Skinner and Mrs. Krabappel are kissing. | |||
| Feeling guilty for costing Edna and Skinner their jobs, Bart encourages them to stand up for themselves. With Bart's help, Skinner and Edna barricade themselves inside the school, contact the media and make their demands: they want their jobs back and the townspeople to stop interfering with their relationship. When several parents protest that their children saw them having ] in the janitor's closet, Skinner insists that is untrue because he is a 44-year-old ]. The mob is left speechless at the revelation. Chalmers brusquely concedes that it must be true, because nobody in their right mind would lie about something so embarrassing. Realizing that they have overreacted, the residents leave peacefully. | |||
| Word quickly spreads throughout Springfield, with the story growing more illicit and exaggerated with each passing turn (e.g., ] explains he saw Principal Skinner and Mrs. Krabappel "making babies and I saw one of the babies and the baby looked at me"). An appalled ], upon hearing his son's version of the events, alerts ]. Chalmers gives Principal Skinner an ultimatum – end the relationship or have both of them face dismissal. Principal Skinner decides that love is stronger than his professional goals. | |||
| Chalmers agrees to reinstate Skinner and Edna, but asks them to "keep the lewdness at a minimum" during school hours. They thank Bart for helping them, but tell him they are breaking up, fearing the entire town judging their relationship publicly. When a disappointed Bart leaves, they observe grade-school children will believe anything they are told before entering the janitor's closet for another sexual tryst (also indicating Skinner was exactly the sort of person to lie about being a virgin). | |||
| Bart learns that Principal Skinner and Mrs. Krabappel have lost their jobs. Bart encourages Principal Skinner to stand up for himself, and he does just that. He locks down the school, calls the media and – after sitting on the roof – he and Mrs. Krabappel make their demands: They want their jobs back and the townspeople to not interfere in their relationship. However, several residents reply with their accusation about the two having sexual intercourse in the janitor's closet. Principal Skinner insists nothing of the sort happened, and that he, in fact, is still a ]. Everyone accepts the explanation, and Chalmers agrees to reinstate Principal Skinner and Mrs. Krabappel as though nothing happened. Principal Skinner and Mrs. Krabappel decide to continue their relationship more privately than ever by convincing Bart that they have broken up. | |||
| ==Production== | |||
| The idea of Skinner and Krabappel becoming a couple had been around since the days when ] and ] were show runners.<ref name=Oakley>{{cite video |people=Oakley, Bill |date=2006 |title=The Simpsons The Complete Eighth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Grade School Confidential" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> The episode's writer ] took some of the inspiration for this episode from "]", specifically Mrs. Krabappel's line to Bart about refusing to date Principal Skinner because, "his mommy won't let him out to play".<ref name=Pulido>{{cite video |people=Pulido, Rachel |date=2006 |title=The Simpsons The Complete Eighth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Grade School Confidential" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> The Mathmagician is based on ].<ref name=Weinstein/> The cakes in ]'s cake book were designed to accurately resemble the real life versions of them.<ref name=Dietter>{{cite video |people=Dietter, Susie |date=2006 |title=The Simpsons The Complete Eighth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Grade School Confidential" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> ] using his megaphone to talk to ] and ], who were standing next to him, was ad-libbed by ].<ref name=Weinstein/> A deleted scene featured an awkward moment at Martin's party, between Bart, Milhouse and Martin, when the latter introduces the two to his parents.<ref name=Weinstein>{{cite video |people=Weinstein, Josh |date=2006 |title=The Simpsons The Complete Eighth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Grade School Confidential" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> This episode marks the only episode in ] that Marge has a minor role in, and one of the four times Lisa has a minor role in a ] episode, the others being "]", "]", and "]", although she has major or supporting roles in the season's other episodes. | |||
| ==Cultural references== | ==Cultural references== | ||
| Mrs. Krabappel has a candle that resembles ], a character from '']''.<ref name="book"/> At the Aztec theater, a movie with actor ] was played. It is implied by Superintendent Chalmers' comment "You think they actually filmed this in ]?" and from the commentary that the movie is '']''.<ref name="Oakley" /> In trying to force Edna and Seymour out of the school, the Springfield police attempts to flood the area with music. This is similar to a tactic that the US troops used during ] in an attempt to force ] out of the ] embassy in ].<ref name="Weinstein" /> However, in this case, romance-themed music was played, which was "]" by ] and ].<ref name="Oakley" /> Edna and Seymour's dance poses were taken from Orlando Baeza, who was the assistant director for this episode.<ref name="Dietter" /> | |||
| <!-- Please enter new data between the ListGenBot-SourceStart and ListGenBot-SourceEnd tags, so they can be used for automated list generation --> | |||
| * The episode's title is a play on ]' song "'']''". | |||
| ==Reception== | |||
| In its original broadcast, "Grade School Confidential" finished 57th in ratings for the week of March 31 - April 6, 1997, with a ] of 7.7, equivalent to approximately 7.5 million viewing households. It was the fifth highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following '']'', '']'', '']'' and '']''.<ref>{{cite news |title=CBS scores with NCAA basketball |work=Sun-Sentinel |agency=Associated Press |page=4E |date=April 11, 1997}}</ref> | |||
| The authors of the book ''I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide'', Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, called it "A delightful episode that finally brings to fruition one of the series' longest running gags: Edna and Seymour's mutual attraction. What is doubly refreshing is that it remains a constant in the subsequent episodes."<ref name="BBC"/> The scene in which Agnes Skinner shows Bart her cake book is one of ]'s all-time favorite scenes.<ref name=Groening>{{cite video |people=Groening, Matt |date=2006 |title=The Simpsons The Complete Eighth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Grade School Confidential" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{Reflist}} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{Wikiquote|The_Simpsons/Season_8#Grade_School_Confidential|"Grade School Confidential"}} | |||
| {{Portal|The Simpsons}} | |||
| *{{Snpp capsule|4F09}} | |||
| *{{IMDb episode|0779666}} | |||
| {{The Simpsons episodes|8}} | |||
| ==Quotes== | |||
| <!-- Please enter new data between the ListGenBot-SourceStart and ListGenBot-SourceEnd tags, so they can be used for automated list generation --> | |||
| * '''Martin''': "I want one and all to join me in celebrating the anniversary of my portentous birth." ''(begins passing out invitations to his birthday party, giving one to Nelson)'' "Here you are, Nelson."<BR>'''Nelson''': ''(annoyed)'' "A birthday party?" ''(blows raspberry, shoves invitation to floor)''<BR>'''Martin''': ''(picks the invitation up, puts it back on the desk)'' "Here you are, Nelson."<BR>'''Nelson''': ''(raspberry, shoves invitation back to the floor)''<BR>'''Martin''': ''(picks the invitation up, puts it back on the desk once again)'' "Here you are, Nelson."<BR>'''Nelson''': ''(frustrated)'' "I said ..." ''(raspberry)''<BR> | |||
| *'''Bart (about to blow Skinner and Edna's relationship):''' All right crew, set your ].<br/>''(opens the door to show Skinner and Edna kissing. After the couple realizes what is going on, there is a beat)'' <br/> '''Skinner:''' Uh...school dismissed! | |||
| *'''Maude Flanders''' (In response to Edna's defense of her and Principal Skinner's relationship as love) : "Excuse me, Edna, but we're not talking about "love" here. We are talking about S-E-X, in front of the C-H-I-L-D-R-E-N."<BR>'''Krusty''' : "Sex Cauldron? I thought they closed that place down!" | |||
| *'''Skinner:''' We're not coming out until you acknowledge and celebrate our love. <br> '''Chalmers:''' Look, no one would like to celebrate your love more than I. But I'm a public official and am not allowed to use my own judgement in any way. <br> '''Edna:''' Then let us take our case directly to the townspeople! <br> '''Chalmers:''' Oh, that'll be real productive. Who do you wanna talk to first? The guy in the bumblebee suit or the one with the bone through his hair? <br> '''Sideshow Mel:''' My opinions are as valid as the next man's! | |||
| *'''Skinner:''' (''steps outside the school'') I...have a bomb! (''opens his coat, revealing hot dogs taped around his chest in the style of a bomb pack'') <br> '''Chief Wiggum:''' Wait a minute, those are just hot dogs. Armour hot dogs!<br> '''Chalmers:''' What kind of man wears Armour hot dogs?! | |||
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Latest revision as of 15:39, 16 December 2024
19th episode of the 8th season of The Simpsons
| "Grade School Confidential" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |||
| Episode no. | Season 8 Episode 19 | ||
| Directed by | Susie Dietter | ||
| Written by | Rachel Pulido | ||
| Production code | 4F09 | ||
| Original air date | April 6, 1997 (1997-04-06) | ||
| Episode features | |||
| Couch gag | The Simpsons are clear blue bubbles that float to the couch and pop one by one. | ||
| Commentary | Matt Groening Bill Oakley Josh Weinstein Rachel Pulido Susie Dietter | ||
| Episode chronology | |||
| |||
| The Simpsons season 8 | |||
| List of episodes | |||
"Grade School Confidential" is the nineteenth episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 6, 1997. It was written by Rachel Pulido and directed by Susie Dietter. The episode establishes the long-term relationship between Seymour Skinner and Edna Krabappel. Bart witnesses a romantic moment between Principal Skinner and Mrs. Krabappel and acts as a gofer for them. However, they later embarrass him and he exposes their romance to the public.
Plot
Martin Prince invites his classmates to his birthday party, but it ends badly after most of the partygoers get food poisoning and end up leaving by ambulance due to diseased oysters being served instead of cake. After the party, Bart, who fed his oysters to the Prince family cat, sees Principal Seymour Skinner and Edna Krabappel kissing in Martin's pink playhouse. After failing to provide Bart with a convincing cover story, Edna and Skinner, fearing that they will be fired if anyone discovers their romance, swear him to secrecy in exchange for putting Milhouse's name on his permanent record.
Edna and Skinner use Bart as their gofer. When Edna and Skinner accidentally run into Superintendent Chalmers whilst on a date at the cinema, Skinner fetches Bart, who had been sleeping, so that Edna and Skinner could claim that they were supervising a field trip. Bart is humiliated in front of his classmates after Skinner forces him to say "I love you, Edna Krabappel" aloud as if the message were his own, with Martin making further jibes. Fed up, Bart gathers the entire school in front of a janitor's closet and opens the door to reveal that Skinner and Edna are making out.
Word quickly spreads throughout Springfield, with the story the students tell growing more illicit and exaggerated. After hearing his son Ralph's risqué version involving the two "making babies", Chief Wiggum reports it to Chalmers, who gives Skinner an ultimatum: either he ends his relationship with Edna or they both will be fired. Skinner decides that love trumps his professional goals, so Chalmers fires them and demands they leave the building by day's end.
Feeling guilty for costing Edna and Skinner their jobs, Bart encourages them to stand up for themselves. With Bart's help, Skinner and Edna barricade themselves inside the school, contact the media and make their demands: they want their jobs back and the townspeople to stop interfering with their relationship. When several parents protest that their children saw them having sex in the janitor's closet, Skinner insists that is untrue because he is a 44-year-old virgin. The mob is left speechless at the revelation. Chalmers brusquely concedes that it must be true, because nobody in their right mind would lie about something so embarrassing. Realizing that they have overreacted, the residents leave peacefully.
Chalmers agrees to reinstate Skinner and Edna, but asks them to "keep the lewdness at a minimum" during school hours. They thank Bart for helping them, but tell him they are breaking up, fearing the entire town judging their relationship publicly. When a disappointed Bart leaves, they observe grade-school children will believe anything they are told before entering the janitor's closet for another sexual tryst (also indicating Skinner was exactly the sort of person to lie about being a virgin).
Production
The idea of Skinner and Krabappel becoming a couple had been around since the days when Mike Reiss and Al Jean were show runners. The episode's writer Rachel Pulido took some of the inspiration for this episode from "Bart the Lover", specifically Mrs. Krabappel's line to Bart about refusing to date Principal Skinner because, "his mommy won't let him out to play". The Mathmagician is based on Bill Gates. The cakes in Agnes Skinner's cake book were designed to accurately resemble the real life versions of them. Homer using his megaphone to talk to Marge and Lisa, who were standing next to him, was ad-libbed by Dan Castellaneta. A deleted scene featured an awkward moment at Martin's party, between Bart, Milhouse and Martin, when the latter introduces the two to his parents. This episode marks the only episode in Season 8 that Marge has a minor role in, and one of the four times Lisa has a minor role in a Season 8 episode, the others being "Bart After Dark", "Homer's Enemy", and "The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase", although she has major or supporting roles in the season's other episodes.
Cultural references
Mrs. Krabappel has a candle that resembles Charlie Brown, a character from Peanuts. At the Aztec theater, a movie with actor Tom Berenger was played. It is implied by Superintendent Chalmers' comment "You think they actually filmed this in Atlanta?" and from the commentary that the movie is The Big Chill. In trying to force Edna and Seymour out of the school, the Springfield police attempts to flood the area with music. This is similar to a tactic that the US troops used during Operation Just Cause in an attempt to force Manuel Noriega out of the Vatican embassy in Panama City. However, in this case, romance-themed music was played, which was "Embraceable You" by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin. Edna and Seymour's dance poses were taken from Orlando Baeza, who was the assistant director for this episode.
Reception
In its original broadcast, "Grade School Confidential" finished 57th in ratings for the week of March 31 - April 6, 1997, with a Nielsen rating of 7.7, equivalent to approximately 7.5 million viewing households. It was the fifth highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following The X-Files, Party of Five, Beverly Hills, 90210 and Melrose Place.
The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, called it "A delightful episode that finally brings to fruition one of the series' longest running gags: Edna and Seymour's mutual attraction. What is doubly refreshing is that it remains a constant in the subsequent episodes." The scene in which Agnes Skinner shows Bart her cake book is one of Matt Groening's all-time favorite scenes.
References
- ^ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Grade School Confidential". BBC. Retrieved May 2, 2007.
- ^ Groening, Matt (1997). Richmond, Ray; Coffman, Antonia (eds.). The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family (1st ed.). New York: HarperPerennial. p. 232. ISBN 978-0-06-095252-5. LCCN 98141857. OCLC 37796735. OL 433519M..
- ^ Oakley, Bill (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Eighth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Grade School Confidential" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- Pulido, Rachel (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Eighth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Grade School Confidential" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Weinstein, Josh (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Eighth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Grade School Confidential" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Dietter, Susie (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Eighth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Grade School Confidential" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- "CBS scores with NCAA basketball". Sun-Sentinel. Associated Press. April 11, 1997. p. 4E.
- Groening, Matt (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Eighth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Grade School Confidential" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
External links
- "Grade School Confidential episode capsule". The Simpsons Archive.
- "Grade School Confidential" at IMDb
