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Skinner's Sense of Snow is an episode from season twelve of the animated TV series The Simpsons.

Synopsis

Template:Spoiler While the Simpsons attend a French-Canadian circus, a freak blizzard hits Springfield, turning it into a winter wonderland overnight. However, Springfield Elementary School is the only school that did not declare a snowday. Some students from both Bart's and Lisa's classes show up while Skinner and Willie are the only faculty members to still be working. To pass the time, Skinner plays the ultra-boring movie "The Christmas That Almost Wasn't, But Then Was". While they are watching the movie, the snow piles up and traps everyone in the school.

Skinner quickly determines that they will be unable to get out and will have to remain there for the duration of the storm. The kids complain about things they have to go home for, but Skinner firmly declares that no one can escape. The kids are forced to eat relish and mayonnaise. After Nelson fails to escape, the kids begin to go beyond Skinner's control. To maintain order, he dons his old army uniform. Meanwhile, Homer and Ned set off to rescue the kids, but while driving, they hit a fire hydrant, encasing their car in ice. They allow carbon monoxide to enter the car, and suffer hallucinations.

In the middle of the night, Bart tries to dig a tunnel to get everyone out. He gets caught by Skinner, who orders Willie to destroy the tunnel. Willie refuses, and when Skinner insults him, he quits. Skinner decides to destroy it himself, but gets trapped in the cavern. The kids take advantage of this and take over the school. Skinner uses the school hamster, Nibbles, to get a message to the outside world. Nibbles makes it to Ned and Homer, which breaks the ice and frees them. Homer turns on the car's cruise control, sending the car going out-of-control and crashing into a salt silo. However, Homer's blunder fortunately releases a massive amount of salt that melts the snow around the school, freeing the kids, but rusting the car's body completely. A camel version of Lisa (from Homer's CO-inspired visions) wishes viewers a Merry Christmas.

Trivia

• This episode got 1.65 million viewers when it premiered on the UK satellite channel Sky One on 11 February 2001, becoming the highest rated Simpsons episode on the channel ever, and beating the terrestrial channel ITV for the first time, who were showing the ITV Evening News. The record was later broken by the Ricky Gervais written "Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife" in 2006, which got 2.301 million.
• This episode aired 11 years after the premiere of the show.
• The episode is based off an event that happened to writer Tim Long in elementary school. He was trapped in Exeter Public School, in Exeter Ontario, Canada.

Cultural references

• The circus is a parody of Cirque du Soleil.
• The movie The Christmas That Almost Wasn't, But Then Was is a parody of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, which is considered one of the worst movies ever, and possibly the worst holiday movie ever. Skinner says the film is about "a Grinchy character who tries to steal Christmas", which gets the children excited as they think he is referring to How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
• The episode title is a reference to Smilla's Sense of Snow, a book by Peter Høeg.
• Bart tortures Principal Skinner by poking him with a stick and shouting at him in Vietnamese, reminiscent of the way the soldiers were treated in Michael Cimino's The Deer Hunter. In Vietnamese, đi đi mau means "go fast". It should also be noted that Skinner is a Vietnam veteran.

Quotes

• Bart: What part of đi đi mau don't you understand?
• Skinner: Well done, Nibbles. Now...chew through my ball sack.
• Nelson: We're trapped in the school!
  Kids: Aaaahhh!
  Milhouse: We're gonna miss Christmas!
  Kids: Aaaaaaaahhhhh!
  Skinner: I fixed the DVD!
  Kids: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
• Ned: We're gonna crash!
  Homer: Do you have airbags?
  Ned: No, the church opposes them for some reason!
• Üter: I'm so hungry! I want more!
  Willie: You heard the principal. Everyone gets one apple and a handful of relish.
• Skinner: It's getting ugly out there. Hmmm. Think, Skinner, think. What would Superintendent Chalmers do?
  Chalmers: (in Skinner's head) SKINNER!!!
  Skinner: Oh, that's no help.
• Circus man: Enjoy the show, for one day...we shall die.
• Skinner: Stand down, children! (no one does anything) I said "stand down"! (everyone does their own interpretation of his order)
• (during the Vietnam War, Skinner and two of his men are trapped in a bamboo cell)
  Soldier 1: Sarge, let's make a break for it while the guards are partying with Jane Fonda.
  Sgt. Skinner: Nope. Too dangerous. We're gonna sit tight and reminisce about candy bars.
  Soldier 2: Well, uh, one time, I'm eating a candy bar on the beach, and this girl starts takin' off her bathin' suit.
  Skinner: Get back to the candy bar!
  Soldier 1: Screw this! I'm gettin' outta here! (breaks through the bamboo and runs)
  Skinner: No, you fool!
  (Skinner and Soldier 2 gasp. Soldier 1 is grabbed by an elephant who wearing a coolie hat and is eaten)
  Skinner:That elephant ate my entire platoon.
• (Homer and Ned are driving to school to rescue the kids, and Homer hits a bump in the road)
  Ned: I think we hit something.
  Homer: I hope it's Flanders! He-he-he-he-he!
  (He notices Ned glaring at him)
  Homer: I'm just kidding. Hey, you're all right. (He playfully punches Ned's arm)
• (Bad Company's "Feel Like Making Love" is playing on the radio throughout)
  Homer: (singing) I feel like making love, making love to you! Do-do-DO! Do-do-DO!
  (he swerves and hits a snowbank on the third 'DO!' each time)
  Ned: Catchy song alright... you really wrote it?
  Homer: Yeah ... as a tribute to Princess Di. And Dodi. Because these days, princesses--
  (Before he can finish, Homer slams the car into a fire hydrant, encasing it in ice)
• (Homer and Ned are trapped in the car after Homer hit a fire hydrant)
  Homer: Oh ... Stupid Ice! I always knew I would die caked in something.
  Ned (as carbon monoxide fills the car): Well, better turn off that engine before those fumes put us in tombs.
  Homer: No, let's just leave it on 'til we forget our troubles.
  Ned (dreamily): Sounds like a plan...
  (They both pass out)
• Ned: Uh, Homer, I'm all for rescuing the kids, but I wish you hadn't sawed off my roof.
  (the camera pulls out. Part of Ned's roof is cut out and that section has turned his car into a make-shift snow plow)
  Homer: My car, your roof. It's only fair.
  Ned: But it's my car!
  Homer: Well, yeah.
  Ned: What ever happened to the plow from your old snow plow business?
  Homer: I never had a snow plow business.
  Ned: Sure you did -- Mr. Plow. You're wearing the jacket right now.
  Homer (sees his Mr. Plow jacket): I think I know my own life, Ned. (singing) Call Mr. Plow, that's my name, that name again is Mr. Plow.
  (drives out of Ned's driveway, knocking over Ned's mailbox in the process)
• Nelson The Hell with this. The rest of you can stay here like dorks, but I'm getting out of here! (Gets on bike and rides it towards the door, which is firmly blocked with snow)
  Kids: Yaaay!
  Ralph (in background): Go Nelson!
  (Nelson crashes his bike into the wall of snow. His bike flips up and ricochets off desks, the back wall, etc.)
• Skinner (trying to call using a rotary phone): It seems all the phone lines are down. So, I'm afraid we're stuck here for the duration.
  (the kids groan)
  Kearney: But it's my kid's birthday!
  Martin: I'm doing a puzzle with Grandmamma and she'll finish without me!
  Skinner: Yes, yes, yes. We all had plans...except me, ironically, I'm right where I wanna be.
  Nelson: I can cut through the snow. I'm part Eskimo.
  Skinner: I don't care if you're Kristi Yamaguchi! No one leaves the building!
  Bart: This sucks! We'll miss the Itchy & Scratchy where they finally kiss!
  Skinner: I don't care if they're kissing Kristi Yamaguchi! You're not going home!
  (the kids complain)
  Sherri: That's so unfair!
  Milhouse: Skinner's the real Grinch!
• Ralph: Mr. Army Man, I can't sleep without my wedgie-rabbit.
  Skinner: What is that? Some kind of plush novelty?
  Ralph: Yes, ma'am.
  Skinner: Just use this scouring pad. It's just as good.
  Ralph (rubs his face with the pad): It's cold and hurty (sic).
• Lisa: As French Canadians, they don't believe in refunds or exploiting animals for entertainment.
  Homer: Aww, I wanted to see them shoot a gorilla out of a cannon.
• Kent Brockman: Roads closed, pipes frozen, albinos...virtually invisible. The National Weather Surface has upgraded Springfield's blizzard from "Winter Wonderland" to a "Class 3 Kill-Storm"!
  Marge: I don't like the sound of that "class 3".
• Marge: This terrible! How will the kids get home?
  Homer: I dunno. Internet?
• Skinner: If any of you have to do your business, just use this bucket next to Bart's head.

External links

• "Skinner's Sense of Snow episode capsule". The Simpsons Archive.
• "Skinner's Sense of Snow" at IMDb

• The Simpsons episodes, season 12