The Blunder Years
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"The Blunder Years" is an episode from The Simpsons' 13th season. The title is presumably a play on the television show The Wonder Years.
Synopsis
By accident Marge buys a different brand of paper towels during her daily grocery shopping, called Burly Paper Towels (a parody of Brawny). On its label, there is a picture of a handsome lumberjack. Burly towels have the ability to soak up large stains with only a single sheet, amazing Marge. Thus, she starts to admire the model on the packaging (and the incredible absorption capacity of the paper towels) and writes a fan letter to the company. However, Homer reads the letter and decides to play a prank on Marge, staging a fake dinner with the model (whom he gives the fake name "Chad Sexington"). When Marge understands this, she is shocked and heartbroken.To make up for it, Homer takes the family to dinner at Pimento Grove, where a hypnotist is performing. Naturally, the hypnotist calls on Homer, hypnotising him into thinking he's twelve years old again. This trick backfires when Homer starts to scream wildly during his reminiscence, not stopping even when the spell is lifted.
After screaming all through the night and at work, causing Lenny and Carl to take him home, they decide to get to the bottom of the problem. Homer starts telling of his childhood, when he, Lenny, Carl and Moe spent the summer days hiking. During a misfortunate swim in the old quarry, Homer stumbles upon a rotting corpse. This is evidently the cause of his screaming.
The family decides to investigate why the body was there, and who the murderer is. With the aid of Chief Wiggum (as well as the use of Burly towels to drain the quarry), they travel up the pipe from which the body emerged. At the end of the pipe they find a hatch, on the other side of which is the office of Mr. Burns. They confront Mr. Burns, but he insists that he didn't kill the man in the quarry. He shows an old surveillance tape, in which the father of Waylon Smithers goes into an unstable reactor core to prevent a meltdown. He succeeds, but dies from the radiation, leaving his infant son in the arms of Mr. Burns. As the film ends, Waylon Smithers, Jr. enters the room: he has seen the whole thing, but is content knowing that his father died a heroic death (Mr. Burns fabricated the excuse that Smithers Sr. was killed by savage Amazon women, perhaps scarring Smithers Jr.'s manhood). Homer and Marge go home happy as well, though Moe appears late to show his solution to the mystery.
Goofs
- When Moe begins to explain his "clues" there is a table in front of them, but in the next shot, the table is gone.
- During this episode, they give evidence that Homer is twelve when Smithers is an infant, but in The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular it is said that Smithers is in his forties while Homer is 39.
Quotes
- Homer: Hello, this is Chad Sexington, the model for Burley paper towels.
Marge: *gasp* How did you get my number!?
Homer: I.. don't know. But I was quite moved by your letter.
- Marge: I guess it was a pretty funny prank. I like the ones where nothing catches on fire.
Homer: Yeah. Nothing is hurt except feelings.
- Homer: I am in your power, boss me around.
Hypnotist: When I snap my fingers, you will transform into a famous historian! *snap*
Homer: Look at me, I'm a famous historian. Out of my way!
Hypnotist: Thank you. Now you are Emily Dickinson. *snap*
Homer: Look at me, I'm Angie Dickinson! Out of my way! - Moe: (imitating Johnny Carson) Mmm, that's good Yaqui!
- Carl: Sorry, Mrs. S. He was kind of disrupting things at work.
Lenny: Yeah. He ruined nap time and quiet time. - Young Moe: Look at all them stars. Bunch of lazy lights! Don't do nothin' for nobody!
- Young Carl: Hey, you know what I'm looking forward to? The future. Have you heard about this internet thing?
Young Lenny: Internet?
Young Carl: Yeah, it's the inner netting they invented to line swim trunks. It provides a comforting snugness. - Young Carl: Could you imagine us working there? The whole Carl Crew!?
Young Lenny: Hey I thought we were called Lenny And The Jets?
Young Moe: Ah you're both wrong. We're the Moe Szyslak Experience featuring Homer. - Young Homer: GERONIMOOOOO-OH MY GOD!
- Homer: Yup. The old quarry's just a stone's throw away.
Lisa: Stop saying that, Dad.
Homer: Never! - Mr. Burns (once Chief Wiggum and everyone else runs up the hatch that leads to Mr. Burns' office): What are you doing in my corpse hatch?!
Chief Wiggum: Monty Burns, you're under arrest!!
Mr. Burns: Uh... did I say corpse hatch? I meant innocence tube.
Soundtrack
- "Mr. Sandman" - Chordettes
Inspiration
The episode was very likely based on the Rob Reiner film Stand By Me, which in turn was based on Stephen King's novella The Body. The premise of a youth finding a corpse in a quarry was also used in Daniel Hayes' book The Trouble With Lemons, which was published in 1992, long before the episode aired.External link
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