Bart vs. Itchy & Scratchy
Bart joins a feminist protest group in a Simpsons episode.
Bart vs. Itchy & Scratchy is the eighteenth episode of the thirtieth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 657th episode overall. Directed by Chris Clements and written by Megan Amram, it aired on Fox on March 24, 2019. The episode features guest stars Awkwafina, Nicole Byer, and Chelsea Peretti.
Quick Facts
- Season
- 30
- Episode
- 18
- Director
- Chris Clements
- Writer
- Megan Amram
- Production
- YABF10
- Air date
- 24 March 2019
- Guests
- Awkwafina as Carmen
- Nicole Byer as Erica
- Chelsea Peretti as Piper
Facts from the source article.
Plot
At a convention, Krusty announces that Itchy & Scratchy will be rebooted with female characters. Lisa is excited, but Bart and his friends are outraged and vow not to watch. Bart hosts a party where the boys avoid the show, but he secretly laughs while watching and Lisa uploads a video of his laugh. His friends confront him at school; he hides in the girls' bathroom and meets three sixth-grade girls called Bossy Riot, who carry out feminist pranks. Bart joins them after improving one prank. The boys form the Boys Rights Association (BRA) led by Milhouse and pressure Krusty to revert the changes. Bart and Bossy Riot commit pranks against male authority, with Bart wearing a purple mask. Lisa realizes Bart is involved after seeing a purple yarn string from his shorts. She accuses him of hiding behind causes he does not believe in; Bart counters that she lacks courage to act. Bossy Riot learns Krusty will restore the male version and plans to destroy the master tapes on live television. Bart protests, but the girls tie him up. Lisa finds him and they go to the studio, where the girls prepare to drop the tapes into nail polish remover. Lisa knocks the vat away, flooding the studio; the fumes cause BRA members to cry. Lisa joins Bossy Riot, Bart spray-paints a feminist message, and later makes peace with his friends.
Reception
The episode scored a 0.8 rating with a 4 share and was watched by 1.99 million people. Dennis Perkins of The A.V. Club gave it a B, noting that Bossy Riot's prankish crime spree is depicted as a half-formed eruption of real resentment, and the episode bestows its ultimate approval in the quietly rousing finale. He highlighted Lisa's decision to don Bart's knit cap and join the girls, and Bart's act of spray-painting 'The patriarchy is a wiener' after being kept around for fingerprints and DNA. Perkins found the episode showed both characters learning something important. Tony Sokol of Den of Geek gave the episode 4 out of 5 points, calling it a formidable and forward-thinking entry that skewers expectations, with every turn happening because of something taboo. Sokol later named it the fifth-best episode of the series from the 2010s.
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