[The long of it]
Poor Bart Simpson -- he'd better grow up to be lucky in cards, because he sure isn't lucky in love. First, the girl next door passes him over for the school thug in "New Kid on the Block (9F06)." Then, the Reverend's daughter cruelly toys with his affections in "Bart's Girlfriend (2F06)." Now, opportunity knocks for a third time in "The Bart Wants What It Wants." The title is subtly ironic for, in this tale of unrequited love, Bart initially doesn't want anyone -- at least not romantically. In a commendably creative twist on an old story, he'd just like to be friends with the girl. She, however, has other ideas.
The girl in question is Greta Wolfcastle, daughter of Ranier "McBain" Wolfcastle, who is sweetly played by Reese Witherspoon. She meets Bart when he steps in to rescue her from the prep-school equivalent of a bully gang. The two hit it off, but it soon becomes apparent that they have different ideas about where their relationship is headed. There's one cute scene in the Simpsons' dining room that demonstrates this. Under the table, Greta tries to hold hands with Bart. Bart, ever the romantic, figures she's trying to challenge him to a thumb- wrestling match. It's a funny missed connection.
The show has other charms, too. Ranier Wolfcastle gets to show his tender (relatively speaking) side when he tries to comfort Greta after Bart finally admits he doesn't love her. Principal Skinner flops spectacularly at the local comedy club. "Have you ever noticed how the dumber kids fill in the wrong circles [on standardized tests]," goes one of his "jokes." Wolfgang Puck has a good cameo, playing himself at a school fundraiser. The much-ballyhooed scenes in Canada, where Bart follows Greta after changing his mind about her, were actually pretty good. I liked the "Curling for Looneys" TV show, and the Olympic basketball team. Be advised, though, that the family doesn't actually get to Canada until late in the third act; Canadians waiting for a show dedicated to their country will have to wait a while longer, it seems.
"The Bart Wants What It Wants" is a strong episode generally, but not entirely free of faults. After Bart makes his feelings clear, Greta takes up with Milhouse as a way of getting back at him. I can accept that ten-year-olds would understand the concept of retaliatory dating, but would they really talk about "saving their relationship"? Or complain about their boyfriends' masculinity? It doesn't quite ring true, which is too bad because Bart and Greta's behavior up to then seems so age-appropriate.
The opening sequence, complete with helicopter chase, was rather tacked on. Fortunately, the writers didn't draw it out too long.
These flaws don't detract too much from the episode, fortunately. The third time around may not be the charm for Bart Simpson, but it works out really great for the audience.
[The short of it]
Well, I've got to hand it to the writers -- they've came up with an interesting twist onto the "Bart-meets-girl" story. Reese Witherspoon brings a endearing personality to the girl, Greta Wolfcastle, who wants to be more than just friends with Bart. The show's Canadian scenes don't arrive until almost the end, but they're pretty good and you can at least say they weren't dragged out. It's not perfect (toward the end of the story the kids act a little too grown-up, for example) but for the most part, this is a fine episode. (A-)
[DYNs]
... Smithers is in the comedy club audience ... and not with Mr. Burns? ... once again, Bart manages to use all of his letters on one word in Scrabble (and this time, with a legitimate word)? ... Milhouse brushing the hair of a Malibu Stacey doll? ... Andrew Gill now has a good excuse to talk about dollar auctions? ... by coincidence, all three "Bart-and-a-girl" episodes are sixth in their respective season's production order?
[References]
"Batman" (TV series) - "To the Puckmobile!" similar to the cry of, "To the Batmobile!" - pizza logo and brass fanfare similar to Bat-logo scene transitions on the series
"Circus of the Stars" (series of TV specials) - I&S cartoon title spoofs this
"Eliminator"[? Or whatever it was called -- I'm thinking of the movie with Schwarzenegger and Rae Dawn Chong] - Wolfcastle says, "Remember when I promised to eat you last?" (cf. "Kill you last?" in the movie)
"Home Alone" (movie) - Moe tries to imitate Macauley Culkin's face-slapping shtick
"Seinfeld" (TV series) - bass guitar theme similar to this show's plays when we see the establishing shot of the comedy club
Paramount (movie theaters) Royal Canadian Mounted Police (the "Mounties") - combine to make Paramountie Studios
"Bowling for Dollars" (TV series) - "Curling for Loonies" is its Canadian cousin [See "Personal Comments & Observations" for more -- Ed.]
[Previous Episode References]
[CABF04] Solar system poster turns up in the prep-school classroom
[3F22] Bumper cars seen
[5F08] It's a ring-toss game!
[2F19], [AABF03], [DABF01] Lisa snubs a college (So where *does* she
want to go, anyway?)
[7G02] Bart plays Scrabble[FFF]
Ring-toss stand:
RING TOSS
WIN A MICROSCOPE!
DVD copyright warning:
W A R N I N G
THE LAW PROVIDES SEVERE CIVIL AND CRIMINAL
PENALTIES FOR THE UNAUTHORIZED REPRODUCTION,
DISTRIBUTION, AND EXHIBITION OF COPYRIGHTED VIDEO
TAPES. THE AUTHORITIES INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS
OF CRIMINAL COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT (TITLE 17
U.S. CODE, SECTION 506.)Basketball arena sign:
BASKETBALL TONIGHT:
FREE LOTION GIVEAWAYOutside the comedy club:
OPEN
MIC
NIGHT PITY
LAUGHS
WELCOMEScrabble board:
B
ROMANCE
Y
F
R A
I D
LOVE O
N K R
DESIRE
S
OBLIVIOUSIce cream parlor (this is the first time I can remember seeing the outside sign, which is why I'm including it here):
Phineas Q Butterfat
Ice Cream ParlorBus OFF takes to Canada:
FIRST CLASS BUS LINES
Bus station historical plaque:
[Paul's picture]
BIRTHPLACE OF
PAUL SHAFFERCanadian museum:
DODGERS OF
FOREIGN WARSMovie studio:
Paramountie
[hat-shaped]
[ mountain ]Studios
"Canadian Grafitti":
OBEY
THE
RULESWolfcastle's movie set:
CLOSED SET:
"UNDERCOVER
NERD"Canadian sports program:
CURLING
FOR
LOONIES[Oops!]
The Olympic Games are now on every *two* years, unless Homer just has a problem with the Winter Olympics.
[Personal Comments & Observations]
... and mentioned on the show:
* Dick Cheney -- Vice President of the U.S. Skinner's sarcastic welcome to "Dick Cheney's America," as opposed to "Bush's America," might refer to allegations that it is Cheney, and not Bush, who really runs the country. This sort of talk has subsided greatly since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, but I wouldn't be surprised if this joke was written long before then.
* Wolfgang Puck -- He's a popular chef, known for taking an ordinary dish (like pizza) and jazzing it up with exotic ingredients (like sun-dried tomatoes or, evidently, M&Ms).
- Ross Perot -- Founder of the Reform Party and former candidate for President. Most people today think he's kind of a crank.
* Steven Soderberg [sic, probably] -- Famous movie director. Most directors never get nominated for an Academy Award. Soderberg was nominated for two -- both in the same category of Best Director. The nominated films were "Erin Brokovich" and "Traffic," the latter of which may have been the winner (I can't look it up right now).
* Paul Shaffer -- Most visible in his role as David Letterman's sidekick and musical director, Shaffer has also worked on a variety of live musical theater performances, and even cut an album or two. He was actually hails from Thunder Bay, not a Toronto bus station.
Most of the action tonight was in the bumper car arena. Bart's car was styled to resemble a late-60s or early-70s Mercedes-Benz, the kind people drove just before they became really fashionable. The chauffeur-driven bumper limousine is modeled after the Rolls-Royce Phantom V. Bart's victim drove what appears to be a Lexus LS400- series -- note the logo on the grille.
As for real vehicles, Ranier Wolfcastle drives an AM General Hummer, which is appropriate because Wolfcastle's real-life inspiration, Arnold Schwarzenegger, bought one of the first civilian-spec Hummers. You wouldn't know it from watching the show, but the Hummer isn't an ideal date car. The real thing has an elbow-height "tunnel" running right through the center of it, effectively separating you from your would-be paramour.
Marge's opinion of Canada nicely summarizes American feelings about that country. One the one hand, it's like a cleaned-up version of the States, without the crime, urban decay, or pollution. On the other hand, it lacks America's edgy, "hip" qualities and is perhaps even a bit dull. In other words, the kind of country where the graffiti artists might actually write, "Obey the rules."
Canada has a thriving film industry, so it isn't surprising that "Undercover Nerd" should be filming there. Toronto can stand in nicely for any number of American cities, and the cost of filming up there is far lower than in southern California.
"Curling for Loonies" is kind of an interesting concept. Curling originated in Scotland, but the Canadians are the sport's most enthusiastic fans. There are an estimated 1.5 million curlers in the world, and 1.1 million of them are from Canada. Sometimes called "shuffleboard on ice," the idea is to "bowl" the heavy stones onto precise spots on the ice. The guys with the brooms are there to help guide the stone to its final location.
As for "loonies," those are Canadian dollar coins. They have a Canadian loon on the tail side, hence the endearing nickname.