[The long of it]
They may be a dysfunctional family, but the Simpsons certainly are good at keeping secrets. Everyone in the family seems to have one -- even Maggie, for one brief scene.
It's Bart and Lisa who have the most explosive secret. During a Saturday afternoon visit to Springfield National Park, Bart pulls a prank on Martin. It goes horribly wrong, and Bart and Lisa's attempt to fix things end up causing Martin's demise. The unexpected twist here is that it's Lisa who is the most interested in covering up the incident. At first, you might think that conscientious Lisa would never stoop to this, but the script is convincing. A scene where she imagines her life in jail (a framed newspaper on her cell wall reads, "Bart killed Martin -- Lisa Helped") is both funny and goes a long way towards making Lisa's uncharacteristic reaction believable.
There's plenty of fun stuff to lighten up what could otherwise have been an unrelentingly dark story. Bart repeatedly attempts to make double entendre zingers at Martin's expense, but Martin is too innocently clueless to get them. Nelson, trying to explain some inconsistencies in Bart and Lisa's story, channels Columbo while trying to get to the truth. The Simpson kids' attempt to cover up their nervousness is also cute.
The subplot provides further leavening. Marge puts Homer on a diet (consisting mainly of bell peppers, as a funny montage shows). When Homer still manages to gain weight, Marge suspects he's "eating cheating." She covertly enlists the help of an exploitative host of a reality show that normally plays "gotcha" with cheating husbands and boyfriends. Homer on a diet sounds like a tired idea for a storyline, but this plot succeeds because it's mainly an case against reality show producers who traffic, basically, in the misery of others. The plot also has a weirdly compelling rendezvous between Homer and a tasty rack of lamb (or something like that -- I didn't quite catch what he called it) in a motel room.
Still, the focus is mainly on Bart and Lisa. The ending is a bit far- fetched in the same way that "Bart the Murderer (8F03)" was, but it brought the thread to a satisfying conclusion. Keeping secrets may not make for the best family dynamic, in the case of "Dial 'N' for Nerder" it makes for a good show.
[The short of it]
Everyone's got a secret in this episode (yeah, Maggie too). Bart and Lisa have the most explosive one, concerning up their involvement in Martin's accidental death. Lisa's plan to cover up their role may be uncharacteristic of her, but it's written convincingly enough that we have no trouble buying it. The dark story line is relieved with many comic touches, including a funny B-plot about Homer's diet that's also a statement about exploitative reality TV. The ending might be a bit far-fetched, but it was a satisfying conclusion overall. Keeping secrets may not be good for a family, but it makes for a great show. (A-)
[DYNs]
... the "Happy Little Elves" is still in production? ... Bart doesn't get the irony in how the elves' song relates to his situation?
[References]
"Dial 'M' for Murder" (movie) - episode title a take-off
"Cheaters" (syndicated TV series) - "Sneakers" has the same premise of catching unfaithful spouses in the act - the titles of the two shows are similar, as well
"Hamlet" (play) - Bart says, "this bone's the very thing, I think, to catch my sister and the dink," which echoes Hamlet's "the play's the thing to catch the conscience of the king" (or something along those lines)
"Rocky" (movie) - at Martin's memorial, the school band plays a funereal arrangement of the theme song
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (poem, song, TV special -- pick one) - one of Martin's derisive nicknames was, "Martin the Brown-Nosed Reindeer"
Taj Mahal - inspired the name of the Taj Mah-All-You-Can-Eat
"Columbo" (TV series) - Nelson plays the Columbo role (as the producers helpfully point out in the end credits), picking up his mannerisms and interrogation style
"Puttin' on the Ritz" (song) - name of the pudding restaurant a spoof
"NBC Mystery Movie" (TV series) - closing credits mimic those of this show [See "Personal Comments and Observations" for more]
[Previous Episode References]
[AABF03] Lisa doesn't live up to her own ideals [HABF12] Martin's flute solo appears in his clip montage [9F04] ... so does Martin as Calliope [7F21] ... as does Martin tied up in the treehouse There are others, but I can't place the episode right now. [5F01] The Sleep-Eazy motel appears [4F01] Lisa reminds Nelson of her brief fling
[FFF]
"Sneakers" intro frame:
[Photo] Complainant:
[ of ] Jennifer
[ Jen ] Age: 23 Is acupuncturist boyfriend
sticking it to someone else?Park sign:
SPRINGFIELD
NATIONAL PARK NOW SMALLER
THAN EVERLisa's imagined scandalous headlines:
BART KILLED MARTIN
L I S A H E L P E D
Memorial banner:
M A R T I N P R I N C E
M E M O R I A L TELL KINDERGARTENERS
HE'S ON A "LONG VACATION"Buffet restaurant sign:
TAJ MAH-ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT
Martin's diary:
Le
JOURNAL
de
MARTIN
PRINCEPages from Le Journal de Martin Prince:
CHRYSALIS PUPA
(PUPA) MATURES
10 DAYS CATERPILLAR BUTTERFLY
(LARVA) 2 - 6 WEEKS
2 WEEKSTape recorder instructions:
SANYO
DL 30
+-------+
|OWNER'S|
|MANUAL |
+-------+Pudding restaurant sign:
PUDDING
ON THE RITZ300 NEW FLAVORS DAILY
[Personal Comments & Observations]
"The Saber Dance" plays during Homer's interlude with the rack of lamb.
Rev. Billy Graham, Jr. -- Son, as the name suggests, of Rev. Billy Graham. The elder Graham was one of the first "celebrity" preachers. He held religious revival meetings that attracted huge crowds, and his appeal broadened when he embraced radio and TV. (Unless his special pre-empted a show you wanted to watch. Then he really got you really annoyed. At least, that's what happened with me.) His son followed in his career footsteps when his father's health declined. Both men are deeply conservative, so the "Sneakers" producer would very much be the black sheep of the family.
"The NBC Mystery Movie" was actually the umbrella title for a rotating collection of mystery shows. Each week, a new ninety-minute movie would air, featuring one of three detectives. The roster changed over the years. So did the night the movie aired, and the umbrella title would change to reflect this -- "The NBC Tuesday Mystery Movie," for example. "Columbo," "McMillan and Wife," and "McCloud" were the original and arguably the most successful components of the series. "Quincy" joined the line-up later, but didn't remain there for long. It became a weekly hour series early in its run, shortly before the "Mystery Movie" went off the air for good.
Martin credits his survival to wedgie-resistant underwear. Actually, such a thing exists! Well, at least a prototype does. Two boys won a young inventors' contest with their anti-wedgie undies. They didn't use a super-elastic band, as Martin did. Instead, the waistband was a tear-away design; when a bully pulls on it, all he gets is a fistful of band. Useful, perhaps, for foiling bullies, but it probably wouldn't have helped Martin escape from the cougar.