Bart-Mangled Banner

"Bart-Mangled Banner" is the twenty-first episode of The Simpsons' fifteenth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 16, 2004.

"Bart-Mangled Banner"
The Simpsons episode
Bart accidentally moons the flag
Episode no.Season 15
Episode 21
Directed bySteven Dean Moore
Written byJohn Frink
Production codeFABF17
Original air dateMay 16, 2004
Episode features
Couch gagThe couch is replaced by a giant microwave. Someone puts a tray inside and presses a button. The Simpsons rise from the tray as it cooks.
CommentaryAl Jean
John Frink
Matt Selman
Don Payne
Dana Gould
Michael Price
Tom Gammill
Max Pross
Steven Dean Moore

Plot

Homer and Marge take the kids to get vaccinated. Just before Dr. Hibbert is about to inject Bart with the vaccine, Bart glances at the Springfield Children's Cemetery opposite the hospital. Then he escapes through the window. After a chase through town, Hibbert finally outsmarts Bart, by having Barney wear a latex mask, and finally injects him. The vaccine, however, causes Bart's earholes to swell shut, making him temporarily deaf. Hibbert also tricks Homer into signing a vaccine non-liablity/malpractice waiver. Marge wanted Bart to stay home; however, Bart wants to play in the donkey basketball game.

While at the Springfield Elementary School donkey basketball game, Bart taunts a donkey with a carrot, unaware that the school is reciting the national anthem. After he places the carrot in his shorts, the donkey takes it and rips off Bart's shorts. While Bart is bent over to keep his privates covered with his shirt, the US flag is put up behind him and a photo is taken, which results in the crowd assuming that Bart is mooning the US flag. Shortly afterwards, the Springfield Shopper takes the story and completely turns it around, making it seem as if Bart had deliberately mooned the flag. Marge tries to tell Skinner that Bart was deaf at the time; however, because of Bart's history of similar pranks, Skinner does not believe it, a nod to The Boy Who Cried Wolf. He and his family soon are hated by all of Springfield.

The Simpsons are later asked to appear on a talk show and tell their side of the story. Homer advises Marge to not take it too far. However, the host asks, instead, "What part of America do you hate most?" (an example of the fallacy of many questions). Marge says that, if by Americans you mean loud mouth talkshow hosts which everyone seems to be, then yes she DOES hate the Americans. She also said that she is well liked in Springfield, prompting the host to say that Springfield hates the US. The US then turns their back on Springfield (though there is widespread celebration in praise of Springfield in the Middle East), so Mayor Quimby frantically decides to change the name of Springfield to "Liberty-ville." Everything in town is quickly patriotized; the traffic light colors are changed to red, white, and blue, and everything costs $17.76. While at church, Lisa speaks her opinion about patriotism, and the Simpsons are taken into custody, in violation of the "Government Knows Best Act."

The Simpsons are taken to the "Ronald Reagan Re-education Center", which houses Michael Moore, the Dixie Chicks, Elmo, Al Franken, and Bill Clinton, as well as a man who moans "My only crime was driving a van full of explosives in from Canada!". Marge feels bad that she took it too far after Homer warned her not to. With some help from the last-registered Democrat, the Simpsons escape the prison (in a parody of the escape scene from The Blues Brothers), but realize that the re-education center is actually Alcatraz Prison. While they are swimming to land (choosing to swim to Oakland instead of San Francisco because they "aren't made of money"), they are picked up by a French freighter and are brought to France. They are well adjusted, but still miss the United States, mainly because it is where all their stuff is. They then move back to the US dressed as 19th century immigrants from Europe where Homer speaks of plans of integration into the United States.

Cultural references

Previous episode references
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