The Hateful Eight-Year-Olds
"The Hateful Eight-Year-Olds" is the 21st episode of the thirty-first season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons, and the 683rd episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on May 10, 2020. The episode was written by Joel H. Cohen and was directed by Jennifer Moller.
"The Hateful Eight-Year-Olds" | |
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The Simpsons episode | |
Episode no. | Season 31 Episode 21 |
Directed by | Jennifer Moller |
Written by | Joel H. Cohen |
Production code | ZABF14 |
Original air date | May 10, 2020 |
Guest appearance(s) | |
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Plot
Lisa is invited to the birthday party of Addy, a girl Lisa bonded with over a mutual love of books and horses. Bart makes fun of Lisa's love of horses, causing her to symbolically sever their sibling relationship. Addy turns out to be quite wealthy, with horses of her own. Her friends are cruel and cliquish and quickly begin to mock Lisa, with Addy joining in. Addy admits that she invited Lisa so that the girls would have someone besides her to make fun of.
Humiliated and unable to contact her parents who are on a sunset cruise, Lisa calls Bart for help. Bart arrives, but insists that Lisa get revenge on the bullies by mutilating their hair as they sleep. Caught in the act, Addy comes to Lisa's rescue allowing Lisa and Bart to escape and showing the bullies how cruel she can be, which they respect.
Meanwhile, Homer takes Marge on a booze cruise. After getting in a fight with the band's singer who he thinks is hitting on Marge, Homer nearly ruins the trip. He reminds the crowd that leaving the house is hardly a pleasure for middle-aged people, and the passengers are inclined to agree.
Reception
Tony Sokol of Den of Geek gave this episode a 4 out of 5 stars, stating “The episode works because everything in the end is Simpsonized. The family character prevails in all social situations. Lisa doesn’t only remind her friend Addy of the important things in life. She inspires her to ditch her overinflated fake friends, which lead them to want to be real friends with her. Homer gets to give a rousing speech, not only to save his and Marge’s lives, but also to prod the people around him to be better people, to stay home and watch TV. ‘The Hateful Eight-Year-Olds’ is loaded with message, but also has its share of laughs.”[1]
References
- Sokol, Tony (2020-05-11). "The Simpsons Season 31 Episode 21 Review: The Hateful Eight-Year-Olds". Den of Geek. Retrieved 2020-05-11.