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Stark Raving Dad
The Simpsons Season 03 Episode 01
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Lisa: Bart, I do so much for you ... and she launches into a some speech about how Bart always disappoints her on her birthday. Sure, we've seen Lisa being nice to Bart a couple times, but I'd really like her to enumerate these things she does for him.
Way to spit out your pacifier at Bart, Maggie.
Homer, what's the problem? Pink is the new black. You know, Homer's son just saved Mr. Burn's life last season, but he already doesn't know who Homer is. That's gratitude for you. Dr. Marvin Monroe is back! I am going to pour myself a nice glass of scotch when this quack dies. Oh how I loathe him.
"Put him in with the big white guy who thinks he's the little black guy." That sounds so ominous.
This episode is probably my favorite thing Michael Jackson ever did besides Thriller, of course.
I love the reference to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The Chief was pretty bad ass.
The fact that Bart's willing to consider that there's probably a downside he doesn't see makes him a much savvier actor on this world's stage than I've ever been, I have to admit. Bart's humming "Beat It" as he's moonwalking in the kitchen. It's pretty excellent.
You know, Homer has a document certifying that he is not insane. Do you? I didn't think so.
Okay, as much as I get annoyed by Lisa sometimes, it is really sad seeing her sitting at the table with just Maggie singing "Happy Birthday" to herself.
Homer doubts Michael Jackson's sanity because he's a vegetarian and doesn't drink alcohol. I have friends on both ends of these spectrums. Sanity checks are often necessary.
Why does Abe Simpson know who Michael Jackson is? Homer hadn't even heard of him.
What a weird choice this man, this stranger in a ten year old's bedroom, is giving Bart: "Look, boy, either Michael Jackson is some guy working in a recording studio in LA or he's here with you willing to work on this song. It's your choice." What's the moral here? Either you can ignore reality (and overwhelming evidence to the contrary) and humor my delusion for the sake of convenience, or you can stick to your guns?
"You're just putting that in because it's commercial." I've always love that line.
I know I keep dwelling on this, but there's some creepy crazy guy in Lisa's bedroom trying to wake her up with Bart. Nobody else finds this disturbing?
So what happened to that catchy line about the training wheels coming off the bike? The final song they ended up with is really catchy. Annoyingly so. I don't like it, but it'll be stuck in my head for the rest of the week. Bah!
"This is my real voice. My name is Leon Kompowsky and I'm a bricklayer from Paterson, NJ. All my life I was very angry until one day I just talked like this." So weird. Lisa's right, "you're a credit to dementia" indeed. You have to wonder why he walks off singing the song in his NJ accent.
CONCLUSION
So it's obvious to everyone that this was the real Michael Jackson doing a cameo. Apparently this episode was meant to be part of season two, but it ended up airing as the season three premiere. In the credits, MJ's name appears as John Jay Smith. I'm not sure what the story with that is. I have to say, as much as I want to hate this episode, with all its schlock and the irritating musical interlude, it really is one of the classic episodes of the Simpsons everyone thinks of. Right down to the trademark Michael Jackson "Whoo!" right before the "Sh!" and the Gracie Films logo. Or maybe I'm just in a good mood because that guy was from New Jersey.
THIS EPISODE'S RATINGS
 5/5 donuts from Mrs. Waldorf
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RATINGS LEGEND
 = LAME
= BAD
= MEH
= GOOD
= CLASSIC
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PLOT SUMMARY FROM WIKIPEDIA
Lisa wakes Bart up and reminds him that her birthday is coming up and that he neglects or forgets her birthday every year. Bart promises to get her the best present ever. Homer discovers that all of his white shirts turned pink because Bart had put his red hat in with the laundry. Homer has no choice but to wear a pink shirt to work and as a result, his co-workers poke fun at him and Mr. Burns suspects him of being a "free thinking anarchist". Homer is detained and given a 20-question psychiatry quiz to determine his sanity by Dr. Marvin Monroe. The quiz is filled out by Bart, and Dr. Monroe determines that Homer is crazy. Homer is sent to a mental institution, where he shares a cell with a large white man who acts like he is Michael Jackson. Not knowing who Jackson is, Homer believes him.
Marge comes to visit Homer and convinces his doctors that Bart is the primary cause of Homer's problems. Homer gets an official certificate that says he is not insane and Michael reveals that he is only in the hospital voluntarily. Homer calls and tells Bart that he is bringing Michael Jackson to stay for a few days. Against Homer's wishes, Bart lets the word out and all of Springfield turns out to see Michael Jackson. All the town's excitement is deflated when the faux Michael is revealed by Homer. Everyone is upset with Bart and leave just as Lisa comes out and she is upset when she realizes that Bart has yet again failed to acknowledge her birthday, due to finding out that Michael was coming.
After hearing Lisa writing an angry letter to Bart, Michael convinces Bart to let him help. Together they write and perform a song specifically for Lisa's birthday called "Happy Birthday Lisa". Lisa is thrilled and hugs her brother, saying that he has given her the best present ever. Suddenly, Michael reveals that he is Leon Kompowsky, a brick-layer from Paterson, New Jersey. He explains that he does his Michael voice due to the fact he felt angry for the majority of his life and that he earned people's respect when he did the vocal impersonation. With his confidence renewed after composing a good song, he soon bids farewell to the Simpsons, singing Lisa's birthday song to himself as he strolls off down the road.
Accessed from Wikipedia on Mar. 16, 2010