(long) A review of "The Wandering Juvie (FABF11)"
Benjamin Robinson
It was when they were high up on the prison wall, as the searchlight
probed the night sky, that Gina first kissed Bart. It was a few
moments later when she gave him a solid punch to the gut. She was a
mercurial girl, that Gina.
"The Wandering Juvie" revolves around Gina Vendetti (nicely voiced by
Sarah Michelle Gellar) who, with Bart in tow, makes a daring escape
from the Springfield Juvenile Hall. Even though there is nothing
mysterious about her background, her personality is still tough to
puzzle out. When she first meets Bart, she yanks a shiv out of her
hair threatens to "make [his] puberty a lot less interesting." She
spends most of the rest of the show finding creative ways to abuse
Bart. Yet there's that kiss, and a cute moment later that night where
Gina at least semi-playfully tries to "pinch the courage" out of Bart.
Usually, such an inconsistent personality means the character hasn't
quite come together in the writers' minds, but I think the effect was
deliberate this time. Gina has many of the same traits that real-life
juvenile criminals do. She doesn't control her impulses or anger very
well, and is given to sometimes violent behavior. (She earned her
place in prison by pushing Snow White off the castle at Disney World.)
She is, as a country blacksmith understates, "trouble." Even by the
show's end, I couldn't quite decide whether or not I liked her, but
she certainly was interesting.
Bart, as you might have guessed, got his opportunity to meet Gina as
an inmate of the same juvenile prison. He's sent there (by Judge
Harm, who finally got to her chance after being interrupted in "The
Parent Rap (CABF22)") after the police bust him for a wedding-registry
prank. A satisfying realism underlies the humor of this part of the
story. I don't know how many times social critics have said that any
boy who acted like Bart would wind up in the big house sooner or
later; so when Harm actually sentences Bart, it makes perfect sense.
The other inmates are truly hard cases; many of them make Jimbo and
his gang seem friendly by comparison. I was afraid this realism would
slip away into a silly subplot when Homer becomes a guard at the
prison to watch over Bart. But here again, the outcome is funny yet
plausible, as Homer's attempts to ease Bart's sentence backfire.
Furthermore, the writers were sharp enough to drop this story thread
before all the humor was drained out of it.
The only real faux pas is the ending, which relied too much on Gina
having a last-minute change of heart. Yes, she is volatile, but she's
not schizophrenic. Everything she did up to this point had at least
some criminal logic behind it so, other than to allow things to return
to normal by next week, there's no reason to abandon that now. The
final scene also veered uncomfortably close to schmaltz, but the
warden's last line saved it.
Good jokes were spread throughout the entire show, actually. The
Simpsons' trip through Costington's was excellent. I particularly
liked Marge's and Lisa's scenes. I liked poky union man the warden
called in to close the window on Bart and Gina's escape. "I can do it
right or I can do it fast," he says, as the warden urges him to move
faster. (By the way, that's Charles Napier reprising his role as a
prison warden, a nice touch.) Cletus's whittling in the third act was
great, and it gets referenced again nicely later on.
Between its volatile main character, and the seriousness of Bart's
predicament, "The Wandering Juvie" turns out to be a surprising dark
(yet funny!) show. It may have some problems finishing its journey,
but at least it's an arresting trip.
[The short of it]
Well, it finally happened: Bart's mischief has finally landed him in
juvenile hall. Despite the many good jokes -- spread throughout the
show -- this is an unexpectedly dark episode, with Bart at the mercy
of some hard-edged inmates. The toughest nut of all is Gina Vendetta,
whose unpredictable personality makes her interesting, if hard to
fathom at times. The ending comes out of nowhere, and the final scene
is close to being too schmaltzy, but the consistently good humor and
Gina's character just about make up for it. (B+)
[DYNs]
... the Frank Nelson-like clerk doesn't say "Yesss"?
... the writers seem to be foreshadowing Edna and Skinner's romantic
troubles in next week's episode?
... even people who knew Bart well (and thus should know he couldn't
possibly be getting married) showed up for his "wedding"?
... Legs -- or is that Louie; it's the dark-haired one -- observes
Bart's trial?
... the comforting way Maggie pats Marge after Bart goes to jail?
[References]
the Wandering Jew (legendary character)
Juvie (slang for a juvenile prisoner)
- combine to give us the title of this episode
"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (album)
- Bart compares his wedding prank to this album, considered the
Beatles' masterpiece
[Ooh, and I was listening to this album the afternoon before
this episode aired]
the battle of Waterloo
- I&S cartoon entitled, "The Battle of Slaughter-Loo"
"The Defiant Ones" (movie)
- two hostile prisoners try to escape while handcuffed to one
another
"Do the Bartman" (song)
- Bart thought Gina wanted to "Do the Bartman"
[this is also a meta-reference, since in Bart's universe there
is no such song as "Do the Bartman"]
"The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" (book)
- Snake's version of this self-help book is, "The Ten Habits of
Highly Effective Criminals"
"It's a Small World" (song)
- Gina carries a clipping with the headline, "It's a Fall World"
Pillsbury (baked goods products)
- Cletus whittles the Pillsbury Doughboy caught in a bear trap
Laurel and Hardy (comedy team)
- they're at the head of the line at the blacksmith's
"Family Guy" (TV series)
- to insult him, Gina calls Bart, "Family Guy"
Punch & Judy (puppet characters)
- Wiggum calls Bart and Gina, "Punch and Juvie"
[Previous Episode References]
[CABF22] Judge Harm's first attempt to sentence Bart to Juvenile Hall
[CABF05] The warden from the prison appears (and is voiced by Charles
Napier)
[8F12] Marge tells Bart anyone who beats him is not his friend
[FFF]
Costington's sign, before:
Costington's
DOWNTOWN'S
LAST GASP
OF CLASS
Costington's sign, after:
Costington's
DOWNTOWN'S
LAST GAS
OF ASS
T-shirt in the "Little Hooker" line:
SASSY
B*TCH
Items in Bart's "shopping" spree:
- Coffeemaker
- Waffle iron
- Tea service
- Fondue Pot
- Dish [something -- Bart was blocking it] towels
- Silverware
- Cheese Grater
- Mellon Baller
- China Figurine
- Andirons
- [Curtain?] Valance
- and one other item that Bart's body was blocking
Sham wedding invitation:
The Parents
of
Lotta Cooties
and
Bart Simpson
Invite You to
Celebrate Their
Sacred Union
Lottie and Bart are registered at Costington's
Sign outside tent:
JOB
FAIR
4 P.M.
... and Bart's replacement:
SIMPSON-
COOTIE
WEDDING
LEAVE PRESENTS HERE
Slogan on Wiggum's badge:
CASH BRIBES
ONLY
Springfield Juvie Jail:
SPRINGFIELD JUVENILE
CORRECTIONAL FACILITY
NOW ACCEPTING CRIMINAL MIDGETS
Exciting post-prison careers:
BURGER FRENCH-FRY LATE NIGHT
FLIPPER SALTER CLEAN-UP
DRIVE-THRU BATHROOM BUN PACKAGE
SPECIALIST MOPPER OPENER
"Help wanted" sign:
GUARDS
WANTED
IF YOU CAN READ THIS,
YOU'RE OVERQUALIFIED
Sign in warden's office:
HIS JUDGEMENT
COMETH AND THAT
RIGHT SOON
Bart and Gina's mug shot signs:
SIMPSON, BART VENDETTI, GINA
SPRINGFIELD SPRINGFIELD
158734 139813
[The numbers were a little hard to make out]
Snake's book:
The
Ten Habits
of
+----------+
| Highly |
|Successful|
|Criminals |
+----------+
by Snake
Gina's headline clipping:
IT'S A FALL WORLD
[Oops!]
The images on the skin magnifier are each meant to show stronger
magnification than the one before, but the readout goes from 5000x to
1000x (i.e., from stronger to weaker) for the last step.
[Personal Comments & Observations]
>> Musical references
Billy Idol's "White Wedding" plays as Bart flies through the store,
registering gifts.
>> Escalators: The Silent Killer
Homer's accident with the escalator left him in need of new pants.
Although they look fairly harmless, nasty accidents can happen on
escalators. If riders wearing sneakers or other rubber-soled shoes
drag their feet on the side of the escalator, the shoe can get caught
between the treads and the escalator's sidewall. The cheerful
industry euphemism for this is "ingestion." So, remember what
happened to Homer and be careful out there, folks!
>> Martin Luther King, Jr., Day
When Homer leaves at the end of his shift, he tells Bart he won't be
in to see him on "Martin Luther King Day." This is a United States
holiday set aside to honor the famed civil rights activist. As is the
case with other minor Federal holidays, like Washington's Birthday or
Columbus Day, government workers (like, say, prison guards), bankers,
and (sometimes) schoolchildren get the day off, but few other people
do.
>> Name Dropping:
Conan O'Brien -- Host of the eponymous "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"
talk show. (He was also a former "Simpsons" writer, which explains
why Snake's appearing on this as opposed to Craig Kilborn's or Jon
Stewart's show.)
Heather Locklear -- Actress who had high-profile roles in "Dynasty,"
"T. J. Hooker," "Melrose Place," and "Spin City."
3rd Eye Blind -- A modern-rock band. Conan's show seems to have a lot
of alternative rockers on it, so this is fitting.
>> Lock and Key
To free Bart and Gina, the country blacksmith forges a small key to
unlock their handcuffs. This is possible, according to "Biggest
Secrets" author William Poundstone, because the keys to handcuffs are
often interchangeable. This may sound dangerously insecure, but
handcuffs are designed to restrain a prisoner while he or she is in
the custody of a cop. Presumably, if a criminal tried to escape by
using a hidden handcuff key, the officer would see this and just club
him into submission (or whatever the usual response is).
>> Miscellaneous, Etc.
Today's Amazing Animation Achievement (AAA) is ... it's a tie! The
winners are (a) the camera follows the rope around the prison "dance
hall," and (2) the blacksmith forges a handcuff key.
--
Benjamin Robinson bj...@freenet.tlh.fl.us
This message may or may not contain sarcastic content; your burden to decide
"I'm naked, clueless, and f-e-e-e-ling good!" -- Ratbert
Jay LaRochelle
news:4068dc26...@news.east.earthlink.net...
> When Homer leaves at the end of his shift, he tells Bart he won't be
> in to see him on "Martin Luther King Day." This is a United States
> holiday set aside to honor the famed civil rights activist. As is the
> case with other minor Federal holidays, like Washington's Birthday or
> Columbus Day, government workers (like, say, prison guards), bankers,
> and (sometimes) schoolchildren get the day off, but few other people
> do.
This holiday takes place in January, suggesting that this episode takes
place in that month.
Jedah And Sonans
"Benjamin Robinson" <bj...@freenet.tlh.fl.us> wrote in message
news:4068dc26...@news.east.earthlink.net...
>
> - Bart thought Gina wanted to "Do the Bartman"
> [this is also a meta-reference, since in Bart's universe there
> is no such song as "Do the Bartman"]
He was singing it to win back popularity that time Milhouse had an earing (I
think it was that time). Then Ralph drubbed him down by saying 'that is so
1991.'
Brian Rathjen
Advisory notice before Itchy & Scratchy short
- Two references here:
1. Saturday morning cartoons edited for violence (often badly and
just short of said violent act (e.g., an explosion or getting shot);
similar to "The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show" and other Warner Bros.
cartoons.
2. Similar advisory airs before theatrical movies that are airing on
TV networks ("The following movie has been edited for television" or
some similar line); often, profanity, sex, nudity and extreme violence
have been edited out.
Let's Make a Deal
- Skinner mentions the classic game show while shopping with Mrs.
Krapabble for wedding gifts.
Abercrombe & Fitch
- Sassy B*tch "Little Hooker" T-shirt line marketed to juveniles is
similar to attempts to market adult clothing to children.
Freeze frame fun
Seen at the "wedding reception" of Bart and "Lotta": Diamond Joe
Quimby (accompanied by his niece), Sideshow Mel, Groundskeeper Willie,
Moe, Dr. and Mrs. Hibbert and someone who I thought looked like Laura
Powers.
Hope this helps! :-)
Brian Rathjen
briguy...@yahoo.com
Nathan
news:u3dac.3131$j57.4...@news20.bellglobal.com...
Bart was in juvie for six months, though. This just tells us that he stayed
there through January.
--
Nathan
Dinne...@tmbg.org
http://vovat.blogspot.com/
somedude
> >> Martin Luther King, Jr., Day
>
> When Homer leaves at the end of his shift, he tells Bart he won't be
> in to see him on "Martin Luther King Day." This is a United States
> holiday set aside to honor the famed civil rights activist. As is the
> case with other minor Federal holidays, like Washington's Birthday or
> Columbus Day, government workers (like, say, prison guards), bankers,
> and (sometimes) schoolchildren get the day off, but few other people
> do.
In some circles they're popularly known as "half-assed holidays." They
usually entail just enough things being shut down to screw up your day
without actually giving you the enjoyment of a day off.
Also, it has been suggested (by certain college students and activists
on a certain left coast with too much time on their hands) that
"Columbus Day" be changed to "Native American Holocaust Day" in honor of
all the people slaughtered as a direct or indirect result of Columbus'
accidental "discovery" of the continent (which was of course actually
intended as a mission of economic exploitation and religious
fanaticism). To paraphrase another episode: "It ain't gonna happen."