The Telltale Head
Bart, what did you do THIS time…?
Story
Encouraged by Jimbo Jones’s remark of a decapitated head, and Homer Simpson’s explanation of the importance of popularity, Bart saws off the Jedediah Springfield statue’s head off.
Overrun with guilt and encouraged by the spirit of Jedediah Springfield, Bart admits his mistake to Homer (equally as guilty) and go to return the head.
Random Facts
One of few episodes where the title of the episode is shown on screen.
Chopping the statue’s head off was also part of the HD intro introduced in the late 2000s.
Bart’s ninja outfit looks like Sega’s Shinobi.
This takes place prior to Krusty gets Busted since Sideshow Bob hasn’t gone rogue. Just a few more episodes…
Before I forget, the intro to season 1 is quite different. Lisa gets home before Homer and Bart swipes a bus stop sign. Also there’s a guy eating a sandwich at the beginning in the power plant.
Unlike later seasons, the first 2-3 seasons are very focused on Bart since he was the main star of the show for a little while. As season 4 came in, the show became more balanced in terms of characters, with some seasons like season 9 focusing more on Lisa, and so on. South Park and Family Guy went this route but initially they were more balanced on the characters.
Told in the same way as the Man who Shot Liberty Valance (Classic John Wayne movie) and Curse of Frankenstein (Classic Hammer Horror movie).
Random Opinions
Pets don’t go to heaven according to Helen Lovejoy. I’m inclined to believe that. Sorry if your pet died recently, but there is no “crossing the rainbow bridge” thing. Besides, if you ask me, that poem just exists to make people even more depressed.
From looking at the mob, looks like mainly just Homer and Bart’s enemies are in it. Abe Simpson isn’t one of them though but he’s part of it.
Well after mentioned the Man who Shot Liberty Valance, time to fire the VCR up and watch it.
Along with the Call of the Simpsons, this is where I firmly believed the Simpsons was on track to going good.
Scorecard
| Visuals | Writing | Tolerance | Audio | Characters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average (5/10) | Amazing (9/10) | Perfect (10/10) | Great (8/10) | Amazing (9/10) |
| Much better than earlier season 1 episodes, but still a little tough to look at. | You can tell that the writing was beginning to be ironed out in a far better way than earlier episodes. | In my eyes, this was when the Simpsons went from practicing piano scales to playing Mozart (well still a little ways away but still). | Great voice work, but minor voice problems. Voices weren’t perfected by here though. | Homer begins his transition from Jerkass Homer to being the beloved man we’ve all come to worship on the Simpsons. |
Rating: 41/50 – Great (8/10)
The 2nd half of season 1 is way better than the first half, and despite Homer’s Night Out, this is where you should start watching the series. Still though make sure to watch the first two episodes and Bart the General plus Moaning Lisa.