"Bart vs. Thanksgiving" is the seventh episode of The Simpsons' second season. The episode aired on November 22, 1990.

Plot

It is Thanksgiving, and Lisa has made a centerpiece for the dinner table. But when Bart brings in the turkey he complains that it is taking up too much room. After a short fight the centerpiece ends up burning in the fireplace and Lisa runs to her room in tears. Bart is sent to his room by Homer, but Bart doesn't take it seriously until Marge yells, "I hope you're happy, Bart! You ruined Thanksgiving!"

Convinced he has not done anything wrong, Bart decides to run away from home, taking Santa's Little Helper (also thrown out) with him. In order to get some money for food, Bart donates some blood plasma (using Homer's ID since the blood bank only allows people over 18 to donate) and passes out. Two hobos then take him to a soup kitchen. Kent Brockman interviews him on live TV and the family, seeing the report, call the police.

Bart returns to the house feeling remorseful and decides to climb onto the roof. He hears Lisa in her room crying and calls for her to come onto the roof. Lisa asks him to look deep down inside himself to see if he feels bad for what he had done. Bart thinks to himself that this is a stupid idea but after thinking about it further he realizes he does indeed feel bad. He apologizes to Lisa and he rejoins the family to enjoy a dinner of leftovers the next day.

Debut appearances

Characters making a first appearance in this episode are:

• Jacqueline Bouvier (excluding her brief appearance during Marge's childhood flashback in Moaning Lisa)
• Bill and Marty

Cultural references

Homer and Bart watch Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. They talk about the Helium balloons modeled after Bullwinkle and Underdog. 'The Simpsons is self-referenced when Homer tells Bart that if the parade "turned every flash-in-pan cartoon character into a balloon, it will be a farce", the TV shows a giant balloon of Bart. Not coincidentally, 1990 was the year the Bart Simpson balloon was added to the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. Mr. Burns lives on the corner of Croesus and Mammon, two symbols of wealth. When Bart is discovered attempting to steal a pie from the window sill, one of the guards at Burns's mansion is reading Les Misérables, in which the main character is imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread after breaking a window. Kent Brockman references Emmett Kelly, the Charlie Chaplin character the Tramp and the Red Skelton character Freddy the Freeloader. The music Bart sings when he brings the turkey to the table is the music heard in the 20th Century Fox opening. The poem Lisa is seen writing in her room is a direct parody of the first lines of Allen Ginsberg's most famous poem, Howl. The song playing during the football half-time show is titled "Get Dancing" by Disco Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes. The football game, played at the Pontiac Silverdome, is between the Dallas Cowboys and the Detroit Lions; both teams traditionally play their home games on Thanksgiving.

External links

es:Bart Vs. Thanksgiving fr:La Fugue de Bart no:Bart vs. Thanksgiving