The Simpsons Season 4 Episode Guide

Krusty gets Kancelled

Production Code: #7F19

An advertising campaign hits Springfield for Gabbo, a new ventriloquist dummy up against Krusty the Clown. Krusty's ratings are immediately hit, and his show is cancelled. Bart wishes to ruin Gabbo's career, so he sneaks into the studio and switches on the camera when the dummy is badmouthing Springfield. Bart and Lisa help Krusty to arrange a comeback special, with guest stars, and it's a ratings success, and the show returns.

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Marge in Chains

Production Code: #7F20

When Marge is shopping at the Kwik-E-Mart, she accidently shoplifts Grampa's bottle of bourbon, and she is arrested. Lionel Hutz is hired to defend her, but she is sentenced to jail for 30 days. Marge's absence is noticed at home, and also at the church bake sale, where her marshmallow squares usually attract all the visitors. The townspeople riot, and Marge is released from jail, welcomed back with cheers.

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Whacking Day

Production Code: #9F18

Bart and the school bullies are locked in the school sheds when Superintendant Chalmers turns up for an inspection. Bart escapes and drives Willie's tractor, and he is expelled when he hits Chalmers backside. Marge teaches Bart from the garage. Whacking Day is coming - Lisa's most hated holiday - and her and Bart set out to stop people from hitting snakes, with the help of Barry White. Skinner sees Bart's effort, and lets him return.

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The Front

Production Code: #9F16

After a particularly bad episode of Itchy and Scratchy, Bart and Lisa decide to write their own script, and send it into the producer, but it is rejected because they are too young. They reply by putting Grampa's name on it, and he is hailed as a genious by the staff. Abe is nominated for an award, but at the ceremony, he sees the cartoon for the first time and says it was too violent. Meanwhile, Homer reveals he never graduated from high school.

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So It's Come To This: A Simpsons Clip Show

Production Code: #9F17

It's April Fools day, but Bart's prank goes badly wrong when Homer ends up in hospital. The story runs into several flashbacks to Homer's near-death experiences, such as jumping Springfield Gorge, until Homer wakes up. He wants chocolate, and notices a vending machine. He gets up, but the machine crashes down on him and he falls into a coma. Bart apologises to his unconcious body, and Homer wakes up and strangles him.

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Last Exit to Springfield

Production Code: #9F15

The power plant union leader disappears, leaving them without someone to negotiate a new contract. Mr Burns takes advantage, and removes the dental plan from the agreement, offering free beer in return. Everybody agrees, until Lisa discovers she needs braces, so Homer is elected the new union representative and orders a strike until the dental plan is reinstated to the contract. Burns gives in, but only if Homer stands down as leader.

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Duffless

Production Code: #9F14

Homer's driving licence becomes void when he is caught drink-driving, and Marge challenges him to give up beer for one month. Meanwhile, Lisa does a science project on 'Which is smarter, my brother or a hamster?'. The hamster wins, and Bart finds out, so he kidnaps it and flies it in a plane at the science fair. Homer makes it one whole month, and rushes to Moe's, but when he sees the state of the others, he goes out with Marge.

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I Love Lisa

Production Code: #9F13

It's Valentines Day at Springfield Elementary, and Lisa feels sorry for Ralph, so she gives him a valentine - 'I Choo-choo-choose you'. Ralph then thinks that Lisa loves him, and when they are cast together in a play, he feels it's fate. He invites her to the Krusty anniversary show, but, when interviewed live on television, Lisa breaks Ralph's heart. Ralph lets out his anger in the play, and gives an amazing performance, and Lisa apologises.

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Brother from the Same Planet

Production Code: #9F12

When Homer forgets to pick up Bart after soccer practice, Bart completely ignores him, and he takes up the 'Bigger Brother' promotion as seen on TV. Bart pretends that he has no parents, and he is assigned a bigger brother named Tom, who is way better than Homer. Homer decides to play Bart at his own game, and gets himself a little brother - Pepi. The two pairs meet at the aquarium, and Homer and Tom get into a fight over Bart.

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Selma's Choice

Production Code: #9F11

Homer decides to take the family to Duff Gardens, but the trip is postponed when Marge's aunt Gladys dies. Homer gets sick on the rescheduled date, and Selma decides she wants a child, so Marge lets her take care of Bart and Lisa on their day out at Duff Gardens. The trip turns into a disaster, when Bart gets trapped on a rollercoaster and Lisa gets drunk. She decides that she doesn't want to have kids after all.

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Marge vs the Monorail

Production Code: #9F10

Mr Burns gives the town $3million, and the town hold a meeting to decide what to do with it. A man named Lyle Landley turns up, convincing Springfield to build a monorail - by song, of course. Everybody but Marge is sold on the idea, and Homer is hired to be monorail conductor. Marge finds out more about Landley and visits another town that he sold a monorail to. The maiden voyage doesn't stop, and Homer saves the day using an anchor.

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Homer's Triple Bypass

Production Code: #9F09

Homer finds out that his heart is making a louder-than-usual bumping noise, and he collapses in Burns' office when he is told he's fired. While it was only a minor heart attack, he needs $40,000 for a bypass operation. A TV commerical by Dr Nick Riviera tells him that he can have any surgery done for only $129.95. He checks into Dr Nick's hospital, and it's a success, but only with a little help from Lisa, who has been studying the procedure.

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Lisa's First Word

Production Code: #9F08

The family are trying to get Maggie to talk, and conversation turns to Lisa's first word. When Lisa was born, Bart was jealous of all the attention she was receiving, and he even cuts her hair off to make him seem the cute one again. Bart is sick of her, and so he packs up his bag and prepares to leave, until Lisa comes up to him, and says her first word - "Bart". In the present day, Maggie says her first word "daddy", but nobody is in her bedroom.

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Mr Plow

Production Code: #9F07

When Homer completely destroys the family cars, he attends an autoshow to find a replacement but instead comes back with a snow plow. He sets up his snow plow business, 'Mr Plow', and business booms, until Barney hears about it. He buys himself a snow plow, and sets up the 'Plow King'. Homer makes a prank call to Barney, asking him to go to the top of the Widow's Peak, but when he doesn't return, Homer goes after him.

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New Kid on the Block

Production Code: #9F06

Ruth Powers moves in next door to the Simpsons, and Bart falls in love with her older daughter Laura. She meets Bart at the treehouse, but only to tell him that she is dating Jimbo Jones. Bart makes a prank call to Moe, using Jimbo's name, and Moe comes out for revenge. Elsewhere, Marge and Homer take advantage of the 'all you can eat' offer at the Frying Dutchman, but Homer sues them when he is stopped from taking more food.

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Marge Gets a Job

Production Code: #9F05

The Simpsons house slides off its foundations, and the repair would cost $8500. Marge applies for a job at the power plant, with an 'advanced' resume. She is put in a room controlling a machine that, she allegedly 'invented', and she catches Burns' eye. He falls in love with her, but fires her when she reveals that she has a husband. Homer barges in, angry at the way she was treated, and Burns treats the couple to a private Tom Jones concert.

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Itchy and Scratchy: The Movie

Production Code: #9F03

At parents evening, Marge and Homer realise that Bart needs discipline to keep him on the right track. They punish him for any wrong step he takes from that moment on. Just as Itchy and Scratchy: the Movie appears in theatres, Bart is left in charge of Maggie, and fails to notice when she takes the car and drives into the prison. Homer punishes Bart by ripping up his I&S movie ticket, and saying he can never see the movie.

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Treehouse of Horror III

Production Code: #9F04

In 'Clown without Pity', Bart receives a talking Krusty doll, which suddenly comes alive and goes on a murderous rampage against Homer. In 'King Homer', a recreation of King Kong, Homer stars as the giant ape and Marge as his tiny lady lover. And, in 'Dial Z for Zombie', while trying to raise Snowball I from the dead, Bart accidently raises all of the cemetery, who, obviously, go around town in typical zombie fashion.

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Lisa the Beauty Queen

Production Code: #9F02

Lisa thinks that she is ugly after a charicature is drawn of her, so Homer enters her into a beauty pagaent, but she doesn't want to. That is, until she realises that Homer traded a trip on the Duff blimp for the chance. Lisa loses the contest, but she makes runner-up, and when the winner is struck by lightning, Lisa is made Little Miss Springfield. Her first job is to advertise Laramie cigarettes, but she refuses, and is stripped of her crown.

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Homer the Heretic

Production Code: #9F01

Homer decides that he doesn't want to go to church one Sunday, and he takes advantage of his free time and declares it the best day of his life after he finds a penny under the sofa. Marge doesn't agree with him, but when Homer recieves a message from God in a dream, he continues to skip church. One Sunday, Homer falls asleep while smoking a cigar, and the house catches fire, until he is rescued by a religious volunteer fire service.

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A Streetcar Named Marge

Production Code: #8F18

Marge becomes interested in acting, and wins a role as Blanche DuBois in a production of 'A Streetcar Named Desire', with Ned Flanders starring opposite her as Stanley. She struggles to bring out her best, but she discovers that thinking about Homer really brings out her anger, which is perfect for her role. Homer sees the play with the kids, and contrary to Marge's belief, he enjoys it.

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Kamp Krusty

Production Code: #8F24

Bart must get an average of C or above on his report card, and then he will be allowed to go to Kamp Krusty for the summer - although Homer lets him go when he fails, anyway. When they turn up, there's no Krusty, just Mr Black, Dolph, Kearney and Jimbo. Bart leads a revolt against the people managing the camp, which attracts media attention. Krusty sees this, and goes there to calm the situation, before taking them to Tijuana.

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