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Miracle on Evergreen Terrace

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"Miracle on Evergreen Terrace"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.Season 9
Directed byBob Anderson
Written byRon Hauge
Original air dateDecember 21, 1997
Episode features
Chalkboard gag"Rudolph's red nose is not alcohol-related"[1]
Couch gagSomebody shakes up a snow globe, which contains the Simpsons sitting on a couch.[2]
CommentaryMatt Groening
Mike Scully
George Meyer
Ron Hauge
Nancy Cartwright
Yeardley Smith
Bob Anderson
Episode chronology
The Simpsons season 9
List of episodes

"Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" is the tenth episode of The Simpsons' ninth season and originally aired on the Fox network on December 21, 1997.[3] Bart ruins Christmas for the Simpson family by burning down the tree and all their presents. It was written by Ron Hauge, directed by Bob Anderson and guest starred Alex Trebek as himself.[2] Ron Hauge was inspired to write the episode after learning of an orphanage that had been ripped off. The episode was selected among other Christmas-themed episodes of the series, on a 2005 Christmas special DVD boxed set. I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide criticized the episode as a rehash of older themes, but it was also described as one of The Simpsons’ more memorable episodes in a review of the 2005 DVD boxed set release.

Plot

Homer and Marge go Christmas shopping at the Try-N-Save, where frenzied shoppers are quickly snatching the holiday season's most popular toys. Homer, posing as a store cashier, buys toys that customers were attempting to buy from him.

At home, the family makes its last-minute Christmas preparations. At bedtime on Christmas eve, Marge tells everyone no one may open presents until 7 a.m., and just to make sure there is no cheating, she confiscates all of the alarm clocks. However, Bart, relying on an old Indian trick, drinks 12 glasses of water in order to wake up early to use the bathroom and get an early look at his presents. He awakes at 5:04 A.M. and unwraps his gifts. One of those presents is the coveted Inferno Buster 3000, a remote-controlled fire truck. Bart has fun playing with the truck, until it sprays water on an overloaded electrical socket, and the Christmas tree bursts into flames. The flames immediately engulf the plastic Christmas tree and all of the presents beneath it. Bart manages to extinguish the fire before it spreads, and hides the burned evidence outside beneath the snow in the front yard.

When the family comes downstairs at 7:01 A.M., Bart lies to them. He makes up a story about how he caught a burglary in progress, and the suspect made off with the tree and all of the family's presents. The police investigate, and Kent Brockman decides to do a human interest story on what he believes is the Simpsons' yuletide misfortune.

As a result of Brockman's report, everyone in Springfield shows their community spirit by giving them a new Christmas tree and $15,000. With the donations, Homer buys a new car. Driving it home Homer gets impatient when he gets stuck behind the Plow King and decides to pass. He unknowingly drives the car onto a frozen lake. The ice cracks, causing the car to sink and blow up.

The next morning, Bart's conscience gets to him, and finally he admits the truth. Soon, Kent Brockman and the Channel 6 news crew arrive to do a follow-up story. Homer slaps on a plastic smile and says everyone should stop looking for the "burglar" but that he does exist. The story quickly unravels when a cameraman, with help from Santa's Little Helper, finds the burned remains of the Christmas tree. The family is forced to explain, but it is too late for the viewers, who feel they have been scammed. The citizens shun and harass them until the family can pay back the $15,000.

Marge decides the only alternative is to try and win money by becoming a contestant on Jeopardy!, but she performs very poorly and ends up with -$5,200. After the show, Alex Trebek and two men approach the Simpsons family demanding that they pay the $5,200 that Marge was in the red, and the family runs away. When they get home, they find that everyone in Springfield (including Alex Trebek) has gathered on their lawn, and Marge thinks they have forgiven them. However, everyone enters the family's house and steals things from it, in order to cover the $15,000 debt. In the end, the family playfully fights over a tattered washcloth, the only thing they have left.

Production

Marge appears on Jeopardy! and host Alex Trebek (pictured) guest stars as himself.

Writer Ron Hauge said he got the idea for the episode one day when he was headed into work. He was listening to the radio and heard of an orphanage getting ripped off, and they were getting back more than they gave.[4] The spectators in the stands during Bart's dreams are various animators.[5] When Krusty says "15,000 Missoulians" it is a reference to Ron Hauge having lived in Missoula, Montana.[6] Citizens of Missoula are called Missoulians. When the Simpsons' car says "I'll Keell you" this is a reference to a Wiffleball bat in the writer's office that said that.[7] That bat belonged to former Simpsons writer Wallace Wolodarsky. The closing theme is "Santa's on His Way" performed by Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys (1949).

Cultural references

The episode has several references to Christmas films. The title is a play on Miracle on 34th Street while the scene where everyone rallies around to support the Simpsons is reminiscent of the last scene of the classic holiday movie It's a Wonderful Life. The film is further spoofed when Homer tells Lisa to stop playing the piano which parodies a similar scene involving George Bailey.[6] A Charlie Brown Christmas is also parodied when the senior citizens are dancing at the Springfield Retirement Castle—their dancing is based on the way the Peanuts characters dance.[5] Marge appears as a contestant on Jeopardy! with host Alex Trebek guest starring. One of the stuffed animals Chief Wiggum is carrying is Binky from Matt Groening's comic strip Life in Hell.[7] Also, in the scene where Homer falls off the roof, it is a reference to a Home Improvement episode win which Tim falls off the roof in a similar manner

Reception

The episode received mixed reviews from critics. The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide said "A deliberately mawkish Christmas episode that is low on good jokes (although the Simpsons watching their own fire on TV is a good start) and a retread of any number of episodes where Bart does wrong, feels guilty and eventually has to fess up. The only real ray of sunshine is the closing moments when the neighbours get their revenge but the Simpsons find the family spirit after all."[8] In its review of a 2005 Christmas special DVD boxed set of the series, The Journal described "Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire", "Miracle On Evergreen Terrace", "Skinner's Sense of Snow" and "Dude, Where's My Ranch?" among memorable episodes of The Simpsons.[9] Andy Dougan wrote in Evening Times that the episode is "one of the darkest, blackest Christmas cartoons ever animated."[10] The episode was selected among other Christmas-themed episodes of the series on a 2005 Christmas special DVD boxed set. The episode was described as one of The Simpsons more memorable episodes in a review of the 2005 DVD boxed set release.

References

  1. ^ Gimple, Scott M. (December 1, 1999). The Simpsons Forever!: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family ...Continued. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0060987633.
  2. ^ a b Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace". BBC. Retrieved 2007-12-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace". The Simpsons.com. Archived from the original on 2007-08-22. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
  4. ^ Hauge, Ron (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Ninth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  5. ^ a b Anderson, Bob (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Ninth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  6. ^ a b Groening, Matt (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Ninth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  7. ^ a b Scully, Mike (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Ninth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  8. ^ Martyn, Warren (2000). I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide. Virgin Books. MiracleonEvergreenTerrace (section, online version). {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |nopp= ignored (|no-pp= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ Staff (December 16, 2005). "Rent". The Journal. pp. Page 40 (The Simpsons: Christmas Double Pack). {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  10. ^ Dougan, Andy (November 12, 2005). "andy dougan's DVDs of the week". Evening Times. pp. Page 20 (Christmas with The Simpsons Double Pack). {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
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