2. Bart the Genius

Episode Title: "Bart the Genius"
Episode Number: 2
Original Air Date: January 14, 1990

Plot Synopsis: When Bart gets in trouble at school for spray-painting a picture of Principal Skinner with a "I am a weiner" word balloon, he decides to switch his copy of an important test with one that belonged to Martin Prince. As a result, the school psychologist mistakes Bart for a genius, which would go a long way towards explaining his legendarily-bad behavioral problems. He doesn't fit in at his new school because he was only lying about being smart, and his old friends won't hang out with him because they think he's a nerd. To make things worse, Homer is legitimately proud of Bart for potentially the first time ever, so he doesn't want to disappoint his father by revealing the truth. Bart suggests going "under cover" as a "regular dumb kid" in his old class to get back to his old life, but in the end confesses to the whole thing when he can't figure out how to write a proposal for his own scheme. Bart reveals the truth to Homer, who chases him up to his bedroom in a violent rage.

Overall Thoughts: The emotional arc of the episode is great. One of my favorite aspects of Bart's personality has always been that he's legitimately frustrated by/ashamed of the fact that he's, in his own words, a "regular dumb kid." It goes a long way towards elevating him above just a little shithead who's behavior is played solely for laughs. It's great to see that this particular character trait was present so early on in the series. Likewise, even though Bart vandalizes the school and can't spell things like "weiner" in his own graffiti, Marge still loves him unconditionally. I also love the joke that neither Bart nor Homer really know what to do when Homer is legitimately proud of his son.

What Works: They're already world building. We see a little more of Skinner this episode, and his history with Bart is explored a little bit. Likewise, this episode introduces Martin Price, Bart's brilliant classmate who is also a little show-off and tattle-tail. We get a sense that the world we're watching has existed long before these first two episodes. Bart isn't just beginning to act out - he has acted out in the past so much that he has his own filing cabinet drawer in Skinner's office. These elements go a long way towards making Springfield and the characters who inhabit it feel as real as possible.

What Doesn't Work: The episode is a little light on actual story. An extended sequence with the family taking in the opera is great for showing that Bart and "classy" don't mix, but it goes on a little too long and isn't really that funny. The episode also doesn't exactly have closure. The episode ends with Bart revealing the truth about his cheating to Homer, who traps him in his bedroom in a fit of rage. The end! I feel like, had this episode been done two years later, they would have fit in about five more jokes and real emotional closure before the credits rolled.

Closing Thoughts: Complicated math jokes that only make sense to geniuses are always funny, even if I don't necessarily understand them. Also, I don't know if this was intentional or not, but I *love* the fact that Bart just says he "cheated," not specifically HOW he cheated. The implication is that Bart turned in Martin's test with only the name changed. Which makes Martin a legitimate super genius. But nobody ever knows that, because Bart doesn't quite come clean in regards to everything, so Bart potentially screws Martin out of a really nice life at a genius school that he would love.

Final Grade (out of 10): 7