5. Bart the General

Episode Title: "Bart the General"
Episode Number: 5
Original Air Date: February 4, 1990

Plot Synopsis: Bart has an encounter with Nelson Muntz, the school bully after Bart tries to defend Lisa from one of Nelson's friends. Nelson ends up savagely beating Bart after school and stuffing in him a garbage can. He also warns that Bart will get beat up the next day, and presumably again every day for the foreseeable future. Bart, in tears, asks Homer for help in dealing with a bully. Homer first tries to train Bart to fight on his own, which ends in Nelson beating Bart for a second time. Bart then goes to Grandpa Simpson for advice, who takes them to meet Herman, the one-armed ex-military antique store owner. Herman then comes up with a military strategy to fight the bully and, with the help of Nelson's past victims, Bart is able to get Nelson to sign a treaty and effectively save the day.

Overall Thoughts: I'd definitely call this the funniest episode so far. Most of the sight-gags don't really do anything for me, but there are a ton of really funny dialog-based jokes. Likewise, "Bart the General" is also a compelling take on the classic "son attempts to fight school bully" story that is a staple of many sitcoms.

What Works: Homer's fatherly advice to Bart of "it never hurts to grease the wheel" is great, and the fact that he seems to think that the only reason Lisa is good in school is because she's a butt kisser is pretty fun. The episode also gives Grandpa Simpson a GREAT character introduction, even if he is also presented as "The Toughest Simpson Family Member Alive."

What Doesn't Work: The pace on this one is still pretty slow in parts. Certain sequences go on long after the point has come across loud and clear. Bart's Nelson-driven death nightmare starts out funny, but then just goes on for too long. The same goes for the extended training and battle sequences at the end of the episode. If they were shorter and quicker, they'd be far funnier than they actually are.

Also, at the end of the episode Bart breaks the fourth wall and addresses the audience about how war is never good (exception for a few clear exceptions, including Star Wars), which is a joke that probably plays better on paper than it does in execution.

Closing Thoughts: All in all, solid but not great. A definite recovery from the last episode. I've always liked episodes where Bart deals with legitimate problems in his own Bart Simpson kind of way. I like that Nelson Muntz started out as this legitimate threat, and didn't so much as mellow over time but basically give Bart Simpson a pass. I also like how proud Homer is that Simpson family members have been kicking people in the balls during fights for generations.

Final Grade (out of 10): 7