10. Bart Gets Hit by a Car

Episode Title: "Bart Gets Hit by a Car"
Episode Number: 23
Original Air Date: January 10, 1991

Plot Synopsis: The episode begins with Bart skateboarding down the street, minding his own business and suddenly getting nailed really hard by Mr. Burns' rich person car. He gets hit so hard, in fact, that he has an out of body experience and goes to heaven. Because he's still Bart Simpson, he eventually ends up in hell and meets Satan. His spirit makes his way back to his body, where he's now in a hospital room. The Simpson family meets Lionel Hutz, attorney at law and professional ambulance chaser, who wants to sue the rich man pants off of Mr. Burns.

Marge quickly has a moral dilemma on her hands, as Bart's injuries are admittedly pretty minor. Mr. Burns also isn't making things better, as he offers to give Homer $100 if they drop the whole thing. Lionel Hutz, on the other hand, promises that he can get the Simpsons a cool one million dollars. To get the ball rolling, Hutz takes Bart to see resident "doctor" Nick Riviera, who greatly exaggerates the extent of his injuries. Marge is getting more and more uncomfortable with this, especially since Bart is going to have to testify during the upcoming trial. Marge and Lisa are firmly in the "tell the truth" camp, but Homer wants his million bucks.

At the trial, things are going great for Bart on account of how Mr. Burns is a crazy evil dickbag. Things are going so good that Burns offers a settlement. Things quickly go bad in typical Simpsons fashion, however, as Mr. Burns overhears an argument between Marge and Homer and realizes that the whole thing is a sham. Burns' lawyers end up making her testify, and the jig is up. Bart ends up getting $5. Homer is really upset by this and heads to Moe's. Marge meets him there, where Homer drops the bombshell: "I'm just not sure I love you anymore." Homer almost immediately recants on this, however, after looking into Marge's eyes and realizing that he loves her more than ever.

Overall Thoughts: This is another "Burns the antagonist" episode, and it might be even more successful than the last time. Here, instead of essentially being a villain to all of Springfield by way of a governor's race, he's got his sights set on the Simpson family. He's also an antagonist sort of by way of self defense, which I like. He hit Bart with his car, which was an accident, but everything that follows is pure evil.

As I said in another review from earlier in the season, Burns is just a naturally great antagonist no matter big or how small the story around him actually is. He's a great character, and he's also quickly becoming a good deal of fun.

What Works: This episode marks the introduction of the great Lionel Hutz, voiced by Phil Hartman. I like Hutz more as "the worst lawyer ever" (which is more or less what he'll eventually become) as opposed to the "shadiest lawyer ever" which is how he's more or less presented in this episode, but he's still good in both roles. Hutz, like the rest of the show, gets more and more exaggerated over time and they eventually find his sweet spot as a character. But it doesn't matter all that much, as Phil Hartman is wonderful regardless of what they're having him do.

I just re-read that paragraph up there, and I think I may have undersold the contribution of Phil Hartman. As I do not want to do that, I'll say it again: he's great. In the context of a show that already has a legion of funny deliveries and terrific voice work under its belt, he still manages to be something special.

This episode also introduces Dr. Nick Riviera, who is also great. Dr. Nick might not be as fun as he'll eventually be, but the team of he and Lionel Hutz is almost exclusively great as they try to exaggerate Bart's injuries to successfully sue Mr. Burns.

This is another one of those morality episodes that is handled really, really well. Even though she knows that Homer is going to be really mad and disappointed, Marge still calls Nick Riviera out on the stand because she literally can't stand not doing the right thing. Because she's Marge Simpson, dammit.

Homer's proclamation of "I'm not sure I love you anymore" is SHOCKING sentiment for a cartoon. Even though this episode is 20 years old, and the 22 seasons and one movie that followed have made it pretty clear that Homer does indeed love Marge, my heart still sank. The issue is resolved almost instantly, but it's still a daring place for this show to go.

What Doesn't Work: There are a few minor issues with animation, especially towards the end of the episode. Even things with the Simpson family members start to get weird looking, particularly in indoor scenes. However, as with most of these episodes, it's ultimately a minor complaint.

Closing Thoughts: Another totally, totally solid episode from season two. One of the most surprising things about this season so far isn't how good it is, but how consistently good it's been. There have been episodes I've liked a whole lot more than others, but even the "others" are absolutely good on their own. There hasn't been an all out "miss" yet, and we're already on episode ten.

Final Grade (out of 10): 8