Treehouse of Horror XV

Infobox Simpsons episode
episode_name = Treehouse of Horror XV
episode_no = 336
prod_code = FABF23
airdate = November 7, 2004
writer = Bill Odenkirk
director = The Tell-Tale Silverman


image_caption = Promotional image for the episode's second segment
season = 16
color = #EFEFEF

"Treehouse of Horror XV" is the first episode of Season 16 and also the fifteenth Halloween episode of "The Simpsons", airing November 7, 2004, one week after Halloween in the US, the latest any Halloween episode has ever aired. 11.29 million people watched this episode on its first airing on FOX.

Plot

In a parody of "Perfect Strangers", Kang and Kodos are preparing the Simpsons for dinner for their "boss." Bart and Homer are the main course, Lisa is in a soup, and Marge and Maggie are pies. Bart is frying on a skillet, while Homer keeps eating himself. The boss comments on the delicious meal, where upon his stomach bursts open, liberating Bart, who, in turn, delightfully exclaims "Cool, I'm vomit!" Kang and Kodos get a hyper-galactic promotion. Bart is sad about being an orphan, but he is adopted by Kang and Kodos. The "Perfect Strangers" theme song then plays over the opening credits and also the end credits.

The Ned Zone

As the title suggests, this is a parody of "The Dead Zone". Trying to get his Frisbee from the roof, Homer throws a bowling ball that hits Ned on the head. (It turns out that the frisbee is next to Homer on the floor, right after Ned was hit with the bowling ball). When Ned recovers in Dr. Hibbert's hospital, he has a vision of the good doctor falling out of a window, which happens shortly afterwards when Homer asks him to get his frisbee from the window ledge. Ned realizes that he can see the deaths of people whom he touches; he saves Hans Moleman from falling down and has a vision of him getting chewed up by alligators. In shock, he drops Hans - right into an open manhole, which he was standing next to. Hans is in turn devoured by gators dwelling inside. He also predicts the closing of the Rosie O' Donnell musical, but he "didn't need special powers to know that was coming!"

Later, one of his visions depicts him shooting Homer. When Homer finds out about Ned's vision, he taunts him and even gives him Chief Wiggum's gun to shoot him with. Ned refrains from shooting Homer and has another vision of Homer blowing up Springfield. Ned tries to dissuade Homer from going to work, but Homer goes anyway because of ice cream cake. Ned rushes to the power plant to stop Homer, but his warning is scrambled by static over the intercom, leading his message of "Do not press the core destruct button" and "Don't do it, don't do it. You'll kill everyone!" to be interpreted by Homer as "Press.... destruct.... button" and "Do it...do it... kill everyone." As Homer is about to press the button Ned, in desperation, grabs a nearby security guard's gun and forces himself to shoot Homer; but in his death throes, Homer presses the destruct button with his tongue. Shortly after Ned says "You stupid son of a...", the power plant explodes and Springfield is destroyed. Ned, Homer, Marge, all the Simpsons, and their garage (which Homer was assigned to clean leading Marge to believe he blew up the town specifically to get out of doing) go to Heaven as angels and meet God, who, although it appears he is about to send him to Hell, returns Homer's frisbee exclaiming "Homer Simpson, It's time you got whats coming to you....your Frisbee."

Four Beheadings and a Funeral

In 1890 London, the city's prostitutes are being killed with swords in a series of unsolved murders by "The Muttonchop Murderer". Scotland Yard Detective Eliza Simpson and her easily-amazed assistant Dr. Bartley (parodying Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson) trace the swords used back to the "wicked industrialist" C. Ebenezer Burns (so wicked, claims Bartley, that he makes coal out of babies). They find him in Moe's Den of Inequity, where he claims he lost all his wealth in Swords to opium and he tried to gain wealth to Swords, and then Opium by using Babies as Coal. The next suspect in mind is Homer. The police arrest Homer and are about to hang him when Eliza finds the real murderer: Inspector Wiggum, whose eel-pie covered handprints were all over a sword used to kill Selma. Wiggum attempts to escape in a hot-air balloon, which is destroyed by a large steampunk-style flying saucer flown by Kang and Kodos (both with muttonchops), who comment on destroying the Earth's air force. However, it all turns out to be a dream that Ralph Wiggum is having while smoking opium in an opium den, which is part of an even crazier dream.

In the Belly of the Boss

At the "Invention Expo", Professor Frink creates a machine that shrinks objects. Maggie crawls inside a giant pill, which is miniaturized and swallowed by Mr. Burns. The rest of the family agrees to be shrunk within a craft and injected into Mr. Burns' body (parodying Fantastic Voyage). Homer is the captain, Lisa is in charge of science and research, Bart is in charge of security, and Marge is just herself. When Homer refuses to follow Frink's instructions, the ship gets stuck in Burns' heart. The crew manage to get the ship free and are able to reach the stomach by catching a ride on a nerve impulse. They manage to save Maggie, but are forced to leave Homer behind when their craft doesn't have enough power to save them all due to the addition of Maggie's weight. The submarine successfully escapes, and Prof. Frink tells them there is time to save Homer, but he is wrong, as Homer instantly returns to his original size inside Mr. Burns' skin after eating a huge marshmallow. Even though Homer complains that Mr. Burns needs several extra holes, Burns is confident that things will work out. The episode ends with Burns and Homer leading a dance to the tune of "I've Got You Under My Skin" (along with characters from the other three segments).

Cultural references

* The hammering in of the Roman numeral in the opening is a reference to the logo of the production company Mark VII Limited.
* Professor Frink shows a drawing of a "retro-virus". Its style greatly resembles the works of Robert Crumb, who is said to have drawn it.
* The "Four Beheadings and a Funeral" section is a reference to the movie "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and the Jack the Ripper murders in 19th Century London.
* Inspector Wiggum and his son flying out of an ice-castle on a bed is a reference to the comic Little Nemo in Slumberland.
* The end credits play the opening theme of Perfect Strangers.