A Tale of Two Springfields

Infobox Simpsons episode
episode_name = A Tale of Two Springfields


image_caption= Promotional artwork featuring guest stars The Who (left to right: Pete Townshend, Homer Simpson, John Entwistle, and Roger Daltrey.
episode_no = 250
prod_code = BABF20
airdate = November 5, 2000
show runner = Mike Scully
writer = John Swartzwelder
director = Shaun Cashman
blackboard = "I will not plant subliminal messagores"
couch_gag = Bart reaches the couch first and slips a whoopee cushion underneath Homer's side. When the family runs in, Homer predictably sets off the whoopee cushion's farting sound, causing him to grin sheepishly at a frowning Marge and Lisa while Bart laughs uproariously.
guest_star = The Who as themselves
season = 12"A Tale of Two Springfields" is the second episode from season twelve of the animated TV series "The Simpsons". The episode was broadcast on November 5, 2000. The title is a spoof of Charles Dickens' classic book, "A Tale of Two Cities".

Plot

While feeding Santa's Little Helper, Bart finds a badger in his doghouse. Bart and Lisa try to get rid of it themselves, but are unsuccessful. After Homer suggests they blow up the doghouse with dynamite, Lisa tells them to call animal control. When Homer calls them, he gets a tri-tone and a recording indicating that he did not enter the correct area code. Marge informs him that the phone company ran out of numbers, so they had to split Springfield into two area codes. One half keeps the old 636 and the Simpsons' half get the new 939. He is outraged that they changed the code so suddenly (even though Lenny and Carl say that they had weeks of advance warnings, including two weeks at area code camp). While at a town meeting, with Homer wearing a suicide belt, Lindsay Naegle shows a film (starring talking telephone Phony McRingRing) that attempts to convince the audience two area codes are better. The whole town agrees with it. However, Homer stands up, reminding them how terrible it was and points out that the original 636 code was kept by the rich side of town. When Homer fails to blow himself up, he leads a rebellion of the poor and goes off to form a new town.Homer names the town with the new 939 code "New Springfield". Homer is appointed mayor of New Springfield but shows disrespect for the office by using his sash as a napkin. Rivalry quickly ensues between the two towns. When Springfield insults the inefficiency of his half of town, Homer cuts power to Springfield. Springfield retaliates by hijacking a beer truck and dumping its contents in the river. Homer and New Springfield strike back by cutting off the river into Springfield; however this causes its inhabitants to find gold in the river and buy the Evian bottled water factory. Homer decides to build a giant wall right through town, just like Berlin. Three days later, the mob completes a wall made of garbage that goes right through town. When Homer tells his people that they do not have enough supplies to get past tomorrow and that a wave of disease will kill the weak (afterwards, they'll be forced to eat certain breeds of dogs), everyone except the Simpsons leave.

Now the mayor of a ghost town, Homer boasts to himself that The Who is coming to their town, when they are actually performing in Springfield. Together, he and Bart are able to get them to perform in New Springfield. When Springfield is waiting for the band, they find them in New Springfield and prepare to riot. Just before a major conflict, The Who suggests they get speed-dial to solve their rivalry. They also agree to play if Springfield tears down the wall, which Pete Townshend (voiced by his brother, Paul Townshend) destroys by playing the famous outro to "Won't Get Fooled Again".

Cultural references

* Homer imagines himself as a mayor, walking down the street in a Western town, wearing a cowboy hat and firing a rifle, in a parody of the opening credit of the Western show "The Rifleman" starring Chuck Connors.
* When the Simpsons are trying to get the badger out of the doghouse, Lisa suggests going to the website www.whatbadgerseat.com. The show's creators actually put up this actual website on the internet which can still be viewed online.
* Todd's woodpecker is a reference the Woody Woodpecker show, especially its laugh after attacking Bart.
* The self-referencing blackboard gag refers to the presidential election which was two days after the episode was aired. A controversy surrounding the election was the supposed use of subliminal messages.
* The timing of the episode coincides with Matt Groening's native northwest Oregon splitting into two overlapping area codes (Area code 503 and Area code 971). Such a split plan was often unpopular due to existing phone numbers changing and now the alternative method of an overlay plan, whereby an area is given a new code for new numbers but existing numbers do not change.
* While waiting for The Who's concert in Springfield, Principal Skinner seems to be dressed in Mod attire. Edna Krabappel is dressed as a typical groupie.
* The scene with Homer, Lenny, and Carl having lunch in the nuclear power plant has a reference to the movie Pulp Fiction. While writing the new area code on his hand, Homer complains that he already has enough things to remember and a close-up of his hand shows the writing "Lenny=White, Carl=Black." This is a reference to the second last scene in Pulp Fiction, in which The Wolf is called to help resolve a problem. On a pad of paper before he meets up with Vincent and Jules, he writes "Vincent-White, Jules-Black" in order to distinguish between the two.
* Roger Daltrey's comment to Homer, "Tear down this wall", could be a reference to Ronald Reagan's famous plea to Mikhail Gorbachev, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" it is also quite similar to The Wall by Pink Floyd, in which the main character is ordered to tear down the wall in his head, that alienates him from the world.
* Homer telling the Arizona Cardinals representative to "keep walking" is a reference to how poor the Cardinals franchise has been.
*When Homer and Bart burst into the room where the Who is practicing, they are playing the closing riff from The Seeker.
* After they receive the gold from the river, Kent Brockman does an editorial about it and thanks Homer saying that they will all be covered in golden showers (a sexual term for urinating on your partner). He does not get it but the people off to the side laugh hysterically.
*When Homer is holding a press conference over the newly-built wall, the angel statue from Lisa the Skeptic can be seen imbedded in the wall directly behind the family. It's especially noticeable when Homer remarks that the wall is made from "90%recycled material".

The Who references

* When Kent Brockman's newscast shows a picture of Homer and friends on the steps of a home, the layout and poses match the back cover of The Who's "Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy" compilation album.
* Moe's line "That fat, dumb, and bald guy sure plays some real hard ball" is a variation of a lyric in the song "Pinball Wizard" by The Who. The original lyric is "That deaf, dumb, and blind kid sure plays a mean pinball".

Area codes 636 and 939 in actual use

At the time this episode aired, area code 636 was already in use as an area code for the suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri, breaking off from area code 314 in 1999. The 939 area code was not in use at the time, but would later be assigned to Puerto Rico as an overlay area code in September 2001.

Censorship

ky One

When this episode aired on the British channel Sky One, the following scenes where edited out:

* The news report on KBBL about the mattress on the road is missing the punchline about Joan Collins coming to town (and Homer's line about Joan Collins sleeping with everyone).

* The part where Homer gets tricked by Bart into calling the radio station is missing the last part of the scene where Homer strangles Bart and Bart beats Homer with the phone receiver, resulting in the two of them passing out from the pain.

* The infamous "'golden showers'" line by Kent Brockman is cut.

* The word Evian is muted from the phrase "Evian Water Factory" during Kent Brockman's news report.

yndicated

In American syndication, the following parts are edited [http://www.snpp.com/episodes/scg-12.txt] :
**The "I Will Not Plant Sublimin_AL_ Messa_GORES_" blackboard punishment (the couch gag where Bart plants a whoopee cushion under Homer's spot, with predictable results wasn't cut, though)
**The part after Homer tells Lisa that he should call a doctor about the badger tearing up Homer's stomach (revealing his guts) where Lisa asks Homer how the badger could have torn Homer's chest and stomach without tearing through the shirt (and Homer scoffing, "What am I, a tailor?")
**The part after Homer finds out about the area code change where the badger is shown growling outside the window and Homer tells it to go away because he has bigger things to worry about
**The part where Homer is whimpering in the fetal position as the "wrong number" tone over the phone is shortened from three times to two.
**Homer yelling at the badger climbing over the wall.
**Homer attempting to trash The Who's hotel room when he first meets them, and several scenes of dialogue between them.
**Homer singing Pacman Fever is shortened.
**A reference to Radio Shack made by one of the Who members.
**The ending where the badgers (who have been ignored throughout the episode) run over the now-broken wall between Old and New Springfield and attack the townspeople.

External links

*snpp capsule|BABF20
*imdb episode|id=0701049|episode=A Tale of Two Springfields
* [http://www.whatbadgerseat.com/ Whatbadgerseat.com] A spoof site created after the episode.