New Episode: 02/13/05 Pranksta Rap

Simpsons News — Posted 13 Feb, 2005 by MrBurns

Homer's lost the TV remote, which was swallowed by Santa's Little Helper and in the chaos that follows Bart sees a commercial for a rap concert and wants to go. Bart gets permission from Homer, but when Marge finds out and disapproves, Homer quickly changes his position. Bart sneaks out and goes to the show anyway. He is in the front row of the show and when the microphone comes his way he winds up rapping on stage and holding his own and gets 50 Cent (as himself) to invite him on his tour. He gets back home only to find out he is going to be in big trouble; to prevent that he decides to fake his own kidnapping. The police are on the case; meanwhile Bart finds Milhouse and hides out in his dad's bachelor apartment. Continue...

Chief Wiggum decides he needs to do something to improve his reputation as a police officer and puts the clues together to find Bart at Kirk Van Houten's apartment. Wiggum is hailed as a hero and Milhouse's father is in jail. Wiggum has been promoted to Police Commissioner but Bart, feeling guilty about getting his friend's father put in jail, comes clean about faking the kidnapping. Wiggum shows Bart that everyone is better off believing the lie, Milhouse's dad is being worshipped by prisoner loving woman and he gets three square meals a day. Back at the house, Lisa has found a clue that proves Bart wasn't kidnapped. She tries to tell Homer, but he has sold the story to Hollywood. Lisa goes to Principal Skinner for help and the pair begins an investigation that will unravel the lie that is benefiting everyone. Bart takes the other conspirators to rapper Alcatraz's crib to prevent Lisa and Skinner from finding the truth. They arrive too late, only to find out that they know the truth. Bart and Homer try to convince Lisa to be cool about living the lie and a house party ensues.
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Couch: The family enter the living room dressed as chess pieces, Homer is a king, Marge the queen, Bart is a rook, Lisa is a knight and Maggie is a pawn.

The title "Pranksta Rap" is a take on the music genre "Gangsta Rap".

Goofs..........
So many people were convinced that nobody was harmed by the conspiracy, but it seems everyone forgot about Milhouse. Milhouse's dad apparently didn't notice that serious flaw when comparing his prison life to his apartment life. Bart initially seemed to notice this, but he forgot about it by the end of the episode. Lisa didn't pick up on this either, and it would've been some serious ammunition in her plan to end the fraud.

In the beginning when the dog swallowed the remote, Lisa said that the channel changes everytime the dog barks. But he only did this once. So how would she know? The first time he didn't bark, and Lisa wasn't near it to see it.

As Wiggum removes his smock after getting shaved, the shaving cream lather under his nose instantly disappears.
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Tv Movie: The Salad Of The Christ
The TV movie that we see on the Simpsons' TV early on is both a parody of Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion Of The Christ" & the Christian animated cartoon VeggieTales.

Homer: I'm going N.W.A. on him...Not Without Ass-whuppin'!
-N.W.A. is a hip-hop band that was very popular in the '80s.

n/a: Flavor Flav
When Lisa & Skinner are watching the tape of the concert, they verify the time by looking at a giant clock on a rapper's necklace, a parody of the same kind of necklace that was worn by hip-hop star Flavor Flav.

Kent: A ladder was used in the kid naping
this is a referece to the Lindenberg kidnaping of the early 30's

Announcer: Stay tuned for Sitcom Sunday!
The "Sitcom Sunday" concept is similar to ABC's "TGiF" Friday-night sitcom block during the late 1980s and 1990s.

Barney/Don Knotts: Now I must go-o-o-o! Avenge me!
The scene of Barney/Don Knotts talking to Chief Wiggum through the TV pays homage to The Andy Griffith Show (Barney) and Pleasantville (Knotts' character talking to someone through the TV).

Homer: Makes chopping motion with his right arm Cover the point spread! Cover the point spread!
Homer's chant (to the old Native American war chant) and arm motion comes while he is cheering for the Florida State Seminoles football team.

50 Cent: The more you know, the farther you'll go!
50 Cent's advice, encouraging Bart to stay in school, is styled just like the One to Grow On vignettes, seen on NBC's Saturday morning cartoon block during the 1980s.

Chief Wiggum: There's no need for you to defend your captor, Bratty Hearst!
Chief Wiggum's name for Bart references Patty Hearst, the newspaper heiress who was kidnapped. He also suggests Bart may be sympathizing with his "captor," Kirk Van Houtten, just as Ms. Hearst did with the Symbionese Liberation Army.

n/a: Jiffy Time Popcorn
The Chintzy Pop Popcorn (contained in a aluminum foil pan and prepared on a stove burner), is styled exactly like the old stovetop Jiffy Time Popcorn.

n/a: Alcatraz
Alcatraaaz, the main draw of the concert, is named after Alcatraz, the one-time federal prison.

Chief Wiggum: "What's that noise in the background?"
The scene where Wiggum takes the taped phone call back to the police lab is reminiscent of the film The Conversation, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and staring Gene Hackman. The film revolves around Hackman becomming obesessed with every detail of a recorded conversation, eventually believing each phrase and insignificant sound is a link in a conspiracy.