Trilogy of Error

"Trilogy of Error"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no. 266
Directed by Mike B. Anderson
Written by Matt Selman
Showrunner(s) Mike Scully
Production code CABF14
Original air date April 29, 2001
Chalkboard gag "Fire is not the cleanser"
Couch gag The family skateboards to the couch, jumping off a ramp and doing some aerial stunts before landing, except Homer, who falls off the edge of the ramp and is hit on the head with his own skateboard.
Commentary Matt Groening
Mike Scully
Al Jean
Ian Maxtone-Graham
Rob LaZebnik
Matt Selman
Tim Long
Max Pross
David Mirkin
Mike B. Anderson
Guest appearance(s)
Season 12 episodes
Seasons

"Trilogy of Error" is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons' twelfth season, and the 266th episode overall. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 29, 2001. In the episode, Homer's rush to the hospital to re-attach his severed thumb, Lisa's rush to school to win the science fair, and Bart's run-in with an illegal fireworks scheme are interconnected as each act tells the events of the same day, but from a different point of view.

"Trilogy of Error" was directed by Mike B. Anderson and written by Matt Selman. The episode, initially titled "Go, Simpson Go", was initially pitched by Selman who figured the whole plot out before pitching it. The episode features a guest appearance from Frankie Muniz as Thelonious, while Joe Mantegna reprises his role as recurring character Fat Tony. The episode has received positive reviews since its original airing and Selman named it the best episode he has ever written.

Plot

Homer's day

Lisa shows Homer her school science project, a grammar robot named Linguo, which Homer breaks by pouring beer down its throat. Shortly after, Marge accidentally severs Homer's thumb as she is cooking. They drive to hospital, but Dr. Hibbert claims that insurance will not cover the cost, so they drive off for Dr. Nick's clinic. Since Homer's thumb is starting to shrivel, he stops at Moe's, where he gets a brine solution. He gets distracted when Moe offers him a beer. Homer rushes out and sees Marge is gone. He hitchhikes with Cletus who drives him to Dr. Nick's, but they discover the clinic is on fire. Homer asks Cletus to drive him to Shelbyville Hospital, but his truck gets stolen, leaving Homer to walk to the hospital. His thumb is almost completely shrivelled up now, and he is about to throw it away when an explosion sends Linguo's head in the air, landing next to Homer.

Lisa's day

Lisa has to fix Linguo after Homer breaks it, missing the school bus as a result. She gets a ride from Krusty. However, Krusty mistakenly takes her to West Springfield Elementary School. Lisa, needing a ride, stops at Moe's Tavern looking for her dad, but he is not there. Homer comes in just as she is leaving by the back door. Outside, Lisa finds Marge, who takes her to school, but the car runs out of gas. Marge and Lisa see Cletus' truck and hitch a ride, but when he exits his truck they steal it and drive off. However, they are forced to stop when Bart emerges from a manhole in front of them.

Bart's day

Bart answers the doorbell. It is Milhouse, who takes Bart to a cave he has found, which is full of fireworks. Bart tests some, but accidentally sets fire to Dr. Nick's clinic. Bart and Milhouse hide in a building, but are caught by the police due to a fake address given by Marge. The police ask the boys to help find the fireworks smuggler. Bart and Milhouse find Fat Tony and his henchmen, but when Tony realizes that Bart is undercover he chases the boys through the sewers until they emerge where Marge and Lisa are. Having been chased down the street, Bart and Milhouse get cornered. To save them, Marge throws Linguo at the mobsters and due to their bad grammar, the sparks from Linguo's body ignite the fireworks, which is what causes Linguo to explode.

Fat Tony is arrested, but Marge points out Homer's severed thumb and Lisa's destroyed science project. Fat Tony proposes a solution. Lisa brings the mobsters to the science fair, and Legs successfully reattaches Homer's thumb while Lisa narrates the presentation for her class.

Production

Joe Mantegna guest-stars in the episode as Fat Tony.

"Trilogy of Error" was written by Matt Selman and was directed by Mike B. Anderson as part of the twelfth season of The Simpsons (2000–2001).[1] Selman was inspired by the 1999 comedy thriller film Go.[1] Before pitching it, he devised the whole plot in order to prove that it could be done.[1] The episode was originally called "Go, Simpson Go" in an allusion to the 1998 German crime thriller film Run Lola Run.[1] Due to the non-linear structure of the episode, the writing staff found it difficult to write jokes for the episode, because "every thing would affect the story".[1]

In the original draft, the second act would have portrayed Lisa travelling on the short school bus and meeting children with amusing disabilities, but it was deemed "too radical" at the time.[1] The production team also wanted to create a segment focusing on Marge, but they decided she was already prominent in the first two segments.[2]

During production, the staff found it difficult to choose which jokes to start each act, since all three started the same way.[3] There was also a debate on the appearance of Homer's truncated thumb. The staff decided to add a thumbnail, although characters in The Simpsons do not have nails on their fingers and toes.[4] The cost of "Trilogy of Error" was above average, despite the several replays of the same animation and the expectations of the production staff.[5] During production of the third act of the episode, Selman went on vacation and the staff had to finish the act without him.[1]

The title of the episode is a reference to the 1975 made-for-television horror film Trilogy of Terror.[6] The episode makes a number of allusions to the 1999 film Go, an example of which is Homer and Marge's theft of Rainier Wolfcastle's car after Wolfcastle smashes up their car.[1] The episode also parodies the 1992 film Reservoir Dogs by showing the same events occurring from different points of view, while also featuring music similar to that featured in Run Lola Run during the "Lisa's Day" segment.[1]

Release

In its original broadcast, "Trilogy of Error" finished with a Nielsen rating of 8.4, equivalent to approximately 14.4 million viewing households. It was the highest-rated show on Fox that week.[7]

The episode originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 29, 2001.[6][8] On August 18, 2009, it was released on DVD as part of the box set The Simpsons – The Complete Twelfth Season. Staff members Matt Groening, Mike Scully, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Rob Lazebnik, Matt Selman, Tim Long, Max Pross, David Mirkin, and Mike B. Anderson participated in the DVD audio commentary for the episode. Deleted scenes from the episode were featured on the box set as well.[9]

Since airing, "Trilogy of Error" has received positive reviews from critics. In a 2008 Flashback Review, Robert Canning of IGN called the episode "outstanding" for its several sight gags and pop culture references.[10] He concluded it was an amazing episode and that it proved the series could still deliver "[its] share of quality episodes" despite its overall drop in quality.[10] He ultimately gave the episode a 9.0/10.[10] Several members of the IGN staff later named it the best episode of the twelfth season.[11] AOL named "Trilogy of Error" the 20th best episode of the series.[12] Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide positively compared the episode to the Treehouse of Horror episodes and called the episode a "clever program that consistently entertains".[13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Selman, Matt (2009). The Simpsons The Complete Twelfth Season DVD commentary for "Trilogy of Error" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  2. ↑ Scully, Mike (2009). The Simpsons The Complete Twelfth Season DVD commentary for "Trilogy of Error" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  3. ↑ Maxtone-Graham, Ian (2009). The Simpsons The Complete Twelfth Season DVD commentary for "Trilogy of Error" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  4. ↑ Groening, Matt (2009). The Simpsons The Complete Twelfth Season DVD commentary for "Trilogy of Error" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  5. ↑ Anderson B., Mike (2009). The Simpsons The Complete Twelfth Season DVD commentary for "Trilogy of Error" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  6. 1 2 "Simpsons References". PhoenixNewsTimes. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Ratings". TvTango. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  8. ↑ Alberti, John (2004). Leaving Springfield: The Simpsons and the Possibility of Oppositional Culture. Wayne State University Press. p. 324. ISBN 978-0-8143-2849-1.
  9. ↑ Lambert, David (May 20, 2009). "The Simpsons - Season 12 Street Date, Detailed Contents & 'Comic Book Guy Head' Box". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on May 22, 2009. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
  10. 1 2 3 Canning, Robert (August 11, 2008). "The Simpsons Flashback: "Trilogy of Error" Review". IGN Entertainment. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  11. ↑ "The Simpsons: 20 Seasons, 20 Episodes - TV Feature at IGN". IGN Entertainment. September 14, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  12. ↑ Potts, Kimberly (2006). "'The Simpsons' Best Episodes: No. 20 - 16". AOL. Archived from the original on January 1, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  13. ↑ Jacobson, Colin (September 2, 2009). "The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season (2000)". DVD Movie Guide. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
  • "Trilogy of Error" at The Simpsons.com
  • "Trilogy of Error episode capsule". The Simpsons Archive.
  • "Trilogy of Error" on IMDb
  • "Trilogy of Error" at TV.com
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