- Air Date: January 14, 1990
- Production Episode: 7G02
- Written by: Jon Vitti
- Directed by: David Silverman
The second episode of the series, "Bart the Genius" was the episode that saved the show. As mentioned in the review of "Some Enchanted Evening", the animation recieved was unusable, and had to be sent back. Their second attempt, "Bart the Genius", would determine if the series would continue or be scrapped. While some small artifacts of the original incorrect animation persist, the majority of the episode fits the style of the first season, resulting in the ambitious new animated sitcom making it to air.
In this episode, Bart cheats on an intelligence test, causing him to be transferred to a school for gifted students. Finding himself overwhelmed, he eventually confesses to his deception and returns to Springfield Elementary, to forever plague Principal Skinner and Edna Krabappel.
At this point in the series, there still wasn't a production manager, and Springfield Elementary and the Simpson's home were not yet laid out. The individual rooms were there, but the layout of the house varied depending on the scene. Another noticable difference is the complexity of the backgrounds. Less is more in setting a scene, and as the series went on, objects were left out of the backgrounds to keep them from being too busy. As pointed out in the DVD commentary, Skinner's office includes large plants that distract from the characters in the scene. The Simpson's house is also similarly busy, with multiple pictures of the characters on the walls in every shot.
In terms of character introductions, we're treated to the first appearances of Bart's entire class, with the exception of Nelson Muntz and Sherri & Terri . Edna Krabappel makes her debut as Bart's teacher for the next quarter century (RIP Marcia Wallace). Lisa's class, Ms. Hoover, and the supporting school staff are not present, with the exception of J. Loren Pryor, the school psychiatrist, in his first of many appearances over the years. Principal Skinner also makes his debut, although we see little of him. He and Edna are essentially filling roles at this point in the series.
A note about something I missed in the previous episode: Technically, Milhouse, Mr. Largo, Sherri & Terri, and Lewis all appear in the intro sequence where Lisa leaves music class. (Three Lewis's, in fact!) In the original opening, these are the only recurring characters seen in the intro besides the main family.
Martin is the catalyst of the episode's events, displaying his brown nosing and willingness to squeal on his classmates for praise. From the start, he's almost entirely the same character we know and love, although the particular animosity towards Bart is played down a bit in later seasons, replaced with a love/hate friendship with Nelson Muntz. His father, Richard Muntz, also makes his first appearance with one line during the opera scene, an early instance of a completely bit character who nonetheless has remained consistent over the years.
The Simpsons are still settling into their roles as we know them today. While Homer is displaying his stupidity, he is also shown as a more or less supportive father. A trait that, as we all know, eventually gets dropped in favor of more crazy antics. Marge has very little to do in the episode, acting as the voice of reason in a few scenes. Lisa shows the beginings of her being the smart one, by understanding the Opera they are watching.
The episode mostly focuses on Bart and establishing him as a character. His tendency for mischief, his friend group, his initial rivalry with Martin, and his failing grades. As the season goes on, we get episodes focusing on the other family members, with the majority being about Homer and Bart. At this point in the series, the main characters are clearly the boys, with Lisa and Marge there to be the straight (wo)men to the guy's antics.
As an episode, it feels a bit rushed. Unlike later in the series, it focuses on one character and one story for it's entirety. Even the secondary characters are there simply to push the story forward, instead of having lives of their own as we see in later seasons. A nagging question is that if Bart confessed he handed in Martin's test, why is Martin still stuck at Springfield Elementary? Shouldn't he have been sent to the school for gifted children once the deception was revealed? It seems an interesting plot thread of Martin confronting Bart was left out in favor of more scenes of Bart failing at the new school.
Still, this was an entertaining introduction to one of our favorite characters. Next up, "Homer's Odyssey", where we explore Homer and see how he gets the position he's held for most of the series. Well, along with 200 other jobs.
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