S01EP07 The Telltale Head

The Telltale Head
Air Date: February 25, 1990
Production Episode: 7G07
Written by: Al Jean, Mike Reiss, Sam Simon, and Matt Groening
Directed by: Rich Moore

Another classic of season one, this episode follows Bart as he falls in with the group of bullies we come to know and love, cuts the head off the Jebediah Springfield statue, and is chased by an angry mob.

This episode marks a lot of first appearances. As the episode opens in medias res, with Bart being chased by an angry mob, we see the first crowd scene containing established town characters. As noted in the commentary, this was the first time they had enough characters to fill out a crowd scene. Besides Skinner, Edna, Burns, Marvin Monroe, Moe, Grandpa, Smithers, Otto, the Winfields, Mr. Largo, and Selma (but not Patty), we see several characters introduced in this episode. Reverand Lovejoy and Krusty are shown prominently, being introduced later in the episode. We also see the back of Ned Flander's head in one shot, his moustache clearly visible. His full first appearance is in the next episode, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". This is Selma's first appearance as well, with her full appearance with Patty being in the next episode as well.

Also introduced but absent from the crowd scenes are Jimbo, Kearney, and Dolph, Nelson's fellow bullies. At this point they're older kids, although as we see later, their ages are shifted around for humorous effect. Kearney mentions remembering America's bicentennial celebration in a later season, making him at least 15 in 1990, and 20 in 1996 when he made that statement in "Lisa the Iconoclast". This makes him far too old to be in school at all, let alone elementary school.

We also meet the man I consider Homer's best friend, Apu. Sure, some say it's Barney, or Carl and Lenny, but no, I say it's Apu. Here he's just the Kwick-E-Mart clerk, but over the years, he's consistently been in Homer's various hobbies. He's been on his bowling team, his barbershop quartet, his vigilante group, and on numerous occasions been at Moe's. He and Homer constantly share their troubles, and he's such a close friend that he's lived at their home twice, and even held his wedding there.

You could argue that he also treats Homer and Marge like strangers on multiple occasions, but I counter that he simply makes a distinct separation of his work and personal life, to the point that he has his best friend's wife arrested for shoplifting, and will occasionally rip Homer off. Then again, when his competition is Barney, I think he still comes out on top with Flanders.

Outside their appearance in the opening scene, Reverand Lovejoy and Krusty do appear in the episode proper. We see the Simpsons in church for the first time, a novelty back then, as a church set for a live action sitcom would be expensive, and the only other cartoon sitcoms were set in fantasy settings. This episode also marks a lot of the tricky camera shots that would have been impossible in live action, another point that made the show unique.

Krusty appears on his show, asking his viewers to call in any tips about the vandalism of the Jebediah Springfield statue. Also of note is Sideshow Bob, wearing an afro instead of his normal hair. According to the commentary, they had changed his design for Kelsey Grammar's guest spot a few episodes later, but could not change the animation in this episode in time.

You may have also heard the trivia about Krusty originally being Homer in disguise. As we can see here, this was dropped before Krusty ever appeared on the half hour series, as Krusty is clearly speaking in the mob scene directly to Homer and Bart in his first ever appearance outside the Ullman shorts.

We also see the second appearance of Chief Wiggum, being not at all like Wiggum, holding a press conference again. An early version of the Squeaky Voiced Teen appears in the movie theater to kick out Bart and the bullies, although he lacks the acne and squeaky voice of later seasons. We meet Ms. Albright for the first time. You may not recognize her, she's the Sunday School teacher. And of course we learn of Jebediah Springfield, the town's founder.

Overall, this episode dumped a plethora of new characters into the town. Eleven new characters, if you include the back of Ned's head, and leave out one off characters like Mr. Dandy the ice cream shop guy. Another one of the original episodes with no B-stories, it would still fit in perfectly with a more modern episode. Everyone is in character, we see the crowd scenes that are a staple of the show, and the house is now starting to stick to a consistent layout, aside from the magic tree that moves to whatever window is needed.

Smither's being gay and in love with Mr. Burns instead of just sycophantic is mentioned at the end of the episode, when Mr. Burns says "I love you Smithers", and Smithers replies "The feeling is more than mutual sir.". Mr. Burns, however, is still a bit too normal, showing empathy to other characters and Bart. An interesting note is the inclusion of the extended Simpsons family in the mob scene. Right from the beginning, Grandpa and Selma's willingness to join in a mob going after Homer and Bart is shown. As we know, this is often played to humorous effect, with Grandpa demanding more violence than the rest of the mob.