Much Apu About Nothing vs. Bart vs. Thanksgiving

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Much Abu About Nothing

On an ordinary day, a brown bear strolls onto the streets of Springfield, frightening the town. The bear is eventually subdued by the police, who tranquilize it (despite the bear being relatively docile). Homer convinces Springfield that something needs to be done to protect them from bears, and the town takes their complaint to Mayor Quimby, who gives in easily. Soon, the Bear Patrol is created. Homer is then shocked to see taxes have been raised five dollars to maintain the patrol, and this warrants another visit by the town to the Mayor's office. To appease them, Mayor Quimby blames the high taxes on illegal immigrants. He then creates Proposition 24, which will require all illegal immigrants in Springfield to be deported.

Springfield starts to harass and hate all immigrants. At the Kwik-E-Mart, Apu confides in Homer that he is an illegal immigrant. Apu explains that if Proposition 24 passes, he will have to leave the United States, as his visa expired many years earlier. Apu is forced to go to Fat Tony to obtain a false United States citizenship, and on Fat Tony's advice, he starts acting American, by doing things like speaking with an American accent. However, feeling guilty and embarrassed about taking the fraudulent route and forging documents (Apu is shown remembering his parents bidding him farewell, telling him to "make us proud, son," as he set forth his journey to the USA, for his education and eventual Ph.D), he realizes he has disgraced his parents by turning his back on his Indian heritage, and tears up the fake passport.

After Homer sees how devastated was Apu about being deported, he changes his mind about the immigration proposition and vows that he and his family will help Apu. Lisa discovers that Apu will not have to leave if he can pass a United States citizenship test. Homer agrees to be Apu's tutor to help prepare for the exam. Apu demonstrates excellent knowledge of the United States, but Homer is a terrible tutor and replaces Apu's knowledge with false information. Apu falls asleep while studying Homer's notes, but forgets it all when he wakes up which Lisa says is good. Apu then goes to take the test, and because he originally knew a lot about the history of the United States, he passes the test and becomes a citizen of the United States. At a congratulatory party, Homer tells his guests how terrible it would be if immigrants were deported, explaining they make the United States thrive. He inspires them to vote no on Proposition 24, but it still passes, with 95% of voters voting yes. After the ballot is passed, the only person deported is Groundskeeper Willie.

Bart vs. Thanksgiving

It is Thanksgiving and Lisa assembles a decorative centerpiece for the dinner table. The Simpson family sits down to give thanks along with Grampa, Patty, Selma, and Mrs. Bouvier. When Lisa places the centerpiece on the table, she argues with Bart about where it should go since there is no room left for the turkey. In the ensuing fight, Bart accidentally throws the centerpiece into the fireplace and it burns up. Devastated, Lisa runs to her room crying, while Bart is sent to his room by his parents for the incident.

Convinced he has not done anything wrong, Bart decides to run away from home, taking Santa's Little Helper with him. Walking the streets alone, he visits a breadline that is serving Thanksgiving dinner for homeless people. A television crew led by Kent Brockman is covering the event, and they interview Bart on live television. The family sees the report and calls the police. Homer and Marge start to regret the bad things they said to Bart, who eventually returns home feeling remorseful. However, the situation is worsened when he imagines his family blaming him for everything if he apologized for "ruining" Thanksgiving. Back to the present, he realizes that it was all his own imagination. He climbs up onto the roof of the house to think things out. Hearing Lisa cry because she misses him, Bart calls for her to come onto the roof. He realizes that what he did was wrong and apologizes to her and she accepts and kisses him. Bart rejoins the family to enjoy a meal of Thanksgiving leftovers later.

[tragabigzanda]

I should watch Much Apu again before I cast my vote here.

[LoathedVermin72]

Much Apu is a perfect episode of television. Just outstanding.

[Chris_H_2]

[Chris_H_2]

but i still voted apu

[Norah]

[Simple Torture]

I love Apu as a character, and there's something perfect about how "being an American" for him means wearing a Mets jersey.

[stip]

The NY Mets are my favorite squadron