• Directed by: Wes Archer
• Written by: Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky
• Airdate: December 6th, 1990

     After seeing an advertisement for Truckasaurus on TV, Homer suggests that the family have “family time” by going to the show on Saturday for the one-night only show. Lisa’s saxophone recital is on the same night, and so Homer and Bart are forced to sit through the entire recital before quickly rushing to make the show. Once arriving, Homer accidentally drives into the arena and their car is attacked by Truckasaurus itself. The show later on also has a surprise guest: Daredevil Captain Lance Murdock.
    Bart is enthralled and fond of the stunts that Murdock displays, and feels as though this is what he wants to do with his life. Doing his first stunt for three of his friends, in an attempt to jump the family car, Bart fails and has to go to the hospital for stitches. Dr. Hibbert shows Bart victims of entertainment related injuries and Bart tells him he understands the risks, only to go back to jumping the car. After doing a variety of stunts, Bart decides that the next big thing to do is jump Springfield Gorge. Lisa takes Bart to Murdock in hopes that the Daredevil will talk Bart out of the jump but, to Lisa’s horror, Murdock urges Bart to do it.
    At home, Lisa squeals on Bart and Homer tries punishing him, and then even attempts to talk it through with the boy. But Bart, instead of keeping his promise of staying at home, leaves the house and shows up at the Gorge to a large crowd in his own Daredevil guise (complete with skull and crossbones on his shirt in the shape of his own head). Homer races to the Gorge and stops Bart, saying that the only way he’ll learn is if Homer jumps the gorge himself, so that Bart feels what it’s like to worry about the well-being of a family member. As the two embrace and Bart says he won’t jump the gorge for real this time, Homer accidentally starts rolling off the cliff. In the air, Homer is excited, as it seems that he will make the jump.
    Unfortunately, he comes up a bit short and falls down the gorge, bouncing off the rocks as he does so. The episode ends with Homer lying in a hospital bed right next to Murdock, with Bart by his side.

    Another episode that isn’t as quotable as others and one that you may not immediately think about, but, when conversations start about it, you always remember it vividly. It doesn’t have many gags, but the ones it does have are always successful in bringing a laugh, no matter how many times you see it. It also holds three cases of Simpsons signature “screw-with-the-audience” style comedy, and all three constantly hold up, no matter how many times you’ve seen the episode.
    1) The only person watching Murdock jump the water tank of sharks, lions, and electric eels is Bart, as everyone else has their eyes closed and covered. Murdock makes it and the entire audience cheers and applauds. Murdock drives his motorcycle up onto the edge of the ramp to wave to his audience, only to fall over into the tank and get attacked by the animals. This is also brilliantly followed up with Murdock’s attempt to climb out of the tank, only for the lion to jump up and pull him back in.
    2) Homer’s jumping the Gorge, and subsequent falling, is still, to this day, one of the most pain-inducing things I’ve ever seen on the show. It may be brief, and I have seen worse things in movies and shows, but this still makes me cringe, probably because it is conveyed in a more realistic way than anything else. We are lead to believe that Homer will make the jumping of the Gorge, only to come up a few feet short and plunge down the side of the cliff, bleeding and ripping himself up on the way down, and once he hits the bottom the skateboard lands on his head. I am still unsure whether or not James Cameron got the line “I’m the king of the World” for Titanic from Homer himself, here.
    3) Immediately after the above incident, an ambulance comes to take Homer to the hospital. Once loading him up, they take off, and the ambulance hits a tree. The back doors open and Homer rolls out on his gurney, all the way back down the cliff- and yes, the gurney hit him in the head the same as the skateboard before it.

    The best thing about The Simpsons has always been the way they made episodes that were relatable in the way they concerned the characters, as evidence by the write-ups I’ve published already. People that didn’t watch the show used to point towards it as nothing but ’juvenile,’ which is odd to think about if you have actually put in time to watch the show. This episode follows the obvious story of when we were young and may have been fascinated by the more out-of-the-world professions that we dreamt of doing, as well as being worldly recognized for it. It’s a time when we don’t really understand the dangers of certain things, even though we’ve been told millions of times, and we are too enthralled by an idea to seriously stop and think about it. We’re drawn in to the theatrics and the fact that, in this case, the man we are watching has avoided death a countless amount of times. It’s an easy way to grab the imagination of a young child, but it can also be an easy way for a child to mature. Of course, that all depends on whether or not they realize the danger that they are putting themselves into.

    Lance Murdock seems to embody the type of people who don’t fully recognize, or appreciate, their fame, mostly as a way to educate young ones that listen or speak out about things that are wrong and important in the world. Sure, he’s a daredevil, but he could speak out against doing these things at home, and how serious it is to recognize the danger involved. Instead, he encourages a ten-year-old to jump a Gorge, saying that the world needs more people like Bart and that the doctor-to-daredevil ratio is fantastic (but, in argument for Murdock, he does speak out about wearing seatbelts). He’s one of those people that you watch on television, and may feel worried about young people following up on their image without thought.

    The family story here is also interestingly set up. I’m happy that they decided not to have Marge be the one that talks to Bart about jumping the Gorge. The reason for this is because, though Bart probably would have listened to Marge, he wouldn’t have learned anything, instead deciding against it mostly to make his mother feel better. Homer and Bart share the exact same sense of humour and are entertained by the same things. They like to do the same activities and have done hundreds of schemes together. The fact that Homer worries, and eventually risks his own life, over Bart helps tighten the bond between them. If Bart saw that Homer was protecting him from something that he himself is entertained by normally, it just goes to show that Homer loves him so much more.

    It’s a well-crafted episode and, though not the funniest, leaves us with some of the most memorable sight gags in the early run of the series. It was in these days that you could really see The Simpsons slowly building up into the style of show that it would become. I honestly still believe that the show could be just as hilarious as it was ten+ years-ago. All they have to do is going back to stories about the characters going through real situations, and not profound comedy. Yes, The Simpsons have done pretty much everything, but that doesn’t mean they can’t focus on real character traits and emotions. They were always able to realize how to tug at the heartstrings and have a raw, emotional impact. They also knew that, sometimes, the funniest things are always what we encounter in day-to-day life, and the Simpsons was always great at bringing its own twist into those types of situations. With stories like these, the ones I posted previously, and the ones you will continue to see from me, it’s easy to see how The Simpsons, no matter how long they go on or get farther away from the ‘classic/golden age’, there’s a reason why they deserve the cemented legacy of being one of the greatest shows of all time, even now.

Favourite Quotes And Bits:
5) The first episode featuring Dr. Hibbert, and he does not have his signature chuckle yet. In fact, this is a very competent doctor, which is kind of odd to see considering the ineptness of so many other Springfieldians.
4) The family goes to the recital to see Lisa’s first saxophone solo, as she told them. The solo itself is never shown.
3) Television Announcer (During the commercial announcing Truckasaurus): "If you miss this you better be dead, or in jail. And if you’re in jail, break out!"
2) Marge: “Homer, you’re his father, you’ve got to reason with him.”
     Homer: "Oh, that never works. He’s a goner!"
1) Flanders (tearing up with pride over Todd’s violin solo): “My son, my son.”
     Homer: "Come on, Flanders, he’s not that bad."