Recap / The Simpsons S2 E14 "Principal Charming"

Original air date: 2/14/1991

Production code: 7F15

Worried that Selma is depressed over being single and childless, Marge orders Homer to find Selma a man — but ends up pairing Principal Skinner with Patty by mistake. Meanwhile, Bart is sentenced to reseed the school's field with Groundskeeper Willie^note in his first appearance after spelling his name out on it with a herbicide he created in science class.

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Tropes used in this episode:

• Awesomeness by Analysis: When Homer sets out to find a man to introduce to Selma, he starts doing The Terminator -like scans to everyone around him to analyze their pros and cons. He rejects Smithers ("Cons: Jerk") and one of his coworkers ("Cons: Not a man"), but later realizes that Principal Skinner is a good candidate ("Pros: Uses big words, dislikes the boy, well groomed." "Cons: Possible Homer Sexual.").
• Blunt "Yes": Patty gives one to Selma when she asks if she's giving up her last chance of happiness for her.
• Borrowed Catchphrase:
  • Bart quotes "Excellent" like Homer's boss, Mr. Burns, when he learns what herbicide is and that sodium tetra sulfate can be used in that manner, even tenting his fingers while saying it like Burns does. Homer does likewise after inviting Skinner over for dinner.
  • Bart says "D'oh!" when he realizes he still has a whole field of grass left to mow.
• Brick Joke: Bart being let off the hook for his reseeding punishment after Principal Skinner falls for Patty. When Skinner and Patty break up, Bart is back to his punishment.
• Brilliant, but Lazy: Bart is able to make a rather effective herbicide during his fourth-grade science class. But he prefers to goof off and use it to write his name on the school lawn rather than apply himself to the class.
  • When forced to find a man for Selma, Homer proves himself smart enough to weed out the truly unsuitable candidates and find Skinner, who was almost perfect for her had he not encountered Patty first.
• Call-Back and Funny Background Event: While Principal Skinner is talking about how much in love he is with Patty, we see the school plunging into chaos. If you look closely, there's a grafitti on the wall of Principal Skinner saying, "I Am Still a Weiner," a reference to the "I Am A Weiner" graffiti seen in season one's "Bart the Genius".
• Characterization Click Moment:
  • Patty and Selma had up till now been portrayed as Homer's Obnoxious In-Laws who only showed up to briefly antagonise him, and were effectively interchangeable as characters. This episode establishes Selma's severe loneliness and fear of dying alone as well that she genuinely does care about her nieces and nephew, making her a much more complex and sympathetic character.
  • While it had been hinted at beforehand, this is also the episode to firmly establish Skinner's Endearingly Dorky side.
• Couch Gag: The Simpsons sit on the couch, which opens into a bed, flinging the family into the air and landing on it.
• Deadpan Snarker: Homer, when Marge tries to cheer Selma up:
  Marge: There's still plenty of fish in the sea. Right, Homer?
  Homer: Oh, yeah! Plenty of fish! (sotto voce) You just don't have any bait.
• Defrosting Ice Queen: Patty isn't particularly interested in Skinner at first, and only goes out with him because Selma badgers her into it. She later warms up to him as they continue dating, and probably would have married him if it weren't for her concerns about Selma.
• Didn't Think This Through: Bart's vandalism plan. Skinner even calls him on it, especially with regards to a particularly significant oversight:
  Skinner: Bart, I'm flabbergasted. Surely you knew, as you were writing your name in 40ft high letters, that you would be caught?!
  Bart: Maybe it was one of the other Barts?
  Skinner: There ARE no other Barts!
  Bart: Uh-oh.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Principal Skinner threatens to suspend Bart, Milhouse, Wendell, and Lewis for dropping their pencils at 2:15 PM.
• Early-Installment Weirdness:
  • Patty's sexuality. In this episode, she is established as being willingly celibate ^note (while Selma has had celibacy thrust upon her and is trying to break it by finding a man to marry or, at least, have sex with so she can have a child and not die alone) due to her hatred of men^note Homer in particular, but has a crush on MacGyver just like her sister and warms up to Skinner (until she realizes how miserable Selma is). In later episodes, it's established that Patty is a lesbian (she comes out of the closet in "There's Something About Marrying") and has known about her sexual orientation since she was a child (while Marge was either too naive or in denial about it).
  • Similarly, Homer lists "Jerk" as the one and only reason not to set Selma up with Smithers (as opposed to "gay" or "Burnssexual", which would be a better reason). Then again, Homer may be unaware that Smithers is gay.
  • Selma is depicted as being loveless and alone in this episode. Later episodes would have her be a Serial Spouse with a slew of ex-husbands.
  • The character later known as Hans Moleman makes his first appearance here, but the name on his driver's license (which is briefly shown onscreen) is "Ralph Melish".
  • Several scenes in the episode revolve around a belltower that's apparently part of Springfield Elementary, and is very visible in exterior shots. The belltower has never appeared before or since.
  • Skinner implies that he rarely gets to enjoy a "home cooked meal". We later learn that he lives with his mother, and it's very unlikely she doesn't cook for the two of them.
  • The character later known as the Squeaky Voiced Teen is recognised by Skinner as having attended Springfield Elementary in 1971, which would make him 26-31.
• Everyone Has Standards: Even Bart's mischievous classmates are appalled by his plans to write his name on the school field in herbicide.
  Milhouse: Just who does he think he is, anyway?
  Wendell: He's never going to get away with this!
  Lewis: Sometimes that kid just goes too far!
• Four-Fingered Hands: Homer has five words to tell Marge:
  Homer: "Greasy", "Joe's", "Bottomless", "Barbecue"... (realizes he has run out of fingers to hold up on one hand and has to use his other one)... "Pit"!
• Future Loser: When Skinner and Patty go to the Springfield Revolving Restaurant, their waiter is more interested in flirting with a female coworker than serving them. When he finally comes to the table, Skinner immediately recognizes him as an old student. Skinner then tells Patty that the waiter is still working as a busboy despite being almost 30, and quips that "the standardized testing never lies."
• Good Night, Sweet Prince: Patty's parting words to Skinner are "Good night, sweet principal".
• Hates Being Touched: Patty is this. Homer mistakenly thinks that it's Selma, at least until Marge corrects him.
• I Told You So: Doubles as a Brick Joke. After Skinner dates Patty the first time, he lets Bart off his punishment. Bart promptly throws the bag of seeds to Willie and runs off but Willie doesn't seem deterred.
  Willie: You'll be back! You haven't seen the last of Willie!
  At the end of the episode, Skinner is dumped by Patty and retakes the school from Bart's control. His first order of business is having the boy reseed the field as punishment. Guess who's helping Skinner oversee this?
  Willie: I told ya ye be back!
• Informed Attractiveness: Patty (according to Selma) has larger breasts, delicate skin, and is and looks two minutes younger, thus attracting more men than her love-starved sister.
• Married to the Job: Skinner describes himself this way when Homer starts inquiring whether he's in a relationship. It's cemented at the end when Patty breaks up with him and he cries out, "Oh, Springfield Elementary, I will have you back again!"
• Oh, Crap!:
  • Moe, when he discovers it's Principal Skinner calling him^note he was in the middle of his ranting at Bart's prank calling when Skinner got a hold of the phone.
  • An enraged Principal Skinner roars Bart's name after seeing his latest prank, and Bart gulps both audibly and nervously. He then has another moment when Skinner is yelling at him in his office:
    Skinner: Surely you realized that by writing your own name in forty-foot letters, you would be caught.
    Bart: Maybe it was one of the other Barts, sir.
    Skinner: THERE ARE NO OTHER BARTS!!!
    Bart: Uh oh.
• One-Steve Limit: It's revealed that there are no other Barts at Springfield Elementary. Skinner angrily tells Bart this when he tries to blame his prank on "one of the other Barts".
• The One That Got Away: The twins go to a wedding of two coworkers that fell in love by chance (he initially was going to sit next to Selma in the cafeteria, but Patty scared him away, only to sit next to the woman he would eventually marry). Even worse, he says in their wedding vows that had he not sat next to her, "who knows what kind of woman would I have married?", implying that the memory with Selma meant nothing to him/does not even register anymore. Ouch.
• Prank Call: Skinner forces Bart to call Homer as punishment for using sodium tetra sulfate to spell his name in the grass. Bart calls Moe's Tavern and asks for Homer, but he sees an opportunity for a prank and specifies "Homer Sexual" instead of Homer Simpson.
  Moe: One of you's gotta be Homer Sexual!
  [Everyone laughs.]
  Homer: Don't look at me.
• Say My Name: Skinner angrily yells "SIMPSOOOOOOOON!" after finding Bart's name engraved with a herbicide on the school's field.
• Shout-Out:
  • Homer's Terminator-esque POV as he analyzes all of Selma's potential suitors.
  • As he struggles to find Patty a date, Homer laments that "a good man is hard to find."
  • Skinner climbing a bell tower is an homage to Vertigo, complete with Vertigo Effect.
  • The final scene of Gone with the Wind is spoofed when Skinner declares that "tomorrow is another school day."
  • Skinner shouts "Callooh! Callay!" which is from Jabberwocky.
• Spanner in the Works: Patty and Skinner meet after Marge gets Homer to try and find a man for Selma. Homer cons Principal Skinner into coming over to the Simpson house for dinner, as a way to introduce him to Selma. Unfortunately, when Skinner is sitting with Homer in the living room, Selma is too nervous to go out to join them. Patty goes in her place, and Skinner is instantly smitten.
• Suddenly Shouting: When Bart tries to pass the blame for his herbicide prank to one of the other Barts in school, Skinner fires back with, "THERE ARE NO OTHER BARTS!"
• Tuckerization: Hans Moleman makes his first appearance but his name is given as Ralph Melish in his first appearance. A reference to the "The Adventures Of Ralph Mellish/Hot Dogs And Knickers" song from The Monty Python Matching Tie and Handkerchief album.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Selma unwittingly does to herself when she's too nervous to go and join Homer and Skinner in the Simpson living room. Patty goes instead, and Skinner ends up falling for the "wrong one", as Homer puts it.
• Would Hurt a Child: Skinner wishes he could still do this after Bart's latest prank.
  Skinner: The sheer contempt of this display makes me wish I could pull the trusty Board of Education out of retirement.

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