Rate & Review: "Bart's Not Dead" (XABF19)

How would you rate this episode?

  • Total voters
    58
Brad Lascelle

Brad Lascelle

A Fixture in Online Simpsons Fandom Since '93
Global Moderator
Joined
Mar 9, 2008
Messages
5,769
Location
Kitchener, ON
F9hOCt5.jpg


Season 30, Episode 1
Original Airdate: September 30, 2018
Writer: Stephanie Gillis
Director: Bob Anderson
Showrunner: Al Jean
Synopsis: Bart takes a dare, and ends up in the hospital. To cover for himself and Homer, he says he went to Heaven and met Jesus. Christian producers offer the Simpsons a movie deal, which Homer takes. But Bart can't deal with the guilt and comes clean to Marge after the movie is finished.

Previous R&R
Next R&R

R&R Poll Average Score: 3.22 / 5 (as of September 24, 2021 / 50 votes)
IMDB User Rating: 6.2 / 10
 
Last edited:
This was a decent episode, especially the first two acts. I always like when Bart and Homer do something to bond, even when it’s being in cahoots for a moneymaking scheme like this. There were some decently funny bits in this, and Flanders had a good role in this too. The worst scene was when the actress was performing the lines and Homer kept interrupting her. That scene was far too long and cringeworthy; it baffles me that they chose that as the trailer. Once we got to the third act, it became pretty by-the-numbers with Bart feeling guilty about what he did. We’ve seen this sort of thing many times before. A little speech by Homer makes everything better, and that’s the end. A disappointing latter third of the episode, but the rest was solid, so I’ll give it a 4/5.
 
Bart's Not Dead! He's surely alive! He's living on the inside roaring like a lion......

But seriously this episode wasn't very entertaining. I did like a few things like the couch gag and the ending where Homer is reincarnated as a freaking turtle :lol: But overall I give this episode a 5/10
 
A very average episode with some funny lines.

They've done "Bart's Guilt Trip" episodes many times before. I felt like this episode moved a little too quickly in some parts. and am I the only one that found the art for bart and lisa a little weird in some parts of the episode?
 
Well, as usual, football ran REALLY late, and it wasn't even the Green Bay Packers playing! Fortunately, my parents let me modify the DVR recording so I could get the entire episode and not have to wait a week to see it online or On Demand. (Ya like that, FOX?!) And it appears that this year's season premiere ratings stunt is just celebrity casting, but hey, I'll take that over the disasters that were "Clown in the Dumps" and "Every Man's Dream."
I wonder if this episode was a jab at that whole "Dead Bart" Creepypasta?

Ten second FOX 25 News promo comes first.
Let the show and season begin!

Nice 30 years intro! Note the clip choice for Season 7. It seems the production staff is well aware of the memes this show spawns...
That was nice of Bart not wanting to pull the fire alarm to embarrass Lisa. And of course, the pull station is the usual Simplex-style T-bar model often seen in the school.

Jeez, Marge's voice is getting more and more raspy. And Harry Shearer's voices are getting weaker, too. Does FOX not care about the health and aging of the voice actors?
OK, I got a chuckle out of Homer's super long moan after Bart's fake prayer for Homer and Ned Flanders to work together.
Geez, that casting Marge part was stupid. If I were Homer, I would've hired her on the spot due to her convincing performance! I liked Homer's line "Whenever I see the DC logo I immediately fall asleep."

Now for the second FOX 25 news promo where the weather part is shorter!

Geez, the "Bart's Not Dead" movie looks so low-budget. I know it's one of those Christianity movies, but even those don't have THAT many Special Effect Failures!
I did enjoy seeing the impersonators for recurring characters, though.

Not too bad; I enjoyed the premise and a few jokes, so I give it a 3 out of 5. Otherwise, I probably won't tune into ALL the episodes this season though.
 
wiley207 said:
And it appears that this year's season premiere ratings stunt is just celebrity casting, but hey, I'll take that over the disasters that were "Clown in the Dumps" and "Every Man's Dream."
Click to expand...
Hey... Every Man's Dream was positioned as both a disaster AND a celebrity stunt casting extravaganza. Sometimes you can have both.
 
It was a pretty paint-by-numbers Bart is guilty episode but for the most part, there wasn't many stumbles and the story was paced surprisingly well. There were some good lines too. However, that audition scene was really cringeworthy and was done far better back in season 5 with the Mr. Thompson joke.

On a side note, that 30th anniversary intro was nice. I like that the writers chose the Steamed Hamms scene for season 7.

3/5(B-)
 
Last edited:
I prefer Emily Deschanel's Marge to Julie Kavner's Marge.

"It's worse than wetting your pants on Santa's lap. I've been on both sides of that one." - Callback to "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"?

"As someone who falls of cliffs multiple times, I think we should teach him how to fall off cliffs." - Never forget "Bart the Daredevil"

In the Christian movies, I only saw, "Crazy Rich Aslans" and "The God Couple". Couldn't make out any more.

"As someone who knows the movie business, I want two reserved seats!" - "Beyond Blunderdome" and "Angry Dad: The Movie", I guess.

Why did all the Christians say "Diddly"? I thought Ned only said it because of Dr. Foster's punishment.

Gonna have to see what Ned wrote later too. "Bart Jesus No..." Why is my TV so grainy all of a sudden?

Marge gets through life because of wine? I thought she only drank when she was bored!

Since when was Clancy Bouvier missing a leg?

Chinese movie title: "The Brat Boy Who Saw Upwards"
Australia: "Hello From Up Over"
Youth market: "The Lord is my skateboard"

Storyboard:
"Bart's Dare"
"Paintball in Heaven"
"CGI Holy Spirit"

"All hit movies are lies, Marge. Did you ever see Argo?" Better example? The Blind Side. Just ask the real life black kid from the movie.

Protestor signs:
"This is why I'm a Wiccan" - Moe (Callback to "Rednecks and Broomsticks")
"Bart Lies, Jesus Cries" - Timothy Lovejoy
"B.S. is B.S." - Helen Lovejou
"Never Trust Non-Hollywood Films" - Hibbert
"Kill the Father" - Patty and Selma
"The Last Half Dragged - "Sideshow Mel"
 
wiley207 said:
Well, as usual, football ran REALLY late, and it wasn't even the Green Bay Packers playing!
Click to expand...
That was only in a few cities - and you would have known about the 4:25 starting game in advance if you would have looked at the map pointed to by the link on my Upcoming Episodes page (I'm just sayin').

Anyway...

In the opening, since the show is only 29 years old, the planet 30 light years away would be receiving The Tracey Ullman Show, not the Christmas special.

Wasn't Marge's father the one person in the family (well, besides Marge) that liked homer?

Speaking of Marge's father, was he missing a leg in The Way We Was, which takes place after the photo Lisa has of him was taken?

The First Church of Springfield Weekly Bulletin is #679, and is dated February 19-26, which were Sundays in 2017.

Ned Flanders is a respectable bowler; remember the Holy Rollers?

They missed the opportunity for a joke; it should have said, "Thank you, Springfield Flim Commission."


What - nobody else got the list of episodes from the first 29 seasons in the opening? Here are the ones I recognize:
29 - Gone Boy
28 -
27 -
26 - Simpsorama
25 - Brick Like Me
24 - Dark Knight Court
23 - Holidays of Future Passed
22 - The Fight Before Christmas
21 - Boy Meets Curl
20 - Gone Maggie Gone
19 -
18 - 24 Minutes
17 - The Seemingly Never-Ending Story
16 -
15 - The President Wore Pearls
14 -
13 - Weekend at Burnsie's?
12 - HOMR
11 - Behind the Laughter
10 - They Saved Lisa's Brain
9 -
8 - Homer's Phobia
7 - 22 Short Films About Springfield
6 - And Maggie Makes Three
5 - Cape Feare
4 - Marge vs. the Monorail
3 - Homer at the Bat
2 - Bart the Daredevil
1 - Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire
 
First of all, Bart is still Catholic because one thing about Catholicism is they know guilt.

Other than that it was an ok episode. It would have been nice to see Bart come to his epiphany than having Lisa prodding him. Thought the joke about Lisa being a musical hack was funny...but was Milhouse doing when Lisa was playing. The casting segment went on way to long.

It was ok. I'll cfold and give it a 3/5.
 
BlueRibbonCommittee said:
In the Christian movies, I only saw, "Crazy Rich Aslans" and "The God Couple". Couldn't make out any more.
Click to expand...
"There's Something About Mary Magdalene"
"Where's God When I Feel Tingly?"

BlueRibbonCommittee said:
Gonna have to see what Ned wrote later too. "Bart Jesus No..." Why is my TV so grainy all of a sudden?
Click to expand...
Bart, Jesus, No Cracks (in the sidewalks)

BlueRibbonCommittee said:
Storyboard:
"Bart's Dare"
"Paintball in Heaven"
"CGI Holy Spirit"
Click to expand...
Bart's Dare
Stuff on Cliff
Rainbow Butt
Paintball in Heaven
Suspicious Marge
Homer = Hugh Jackman?
CGI Holy Spirit
Chinese Investors
Miracle at the Academy Awards
 
That Don Guy said:
What - nobody else got the list of episodes from the first 29 seasons in the opening? Here are the ones I recognize:
29 - Gone Boy
28 -
27 -
26 - Simpsorama
25 - Brick Like Me
24 - Dark Knight Court
23 - Holidays of Future Passed
22 - The Fight Before Christmas
21 - Boy Meets Curl
20 - Gone Maggie Gone
19 -
18 - 24 Minutes
17 - The Seemingly Never-Ending Story
16 -
15 - The President Wore Pearls
14 -
13 - Weekend at Burnsie's?
12 - HOMR
11 - Behind the Laughter
10 - They Saved Lisa's Brain
9 -
8 - Homer's Phobia
7 - 22 Short Films About Springfield
6 - And Maggie Makes Three
5 - Cape Feare
4 - Marge vs. the Monorail
3 - Homer at the Bat
2 - Bart the Daredevil
1 - Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire
Click to expand...
28 - The Town
27 - Barthood
19 - Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind
16 - The Father, the Son and the Holy Guest Star
14 - Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington
9 - Trash of the Titans
 
It's not a great episode but I'm glad it's a decent one. That makes it the best season premiere of the series since... season 21.

There were some things I liked. The bonding between Homer and Bart, I like seeing them together, and making a plan, instead of having constantly a cringe fight like in some recent episodes. I also liked the final scene between Bart and Lisa, it feels like an early episode, and it was pretty cute. Bart is maybe a prankster and a turbulent boy, he can have fears.

And there were decent jokes. Some of them were cringeworthy (all the audition part, except the last gag with the camels), but I had a few laughs (Ned and Homer taking a break or turtle Homer). But I had the feel the jokes in this episode are overall recycled from others, maybe it will be different when I'll see it again.

I'm sure anyways the screenplay is not much original, the beginning is a "Bart takes a dare that goes wrong" premise, the most part is a Bart's guilty episode, and the last part feels too much quick and with lack of development to solve the problem.

For what I expected from this episode, it's a good surprise. Also, I liked the song, Jonathan Groff is a really good singer.

3/5
 
Last edited:
wiley207 said:
Well, as usual, football ran REALLY late, and it wasn't even the Green Bay Packers playing! Fortunately, my parents let me modify the DVR recording so I could get the entire episode and not have to wait a week to see it online or On Demand. (Ya like that, FOX?!) And it appears that this year's season premiere ratings stunt is just celebrity casting, but hey, I'll take that over the disasters that were "Clown in the Dumps" and "Every Man's Dream."
I wonder if this episode was a jab at that whole "Dead Bart" Creepypasta?

Ten second FOX 25 News promo comes first.
Let the show and season begin!

Nice 30 years intro! Note the clip choice for Season 7. It seems the production staff is well aware of the memes this show spawns...
That was nice of Bart not wanting to pull the fire alarm to embarrass Lisa. And of course, the pull station is the usual Simplex-style T-bar model often seen in the school.

Jeez, Marge's voice is getting more and more raspy. And Harry Shearer's voices are getting weaker, too. Does FOX not care about the health and aging of the voice actors?
OK, I got a chuckle out of Homer's super long moan after Bart's fake prayer for Homer and Ned Flanders to work together.
Geez, that casting Marge part was stupid. If I were Homer, I would've hired her on the spot due to her convincing performance! I liked Homer's line "Whenever I see the DC logo I immediately fall asleep."

Now for the second FOX 25 news promo where the weather part is shorter!

Geez, the "Bart's Not Dead" movie looks so low-budget. I know it's one of those Christianity movies, but even those don't have THAT many Special Effect Failures!
I did enjoy seeing the impersonators for recurring characters, though.

Not too bad; I enjoyed the premise and a few jokes, so I give it a 3 out of 5. Otherwise, I probably won't tune into ALL the episodes this season though.
Click to expand...

What was the clip choice for season 7?
 
It wasn't fantastic, but it was a very entertaining episode that was well paced and had some good jokes. 4/5.
 
4.847 millions viewers for this season premiere. 48.64% more than The Serfsons. Good cifres, I think.
 
Decent episode to start the season with, not so many gimmicky stuff like many other seasons did before. It had some good pacing with only 1 plot going, flowing in well that the story made it a good watch. Some parts may look quite similiar to ''Bart Gets Famous'' in the way that he gets... famous.

Couch gag was fun with all the callbacks despite having done that many times before. The school scenes started off well with the bullies making fun of Chalmer and Skinner, Lisa wanting to play sad music and Bart not wanting to do his dare. I only didn't like Wendell using the twins hair as earplugs. Good to see Marge proud of Bart while Homer is on the opposite side of taking the dares. Homer acted really dumb in some parts, but admittedly I had a good laugh with him being distracted with Lenny daring him to not call out to Bart. He acted unneccesarily stupid to the actress who plays Marge though, it was a good gag until it started to drag on to the point that it becomes more of a FG gag.

I started to like the main plot with Bart willing to lie about visiting heaven, and the roles that the other family members played in. Lisa trying to guildtrip Bart, Marge feeling relieved that Bart might have saw her deceased father, and Homer trying to make a movie out of his lie. Even Ned got involved who has gotten some really good scenes. I liked most gags that came with the rest of the episode with the Christian movie makers, all the actors they hire to play the Simpsons, Bart actually seeing heaven with Marge's dad and Jesus being angry at him, and ofcourse the actual movie we got to see with the actors. The ending took some time to get around but its gotten some proper resolution for all the characters, with Homer having to donate the movies grossing revenue to charity and even a sweet Bart/Lisa moment. The actual heaven scene was also good, but I found that Bart was way to young to be in heaven at that point.

The story wasn't much special but entertaining enough. Some good parts of humor with my favorites being the prayers in the Simpson house and the movie premiere, my best laugh was probably when Homer's actor revealed all his belly stuffings and admitting that he was already fat to begin with. Not entirely sure what to think of the audition part, I felt like some jokes dragged on for to long where Homer acted way to stupid. I did like how annoyed Marge's actress has gotten and all the gags with Lisa's actress.

For a season premiere its nothing special, but overall its been enjoyable. Credit to the pacing where the plot flows naturally without any interruptions of unnecesary gags or sub plots. A good use of all the characters, even all the celebrities played their part well without being a nuisance. The story is a bit thin and the humor is very hit & miss. I'll give it the rating that almost everyone else did in this R&R:

3/5
 
It would seem that I enjoyed this episode more then most. While I agree it was not a fantastic episode, I thought it was quite good and a great season premier. While Bart's guilt trip episodes have been done in the past, I still enjoy seeing Bart actually have a conscience and feel bad about doing wrong to others, as opposed to many episodes in which he enjoys deliberately causing people pain. That goes beyond being a lovable mischievous scamp and trails into sociopathic territory, which is neither funny nor entertaining in my opinion. Also, it appeared to me as though he lied in order to keep Homer from getting in trouble, considering that it was due to Homer's usual horrific parenting that resulted in Bart ending up in the hospital and nearly losing his life. Despite Homer being his usual self, he was not too much of a jerkass in that he cared about Bart being in mortal danger and, at the end of the episode, took responsibility for Bart's lie presumably in order to protect his son. Though I normally don't like seeing Bart get hurt, the bit where Jesus beats him up is in a dream and is total shock humor. I really wasn't expecting Jesus to start hitting Bart with the word "fun" and that actually made me laugh out loud. The earlier part with Bart not wanting to ruin Lisa's performance was also a kind and sweet moment for him that I enjoyed, and that combined with the ending with Bart and Lisa on the roof really solidified the Bart/Lisa dynamic for the whole episode. Both were sweet moments and they both really acted like little kids, as they did for the majority of the episode.

There were some considerable drawbacks, however. Throughout the episode but most notably in the beginning, the plot seemed to proceed too fast and felt a bit rushed. I still wish they would retire the strangling gag and here it even felt a bit worse, as Homer does it in front of the movie staff causing them to seem uncomfortable and implying Homer is doing something wrong (he even essentially admits he is doing wrong). Also, not for nothing, all Bart said was that he wished that he and his father had a better relationship - honestly I'm not sure he was being sarcastic with that as he seemed sincere, but either way it is hardly a reason to get punished. Other issues I had were shared with Mike from "Me Blog Write Good" in that Marge has a prominent role in the beginning of the episode while trying to keep Bart from attempting dares but then is really not seen from the rest of the episode. Lastly, and probably more prominently IMO, is the fact that Bart took a fall from a considerable height and landed on solid concrete without really suffering any injuries. In actuality he probably would have been killed or at least have had "his skull cracked open" as Mike puts it, and I understand that this is a cartoon with unrealistic elements but come on. Homer is pretty much a bloody pulp after getting falling down Springfield Gorge, and Bart suffers a broken leg after falling out of a tree, but here he just wakes up completely fine in the hospital bed. Not saying that I wanted to see him crushed into a bloody pulp but, as it was, it really didn't make much sense.

While I normally would rate this episode a 3/5 like most others, I thought this was a very good season premier and thus I will break from the rest and give it a 4/5. Lastly, and I hate to say it, I too prefer Emily Deschanel's Marge to Julie Kavner's Marge's. Kavner's voice feels more strained every episode.
 
Boring, generic, nothing special, wasn't terribly awful by any means, just a snore.
 
I'd say this one was averagely decent overall; I quite liked the premise of Bart lying about meeting Jesus in heaven to avoid punishment for doing a stupid dare and it escalating with movie producers wanting to make his experience into a film and him suffering from guilt (even though it's not the first episode where Bart has lied to everyone and having to suffer the unintended consequences) & while it was far from great and could have been done better it turned out better than it could have much as the plot thankfully was fairly focused and coherent and wasn't all over the place despite some problems like pacing issues and not grabbing my interest incredibly much so I'll have to give it that.

The first act with Bart refusing to do a dare, being seen as a sissy and eventually feeling the need to get his reputation back by not backing out from another one felt very off and wierdly mean spirited with his schoolmates (and Homer) looking down on him and almost made it feel like it encourages giving in to peer pressure (though I did like Marge being overjoyed towards her son), but sfter Bart ended up in hospital after his bad fall (which should have sent him into a coma with broken bones at least), lies and the movie producers show up and offers to make a film based on his "experience" it picked up. The ending with Bart coming clean and Homer fixing the issue with his speech was quite rushed and threw me off a little, but Bart & Lisa's final scene was nice and while the heaven epilogue was unnecessary (and I don't like the implication that Bart dies young) the reincarnation joke made it worthwhile.

I liked Homer teaming up with Ned (with some input from and Lenny and Carl) to write the script and Homer being the director (and even though I didn't really care for the guest star appearances by Emily Descanel and Gal Gadot and them auditioning for and getting the parts of Marge and Lisa they did okay along, the same with Jonathan Groff as the Bart actor) & Bart's story of him feeling more and more guilty thanks Lisa's guilt tripping him several times was nice too and the core that held the thing together. The humor fell a little flat but there were a few nice jokes and gags once the episode got going and the characterizations were generally fine (though I think they overdid Lisa being smug and arrogant towards Bart when guilt tripping him, but it was remedied when she brought him ice cream in the end as a thanks for admitting he lied).

This wasn't an episode where I expected much, especially with that first act with Bart and the dare issue, but it was good that it improved as it went along despite never getting great or having any standout moments (making it another average modern episode) though without the generally more focused and balanced plot, the movie creating bits and Bart's conflict it would have fallen apart. The writing could certainly have been improved but for what it was it wasn't too bad, especially as far as recent season openers go (though I'll admit that last year's 'The Serfsons' was a little better because I found it more interesting). I guess they could have picked a better first episode for the season but this was an okay choice.

3/5 feels about right.
 
30 seasons. The Simpsons reached a milestone that seemed impossible, but that they will be able to overcome if they all propose it. Bart's Not Dead, the episode in charge of opening this historic season, is not something out of this world, but it's good enough to spend an enjoyable half hour and make me want to see it again.

The strongest point of this episode lies in humor. Seriously, I've laughed so many times here. Especially, in the first and second act. The satires to the religions were as much fun as I expected. In fact, the dialogue between Bart and Jesus is absolutely hilarious. Other scenes with which I have laughed were given in the auditions that Homer and Ned performed, and in several of the lies that Bart has invented, among many others. In addition, we have a really adorable final scene, in which we see the more human side of Bart, sharing a brief spiritual talk with his wise sister.

Another positive aspect is in the characterizations. Not only that the four protagonists have a role in history, but that each one has a suitable place. Bart is the same mischievous child of always, although he shows empathy with his sister and remorse at his lies. Homer is the father who tries to advise his children but is always wrong. Lisa, as always, is in search of truth and good. And Marge, also seeks the good of his son, although his disbelief and lack of carácrer prevent him from taking charge of the situation. Oh, and there's even a small place for a joke with Maggie.

Guest stars, axes of the publicity prior to the episode, fulfilled their function, although they did not highlight how they could do it. Their appearances in the episode are not necessary and, in fact, the moments in which they are in screen are where the episode stagnates. And this is not the fault of the guests, but the creative team and the casting, which brought to the show personalities when the development did not warrant it. They have to understand it at once: the Simpsons must always be the priority. Of course, I must recognize that Emily Deschanel interprets Marge better than Julie Kavner herself. A good sign that a voice actor can be replaced, and you should not take the character with them.

Finally, I want to highlight the intro. I do not know if it was a surprise for everyone, or if I'm a bit naive, but I did not expect a self-tribute this time. It was very nice and nostalgic this couch gag. Especially, because most of the images were successful to remember with appreciation the trajectory of the show. It shows that the elections were not random, and that they wanted to make the fan feel good. Very good detail.

4/5 for me. It exceeded my expectations, and gave me more motivation for what is coming (an episode of the great Matt Selman, yes!).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top