◄ Beyond Blunderdome

Brother's Little Helper

Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner? ►

Brother's Little Helper
Bart's learning properly at last!
Episode Number	228
Production Code	AABF22
Original Airdate	October 3, 1999
Chalkboard Gag	"Pork is not a verb"
Couch Gag	Korean Artists couch gag
Special Guest Voices	Mark McGwire as himself
Written By	George Meyer
Directed By	Mark Kirkland

Brother's Little Helper is the second episode of Season 11 and aired on October 3, 1999. The episode was written by George Meyer and directed by Mark Kirkland. Mark McGwire guest stars as himself.

SynopsisEdit

After Bart continually acts up in school, Principal Skinner recommends to Marge and Homer that Bart take some behavior medication. The drug initially shows promise, but it quickly alters Bart's psychosis and turns him into a paranoid conspiracy theorist.

Plot Edit

During Fire Safety Day, the Springfield Volunteer Fire Department arrives at the school to teach kids about Fire Safety. Although Lisa has a genuine interest in Fire Safety, Bart namely asks for the names of Fire Safety equipment namely to have Principal Skinner utter double entendres. Principal Skinner introduces a fire safety skit to the students. The skit consisted of Ned and Maude Flanders playing Mad Dog and his girlfriend, a hippie couple who used drugs. During the skit, Ned Flanders catches on fire as part of the act, but it goes awry when his life is endangered due to it spreading to the extent that not even the stop-drop-and-roll method worked ("It's not working, it just spreads the flames!"). The fire department tries to extinguish him, but they cannot because Bart using the fire hose to flood the gym. Skinner has Homer and Marge come to the school. It is then when Bart is diagnosed with Attentio

n Deficit Disorder. Principal Skinner recommends that Bart take a behavior drug called Focusyn, and states that the only alternative is that he will expel Bart if his parents don't give him Focusyn.

After several failed attempts by Homer, Marge convinces Bart to take the medication, and his behavior immediately improves. He begins paying attention in school and being respectful to his parents. However, side effects soon occur as Bart becomes paranoid that Major League Baseball is spying on the town using satellites. The doctors recommend that Bart go off Focusyn, but he refuses. Before anyone can stop him, he swallows several handfuls of Focusyn and runs away.

Bart wanders onto an army base and manages to steal a tank (ala Shawn Nelson). He cuts a swath of destruction through the town, until he eventually stops at the school. There, he points the tank's cannon into the sky and shoots down a Major League Baseball satellite, proving his theory right. Mark McGwire appears, but instead of explaining the bizarre situation, he distracts the townspeople by hitting some baseballs and then runs off with the evidence. Marge takes Bart off Focusyn for good and puts him back on "good old Ritalin", which he is okay with.

◄ Season 10	Season 11 Episodes	Season 12 ►
Beyond Blunderdome • Brother's Little Helper • Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner? • Treehouse of Horror X • E-I-E-I-D'oh • Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder • Eight Misbehavin' • Take My Wife, Sleaze • Grift of the Magi • Little Big Mom • Faith Off • The Mansion Family • Saddlesore Galactica • Alone Again, Natura-Diddily • Missionary: Impossible • Pygmoelian • Bart to the Future • Days of Wine and D'oh'ses • Kill the Alligator and Run • Last Tap Dance in Springfield • It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Marge • Behind the Laughter