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At Long Last Leave |
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"At Long Last Leave" is the fourteenth episode of Season 23, and it's the 500th episode overall.
Synopsis[]
After everyone in Springfield (except Ned Flanders) agrees they have had enough of the Simpsons, the family is officially banished from the town. Moving to a deranged "off the grid" commune, the family embraces a new lifestyle as wild mountain people. Upon learning that the Simpsons actually enjoy their new home, the rest of Springfield decides to move in too.
Full Story[]
The Simpson family are at home watching Channel 6 News when Kent Brockman announces that there is a disaster... drill, and that all Springfieldians must take cover immediately, for the next three hours. The Simpsons obediently head to their shelter in their backyard.
Not that expensive but pretty annoying
After a while, the family is all bored and plans to head out of their shelter to explore Springfield while it is empty. They then go to Springfield Town Hall where they realize that there is a secret meeting going on. They sneak in to find that the townspeople have unanimously voted to kick them out of Springfield. After making themselves known to the rest of the town, the townspeople act angry at them. Mayor Quimby reveals that the town has gone bankrupt due to the family's shenanigans over the years. He mentions it was a mixture of such things involving Homer's recklessness, Bart's pranks in school, in church, and in town, Lisa's environmental pleas (though much cheaper, yet was very annoying), Maggie shooting Mr. Burns years ago, and Marge's attempts to see the family in a positive light that got them kicked out. Even Mayor Quimby declared Marge to be the "worst Simpson of all." Offended by this, Ned attempts to defend them and tells the citizens to give the Simpsons a break. Quimby, however, has planned Ned's arrival in advance, and ejects him from the meeting, after which Ned withdraws his objections. The Simpsons (expect for Grampa) are then paraded out of Springfield during a big celebration that the Flanders refuse to attend, still angered how the residents are acting like pariahs themselves.
The Simpsons speak up in their own defense, but the town just gets angrier at discovering they've snuck into the meeting, and Mayor Quimby makes a case against their antics. Offended, Ned Flanders vainly pleas for the city to give the Simpsons a break. After Quimby boots him out, it is decided: The Simpsons are to be expelled. In a grand ceremony, the family is formally exiled and cramming all their possessions into their car, they drive off into the unknown.
After driving for a while, Bart says that he needs to take a leak. Homer pulls off by the side of the road only to be confronted by a Mountain Man with a shotgun. After Marge explains their situation, he welcomes the family to a commune of "off-the-grid" outlaws and derelicts called The Outlands.
Homer, Bart, Lisa and Maggie all quickly take to their new life in the Outlands' anarchic, broken-down civilization (including a fondness for their new neighbor, Julian Assange), but Marge has a hard time settling in. The family soon realizes that she is just homesick for Springfield. Homer decides to cheer his wife up by sneaking her back into Springfield.
The Family in their new home watching Fox.
Homer and Marge, poorly disguised as Mr. Burns and Waylon Smithers, sneak back into their old town, easily tricking a gullible Chief Wiggum into letting them in. They have a romantic night together then head to their old home where they make love in their old bed. Jimbo, Dolph and Kearney then sneak into what they assume to be an abandoned home, and Homer and Marge are found out.
As a crowd gathers around the Simpson house, Chief Wiggum explains that he actually saw through their disguises earlier and merely pretended to be fooled in order buy himself time to gather the town's residents together.
Marge is nervous but Homer sarcastically challenges the residents of Springfield intend to do something about it. "What are you going to do", he says, "throw us out again?". In response, the Angry Mob shouts all sorts of gruesome punishments, with Gill suggesting the cops simply shoot them. Wiggum, Lou and Eddie accordingly prepare to do just that.
Marge, who has remained silent until this point, tells the cops not to bother shooting them. As Wiggum and the other cops lower their weapons, she reveals to the onlookers that despite everything the citizens of Springfield wished upon them, the Simpsons have actually found a new home they love, and that their new community accepts them for who they are. She admits that whilst their new home doesn't possess all the luxuries they had in Springfield, it does have the one thing that Springfield will never have, which Homer declares to be "non-jerks."
This criticism visibly shocks all the residents of Springfield, who are stunned to learn what Homer and Marge really think of them, and that even when faced with permanent exile the Simpsons consider themselves better off for it. Mayor Quimby begrudgingly admits that Homer is right about their attitude.
Homer and Marge make their way through the dejected crowd, which parts to let them through. From their expressions, it is clear that the citizens of Springfield (with the exception of a dismissive Mr. Burns) regret throwing the Simpsons out.
Back in their new home in the The Outlands, the family is surprised when Lenny and Carl turn up. Though Bart and Maggie are initially suspicious, Carl explains that after hearing what Homer and Marge said, they too decided they wanted a better life and a fresh start. Eventually, Moe turns up as well, opening Moe's Cavern which they and Homer patronize.
One by one, more and more Springfielders turn up — even Mayor Quimby — all wishing to abandon their lives in Springfield and start over in The Outlands. Soon, all of Springfield has arrived to start new lives with the Simpsons and they begin rebuilding the city in the image of Springfield, complete with a giant tire fire.
As for the Mountain Man, who originally welcomed the Simpsons in, he gets irritated with the modernity of his new community and vows to leave, declaring himself unwilling to live somewhere with medical care.
The final scene depicts Principal Skinner, now the last person left in Springfield, alone and confused.
At the end of the episode, a title card appears stating: "Thanks for 500 Shows. All we ask is that you go out and get some fresh air before logging on the Internet and saying how much this sucked."
Just before the rest of the credits start to roll, Bart rescues Skinner in a wooden helicopter, crashing him into several buildings and landmarks along the way.
Behind the Laughter[]
None of the events in this episode carried over into the next one, which depicts everyone back in Springfield, living as normal.
