Postcards from the Wedge
Encyclopedia
"Postcards from the Wedge" is the fourteenth episode of The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...

' twenty-first season
The Simpsons (season 21)
The Simpsons twenty-first season aired on Fox from September 27, 2009 to May 23, 2010. It was the first of two seasons that the show was renewed for by Fox, and also the first season of the show to air entirely in high definition....

. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 14, 2010. In the episode, Homer and Marge once again try to discipline Bart after Mrs. Krabappel tells them that Bart has not been doing his homework, but Bart has a plan to manipulate Homer's strictness and Marge's sympathetic ear, which backfires when Homer and Marge see through the plan and decide to ignore Bart. These themes had been seeded in the previous season in episodes like Double, Double, Boy in Trouble
Double, Double, Boy in Trouble
"Double, Double, Boy in Trouble" is the third episode of the The Simpsons twentieth season, and first aired October 19, 2008. Bart meets the rich Simon Woosterfield, who happens to be Bart's exact look-alike...

, and The Good, the Sad, and the Drugly, and would culminate in the show's first ever true grounding, and the first to stand for the rest of the episode.

The episode was written by Brian Kelley
Brian Kelley
Brian Kelley is an American television writer. He has written for Conan O'Brien, SNL, Newsradio, Clerks, Futurama, Joey and The Simpsons.- The Simpsons episodes :He has written the following episodes:...

 and directed by Mark Kirkland
Mark Kirkland
Mark Kirkland is an American director. He has directed 69 episodes, from 1990-present, of The Simpsons, more than any other person.-Career:...

. The episode features references to the shows House
House (TV series)
House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...

and The Jetsons
The Jetsons
The Jetsons is a animated American sitcom that was produced by Hanna-Barbera, originally airing in prime-time from 1962–1963 and again from 1985–1987...

. The episode received mostly positive reviews and got an 18-49 Nielsen Rating of 2.6/8.

Plot

At school, after Mrs. Krabappel
Edna Krabappel
Edna Krabappel is a fictional character from the animated TV series The Simpsons, voiced by Marcia Wallace. She is a 4th grade teacher at Springfield Elementary School. Krabappel is the only character Wallace voices on a regular basis.- Profile :...

 shows a video from 1956 to her students about the future, she tells her students to turn in their homework project (which they had three months to do). Bart did not even attempt to complete his homework, so he tries to make his homework on the fly out of odds and ends found in his desk. Unfortunately Mrs. Krabappel does not approve, and prepares to send a letter to his parents. She gives it to Martin
Martin Prince
Martin Prince, Jr. is a recurring character in the Fox animated series, The Simpsons, and is voiced by Russi Taylor. Martin is Bart Simpson's classmate, and is Lisa Simpson's rival in intelligence, as well as Nelson Muntz's favorite target for bullying...

 to mail and he heads out the door. Bart shoots an eraser at the pull station, breaking the glass, pressing the button and activating the alarm. Everyone evacuates, but Bart
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...

 runs through 6th graders
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...

 and gets through them. He almost gets the letter when it drops out of the mail slot, but Groundskeeper Willie
Groundskeeper Willie
William McDougal, usually referred to as Groundskeeper Willie, is a recurring character on The Simpsons, voiced by Dan Castellaneta. He is head groundskeeper at Springfield Elementary School. Willie is a Scottish immigrant, almost feral in nature and immensely proud of his homeland...

 heads off with the mailbag.

Homer
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...

 and Marge
Marge Simpson
Marjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. She is voiced by actress Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...

 then receive the letter from Edna Krabappel informing them that Bart
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...

 is one month behind on his homework. When Homer is informed that he does not have to help Bart with this work, he is eager to increase his son's workload. Marge, however, is concerned that the heavy workload will dissuade Bart from liking school (which Bart already does not like). When Bart realizes his parents do not agree on this issue, he uses their opposing views to avoid homework entirely. Lisa explains that this is a wedge issue
Wedge issue
A wedge issue is a social or political issue, often of a divisive or otherwise controversial nature, which splits apart or creates a "wedge" in the support base of one political group...

, an issue that sharply divides two parties.

Marge and Homer begin to argue more and more, with Bart inciting the two to argue about very minor things that even don't involve his homework. Marge seeks counsel from Ned Flanders, who recalls having a minor argument with Maude on the day she died. He mentions that this argument still haunts him. Marge also counsels Patty and Selma
Patty and Selma
Patty and Selma Bouvier are fictional characters in the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. They are twins and are both voiced by Julie Kavner. They are Marge Simpson's older twin sisters, who both work at the Springfield Department of Motor Vehicles, and possess a strong dislike for their...

, who encourage her to "stick to her guns" even if it would endanger her marriage. She relents and decides to apologize. Meanwhile, Homer falls asleep at work, dreams about accidentally killing Marge and realizes that he too wants to apologize. The two spot each other in traffic, rush out of their vehicles and embrace. They then decide to let Bart fend for himself.

When Bart realizes that neither parent will react to his misbehavior, he and Milhouse play a prank on Principal Skinner. To evade capture by Skinner, Bart and Milhouse hide in the abandoned Springfield subway
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...

 system where they discover the subway trains still work. They race down the tracks and cause a seismic tremor
Induced seismicity
Induced seismicity refers to typically minor earthquakes and tremors that are caused by human activity that alters the stresses and strains on the Earth's crust. Most induced seismicity is of an extremely low magnitude...

 to shake the town. When Homer and Marge fail to react to this, Bart confesses to Nelson that he no longer feels a thrill when he plays a prank. Nelson suggests Bart receives no gratification from pranks unless someone loses their temper.

Bart decides to destroy Springfield Elementary, which was damaged by the first subway tremor, by driving the train under it. Homer and Marge find a note from Lisa informing them of this prank, and they decide to stop ignoring Bart. They rush to the subway station, where Homer pulls the emergency kill switch, but the school is destroyed anyway when a flagpole falls against the already damaged building (much to Nelson and Krabappel's delight). And finally, Bart is grounded and remains grounded for the rest of the episode, but Bart does not care. His parents had returned to their basic purpose of keeping their son in line, even though later, Bart becomes miserable due to his grounding. In the end, Lisa reveals that Bart wrote the note about the subway prank, suggesting that he wanted to be caught, but promises to keep it secret to protect his bad-boy reputation.

Cultural references

  • Mrs. Krabappel refers to watching the film To Sir With Love as a young girl.
  • The opening is a parody of The Jetsons
    The Jetsons
    The Jetsons is a animated American sitcom that was produced by Hanna-Barbera, originally airing in prime-time from 1962–1963 and again from 1985–1987...

    .
  • The Itchy & Scratchy episode Mouse, M.D. is a reference to the TV series House
    House (TV series)
    House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...

    .
  • The film shown at the beginning promoting the automobile over public transportation is spoofed after a cartoon produced in 1957 by the Automobile Manufacturers Association.
  • Bart and Milhouse both make references to Thomas the Tank Engine
    Thomas the Tank Engine
    Thomas the Tank Engine is a fictional steam locomotive in The Railway Series books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher. He became the most popular character in the series, and the accompanying television spin-off series, Thomas and Friends.Thomas is a tank engine, painted blue...

    when they discover the subway.
  • Bart is shown watching an episode of Pokémon
    Pokémon (anime)
    , abbreviated from , is a children's TV anime series, which has since been adapted for the North and South American, Australian and European television markets...

    , and goes on to note how the show "has managed to stay fresh all these years," a possible reference to how both the Pokémon anime and The Simpsons have been on the air for over a decade. Coincidentally, the episode aired the same day that Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
    Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
    are enhanced remakes of the 1999 video games Pokémon Gold and Silver. The games are part of the Pokémon series of role-playing video games, and were developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS...

    were released in the United States.
  • The title is a parody of Postcards from the Edge
    Postcards from the Edge
    Postcards from the Edge is a semi-autobiographical novel by Carrie Fisher, first published in 1987. It was later adapted, by Fisher herself, into a motion picture by the same name, directed by Mike Nichols which was released by Columbia Pictures in 1990.-Plot summary:The novel revolves around movie...

    .

Reception

In the original American broadcast, "Postcards from the Wedge" was viewed by 5.233 million viewers and got a 18-49 Nielsen Rating of 2.6/8 coming second in its timeslot after Amazing Race making it the third most viewed show on Fox that night after a new episode
Go Stewie Go
"Go, Stewie, Go!" is the thirteenth episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on March 14, 2010...

 of Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...

and a rerun of the Simpsons episode, "The Great Wife Hope
The Great Wife Hope
"The Great Wife Hope" is the third episode of The Simpsons twenty-first season. Originally broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on October 11, 2009, it sees the men of Springfield taking immense interest in a new combat sport called mixed martial arts...

, but the second highest rated show on FOX that night after Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...

."

The episode received positive reviews. Robert Canning of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...

 gave the episode an 8, stating the episode was "Outstanding" and "Again, the story was nothing entirely new, but the jokes were smart and fun and worth sitting on the couch for a half-hour.". Ariel Ponywether of FireFox News gave the episode a B- and said that "There were some very solid moments in this episode, with some surprisingly subversive humor throughout, and the final scene was a real winner. The middle stretch slows down the episode’s pacing a bit." On Yahoo TV, the episode received 84%, saying it was good out of 6 ratings. Todd VanDer Werff of The A.V Club gave the episode a B and stated "I don't think the plotting here was as tight as it might have been - lots of threads were introduced and then mostly left dangling, and the end was particularly abrupt - but I laughed fairly frequently, and that will be enough". Jason Hughes of TV Squad said that "All in all, while it was an unexpectedly serious episode, it was a pleasant enough one as well. No big guffaws, but enough smiles to go around."

The episode won the Creative Arts Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation, for Charles Ragins' Background Design.

External links

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