"The Boy Who Knew Too Much" | |
---|---|
The Simpsons episode | |
Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 20 |
Directed by | Jeffrey Lynch |
Written by | John Swartzwelder |
Production code | 1F19 |
Original air date | May 5, 1994 |
Guest appearance | |
Episode features | |
Chalkboard gag | "There are plenty of businesses like show business"[1] |
Couch gag | The Simpsons sit on the couch and find themselves on the set of the Late Show with David Letterman.[2] |
Commentary | Matt Groening David Mirkin David Silverman |
"The Boy Who Knew Too Much" is the twentieth episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 5, 1994.[1] In the episode, Mayor Quimby's nephew Freddy is wrongly accused of assaulting a waiter, with Bart (who is playing truant from school) being the sole witness to the true course of events. Since Bart cannot reveal what he knows without admitting that he skipped school, he faces the dilemma of either testifying on Freddy's behalf and facing punishment himself, or staying silent and allowing a miscarriage of justice.
The episode was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Jeffrey Lynch. The new character Freddy, voiced by Dan Castellaneta, was given the same type of cheekbones and nose as Quimby. The episode references films such as Westworld, Last Action Hero, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Free Willy, and the characters Huckleberry Finn, Eddie, and Darwin. Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife Maria Shriver are also referenced.
Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 10.1, and was the fifth-highest rated show on the Fox network the week it aired.
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