Plot
Springfield Elementary School teacher Mrs. Edna Krabappel feels increasingly lonely, and, searching for love, places a personal ad in the newspaper. A yo-yo craze sweeps through the school after a group of four demonstrate the potential of the toys. Bart breaks the class fish tank with his yo-yo, and is given one month of detention by Mrs. Krabappel. While snooping in her desk to take back his yo-yo, he discovers her personal ad and decides to get revenge on her pulling a prank and responding by mail. He creates a new adult male alter ego named Woodrow, after former President Woodrow Wilson. Mrs. Krabappel responds by sending a suggestive photograph. Bart writes a response to Edna using lines from an old love letter Homer had sent Marge.
Meanwhile, Marge notices that their dog Santa's Little Helper needs a new dog house. She wants to buy one, but Homer says that he can save money by building one instead. His infuriating attempts at constructing the dog house cause him to curses loud enough for Todd Flanders to overhear. Todd says "hell no" and "damn" at the dinner table, so his father Ned tries to find out where he learned such language. Ned discovers that Homer is the source. He complains to Homer, who in turn criticizes Ned's mustache. Ned promises to shave off his mustache in return for Homer's curtailing uses of profanity. He promises to put money in a "swear jar" - 25 cents for each curse.
Edna asks "Woodrow" for a photograph, so Bart searches through a book called NHL Stars of 1969 and sends her a picture of hockey star Gordie Howe. Bart, as Woodrow, writes Mrs. Krabappel more letters, telling her what she wants to hear. He then sends a letter asking for them to meet at the Gilded Truffle. Bart sees Mrs. Krabappel waiting for Woodrow, and laughs as he goes to watch a movie. On his way back home he sees Mrs. Krabappel still waiting at the empty restaurant, all alone and on the verge of tears. Bart feels guilty to see her so sad. Meanwhile, Homer resists temptations to curse but nevertheless experiences intense feelings of rage. However, his constant swearing eventually puts enough money in the jar to purchase a dog house.
Bart talks to Mrs. Krabappel after class and starts to feel worse about what he did when he is unable to console her. He confesses to the family what he has done, and, realising the truth would humiliate her, The Simpsons then write a poetic and loving letter to tell her why Woodrow must leave which makes Mrs. Krabappel feel better.
Read more about this topic: Bart The Lover
Famous quotes containing the word plot:
“After I discovered the real life of mothers bore little resemblance to the plot outlined in most of the books and articles I’d read, I started relying on the expert advice of other mothers—especially those with sons a few years older than mine. This great body of knowledge is essentially an oral history, because anyone engaged in motherhood on a daily basis has no time to write an advice book about it.”
—Mary Kay Blakely (20th century)
“Those blessed structures, plot and rhyme—
why are they no help to me now
I want to make
something imagined, not recalled?”
—Robert Lowell (1917–1977)
“Ends in themselves, my letters plot no change;
They carry nothing dutiable; they won’t
Aspire, astound, establish or estrange.”
—Philip Larkin (1922–1986)