The Simpsons recap: Bart vs. Thanksgiving

The Simpsons wind up celebrating Thanksgiving in their typical chaotic and unique fashion when Bart makes Lisa cry.

It’s Thanksgiving at the Simpsons’ and while Marge is busy in the kitchen, Bart and Lisa are fighting over glue despite Homer’s attempt to watch TV. Since both adults are preoccupied, Maggie takes the opportunity to wander around the house. She dodges numerous safety hazards and finds her way to Lisa’s room, where she is hard at work on an elaborate table centerpiece.

Homer gives Maggie a tutorial in football before Patty and Selma Bouvier knock on the Simpsons’ door. Marge answers, but is irritated to see that they’ve brought food despite her telling them she was making a turkey. Homer offers them a brief greeting before leaving to pick up Grampa, but he makes sure to mock them both while on the road. While Homer picks up Grampa, Marge’s mother arrives and immediately tells her daughter that she never does anything right.

Homer returns with Grampa and while in the middle of using bellows to unsuccessfully start a fire, Marge announces that dinner is ready. Lisa brings down her centerpiece and everyone is impressed, including Patty and Selma. Bart then brings out the turkey and demands that Lisa move the centerpiece. The two begin squabbling over space and get into a shoving match with the centerpiece between them. The centerpiece winds up flying into the air and lands in the fireplace, where it immediately becomes kindling as the fire roars to life.

A crying Lisa runs up to her room before Marge tells Bart that he’s ruined Thanksgiving and sends him up to his own room. While Bart sulks upstairs and the adults begin the meal, Marge attempts to console Lisa. She then goes to Bart and tells him that he can come downstairs after he apologizes to Lisa in front of everyone. He angrily refuses and responds by climbing through the window and leaving with Santa’s Little Helper, who got put outside after fighting over a drumstick with Homer.

While searching for another Thanksgiving, Bart sees a pie cooling on the windowsill of the Burns Mansion. Bart attempts to grab it, but winds up setting off an alarm that alerts security. When Bart is seen on a security camera, Mr. Burns orders that the hounds be released on him. Bart manages to escape before winding up in a shady part of town where he finds a plasma center advertising $12 in exchange for donating blood.

After Bart manages to use Homer’s ID to give blood, Mrs. Bouvier says she’s sorry she came to Thanksgiving and the twins wonder when Bart will apologize. But since Bart passes out from giving blood, that won’t be anytime soon. He eventually wakes up and two men help him get some food at a soup kitchen. While there, he sees Kent Brockman doing a news story about the holidays. The same news program happens to be on at the Simpson residence before being blocked out because Marge encourages Lisa to read a poem she’s written. But before she can get into it, Grampa notices Bart’s on TV. While Kent interviews Bart, he asks if he has any message for his family. Bart does and responds by laughing about the fact that he didn’t apologize.

Seeing this, Marge is horrified that her son is in a bad part of town and Homer calls the police. Meanwhile, Bart realizes how lucky he really has it at home in comparison to the homeless people he just ate with. After giving the two homeless men who found him the money he got for donating blood, Bart rushes back home. Homer and Marge give the cops all the information they can and begin to feel guilty about yelling at Bart. The Bouviers and Grampa all leave before Bart returns home. But before walking in, Bart has a warped daydream about what’ll happen to him if he does walk back in.

Repulsed by what he imagines, Bart decides to climb the tree and winds up on the roof of the Simpsons’ house. Seeing all the various toys and sports equipment up there, he immediately begins to entertain himself. But while up there, Bart hears Lisa crying over the fact that his missing may be her fault. After whispering to her that he’s on the roof, she joins him and the two talk. Bart eventually apologizes and the two hug, which Homer witnesses. The Simpsons then all gather together for leftovers and another try at Thanksgiving.