{{Use American English|date=September 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}} {{Infobox Simpsons episode | image = | caption = | season = 24 | episode = 16 | director = [[Mark Kirkland]] | writer = * [[Billy Kimball]] * [[Ian Maxtone-Graham]] | production = RABF10 | airdate = {{Start date|2013|03|17}} | guests = *[[Janet Reno]] as herself *[[Maggy Hurchalla|Maggy Reno Hurchalla]] as Janet Reno<ref name="Gordon">{{cite web |last=Gordon |first=Sade M. |url=http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2013/mar/18/voice-of-former-martin-county-commissioner-on/ |title=Voice of former Martin County commissioner on The Simpsons episode |website=[[Treasure Coast Newspapers]] |date=March 18, 2013 |accessdate=2013-03-20 |archive-date=2013-07-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130702154730/http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2013/mar/18/voice-of-former-martin-county-commissioner-on/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> | blackboard = "Jesus's last words were not 'TGIF' (Thank God It's Friday)" | couch_gag = [[Marge Simpson|Marge]], [[Bart Simpson|Bart]], [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]], and [[Maggie Simpson|Maggie]] are Easter eggs placed on a grass nest on the couch. [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] comes in and sits on them. | commentary = | prev = [[Black Eyed, Please]] | next = [[What Animated Women Want]] }}
"'''Dark Knight Court'''" is the sixteenth episode of the [[The Simpsons season 24|twenty-fourth season]] of the American animated television series ''[[The Simpsons]]'', and the 524th episode overall. The episode was directed by [[Mark Kirkland]] and written by [[Billy Kimball]] and [[Ian Maxtone-Graham]]. It originally aired on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox network]] in the United States on March 17, 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20130225fox18/|title=(SI-2410) "Dark Knight Court" |website=[[The Futon Critic]] |date= |access-date=August 20, 2023}}</ref>
In this episode, Bart denies committing a prank but is put on trial while Mr. Burns decides to be a superhero. Former United States Attorney General [[Janet Reno]] appeared as herself and shared the role with her sister [[Maggy Hurchalla|Maggy Reno Hurchalla]]. The episode received mixed reviews.
The episode is dedicated to the recently deceased Robert Reno, whose sisters [[Maggy Hurchalla|Maggy Reno Hurchalla]] and [[Janet Reno]] appear in the episode.<ref name="Innocence">{{cite web |url=http://www.innocenceproject.org/Content/Tune_In_Innocence_Project_Board_of_Directors_Director_Emeritus_Janet_Reno_on_The_Simpsons.php |title=Innocence Blog: Tune In: Innocence Project Board of Directors' Director Emeritus Janet Reno on "The Simpsons" |publisher=[[Innocence Project]] |date=2013-03-15 |accessdate=2014-04-15 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130318225739/http://www.innocenceproject.org/Content/Tune_In_Innocence_Project_Board_of_Directors_Director_Emeritus_Janet_Reno_on_The_Simpsons.php |archivedate=2013-03-18 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Brecher |first=Elinor J. |url=http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/07/07/2886027/robert-reno-former-attorney-generals.html |title=Robert Reno, brother of former U.S. Attorney General, dies - Breaking News |website=[[Miami Herald]] |date=July 7, 2012 |accessdate=2014-04-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111164845/http://www.miamiherald.com/news/article1941073.html|archive-date=January 11, 2018}}</ref>
==Plot== While performing at an [[Easter]] celebration, the Springfield Elementary band members inadvertently launch hundreds of [[egg (food)|eggs]] from their instruments, ruining the townspeople's clothes and splattering the streets. "Suspicion quickly falls on [[Bart Simpson|Bart]], who the townspeople believe is responsible, but he denies committing the prank because he would never ruin another holiday after [[Bart vs. Thanksgiving|Thanksgiving incident of 1990]] and the [[Miracle on Evergreen Terrace|Christmas incident of 1997]]. [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] uses Maggie as a lie detector because Bart is only able to tell her the truth, and after Bart's statement of innocence passes the Maggie-test Lisa decides that the best way to resolve the issue is to hold a trial at SES, which is presided over by [[Janet Reno]]. Lisa initially provides a strong defense but when she describes Bart as a good kid, Judge Reno admonishes her for opening Skinner's cross-examination to include everyone who has factual evidence about Bart NOT being a good kid (Skinner says "I call everyone in the world!") as Lisa groans and Bart looks horrified. Meanwhile, [[Mr. Burns]] rediscovers his love of superheroes after visiting [[Comic Book Guy]]'s store, and he decides to become a superhero named [[Megabat|Fruitbat]] [[Batman|Man]]. [[Waylon Smithers|Smithers]], fearful for Burns' safety, stages numerous crimes for his boss to thwart, using [[Homer Simpson|Homer]], [[Lenny Leonard|Lenny]], [[Carl Carlson|Carl]], the [[Crazy Cat Lady]], and other citizens as paid fake villains for Fruit Bat Man to "defeat". Desperate to find someone to solve Bart's dilemma, Lisa tries to hire Burns, but he tells her to get lost. Smithers admits to Burns all his previous exploits were faked, and this was Burns' one chance to really help someone.
As Marge washes the town's clothes, she and Lisa notice that [[Groundskeeper Willie]]'s [[kilt]] is stained with only one egg, which appears to have been crushed into it by hand. Realizing that Willie is the culprit, Lisa confronts him; he confesses to committing the prank due to his hatred of the Easter holiday (as he is a [[Presbyterian|Scottish Old Believer Presbyterian]]) and shreds the kilt to destroy the evidence. As he tries to escape on his tractor, Burns intervenes and captures him, having had a change of heart. Burns turns Willie over to the court just before Reno can deliver a guilty verdict against Bart. Lisa thanks Burns and suggests that he might take advantage of his heroics to become a better person; meanwhile, Moe (who testified about Bart's cruel history of prank calls against him) breaks down sobbing after he gets a phone call informing him of Bart's acquittal.
Before the end credits, there is a trailer for the "Dependables", a spoof that casts several of Springfield's elderly residents as a superhero team.
==Production== The producers offered former United States Attorney General [[Janet Reno]] to appear as herself in August 2012. Because Reno's [[Parkinson's disease]] prevented her from speaking the script's long lines, Reno's sister [[Maggy Hurchalla]] called the producers to decline. Upon hearing her voice and noting the similarity with Reno's voice, the producers asked if they could share the role. Reno spoke the one-liners while Hurchalla spoke the longer lines.<ref name="Gordon"/>
The episode was given an in memoriam dedication at the end for Janet and Maggy's brother Robert Reno, who died eight months earlier along with a prologue stating that Janet and Maggy's proceeds from their voice over roles donated to The [[Innocence Project]].<ref name="Innocence"/>
==Reception==
===Ratings=== The episode received a 2.2 in the 18-49 demographic and was watched by a total of 4.89 million viewers. This made it the second most watched show on Fox's Animation Domination line up that night.<ref>{{cite web|first=Sara|last=Bibel|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/03/19/sunday-final-ratings-once-upon-a-time-the-amazing-race-family-guy-the-cleveland-show-the-simpsons-bobs-burgers-the-mentalist-adjusted-up/173714/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130322071502/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/03/19/sunday-final-ratings-once-upon-a-time-the-amazing-race-family-guy-the-cleveland-show-the-simpsons-bobs-burgers-the-mentalist-adjusted-up/173714/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-03-22 |title=Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon a Time', 'The Amazing Race', 'Family Guy', 'The Cleveland Show', 'The Simpsons', 'Bob's Burgers' & 'The Mentalist' Adjusted Up|website=[[TV by the Numbers]] |date=March 19, 2013|accessdate=2013-03-20}}</ref>
===Critical reception=== Robert David Sullivan of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' gave the episode a B, saying "Earlier this season, I wrote that Mr. Burns was getting tiresome as a character. So though 'Dark Knight Court' isn't necessarily the funniest episode of the season, it is one of the most pleasantly surprising."<ref>{{cite web|last=Sullivan|first=Robert David|url=https://www.avclub.com/the-simpsons-dark-knight-court-1798176153|title=The Simpsons: "Dark Knight Court"|website=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=18 March 2013|access-date=2013-03-20|archive-date=May 24, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524201044/http://www.avclub.com/articles/dark-knight-court,93449/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Teresa Lopez of ''TV Fanatic'' gave the episode 3 out of 5 stars. She felt the appearance by Janet Reno to be dated but liked the references to early ''Simpsons'' jokes.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lopez|first=Teresa|url=https://www.tvfanatic.com/2013/03/the-simpsons-review-fruity-batman/|title=The Simpsons Review: Fruity Batman|website=TV Fanatic|date=March 17, 2013|access-date=August 20, 2023|archive-date=August 21, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230821032648/https://www.tvfanatic.com/2013/03/the-simpsons-review-fruity-batman/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Rob H. Dawson of ''TV Equals'' said "The Simpsons is at its best when it doesn't stray too far from its roots as a take on the family sitcom, and the Batman parody in 'Dark Knight Court' just didn't hit that mark for me."<ref>{{cite web|first=Rob H.|last=Dawson|url=http://www.tvequals.com/2013/03/18/the-simpsons-season-24-review-dark-knight-court/ |title=The Simpsons Season 24 Review "Dark Knight Court" |website=TV Equals |date= 18 March 2013|accessdate=2013-03-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510130938/http://www.tvequals.com/2013/03/18/the-simpsons-season-24-review-dark-knight-court/|archive-date=May 10, 2013}}</ref>
==See also== {{Portal|The Simpsons}} * [[List of Easter television episodes]]
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Wikiquote|The_Simpsons/Season_24#Dark Knight Court|"Dark Knight Court"}} * {{IMDb episode|2739622}} {{The Simpsons episodes|24}}
[[Category:The Simpsons season 24 episodes]] [[Category:2013 American television episodes]] [[Category:Easter television episodes]] [[Category:Television episodes written by Ian Maxtone-Graham]] [[Category:Television episodes directed by Mark Kirkland]] [[Category:Parodies of Batman]]