{{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2024}}{{Good article}} {{Infobox Simpsons episode | image = | caption = | season = 12 | episode = 11 | director = [[Matthew Nastuk]] | writer = [[Larry Doyle (writer)|Larry Doyle]] | production = CABF08 | airdate = {{Start date|2001|02|04}} | guests = * [[Tom Savini]] as himself | blackboard = "I will not hide the teacher's medication" | couch_gag = The [[Squeaky-Voiced Teen]] pushes a couch in place for the Simpsons to sit down. He leaves angrily when he does not receive a tip. | commentary = [[Mike Scully]]<br>[[Al Jean]]<br>[[Ian Maxtone-Graham]]<br>[[Larry Doyle (writer)|Larry Doyle]]<br>[[Matt Selman]]<br>[[Tom Gammill]]<br>[[Max Pross]]<br>[[Hank Azaria]]<br>[[Chris Kirkpatrick]] | prev = [[Pokey Mom]] | next = [[Tennis the Menace]] }} "'''Worst Episode Ever'''" is the eleventh episode of the [[The Simpsons season 12|twelfth season]] of the American animated television series ''[[The Simpsons]]''. It first aired on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox network]] in the United States on February 4, 2001. In the episode, [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] and [[Milhouse]] are banned from [[Springfield (The Simpsons)#The Android's Dungeon & Baseball Card Shop|The Android's Dungeon]] after stopping [[Comic Book Guy]] from buying a box of priceless ''[[Star Wars]]'' memorabilia for $5. However, when Comic Book Guy suffers a massive heart attack, he hires Bart and Milhouse as his replacements while he leaves his job to pursue a relationship with [[Agnes Skinner]].
"Worst Episode Ever" was written by [[Larry Doyle (writer)|Larry Doyle]] and directed by [[Matthew Nastuk]]. The series' staff found it hard to make Comic Book Guy seem likable, since he is usually portrayed as sarcastic and unfriendly. The episode features [[special make-up effects]] artist and actor [[Tom Savini]] as himself.
In its original broadcast, the episode was seen by about 10 million viewers, finishing in 27th place in the ratings the week it aired. Despite the episode's title, it received positive reviews from critics since its broadcast, and [[Hank Azaria]] won a [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance]] for his performance as Comic Book Guy in the episode.
==Plot== [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] wins a $50 bet against [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] after the latter fails to eat an entire box of spoiled [[baking soda]] that [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] finds in the back of the refrigerator. As Bart and [[Milhouse Van Houten|Milhouse]] spend the money, they enter [[Springfield (The Simpsons)#The Android's Dungeon & Baseball Card Shop|The Android's Dungeon]] and find [[Martin Prince]]'s mother trying to make a deal with [[Comic Book Guy]] to sell her son's collection of ''[[Star Wars]]'' memorabilia while Martin is at fat camp. Realizing that the items are worth far more than the $5 he is offering, the boys persuade Mrs. Prince to refuse the deal; angered, he retaliates by banning them from the store for life.
Bart and Milhouse later try to sneak into the store to see an appearance by special effects artist [[Tom Savini]], but are discovered and turned away. Savini plays a series of tricks to embarrass Comic Book Guy, causing him to become so angry from the audience's mockery that he attempts to ban them all for life. Before he can throw them out of the store, Comic Book Guy suffers a [[heart attack]].
At the hospital, [[Dr. Hibbert]] urges Comic Book Guy to leave the store in someone else's care while he recovers; with no one else to turn to, he reluctantly puts Bart and Milhouse in charge. The store prospers at first under the boys' management, but business falters when Milhouse places an order for 2,000 copies of an extremely unpopular comic without telling Bart. As the boys argue, they stumble across Comic Book Guy's secret collection of illegal videos, such as a drunk [[Fred Rogers]], police interview footage of [[Ned Flanders]] reporting Homer for letting a radioactive [[ape]] loose in his house, and a top-secret film detailing a plan by the U.S. military to let Springfield be destroyed in the event of nuclear war. They decide to hold a midnight screening in the store's back room for the children of Springfield.
Meanwhile, Homer helps a recovering Comic Book Guy look for a friend, but his attempts fail until he meets [[Agnes Skinner]]. Comic Book Guy and Agnes become romantically involved, discovering their shared contempt for everyone and everything around them, and begin a sexual relationship. When the police raid the store, Milhouse explains that he and Bart do not own the videos. The police then raid Comic Book Guy's home and arrest him while he and Agnes are making love, and Agnes breaks off the relationship, saying that she is too old to wait for him to be released from jail. With the store now closed by the police, Bart and Milhouse reconcile and return to their normal lives as Ned tries to cope with the ape Homer let loose.
==Production== "Worst Episode Ever" was written by [[Larry Doyle (writer)|Larry Doyle]] and directed by [[Matthew Nastuk]]. It was first broadcast on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox network]] in the United States on February 4, 2001.<ref name="Scully">Scully, Mike. (2009). Commentary for "Worst Episode Ever", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref> The episode was originally called "The Fiver", a reference to a scene that was eventually removed. The episode title was then changed to "Worst Episode Ever", a title that amused the staff. According to Doyle, "Worst Episode Ever" is the first episode in which Comic Book Guy has a major role.<ref name="Doyle">Doyle, Larry. (2009). Commentary for "Worst Episode Ever", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref> Because Comic Book Guy is usually sarcastic and unfriendly, the series' staff—particularly, [[Hank Azaria]], who voices the character—found it hard to make the character seem likable. "Comic Book Guy only ever pronounces things sarcastically", Azaria said in the [[DVD commentary]] for the episode.<ref name="Azaria"/> "It was hard to find a way to sound believable and have him say sincere things. It took a lot of different takes."<ref name="Azaria">Azaria, Hank. (2009). Commentary for "Worst Episode Ever", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref> Executive producer and former [[showrunner]] [[Mike Scully]] said, "It's tough when you take a character like Comic Book Guy or [[Krusty]] or [[Moe Szyslak|Moe]], to make them suddenly sympathetic and vulnerable. You have to cheat the character a little bit to open them up emotionally a little more."<ref name="Scully" />
In a scene in the episode, Ralph is seen entering the adult section of The Android's Dungeon. When he is off-screen, Ralph can be heard saying "Everybody's hugging". In the DVD commentary for the episode, Azaria stated that the line is one of his favorite jokes in the series.<ref name="Azaria" /> Originally, Ralph's line would be "She's hungry", but it was eventually removed from the episode.<ref name="Maxtone-Graham">Maxtone-Graham, Ian. (2009). Commentary for "Worst Episode Ever", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref>
The episode features American special effects-makeup artist and actor [[Tom Savini]] as himself. Savini accepted the role because he is friends with [[Dana Gould]], a former staff writer on ''The Simpsons''. In the DVD commentary for the episode, Doyle said that Savini was "really fun" when he visited to record his lines.<ref name="Doyle" /> In a scene in the episode, a crow is seen tearing apart an issue of "Biclops". The voice of the crow was recorded from a real crow, even though the staff usually use main cast members [[Dan Castellaneta]] and [[Nancy Cartwright]] to imitate animal noises.<ref name="Scully" /> The general officer in the government film called "Secret Nuclear Defense Plan" was voiced by Azaria.<ref name="Azaria" />
==Cultural references== To demonstrate the durability of Radioactive Man #1000, Comic Book Guy pours soda on it, which bounces off and instead damages a batch of "lesser" comics. On top of the batch is an issue of ''[[Bongo Comics]]'', a comic book written by [[Matt Groening]], creator of ''The Simpsons''.<ref name="Doyle" /> The comedian [[Gallagher (comedian)|Gallagher]] is shown doing his routine with a watermelon during a flashback. While in The Android's Dungeon, Nelson examines a comic book called ''The Death of Sad Sack'', a reference to the American comic strip ''[[Sad Sack]]'' and to "[[The Death of Superman]]" story arc. When Homer and Comic Book Guy enter Moe's Tavern, Moe says, "Get out and take your [[Sacagawea dollar]]s with you" to one of his customers. A Sacagawea dollar is a [[Dollar coin (United States)|United States dollar coin]] that has been minted since 2000.<ref name="Scully" /> After he is thrown out of Moe's Tavern, Comic Book Guy says the word "loneliness" in [[Klingon language|Klingon]], a language used by the fictional [[Klingon]]s in the ''[[Star Trek]]'' universe.<ref name="Azaria" /> While arguing with Agnes, Comic Book Guy says "Now I know what ever happened to Baby Jane." The line is a reference to the 1960 suspense novel ''[[What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (novel)|What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?]]''.<ref name="Doyle" /> Martin's mother tries to sell Comic Book Guy several items relating to the ''[[Star Wars]]'' film series, including [[Carrie Fisher]]'s "anti-jiggle breast tape", [[George Lucas]]' handwritten original script of ''[[Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope]]'' and a film of a supposed alternate ending for the series where it is revealed that "[[Luke Skywalker|Luke]]'s father is [[Chewbacca]]."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nohomers.net/content/info/articles/11.shtml |title=I Bent My Wookiee! Celebrating the Star Wars/Simpsons Connection |access-date=2022-01-24 |date=2007-07-24 |first=Scott |last=Chernoff |publisher=[[Lucasfilm]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724223022/http://starwars.com/community/news/media/f20070724/index.html?page=3 |archive-date=July 24, 2011 }}</ref> While fighting Milhouse, Bart picks up a robotic toy, which unfolds into an axe. Milhouse picks up a similar toy, but it instead unfolds into a watering can. The toys are based on the franchise [[Transformers]].<ref name="Doyle" /> One of the tapes that Bart and Milhouse watch shows [[Fred Rogers]] intoxicated. Executive producer and current [[showrunner]] [[Al Jean]] later met Rogers' wife at a [[hall of fame]], and said that he was "really embarrassed" when he found out that she had seen the episode.<ref name="Jean">Jean, Al. (2009). Commentary for "Worst Episode Ever", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref>
==Reception== [[File:Hankazaria05.jpg|thumb|right|175px|[[Hank Azaria]] won an Emmy for his portrayal of [[Comic Book Guy]] in the episode.]] In its original American broadcast on February 4, 2001, "Worst Episode Ever" received a 9.8 rating, according to [[Nielsen Media Research]], translating to about 10 million viewers. The episode finished in 27th place in the ratings for the week of January 29 – February 4, 2001.<ref name="dailybreeze">{{cite news |title=CBS's 'Survivor,' NBC's 'ER' give networks a tie for first |date=February 7, 2001 |page=A8 |work=[[Daily Breeze]] |publisher=Linda Lindus |first=Frazier |last=Moore|author-link=Frazier Moore }}</ref> Later that year, Azaria won the [[53rd Primetime Emmy Awards|53rd]] [[Primetime Emmy Award]] for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance|Outstanding Voice-Over Performance]] for his role as Comic Book Guy in the episode.<ref name="53rd">{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-aug-14-ca-33997-story.html |title=Morning Report |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |first=Elaine |last=Dutka |access-date=January 24, 2022 |date=August 14, 2001 |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402230737/http://articles.latimes.com/2001/aug/14/entertainment/ca-33997 |url-status=live }}</ref> When participating in the ceremony, the actors are only allowed to submit one episode each, and that year, Azaria said that "Worst Episode Ever" was an "obvious" choice for him.<ref name="Azaria" /> It was not the first time Azaria won the award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance; in 1998, he won it for his portrayal of [[Apu Nahasapeemapetilon]] in the series.<ref name="theseattletimes">{{cite news |title=Emmy Prime-Time Award Winners |date=September 14, 1998 |page=E3 |work=[[The Seattle Times]] |publisher=Frank A. Blethen |agency=[[Associated Press]] }}</ref>
On August 18, 2009, the episode was released as part of a DVD set called ''The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season''. Mike Scully, Al Jean, Tom Gammill, Max Pross, Matt Selman, Hank Azaria, Larry Doyle and Chris Kirkpatrick participated in the audio commentary for the episode.<ref name="Scully" />
Following its broadcast, "Worst Episode Ever" received mostly positive reviews from critics.
Casey Burchby of [[DVD Talk]] enjoyed the episode and wrote that it has some "great stuff" in it, including the comic book "Biclops" that Milhouse over-orders.<ref name="dvdtalk">{{cite web |url=http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/38338/simpsons-the-complete-twelfth-season-the/ |title=The Simpsons: The Twelfth Season |date=August 30, 2009 |access-date=July 25, 2011 |last=Burchby |first=Casey |publisher=[[DVD Talk]] |archive-date=November 3, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103174142/http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/38338/simpsons-the-complete-twelfth-season-the/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Jason Bailey, another reviewer for DVD talk, applauded the writers for making an episode around a supporting character, and wrote that it is "far from [the series' worst episode]".<ref name="dvdtalk2">{{cite web |url=http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/38345/simpsons-the-complete-twelfth-season-the/ |title=The Simpsons: The Twelfth Season |date=August 18, 2009 |access-date=July 25, 2011 |last=Bailey |first=Jason |publisher=[[DVD Talk]] |archive-date=May 5, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170505171038/http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/38345/simpsons-the-complete-twelfth-season-the/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Cindy White of [[IGN]] described the episode as a "classic",<ref name="ign">{{cite web |url=http://dvd.ign.com/articles/101/1015122p1.html |title=The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season DVD Review |date=August 18, 2009 |access-date=July 25, 2011 |last=White |first=Cindy |website=[[IGN]] |archive-date=November 3, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103220702/http://dvd.ign.com/articles/101/1015122p1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and in 2006, Kimberley Potts of [[AOL]] put the episode in twelfth place in a list of the series' 20 best episodes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aoltv.com/feature/the-simpsons/3|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090101045236/http://television.aol.com/feature/the-simpsons/3 |archive-date=January 1, 2009 |title='The Simpsons' Best Episodes: No. 15 - 11 |access-date=July 25, 2011 |publisher=[[AOL]] |last=Potts|first=Kimberly |year=2006 }}</ref>
The episode was also well received by the series' staff; in the introduction of ''[[The Simpsons Beyond Forever!: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family ...Still Continued]]'', Matt Groening wrote that he particularly enjoyed the episode and that it had a "[[Very special episode|very special story]]".<ref name="beyondforever">{{cite book |last1=Groening |first1=Matt |author-link=Matt Groening |first2=Jesse Leon |last2=McCann |title=[[The Simpsons Beyond Forever!: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family ...Still Continued]] |publisher=[[Harper Collins Publishers]] |year=2002 |isbn=0-06-050592-3 |page=1}}</ref> In the DVD commentary for the episode, Doyle said that Milhouse's line "I'm a human boy, just like you" is the best line he has ever written.<ref name="Doyle" />
However, Mac MacEntire of [[DVD Verdict]] gave the episode a mixed review. Although he praised the episode's premise, he argued that the episode was "ill-balanced" and that the subplot took up too much time in the episode.<ref name="dvdverdict">{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/simpsons12.php |title=The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season |date=September 9, 2009 |access-date=July 23, 2011 |last=McEntire |first=Mac |publisher=[[DVD Verdict]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103131117/http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/simpsons12.php |archive-date=November 3, 2011 }}</ref>
DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson criticized the writers for making an episode based around a supporting character, and argued that Comic Book Guy was not featured enough in the episode. "'Ever' spends at least as much time with Bart and Milhouse as it does with CBG and Agnes", he wrote.<ref name="dvdmovieguide"/> He concluded that, aside from having a few "good moments", the episode is overall "pretty [[meh]]".<ref name="dvdmovieguide">{{cite web |url=http://www.dvdmg.com/simpsonsseasontwelve.shtml |title=The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season (2000) |date=September 2, 2009 |access-date=July 25, 2011 |last=Jacobson |first=Colin |publisher=DVD Movie Guide |archive-date=November 3, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103131030/http://www.dvdmg.com/simpsonsseasontwelve.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Spoken Wikipedia|Spoken Wikipedia en Worst Episode Ever.ogg|date=2016-01-01}} {{Wikiquote|The_Simpsons/Season_12#Worst_Episode_Ever|"Worst Episode Ever"}} *{{snpp capsule|CABF08}} *{{IMDb episode|id=0701297}}
{{The Simpsons episodes|12}} {{Portal bar|The Simpsons|2000s}}
[[Category:The Simpsons season 12 episodes]] [[Category:2001 American television episodes]] [[Category:Television episodes directed by Matthew Nastuk]]