The Incredible Lightness of Being a Baby
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Episode 18
| "The Incredible Lightness of Being a Baby" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 31 Episode 18 |
| Directed by | Bob Anderson |
| Written by | Tom Gammill & Max Pross |
| Production code | YABF13 |
| Original air date | April 19, 2020 |
| Episode features | |
| Chalkboard gag | Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, "School online" is written on the school blackboard. During the couch gag, Bart writes "I must not write on mountain" on the snowy mountain. |
| Couch gag | The Simpson family is playing on a virtual reality simulator. Homer skydives into donuts over Springfield, lands on Ned's plane, open the cockpit and throws him out, taking control of the plane, drinking Duff Beer. He passes over the Power Plant. Meanwhile, Bart launches himself from another plane on snowy mountains, writing "I must not write on mountain" on them. Marge is surfing on the waves and Maggie is driving around the city on a tricycle. Lisa is subdiving seeing a whale, but then Homer crashes his plane on the city, and is seen destroying the virtual reality visor at home and changing the TV channel, while the rest of the family keeps playing. |
"The Incredible Lightness of Being a Baby" is the 18th episode of the thirty-first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 680th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on April 19, 2020. The episode was written by Tom Gammill and Max Pross and was directed by Bob Anderson.
In this episode, Maggie reunites with her friend Hudson and they want to have a playdate, however, Marge disapproves of his mom Courtney and needs to swallow her pride in order for Maggie to be happy. Homer becomes friends with Cletus Spuckler, who realized he had a reserve of helium gas on his property, drawing the attention of Mr. Burns. The episode received mixed reviews.
Marge takes Maggie on a stroll to the park where she meets her friend, a baby named Hudson, and Marge meets his mother, Courtney. Marge takes Maggie to Hudson's house for a play date, but Courtney's overprotective and judgemental behavior offend Marge. She later does not take Maggie to Hudson's birthday party, upsetting her daughter. In the end, Marge swallows her pride and allows the two babies to play together.
Meanwhile, in a subplot, Cletus has discovered a deposit of helium on his property, which he uses to operate a balloon stand. When Mr. Burns receives wind of this, he demands Homer swindle him out of the valuable gas, which can be used to cool the nuclear reactor. Homer befriends Cletus, and refuses to allow him to sign Burns's unfair contract. Burns tries to force him to sign, but the Spuckler family points their shotguns at him, forcing Burns to buy the helium at a fair price.
Production
This episode was originally going to air on April 7, 2019, but was put on hold after the show's producers decided to make a short film related to the episode involving Maggie and Hudson titled Playdate with Destiny. "I'm Just a Girl Who Can't Say D'oh" was broadcast in its place. The short film premiered on February 29, 2020, attached to advanced screenings of the Disney/Pixar release Onward with the episode serving as a sequel to it.[1]
"The Extremesons" couch gag is the third one animated by Michał Socha and produced by Ron Diamond. It was produced in three months with 2D and 3D animation. Socha previously directed the couch gags for the twenty-fifth season episode "What to Expect When Bart's Expecting" and the twenty-seventh season episode "Orange Is the New Yellow."[2]
