The Great Money Caper

Season 12, Episode 7, Aired
EDIT

Episode Summary

Bart gets a magic set and with it he and Homer try street performing to make money. When it doesn't work out, Homer leaves Bart on his own, fending for himself. Being abandoned by his father makes Bart into a charity case and people just start giving Bart money. So Bart and Homer start working this angle and then get some advice from the man who wrote the book on grifting, Grampa Simpson. When they get busted pulling a scam, they manage to scam their way out of the situation; but Groundskeeper Willy may wind taking the fall, unless Homer or Bart confesses their guilt.moreless
8.0
out of 10
EPISODE RATING: Great
125 votes
  • Your Rating: 10
    "Perfect"
  • Your Rating: 9.5
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 9
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 8.5
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 8
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 7.5
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 7
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 6.5
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 6
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 5.5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 4.5
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 4
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 3.5
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 3
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 2.5
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 2
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 1.5
    "Abysmal"
  • Your Rating: 1
    "Abysmal"
Rate It

Cast & Crew

See All EDIT

  • Julie Kavner

    Marge Simpson, Patty Bouvier, and Selma Bouvier

  •

    Harry Shearer

    Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders, Principal Skinner, Waylon Smithers, Kent Brockman, and others

  •

    Dan Castellaneta

    Homer Simpson, Grampa Simpson, Barney Gumble, Krusty the Clown, Groundskeeper Willie, and others

Fan Episode Reviews (10)

See All

  • good

    7.5
    "Good"
    By futuramarama, Aug 21, 2011 Report Abuse
    if you made the ending something that wasn't so rushed, this would have been a better episode. there were some laughs, like the various cons bart and homer pulled, "so the whole town was in on it?" "Willie Wasn't!", and it is a nice episode, but the ending is really rushed and not funny. I don't care about rushed endings if i find them funny, but in this instance it just wasn't, so it lost some points for me. characterization was good and like i said, there were at least a few funny parts, but the ending is just rushed. so my final grade is going to be a C+/B-moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    1 0

  • Homer and Bart are con artists.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Sami5118, Aug 06, 2010 Report Abuse
    In this episode, Homer and Bart become con artists after Bart gets a magic set and begins to perform magic on the street. So when it does not work out, Homer leaves Bart stranded which makes Bart a charity case and people start giving him money. Bart and Homer start working this angle and get advice from someone who wrote the book on grifting - Grandpa Simpson. When they get busted for conning the old people at Grandpa Simpson's nursing home, they try to scam their way out of it and Groundskeeper Willie ends up taking the fall until he decides to shoot some of the people at the courthouse. Which is when Homer and Bart realize that they were being conned too.

    I don't know why everybody thinks this episode sucks, I thought that it was really funny. One of the best of season 12 which has alot of good eps.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    1 0

  • Bart and Homer become can artists.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Hornets3, Jul 28, 2010 Report Abuse
    Bart gets a magic set and with it he and Homer try street performing to make money. When it doesn't work out, Homer leaves Bart on his own, fending for himself. Being abandoned by his father makes Bart into a charity case and people just start giving Bart money. So Bart and Homer start working this angle and then get some advice from the man who wrote the book on grifting, Grampa Simpson. When they get busted pulling a scam, they manage to scam their way out of the situation; but Groundskeeper Willy may wind taking the fall, unless Homer or Bart confesses their guilt.



    I never understood why this episode was hated. I always have loved this episode since I saw it the first time. The whole idea was hilarious. As for the ending, it felt more like the ending of Missionary Impossible which was no problem for me. A must see!moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    1 0

  • Random. Very random.

    4.5
    "Poor"
    By Lazlo193456, Sep 03, 2008 Report Abuse
    Random is the only way to discribe this episode. That is all it is. Random random. A russian fish plops onto the Simpsons car. To get money to fix it, Homer and Bart scam people.

    Bart and HOmer were really out of character. It was also never explained about everything. Thej ury was there why? But they don't explain it at the end like they should. They just all go surfing.

    A bit of randomness doesn't help this episode. Thankfully, it is in much lower doses these days, but it killed an episode that could have beeen oh so very funny and clever.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    0 0

  • Bart and Homer become scammers. Do I need to say much more??

    9.9
    "Superb"
    By Iverson82094, Jan 26, 2008 Report Abuse
    Bart becomes obsessed with magic after the family attends dinner at a magic theme restaurant. On the way home from the restaurant, a sturgeon falls from the sky onto the hood of the car, crushing it like a can. When Homer gets the bill, he takes Bart on the road with his magic act in a desperate attempt to raise some cash. While the act proves a failure, Bart manages to score some big money after Homer abandons him. Knowing a good thing when they see it, Bart and Homer begin conning Springfield's citizens out of their money using a series of confidence scams. However, when Grandpa Simpson joins them on the biggest heist of their short career, they run into trouble.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    0 0
 

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

See All

  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • The song played at the credits is "Pipeline," the most notable version recorded by "The Ventures." Edit
    • During the surfing squence, Jasper's left leg is probably his real leg but in "Who Shot Mr. Burns, Part 2" his left leg was wooden. Edit
    • Homer as the dog salesman looked remarkably like Guy Incognito from 'Fear of Flying' Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • Blackboard Joke: The nurse is not dealing. Couch Gag: The couch is underwater. The family wearing scuba gear swim to their usual places on the couch, the camera pulls back revealing they are in a fishbowl. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Homer: Lies got us into this mess, Son. From now on, it's honesty all the way. (at Home) Marge: You were carjacked … in the church parking lot?! Homer: Absolutely. We had stopped in for a quick prayer, when -- Bart, would you call him a crazy man? Bart: Definitely … well, crazy about carjacking. Lisa: What did he look like? Homer: Um … let's see … he was … foreign … and he had… Bart: Wild, bushy hair -- like an animal! Lisa: Anything else? Homer: Well, he seemed like a loner -- kept to himself, mostly. Bart: And, he said if we went to the cops, he'd come back for Maggie. Marge: (gasps) Oh, dear! We don't want that! Homer: Any who, the whole nightmare has really made us sleepy. Let's hit the hay. Edit
    • Bart: Why are we still grifting? The car's paid for; doesn't that balance out the universe? Homer: In a way, but I also remembered some other stuff, like my bike that was stolen in third grade. Plus the baldness. Bart: Okay, I'm sold. Edit
    • Lisa: I don't know, Mom, I think they're up to something. Marge: Sure looks that way, but at least Bart and Homer are spending quality time together. Lisa: It that a Long Island iced tea? Marge: Oh, this? Hmm, I think it is! (Drinks it) You're a pretty girl. (Pats Lisa's face) Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Bart's book, A Child's Garden of Cons, has a similar title to Robert Louis Stevenson's book A Child's Garden of Verses. Edit
    • Episode Title
      The title of this episode is probably a reference to the title of the 1981 Muppet film called The Great Muppet Caper. Edit
    • Kent Brockman: Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow.
      Kent Brockman says this phrase, used by various anchors on the "Weekend Update" segment of Saturday Night Live over the years. Edit

Show Forums

See All
Last Activity
Replies

Watch The Simpsons Full Episodes

See All

Related Shows

Season 12 Episodes

See All
Ep 21
Simpsons Tall Tales
Ep 20
Children of a Lesser Clod
Ep 19
I'm Goin' to Praiseland
Ep 18
Trilogy of Error
Ep 17
Simpson Safari
Ep 16
Bye, Bye, Nerdie
Ep 15
Hungry, Hungry Homer
Ep 14
New Kids on the Blecch
Ep 13
Day of the Jackanapes
Ep 12
Tennis the Menace
Ep 11
Worst Episode Ever
Ep 10
Pokey Mom
Ep 9
HOMR
Ep 8
Skinner's Sense of Snow
Ep 7
The Great Money Caper
Ep 6
The Computer Wore Menace S...
Ep 5
Homer vs. Dignity
Ep 4
Lisa the Tree Hugger
Ep 3
Insane Clown Poppy
Ep 2
A Tale of Two Springfields
Ep 1
Treehouse of Horror XI

Contributors

Become a contributor
More
Less

TV Listings

Full Listings
BROWSE | Shows | Videos | News | Listings | Forums | People | Photos | TV.com Blog

CBS Entertainment | About TV.com | About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Ad Choice | Terms of Use