The Seemingly Never-Ending Story

Season 17, Episode 13, Aired
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Episode Summary

The family is on a nature walk through "Carl's Dad Caverns," when Homer tries to get a piece from a stalactite. This results in the family falling through the cave floor and winds up with Homer getting stuck in the ceiling of one of the lower chambers of the cave. Marge, Bart and Maggie go off to find help, while Lisa stays behind and tells her father a story to pass the time. Her story involves running from a bighorn sheep and into Mr. Burn's mansion. The pair evades the tenacious sheep by finding refuge in the mansion's attic, where Mr. Burns tells her the story of how he came to work at Moe's Tavern by losing a scavenger hunt with a rich Texan. While there he learned (and tells to Lisa) the tale of the Moe's treasure. The stories within stories culminate in the fate of the treasure being determined in the cave.moreless
8.9
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Cast & Crew

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  • Harry Shearer

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

  •

    Hank Azaria

    Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy, Lou, and others

  •

    Dan Castellaneta

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

Fan Episode Reviews (18)

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  • An ok episode, the whole story within a story has pretty done before, the most interesting things about the episode, where learning that Mr. Burns worked at Moe's, how Mrs. Krabapple started off as a teacher, Snake's secret past, and that he has a son. Thmoreless

    6.8
    "Fair"
    By JamieMcBain, Oct 12, 2010 Report Abuse
    An ok episode, the whole story within a story has pretty done before, the most interesting things about the episode, where learning that Mr. Burns worked at Moe's, how Mrs. Krabapple started off as a teacher, Snake's secret past, and that he has a son. The ending was lame also.

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    0 2

  • This is a wondeful episode in my opinion beacuse...

    10
    "Perfect"
    By ElvisRocks13, Sep 03, 2010 Report Abuse
    ... it was a story with in a story ust like Hamlet was a play within a play just as Lisa describes. This episode had some hilarious lines. My favourite ones were:
    -"Good Lord, a whooly Bully!"
    -"So long sucker! I mean...Don't leave an old man to die...so long sucker!"
    (Burns' quick escapes works,breaks,repairs.)
    -"I'm stuck and I have to pee! Now I'm just stuck."
    -"Is it okay that I brought my son? It's my day with him. Look Jeremy, there's a boy over there you can play with."
    -"I'll be taking that iffin ya please."
    - Moe walks in with a bat,"You guys have guns? well so do I"
    backs into dark and makes rifle noises.

    There were many hilarious lines and scenes which makes it a well done comical episode!moreless

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  • I was surprised that there could actually be an above average episode from this season.

    7.3
    "Good"
    By starman100, May 25, 2010 Report Abuse
    Season 17 is actually quite a good season, especially with episodes like this, and "Homer Simpson, This is Your Wife".

    Although the humour in this episode obviously isn't as great as the early classic Simpson's eps, it's still good.

    The plot was very thought through and clever. Animation: perfect as usual.

    I know as shows get older, and voice-actors get older, their voices start to get lower.
    This is really evident in this episode, but fortunately it doesn't make any difference.

    This was a great episode, why is season 18 so bad all of a sudden, why couldn't at least one S18 episode be like this?moreless

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    0 1

  • Seemingly Never Ending Story

    10
    "Perfect"
    By futuramarama, Jan 26, 2010 Report Abuse
    Homer gets stuck in a cave {which was nice, from the description you'd think he got stuck, like, lost in the cave} and so Lisa tells him a long story to keep him entertained, and the story reveals some information about Moe before he became a bartender, as well as Monty Burns losing all his money. In the end of the episode everything is back to normal.

    A highly praised episode, I remember liking it a lot when I first saw it, I remember some good, funny jokes and a good, original plot. Overall grade would have to be Amoreless

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  • The Simpsons continue to do it with great triology episodes...

    9.6
    "Superb"
    By Iverson82094, Dec 29, 2007 Report Abuse
    While visiting a cave, the family are thrown into a hidden cavern below the main tour with Homer stuck in a narrow hole. Marge and Bart split to find an exit, while Lisa keeps Homer company by telling him a story. It begins a week ago, with Lisa chased into Burns' attic by a goat, where she discovers a photo of Burns employed at Moe's. This leads Burns into a story within a story, in which he was in a scavenger hunt with all his posessions up for grabs. Burns lost and had to work for Moe to make up the money. Burns tells Lisa of another story told by Moe, about hidden treasure and a fling with Mrs. Krabappel. All stories come to a dramatic end in the present time, where the hidden treasure in Moe's story is located in the cave. The Simpsons, Rich Texan, Mr. Burns, and Snake have a dramatic standoff but the treasure is destroyed.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • The music playing during Lisa's walk home from school is from Beethoven's 6th Symphony (also known as the Pastoral Symphony).  Initially, the music being played is from the first movement ("Awakening of cheerful feelings upon arriving in the country").  When the sheep is chasing Lisa and Mr. Burns, the music is taken from the fourth movement ("The Storm"). Edit
    • The music playing during the scavenger hunt is "Hoe-Down" from the ballet Rodeo by Aaron Copland. It's become synonymous with cowboy-themed movies and (unfortunately) those "Beef; it's what's for dinner" commercials. Edit
    • Items on the scavenger hunt list include: Blue Rose Suspender Colander The Letter "I" Peruvian Cockroach Lard Lad Tombstone Homer Hair Picture of Yourself with Smiling Child Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • This episode won the 2007 Annie Award for Best Writing in an Animated Television Production. Edit
    • Blackboard Joke: None. Couch Gag: The couch enters the room on a conveyor belt with Bart, Maggie, Lisa and Marge already on it. Homer is put on the couch by a robot gripper. The couch moves on, off screen. Edit
    • In the year of 2006, this episode won an Emmy for "Outstanding Animated Program for One Hour or Less", beating its competition of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Camp Lazlo, Family Guy, and South Park. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Rich Texan: I'm in oil. What's your racket? Mr. Burns: Nuclear power. I make money using my brain, not sticking a pole on the ground and praying for goo. Edit
    • Rich Texan: I'll be takin' that gold, iffin' ya please. Marge: We haven't even found it yet. Rich Texan: It's to yer left. No yer other left. Texas left, which is yer down. (Marge picks it up) Rich Texan: I'll be takin' that gold, iffin' ya please. Edit
    • Homer: I'm stuck! And I have to pee! Now I'm just stuck. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Although the number of participants is different, the "Mexican standoff" near the end is an homage to the climax of this 1966 film, notably in the music and camera work. Edit
    • Carl's Dad Caverns The cave the family goes is "Carl's Dad Caverns," which is a spoof of "Carlsbad Caverns", a National Park located in New Mexico. In the Simpsons version of the caverns there is a famous stalactite, whereas in Carlsbad, there is a famous stalagmite. Edit
    • The Saragossa Manuscript: The way the episode is done, a story within a story, within a story, etc. is taken from the book The Manuscript Found in Saragossa by Jan Potocki, which was later made into the 1965 film "The Saragossa Manuscript" by Wojciech Has. Edit

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