The pair had already written the season five episode "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song", which was an in-depth study of the character. You're taking something that an audience has built eight years or nine years of investment in and just tossed it in the trash can for no good reason, for a story we've done before with other characters. It guest-starred Martin Sheen as the real Seymour Skinner. The Principal and the Pauper. 8. [33] In the season fifteen episode "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot", Lisa addresses Principal Skinner as "Principal Tamzarian" when Skinner chides her for naming her new cat Snowball II, after a cat that had died earlier in the episode. I’ll admit, the convenience of the Judge declaring no one should talk … This is made an overt part of the text, thanks to a decree from Judge Snyder that Skinner is the one true Skinner, and Agnes immediately shutting down Skinner’s closing promise to loosen up a bit. [14] The Fox network's ratings average for the week was 6.4. ", Keeler, Ken. When people say stuff like "The Principal and the Pauper" is when they jumped the shark, I think it's more that's when the slow decline began, but it didn't get immediately ---- after that. The Simpsons are dressed as astronauts and sit on the couch just as it blasts off into space. Do people confuse a bad … u/candidateHundred. The ending adds insult to injury as it sweeps everything that just happened under the rug. They resorted to ever more outlandish episodes. We couldn’t help but wonder: Did Carrie ruin Sex and the City? When people talk about how the ninth season represents the point where The Simpsons began its steep decline, “The Principal And The Pauper” is always cited is Exhibit A. It’s not the worst episode the show’s ever produced from a quality standpoint—our modern-day Simpsons reviewer Dennis Perkins could give you at least a dozen worse installments based on his personal experience—but if fans were polled, this is the one the majority would agree is the jump-the-shark moment. Voiced with aplomb by Martin Sheen, who was cast based on the producers’ affection for his work as a Vietnam veteran in Apocalypse Now, Sgt. This page was last edited on 13 January 2021, at 19:22. In the last few installments of The A.V. (2006). I think The Principal And The Pauper was definitely one of their worst. [26], In contrast, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, praised the episode, calling it "one of the series' all-time best episodes, mainly because it shows us a human side, not just of Principal Skinner, but of his hectorish [sic] Mom as well." The real Skinner is then offered the chance to realize his dream and take over as school principal. Judge Snyder declares that Armin will again be referred to as Seymour Skinner, that he will return to his job as school principal, and that no one shall ever again refer to Skinner or the fallout from his visit, under penalty of torture. When did The Simpsons jump the shark? He instead allowed Agnes to call him Seymour, and took over Seymour's life. "The Principal and the Pauper" is the second episode of The Simpsons' ninth season. Exposed at his 20th anniversary party by the real Sgt. From music legends to sports heroes, from TV shows to politics, Jump the Shark catalogs those priceless moments when the magic vanishes and the mighty become the fallen! HighOnCraic. [32], Later episodes of The Simpsons contain references to "The Principal and the Pauper". The teachers lounge serves coffee-flavored Bevarine. This episode features the revelation that Principal Seymour Skinner is, in fact, an impostor, when the real Skinner returns from a POW camp long after the Vietnam War. [7], Describing the real Seymour Skinner, Keeler remarked, "It would have been easy to make him a really horrible, nasty, dislikeable guy, but we didn't do that. Armin then tells the story of the events that led him to steal Seymour Skinner's identity. But I do consider that episode you mentioned first as the one where the show for me finally completely jumped the shark. "The Principal and the Pauper" was the last episode of The Simpsons written by Ken Keeler, who also pitched the original idea for the episode. The real Skinner is unhappy about this and refuses to give up his job and his dignity just because the people of Springfield prefer Armin to him. Upon meeting him, however, Agnes mistook him for her son, and Armin could not bear to deliver the message. "A Riff From Matt Groening", in, The Simpsons Forever! [25] He also called the episode "a mistake" in an interview with Rolling Stone. However, the real Tamzarian (now a California Superior Court Judge[11]) was unaware his name was being used until after the episode aired. "[23], In a December 2006 interview, Shearer added, "Now, [the writers] refuse to talk about it. Of course, if I’d known there was a war going on, I probably would’ve apologized.”, “I suppose I’ll have to find a hotel.” “I won’t hear of it. Credit where credit is due, though. The matter-of-fact way he goes about cutting ties with his life is a very Skinner thing to do (“I know we were planning to see a film tonight but instead, I’m leaving town forever,” he tells a heartbroken Edna), and the way he tries to slide back into the role of Armin is rife with comedic potential. The Principal and the Pauper is a good Simpsons episode but it is one of the most shocking episodes of the series. There, he met and befriended the real Sergeant Seymour Skinner, who became his mentor and helped him find meaning in his troubled life. 1 April 2019 . Keeve. [8.8/10] People get hung up on the ending of this one and the fact that it retcons Principal Skinner’s past. (2006). [12], "The Principal and the Pauper" finished 41st in the United States in the ratings for the week of September 22–28, 1997, with a Nielsen rating of 9.2. Club’s classic The Simpsons coverage, there’s been something akin to an air of dread hanging over our reviewers, the feeling that in this journey through the show the best is almost over. And the act of disassembly and reassembly, performed with ever more frequency from season nine on, is what spelled the end of The Simpsons Golden Age. On the eve of his twentieth anniversary as school principal, Seymour Skinner is lured by his mother to Springfield Elementary School for a surprise party. 2 1. While I considered the episode not so good I took it and it's ending in humor and thought nothing serious about it. it works as a meta-commentary about delivering real change on a sitcom and (c.) the show has done fourth wall-winking endings before. They add that "Martin Sheen steals the show ... in a brief but important slice of Simpsons history. Close. Despite being a terrible episode for the real Skinner in the universe of The Simpsons, this is ironically also an episode that has many great Skinner moments. Martin Sheen as the real Seymour Skinner[1]. It's so arbitrary and gratuitous, and it's disrespectful to the audience. Springfield is as malleable and mob-ruled as ever, pushed in whatever direction is most convenient, not up in arms that this destroyed their comfortable bubble. I could go on a VERY long rant about ruining one the supporting casts best characters but if you're a Simpsons fan you know already. Chalmers takes his gray, with Creamium. Skinner’s mementos include his card for the Radio Shack Battery of the Month club, and $10 in Canadian currency from his trip to upstate New York. 10 June 2013 at 12:56 pm. I always felt the focus on the Principal and the Pauper as a shark jump as ass backwards, The SImpsons never had perfect consistency and often made fun … Skinner's not really close to these people—you know, he's a minor character—but they get upset when someone comes in and says, 'This is not really the way things are', and they run the messenger out of town on the rail. [3], Producers Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein were excited about the episode because Principal Skinner was one of their favorite characters. But of the episodes I've seen I don't consider … Seymour told Armin that his dream was to become an elementary school principal after the war. Oakley said he and Weinstein "spent a month immersed in the mind of Seymour Skinner" to prepare that episode, and from that point forward, took every opportunity to "tinker with [Skinner's] personality and his backstory and his homelife". Anonymous. I could go on a VERY long rant about ruining one the supporting casts best characters but if you're a Simpsons fan you know already. In response, the townspeople banish the real Skinner from town by tying him to a chair on a flatcar of a freight train (literally running him out of town on a rail). Jump the shark. [31] They also describe the ending of the episode as an attempt to reset the continuity and allow fans to consider the episode as non-canonical, divorced from the larger series. Others will pick Principal and the Pauper as to where the show to them completely jumped the shark. How the ropey final few seasons watered down a … A lot of people say The Principal And The Pauper, which came out in 1997, marked the downfall, the episode where Skinner is revealed to have been adopted and the real Seymour Skinner is an Army Sergeant, and I sort of agree because that season … Updated 2 mins ago: I didn't like the movie either. A lot of people point towards The Simpsons episode 'The Principal and the Pauper' as a 'jump the shark' moment. "[21] James Greene of Nerve.com put the episode fifth on his list "Ten Times The Simpsons Jumped the Shark", calling it a "nonsensical meta-comedy" and arguing that it "seemed to betray the reality of the show itself". [17], In his 2004 book Planet Simpson, Chris Turner describes "The Principal and the Pauper" as the "broadcast that marked [the] abrupt plunge" from The Simpsons' "Golden Age", which he says began in the middle of the show's third season. "The Principal and the Pauper" is the second episode of The Simpsons' ninth season. Skinner is entirely believable as the man who’d inspire young Armin into a better life and who could phrase an oddly sound argument to become principal: “If a man pretending to be me could do it well, then, logically, the real me must be far more qualified.” True, he’s bit uptight and lacking in some social graces, but it’s not his fault that he’d rather go to a bar at 7:30 on Friday night than sit for silhouettes with his mother. Posted by. Wednesday's Best Deals: Aukey Webcam, PlayStation Plus, Eastbay Athleisure, Dog Chew Toys, and More. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 28, 1997. That, in the end, is the true betrayal of “The Principal And The Pauper.” It’s not that it’s a terrible episode of The Simpsons, or that it forces you to have this element of the character in your mind every time another Principal Skinner storyline comes up. The fact is, The Simpsons jumped the shark a decade ago. It's pretty well established that The Simpsons just hasn't been the same since the late 1990s, but when do people think it jumped the shark? [4] The episode's official title is a reference to the book The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain. Relevance. He always stood up for the kids, albeit in his … The episode is one of the most controversial of The Simpsons. Actually, I’d rather call the original Skinner “protective” of his school and of the children in it. The only thing that’s wrong with him is that he’s not the Skinner Springfield and the audience have grown to love over eight seasons, which on balance isn’t enough. It also suffers from the fact that Sgt. Books . Principal Skinner admits that he is an impostor, and that his real name is Armin Tamzarian. Once again, Keeler argues for meaning in this move by making it a commentary on how America treats its veterans, but that argument (while more reasonable than earlier ones) loses its strength given the episode spent its running time invalidating the military career of someone who until this episode was one of The Simpsons’ most decorated war heroes. 1 Answer. It’s also doubly insulting that they use this plot to discredit Skinner’s previously alluded Vietnam experiences, a detail as key to his character as the way he’s cowed by Chalmers and his mother. The episode was the second highest rated show on the Fox network that week, following King of the Hill. Years before that, however, they got it right. 1 year ago . Commentary for "The Principal and the Pauper", in, Oakley, Bill. Answer Save. Tonight you can sleep on the floor of your office.”, “Just put an ‘X,’ then call yourself whatever the hell you want.”, “That child is the most disobedient, smart-alecky, middle-aged man in creation!”, “This is Armin’s apartment, Armin’s liquor, Armin’s copy of, “I’m sorry, Seymour. The episode garnered controversy from fans and critics, with many citing it as the moment when the series, "This [episode] is about a community of people who like things just the way they are. The problem with this story isn’t that it’s trying to add shading to a previously existing character—our Inventory on Simpsons characters who evolved over time proves the show can do that extraordinarily well. The problem is that it’s a change that makes no sense for this particular character. Homer remains the one with the foresight to move toward the cake (even before Chief Wiggum, who brought his own plate and fork), which is a great cut-to-commercial gag in the aftershock of the Skinner/Sgt. A lot of people point towards The Simpsons episode ‘The Principal and the Pauper’ as a ‘jump the shark’ moment. A lot of people point towards The Simpsons episode 'The Principal and the Pauper' as a 'jump the shark' moment. this show has always had loose continuity; (b.) * Moreover, her death was stupid, tacky, tasteless and offensive. this show has always had loose continuity; (b.) Matt Groening, in the ninth season DVD introduction, calls it out as one of his least favorite episodes. They surmise that the negative reception was partly due to the fact that it was not immediately apparent to viewers that this was such an episode (as opposed to, for example, "The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase"). “The Principal And The Pauper” scratches against the fourth wall without ever breaking it, and can’t get its message through as a result. Many fans believe the episode is based on the story of Martin Guerre or the 1993 film Sommersby. When the episode aired, lo and behold, a community of people who like things just the way they are got mad. He can’t go back to being Armin Tamzarian from who he is now—though again, largely because it makes no sense he was ever this guy in the first place. Armin Tamzarian . Fox. (2006). However, a decade later, everyone also agreed that it worked a lot better as … [34], Principal Skinner declares himself an impostor. Archived. I remember watching that episode and cringing at his inability to cope. There are some sturdy jokes (which we’ll get to later) peppered throughout, but there’s a sense of underlying wrongness to the whole endeavor. The so-called Golden Age of The Simpsons, that point where the show churned out classic after classic, finally reached its end as the eighth season wrapped up, its satirical engine and sense of the world of Springfield finally starting to run out of steam as the writers struggled to find new stories to tell. The message sent was that preserving its carefully constructed universe was secondary to the goal of producing an episode, and this world could be taken apart and put it back together as necessary. [22], Other figures associated with The Simpsons have publicly criticized the episode. Does "The Principal and the Pauper" being the Simpson's "jump the shark" moment make sense if there were many classic episodes that followed? Get … Answer Save. Try Prime EN Hello, Sign in Account & Lists Sign in Account & Lists Returns & Orders Try Prime Cart. [19] Alan Sepinwall observes in another Star-Ledger article, "[The episode] was so implausible that even the characters were disavowing it by the end of the episode. After these revelations, the people of Springfield begin to distrust Armin, who decides that there is no longer any place for him in Springfield and leaves for Capital City to resume his old persona as a no-good street thug, sadly breaking up with Edna Krabappel in the process. "The Principal and the Pauper" finished 41st in the United States in the ratings for the week of September 22–28, 1997, with a Nielsen rating of 9.2. The Principal and the Pauper. While the existence of Tamzarian can never be revealed in the show under penalty of torture. So we reach the most controversial episode of the simpsons the shark jumping to many The Principal And The Pauper an episode remembered … Yet Agnes’ strong-arming her adopted son to return leads to the greatest sin of “The Principal And The Pauper,” the ending. Bill Oakley considers "The Principal and the Pauper" the most controversial episode from his tenure as executive producer. This is an outlandish episode … He takes the job, but finds himself isolated by the townspeople, who realize they prefer Armin to him. Armin leaves Springfield, but is later persuaded to return as principal. 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