New Kids on the Blecch

"New Kids on the Blecch" is the fourteenth episode of Season 12.
==Synopsis==
After Bart cheats at the Springfield Marathon, he is recruited by record producer L.T. Smash alongside Milhouse, Nelson, and Ralph Wiggum to form a boy band: The Party Posse. However, when Lisa sees something strange in the band's newest music video, she discovers a shocking military conspiracy.
==Full Story==
Homer joins the Springfield Marathon, along with other Springfieldians, including Mr. Burns and Smithers and Comic Book Guy (dressed as The Flash). By paralleling Rosie Ruiz's cheating in the 1980 Boston Marathon, Bart (disguising himself as an Italian) wins the Springfield's equivalent. When it is discovered Bart cheated, he finds himself in hot water with fellow competitors and spectators, so he accepts a stranger's offer to help him escape. The stranger reveals that his identity is L.T. Smash. L.T. offers Bart a job in a boy band known as "Party Posse". Bart accepts, and becomes Party Posse's fourth member, Nelson Muntz, Ralph Wiggum, and Milhouse Van Houten. They are given new clothes, new haircuts, and dance lessons. Next they are given their songs to sing, although they feel that the songs are a little boastful.
Party Posse quickly ascend to stardom, albeit using complex voice enhancers built by NASA, as none of them can sing well. No one is aware of the voice enhancer's use, and as such Party Posse's success depends on the voice enhancer. The band even gets a chance to meet N'Sync after a concert at the school, who have been wanting to meet the kids and have a basket for them. Lisa starts to become annoyed with Bart having his special treatment in front of them but Marge just believes that Lisa complaints are selfish. The band releases a single titled Drop Da Bomb, the music video is shown on TV which not only contains war images but a suspicious lyric, Yvan Eht Nioj. Lisa is not very happy about that strange lyric and her growing suspicion around Party Posse eventually results in her discovering the line is a subliminal recruiting message to join the Navy, as there is a hidden Uncle Sam poster and also realizes Yvan Eht Nioj is Join the Navy written backwards. To make matters worse people are being easily brainwashed and are joining right away. When going to talk to L.T. Smash about the recruitment messages in the video, Lisa also discovers that he is in reality, a lieutenant (named Lieutenant L.T. Smash) with tattoos. He explains to her that popular music has long been used as a recruitment tool by the US military even pointing out several bands. When questioning why they need different recruitment methods even pointing out people join all the time, L.T. explains to Lisa how recruitment has different forms. He also shows her that most people are easily recruited by the military he gives an example by telling a passing Lenny and Carl to join the Navy which they agree to. L.T. does tell Lisa that because she knows the truth she cannot leave his office but she already did.
Lisa explains out her discoveries to Homer and Marge, but they dismiss her accusations as jealousy to Bart. When The Party Posse perform a concert on an aircraft carrier, Lisa's suspicions are increased especially when everyone starts marching. During the concert, L.T. Smash is alerted by his superior officer that the new administration is going to shut down "Project Boy Band" due to the upcoming issue of Mad Magazine that will satirize The Party Posse, who are lampooned as "The Potty Posse" on the front cover, which will destroy the bands recruitment power. Smash's superior officer cuts off the band's voice enhancer, revealing the boy's true poor singing voices to the audience insane, who begin booing them. Outraged by his superior's actions, Smash loses his sanity and hijacks the carrier, sailing towards New York City.
N'Sync arrives and attempts to stop Smash before he reaches New York, but the band's attempt fails. Smash fires missiles at Mad Headquarters, destroying the offices, but the workers manage to survive. Smash is soon arrested, and The Party Posse, disappointed that they could have appeared on the cover of Mad, decide to divorce, though they take solace in seeing how the magazine planned to parody them.
N'Sync appears at the end of the episode and explains how the Navy protects Americans each and every day, and reveal that they signed JC Chasez up the day prior. Chasez is then dragged away screaming by two Military Police officers as his band mates wave goodbye.
==Behind the Laughter==
While the episode was praised by fans and critics, Justin Timberlake, who starred in the episode, said that he doesn't actually say: "Word!"
==Citations==
fr:Bart et son boys band
pl:New Kids on the Blecch
pt:Novos garotos na área
ru:Юные таланты
Category:Bart episodes
Category:Nelson episodes
Category:Ralph episodes
Category:Milhouse episodes
Category:Kids episodes
Category:Episodes featuring guest stars
Category:Episodes with live action footage
Category:Musical-themed Episodes
Category:Work-themed Episodes
Category:Crime-themed Episodes
Category:Episodes on DVD
Category:Directed by Steven Dean Moore
Category:Written by Tim Long
Category:Episodes with alternate end credits