Treehouse of Horror XIV

For the continuing series of Halloween specials, see Treehouse of Horror series.
Treehouse of Horror XIV is the first episode of Season 15. Although this is the second Treehouse of Horror episode to be digitally animated, it’s the first to air after the permanent digital switch (originally going to be in Season 14 in production order).
==Synopsis==
In another annual Halloween special, we see Homer become the new Grim Reaper, Professor Frink brings his dad back to life, with interesting results, and Bart and Milhouse get a stopwatch that literally allows them to stop time.
==Full Story==
===Intro===
Bart and Lisa, dressed up as Charlie Brown and Lucy van Pelt from the Peanuts series discuss their Halloween treats, and Lisa claims that hers are better than Bart's. The two then fight violently until Homer intervenes and breaks them up. He throws an inflamed log at them, but misses and hits Grampa. He even complains "I'm still cold". Homer gets Bart and Lisa rolled up in the rug and begins to "beat the lumps". A gun-wielding Marge intervenes and says that she does not approve of Homer's parenting techniques, she then shoots Homer, splattering his blood on the wall behind Homer (revealing the title). Meanwhile, in their spaceship, high above the earth, the two aliens, Kang and Kodos, take note of how the Simpson family is showing a Halloween special in November--they question why anyone would still be thinking about Halloween and point out how they already have all their Christmas decorations set up, complete with multi-legged stockings and alien reindeer, then they take off.
===Reaper Madness===
In a parody of the episode Death is a Bitch and loosely based on , the Grim Reaper enters The Simpson house attempting to take the soul of Bart Simpson, but the family goes on a Benny Hill-style chase to elude him. However, Death eventually manages to pin Bart’s shirt to the wall with his scythe. But as the Grim Reaper is about to kill Bart, Homer kills Death with a bowling ball, (in revenge for killing Snowball I and President John F. Kennedy), but when he does, he learns that everyone is practically immortal (and The Jim Belushi Show wouldn't be cancelled) now that the Grim Reaper is dead. The scene then cuts to two examples of a world without death: Frankie the Squealer being repeatedly shot by the Springfield Mafia and Moe hanging himself from the ceiling without success. On trash day, Marge tells Homer to take the dead Grim Reaper to the curb. Homer does, but puts on the robe, unwittingly transforming himself into the new Grim Reaper. His hands becomes skeletal and gains magic powers. He is reluctant at first, but only agrees after God mangles his groin. Homer settles into his job, and enjoys using, and abusing, his power, until he is asked to kill Marge. Homer doesn’t want to kill his wife (or himself, an alternative choice he receives but quickly rejects), and he tries to plead to God that he wants to get out of the job after leading him to believe that he killed Marge. Then Homer pulls a fast one on God by substituting Patty’s body for Marge (which God initially mistakes for Selma) with Marge’s hair taped to her head. The annoyed deity tries to punish Homer with a lethal sunbeam but Homer quickly escapes on his motorcycle, prompting God to sigh "I’m too old and far too rich for this" when a train stops him from pursuing further. Meanwhile, at the house, Marge gives Homer an extra pork chop for not killing her. Homer then mentions that he will not kill Marge every week from now on, which everyone laughs about.
===Frinkenstein===
In a parody of , Homer gets a call from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences telling him that he is the winner of the Nobel Prize; however, Lisa learns that it’s actually for Professor Frink. Frink is so excited that he won the Nobel Prize (for devising a hammer with a screwdriver on the other end of it), where he expresses the wish that his father was able to see him win. He explains that his father always saw him as a disappointment, and describes his father as a he-man scientist who worked on the atom bomb by day, slept with Marilyn Monroe by night, and sold secrets to the Russians at lunch. The last time he was seen alive was just before he went on a fishing trip. Frink Jr. didn't want to go on the trip because he gets sick ("clean but nauseous") taking a shower. His father, disgusted, took off without him. Frink reveals that his father was bitten by a shark while he was testing a blood-based suntan lotion.
Meanwhile, Frink decides to reanimate his father’s corpse in order to have him appear at the ceremony. Frink Sr. is unimpressed with his new robot parts and lack of “genitals in the traditional sense”. Unfortunately, the corpse of Frink Sr. goes on a murderous rampage stripping organs from others, including Ned Flanders's heart, Principal Skinner's spine (his mother isn't amused), Sideshow Mel's trademark hair, Krusty's neck, Snake's right arm, Mr. Burns' left arm, Nelson's torso, part of Selma's right foot, part of Disco Stu's left foot, Kearney's legs, and Comic Book Guy’s butt (although he somehow survived). Eventually, Lisa convinces Frink Sr. to stop when he realizes he is causing his son anguish. Meanwhile at the awards ceremony in Stockholm, Frink Sr. tries to make amends with his son for his recent behavior, but he goes another on rampage through the audience, stealing brains of scientists growing more and more intelligent. Frink Jr. manages to stop his father with a kick to the crotch, killing him. Meanwhile, before dying, Frink Sr. is very proud of his son for standing up to him, however he is able to hold on to his father's soul (which talks to him from a box).
===Stop the World I Want to Goof Off===
In a parody of the episode , Bart and Milhouse get a stopwatch through an advertisement in an old comic book magazine for 49 cents that actually allows them to stop time. They have a blast pulling pranks on Springfieldians, such as exposing Principal Skinner's white underpants to the whole school and stealing Homer's doughnuts (and clothes, leaving him naked at work, then bringing Nelson and doing the same thing). They almost get away with it, but they are outsmarted by Mayor Quimby who sprays ultraviolet powder on the ground tracking their footsteps. An angry mob goes after Bart and Milhouse. While they are on the run, Chief Wiggum shoots at them; they freeze time and the watch breaks, causing Bart and Milhouse to be the only two people moving in a frozen world where time has stopped. They soon take advantage of this and go on a worldwide crime spree, kidnapping the Pope for wedgying, stealing whatever they want, and just generally doing anything they wish; for example, Bart washes his sisters and Homer and his (Homer's) head keeps falling off, which Bart sighs and comments with "that keeps happening" . They soon become bored and realize they need to fix the watch. Although the watch repair manual states that each lesson lasts about an hour, since they lack much education, have limited vocabularies, and no other people to help them, a few hours turn into 15 years to get the watch fixed and for matters to go back to normal. Once repaired however, Bart realizes that once they restart time everyone will want to kill them and the pair are in terrible shape since they had been eating nothing but gummy worms for 15 years so they wouldn't be able to escape. In need of a scapegoat, the pair position Martin Prince to take the blame, and he is clobbered when time returns. However, Lisa points out that Bart has become a 25 year old and has amassed vast riches and complains about not being able to mess around with time. In the interest of being fair, Bart allows Lisa to use the watch. She then discovers a second button which interferes with reality, causing the Simpsons to undergo various changes such as having their torsos separate from their bodies on jet-packs, have their sexes swapped, become bobbleheads, become T.V. Guides, become the , and finally begin hula-hooping to "Rock Around the Clock", and somehow Bart is restored back to his normal ten year-old self.
== Citations ==
fr:Simpson Horror Show XIV
pl:Treehouse of Horror XIV
pt:A Casa da Árvore dos Horrores - Parte XIV
ru:Дом ужасов XIV
Category:Anthology
Category:Music Composition Emmy nominated episodes
Category:Season premieres
Category:Episodes featuring guest stars
Category:Homer episodes
Category:Professor Frink Episodes
Category:Bart episodes
Category:Milhouse episodes
Category:Firsts
Category:Episodes with a alternative Gracie Films logo
Category:Holiday episodes
Category:Halloween Episodes
Category:Episodes in which a Character Swears Censored or Uncensored
Category:'Of' Episodes
Category:Episodes on DVD
Category:Episodes with alternate end credits
Category:Written by John Swartzwelder
Category:Directed by Steven Dean Moore
Category:Simpson Family Are Pariahs episodes
Category:Episodes mentioning Sweden
Category:Parody episodes
Category:Highly Rated Episodes
Category:Episodes Where Homer cries
Category:12-rated episodes
Category:Episodes rated M