Bart of Darkness

"Bart of Darkness" is the first premiere episode of Season 6 (originally produced as the Season 5 finale).
==Synopsis==
In a parody of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, a summer heatwave hits Springfield, so the Simpsons build a pool to beat the heat. But when a high-dive goes wrong and Bart breaks his leg, he ends up confined to his room, which only gets worse when Lisa gives him a telescope and Bart spies on everyone in town, including a possible murder at the Flanders' house.
==Full Story ==
At the start of a very hot summer vacation, everybody in Springfield is hot, the Simpsons' fridge breaks after a failed attempt to beat the heat. Bart and Lisa run outside when they hear an ice cream truck driving by but the driver tells them he's out of ice cream. They hear another bell from a chilly truck which Bart is disgusted by but Lisa tells him their hope is going to come by right away, fortunately, Otto comes to their salvation with the "Pool Mobile". Bart and Lisa and the rest of the neighborhood kids enjoy the pool time until Otto tells them that their time is up and that they don't have enough money in the budget to come back. Upon hearing this, Bart and Lisa convince Homer, rather easily, to buy them a pool. After mistakenly building a barn on the first try, the Simpsons build a proper pool and suddenly Bart and Lisa become the most popular kids in the neighborhood.
All the kids at Springfield Elementary, as well as kids they don't know (and who also don't know them), arrive at the Simpsons house every day to swim. However, when Bart is dared to jump from his treehouse into the pool, he gets distracted by Nelson ("Your epidermis is showing!") and falls and breaks his left leg. Bart is forced to wear a cast and cannot go swimming since he can't get his cast wet. He tries to hang out with other kids but no one really notices him, even Milhouse would rather be swimming than sitting in the sun. As a result Bart stays indoors with the cast on his leg while Lisa enjoys her newfound popularity with the other kids swimming in their pool. Even though she knows she is only being used for the pool, she ignores that thought believing she really has found some friends. Marge and Lisa soon take notice that Bart is becoming isolated and weird. To suppress Bart's sudden paranoia, Lisa gives Bart her telescope for something to do. He first comes to the conclusion that the universe is boring and instead uses the telescope to spy on Springfield residents. He finds nothing even remotely interesting to spy on, until he hears a female scream and observes Ned Flanders burying an object in his backyard.
After hearing a conversation between Ned, Rod, and Todd, Bart thinks that Ned will kill them as well. Lisa becomes unpopular again when Martin sets up a better pool in his backyard. Bart convinces Lisa to sneak into Flanders' house and snoop around for evidence. However, Bart sees Ned coming into his house with an axe. Certain that Ned intends to kill Lisa, Bart attempts to call 911 only to receive an automated response from a recording. Bart plans to rescue Lisa himself and struggles to get downstairs and out the door, encountering many setbacks on the way to Ned's house. Meanwhile, Lisa realizes Ned has returned home and sees him carrying an axe. She hides in the attic and Ned follows her. Bart arrives just in time to see Ned put the axe on a mount secured the wall. He is dumbfounded when he sees Bart, who confronts him, demanding to know why he killed Maude. Ned is surprised to hear Bart say that he murdered Maude and passes out.
The police arrive to the scene with both families, including Maude. Maude explains that she was actually at Bible camp for a week, learning how to be more judgmental. When Bart asks Ned about the "murder" that he saw, Ned breaks down and says that he accidentally overwatered Maude's favorite ficus plant, panicked, and then buried the remains; he had planned on replacing it before Maude came home. Bart then asks about the woman that he heard scream, and Ned says that he can't explain that. When Lou digs up Maude's dead ficus, Ned lets out a shrill-like scream of terror. Bart then concludes that everything is normal, and Homer gets sarcastic for a moment.
Meanwhile at Martin's house, his pool becomes too overfilled and bursts. Everyone leaves and Martin becomes unpopular again like Lisa or the other fictionalized characters. Nelson snatches Martin's bathing suit off, and Martin stares naked into the sunset as the credits roll.
== Citations ==
fr:Bart des ténèbres
pl:Bart of Darkness
pt:Um Bart na escuridão
ru:Барт тьмы
Category:Bart episodes
Category:Lisa episodes
Category:Season premieres
Category:Episodes named after a character
Category:Medical-Themed Episodes
Category:Homer episodes
Category:Ned Flanders Episodes
Category:Crime-themed Episodes
Category:Episodes named after Bart
Category:Firsts
Category:Sherri and Terri episodes
Category:'Of' Episodes
Category:Episodes with alternate end credits
Category:Directed by Jim Reardon
Category:Highly Rated Episodes
Category:Summer episodes
Category:Just Stamp The Ticket Man Episodes
Category:Maude Flanders Episodes