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"Treehouse of Horror XIII" is the first episode of The Simpsons' fourteenth season, as well as the thirteenth Halloween episode. The episode aired on November 3, 2002, three days after Halloween. 17 million people watched. It is the second Treehouse of Horror to have a zombie-related segment. The first being Dial Z For Zombies in "Treehouse of Horror III".

Opening Sequence

The Simpson family and Ned Flanders hold a séance, which brings the ghost of Maude Flanders back from the dead. She opens a book and brings us three stories that "will crack your spines and boil your blood".

Synopsis

Send in the Clones

Homer purchases a new hammock. When he lies down, he discovers it can make clones. He begins making and using the clones to do all of his chores. As he continues to make the clones do his work, the clones begin thinking for themselves and questioning the real Homer. When a clone permanently takes care of Flanders, Homer decides to get rid of the clones and the hammock, taking them to a cornfield where he abandons them, presuming that none of the clones are smart enough to get anywhere. It isn't long before the clones use the hammock to make more clones of themselves, and form an army of Homer-clones (one of which is Peter Griffin from Family Guy, another is Homer as he appeared on The Tracey Ullman Show), heading their way for Springfield, which they invade. Only Lisa can give them a suggestion to solve the problem. She suggests that several helicopters hook gigantic donuts on cables and have the clones chase them. The plan is put into action in a parody of the 'Ride of the Valkyries' helicopter scene in Apocalypse Now. The helicopters fly towards a big cliff luring the Homer clones to their doom. Soon, all the clones have been disposed of. Later that night, Marge enters the bed and soon discovers that the Homer next to her is a clone (he has no belly button). The clone soon tells her that the real Homer was the first to jump off the cliff. Marge is initially alarmed, but relaxes when the clone offers her a back rub.

The Fright to Creep and Scare Harms

Lisa inadvertantly finds the grave of William Bonney, a man who was killed by gun violence, and dreamed of a world without guns. In his memory, she starts a gun control crusade, which makes Springfield 100% gun-free; even the police no longer have guns. Now defenseless, the corpse of William "Billy the Kid" Bonney and his cohorts rise from the dead and start wreaking havoc in town, until Professor Frink invents a time machine, which Homer uses to go back to the recent past to stop the gun ban, and also the zombies.

The Island of Dr. Hibbert

The Simpsons are going on a trip to "The Island of Lost Souls" (a parody of The Island of Dr. Moreau), where they find Dr. Hibbert running the island's resort. When the family is there, Marge thinks that something creepy is occurring until Dr. Hibbert captures her and turns her into a cat woman. Homer goes to find a cure for Marge's condition, but encounters Ned Flanders, who becomes a cow who needs to be milked. Flanders takes Homer to meet the others who have turned into animals. Homer, initially horrified at what everyone has become, actually decides on being an animal himself.

Animals

Notes

  • The title of "The Fright to Creep and Scare Harms" is a play on the United States Constitution amendment that says that U.S. Citizens have "the right to keep and bear arms".

  • "The Island of Dr. Hibbert" features Marge as a cat and Homer as a walrus. The final scene sees them getting a little frisky. This is reminiscent of Peter Jackson's bad-acid muppet classic, "Meet the Feebles," which has a much more amorous interlude between walrus and cat as one of its first scenes.

  • Kodos and Kang noted that the island looked like their numerical number four. The island was in the shape of a skull

  • Two of Homer's clones are especially different from the rest. One clone shows Homer as he looked on The short stories of The Simpsons that aired on The Tracey Ullman Show & The other clone is Peter Griffin from Another one of FOX's animated hits Family Guy.

Quotes

Send in the Clones

  • Hammock Peddler: The price is ten dollars. But, I must warn you, this is no ordinary hammock. Its webbing is a mesh of comfort...and evil.
    Homer: You had me at "comfort"! audio clip

  • Ned: Say, Homer, I was, uh, I was wondering if I could borrow that chain saw you, uh, stole from me?
    Homer: Yeah, but you have to leave a credit card.

  • Lisa: Dad, is there something you'd like to tell us about this horde?
    Homer: You'd think so, but no.
    Marge: They look like you, they were rude to Patty and Selma, and the horde has been described as very gassy.
    Homer: Yeah, it's a good group.

  • Homer: Hey, I think this could be a magic hammock!
  • Homer and Homer clone: Why, you little!
    (both Homers attack each other)
    Homer: Man, are we evenly matched.
    Homer clone: Me concur.
  • Old style Homer clone: Let's all go out for frosty chocolate milkshakes!
  • Homer: It would take three clones to beat the original Homer! (the three clones begin thinking) Uh, I mean four! (the three clones are let down)
  • Lisa: I know exactly what we should do!
    General: Thank God! (to General Buck Turgidson from Dr. Strangelove) And you said we shouldn't let little girls in the war room.
    General Turgidson: Look! I was wrong, okay?!
  • Homer: Before I abandon you here, does anyone know the way home?
    Clone: I do.
    Homer: (shoots clone with shotgun) Anybody else? (shoots another clone) Anybody else? Come on. (clone raises hand...BOOM!) audio clip
  • Kent: Like comedy clubs in the late '80s, these ravenous clones are everywhere. They have destroyed every building in town...except Moe's Tavern, which is reporting record business.
    (cut to Moe's which has a very long line of clones and is very crowded inside)
    Moe: Now, who's gonna be picking up the tab?
    Homer clones: Lenny!
    Lenny: Anything for Homers!
Marge lifts up Homer's pajama shirt and sees that he doesn’t have a navel, just like all the other clones.
  • Marge: (Gasp), you’re a clone?!
    Clone Homer: yep.
    Marge: but where’s Homer?
    Clone Homer: first one off cliff.
    Marge: my Homie is dead?! How will I go on?!
    Clone Homer: you like back rub? (Begins to rub Marge’s back.)
    Marge: Oh well. (She closes her eyes and enjoys the back rub.)

The Fright to Creep and Scare Harms

  • William Bonney (Billy the Kid) and his evil gang of undead henchmen have risen from the ground.
    Billy: Now I'd like you to meet the hole-in-the-ground gang!
    Townspeople: Frank an' Jesse James!
    Townspeople: *
    Comic" target="_blank" >Book Guy: What happened to Butch Cassidy?
    The Sundance Kid: (imitating) What happened to Butch Cassidy? We're not joined at the hip, you know!
    Billy: And the most evil German of all time... Kaiser Wilhelm!
    Townspeople: [Mutterings of "Who?"
    Frank: He ain't no cowboy!
    Wilhelm: Sure I am! to think...uh .. yippy wippy, wippy!
    Frank James: OK, he's in!
  • William Bonney:Now we can rob the bank, give the money to the poor, rob the poor, and shoot the money! audio clip
  • William Bonney:(To Bart) Sing us a song about cattle rustling and you (To Lisa) sing us a song about, um, robbin' banks!!
  • Bonney: Play us some pianee!
    Homer launches into Fur Elise
    Bonney: That's pian-o. I said pian-ee!!! Homer panics and plays a hoe down
  • Prof. Frink: (after Homer takes his time machine) Oh for flaven out loud, I hope he doesn't do anything to ruin the space-time continuum. That's all... (notices his right hand has become a hand mixer) Oh dear.

The Island of Dr. Hibbert

  • Kang: (looking at the skull shaped Island of Lost Souls) Look at that island! Shaped like our number four!
    Kodos: Makes you think.

(Note: Perhaps coincidentally, in Chinese, the number "four" and "death" have similiar pronunciations, just with a different inflection, and thus, the number is unlucky by association. It is also unlucky in Japanese, in which "four" and "death" are pronounced exactly the same, and thus "four" was given a second way of saying it ('yon' instead of 'shi')

  • Dr. Hibbert: Willy, help them with their bags.
    Grondskeeper Willy: (as a gorrila) Grrr...
    Dr Hibbert: Now he may try to slobber on your crotch.
    Homer: Heh! I've been around Scotsmen!
  • Ned Cow: Milk...me...!
  • Homer: (on Ned) In the jungle, the creepy jungle, Homer rides a freak..! audio clip
  • Bart: (as a spider) Hey, Dad! Check it out!
    (Bart writes "EAT MY SHORTS" with the spider web.)
    Homer: Eat... my... SHORTS! Why, you little!
  • Lisa: (as an Eagle) (defensively) We were just playing.
    Homer: What game?
    Lisa: (sheepishly) Let's eat Maggie...?
  • Homer: Man-imals! Invertabroads! We must fight back against the man who did this to you!
    Sea Captain-gator: Arr! The half-man, half-gorilla speaks the truth!
  • Comic Book Guy: Here me, accursed brethren! I have noticed that many of you are still wearing tattered pants! Please throw them on the bonfire and embrace your animal essence!
    Chief Piggum: Okay, but I'm keeping the tattered vest! I still have my dignity! Hey slops! (kneels down and begins eating) Oooh, a toenail! audio clip
  • Lisa Eagle: So, what's it like being a walrus, Dad?
    Homer Walrus: It's great! I haven't been this skinny since high school.

Simpsons episodes | Halloween fiction | Simpsons episodes

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Treehouse of Horror XIII".

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