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| "Talkin' out of turn... that's a paddlin'. Lookin' out the window... that's a paddlin'. Starin' at my sandals... that's a paddin'. Paddlin' the school canoe... oh, you better believe that's a paddlin'." |
Springfield Elementary has always been portrayed as a bit underfunded, but that fact gets shown to the extreme to start the episode. Having their only two buses be so dilapidated that one explodes on contact while another has no brakes and possesses a big hole on its bottom, the school decides to take a field trip anyway. However, they have no money for gas (forcing Otto to siphon it from another bus with only a single tube), and Principal Skinner wasn't even aware the historical fort they were going to now charges a fee per student thanks to new mouse-related management. Getting caught trying to "learn for free", Skinner and the kids make a run back to the bus to escape the war reenactors, but not all of them make it back (poor Üter).
Fed up with budget cuts everywhere, Mrs. Krabappel gets into an argument with Skinner over conditions, which Bart and Lisa overhear. Lisa worries aloud that this bickering could lead to a school-stopping strike. Bart takes the idea and goes full throttle, spreading mistruths to both Skinner and Krabappel, and quickly gets the two so angry at one another Krabappel calls for the teachers to strike.
While the kids free to do whatever now that school has stopped (except Milhouse, who was instantly given a tutor), Lisa however begins to have withdrawal symptoms, slowly going mad over being unable to be properly educated. Bart in the meantime enjoys his newfound freedom, causing chaos throughout town and making the teachers even angrier at Skinner. Worried about how her kids have been acting, Marge demands something be done about the strike. Soon a PTA meeting is held (though I'm not sure if Marge had anything to do with it despite the implication). Led by Ned Flanders, he tries to get the two sides to work together, but neither Skinner nor Krabappel will even agree to disagree. With panic that the PTA is disbanding, Flanders reveals an emergency plan in case of a prolonged strike: using super-intelligent cyborgs. Since they have yet to be invented, an alternate solution is included: letting townspeople teach instead.
It doesn't work out so well. Lisa's class is taught by Jasper who, to say the least, is ineffective. Bart drives off multiple substitutes in his class, but his fun comes to an abrupt halt when Marge takes over his class. Now becoming the subject of bullying over his mom being the teacher, Bart finally decides to find a way to end the strike, using Milhouse's tutor-improved booksmarts and Bart's ability to exploit the booksmart.
The plan was simply to trick Skinner and Krabappel into the same room, then lock them in. They slam on the door and yell at Bart to open the door for what ends up being five hours, but ultimately they cave in and start talking. With money still the biggest issue, the two realize they feel like prisoners in their own school, when suddenly they both get a grand idea to get extra revenue to the school: by renting out closet space to host convicted criminals, turning the school into a school/prison hybrid. Though Skinner hopes it will also provide a "scared straight" influence on kids, soon Bart and our felon friend Snake work out a plan to bust the latter out. Good times.
Quick Review
This was one of Season 6's better episodes, a fun romp through the otherwise serious matter of teacher strikes. The jokes were plentiful, many minor characters get in a good laugh or two, and several bits, like the scenes at the field trip were excellent.
Final Score: 9.7
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