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| Lisa and Mojo, enjoying themselves for one reason or another. |
Under pressure to provide educational programming, a TV network decides to create a news program made by kids, for kids. Lisa is given charge of the assignment. Meanwhile, Bart's skateboarding antics draw the ire of Groundskeeper Willie, who confiscates Bart's board. Getting some kind of vengeance, Bart grabs a tube that's spilling out creamed corn and tosses it into the furnace of Willie's shack. It eventually overflows, causing Willie's shack to blow apart. As Bart retrieves his skateboard, Willie knows it was Bart who caused the loss of his home and that Willie will get his revenge sooner or later. A short time later, Bart has Marge press Lisa into having him join Lisa's news cast.
The show, "Kidz Newz", starts off with a yawn as Lisa unenthusiastically bores about some kind of library thing. Bart, given Sports, is much livelier than Lisa, and after just the first broadcast a network executive makes Bart a co-anchor. Later, Lisa protests the decision to the executive, noting that Bart is "kinda dumb", something Bart overhears. Looking to prove himself, Bart visits Kent Brockman for advice. Both sharing a common interest - showing up their sisters in the news business - Kent reveals a big secret to his success: human interest stories, tales that grip the human heart and soften the mind. Bart learns these secrets well, and on the next telecast he starts his newest piece: Bart's People, which becomes an instant hit much to Lisa's dismay.
In the subplot, Homer notices that Apu has acquired a helper monkey after a robbery left him less than intact. Intrigued, Homer goes to buy one, literally using Grampa as an excuse of getting a helper monkey. Marge can't stand the monkey - Mojo - being in the house, and for a short time the monkey does help Homer out. However, Homer's lazy, fatass demeanor quickly grows on Mojo, and soon its as lazy and fat as Homer is. Marge demands Homer send it back so it can be helped, and Homer eventually does, though he makes a run for it before anybody can see it was him that left Mojo there.
Meanwhile, Lisa tries to do human interest stories of her own, but they aren't working so well (mostly because of a crazy cat lady, whose first appearance is this episode). After Marge blurts out that Kidz Newz is Bart's show, Lisa has had enough, and sets up a plan to out Bart as a fraud. She gives him a letter from a supposed viewer saying he lives at the garbage dump now. Bart sees the opportunity, and decides to have Bart's People air live at the dump. However, upon getting there, it turns out that person is Willie, still mad at Bart over the corn thing, and angrily begins an assault on Bart. Lisa regrets what she's done and hastily goes over to the dump to stop Willie, doing so by quickly drumming up an interest story about Bart being the 'son' of today's culture. Willie is touched by it, and leaves in tears. Bart and Lisa renew their respects for one another, and agree that if they work together, Kidz Newz will be unstoppable. However, Kidz Newz is quickly cancelled instead, having been replaced by some kind of advertisement cartoon.
Quick Review
Another solid entry for Season 9, I enjoyed the main plot somewhat, mostly around Bart's various antics, but Homer's sidestory with the monkey really took my laughs this time. Its just a silly sidestory, and it has nothing to do with the main story, but the plight of poor Mojo really gave me a good time, and helped boosted this episode's score to what it is.
Final Score: 8.6
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