Question 1

What is the plot?

Marcus Rodriguez · Accepted Answer

The episode begins with Homer Simpson watching a Springfield Atoms football game from his living room, betting on the outcome. He credits his "lucky ring," his wedding ring, for his success. When the Atoms lose but Homer still wins money, he celebrates by taking off his ring, but accidentally drops it through the floorboards into the crawlspace beneath the house. Homer then crawls into the cramped, dark crawlspace to retrieve the ring. While searching, he encounters a strong skunk odor and is sprayed by skunks living there. He also discovers a dead handyman from years ago. Despite the unpleasantness, Homer manages to find his ring.

Outside in the backyard, Marge helps Homer clean off the skunk spray. She reveals a special cleaning method using a mixture of household ingredients inside an old pillowcase to remove the smell from his clothes without a washing machine. Bart comments that the method is similar to a gag from the show Arrested Development. Marge and Lisa then discuss how this cleaning method could help people who lack washing machines, like the homeless.

Marge and Lisa set up a stall at the Springfield Squidport to distribute bags of the cleaning ingredients to homeless people, whom Lisa refers to as the "unhoused." They begin to make a positive impact on the homeless community, including helping Gil. The Rich Texan notices their stall and offers a charitable donation for tax deduction purposes. Upon learning that Marge and Lisa are not a registered charity, he has his accountant help them register as the Lisa M. Simpson Foundation.

As the charity grows, Marge becomes increasingly involved in the fundraising and administrative side, focusing on tax deductions and the glitz of big-time charity events. Lisa, however, is concerned that the charity is becoming performative and losing sight of its original mission to help the homeless. This difference in priorities leads to arguments between Marge and Lisa.

The tension escalates until Marge and Lisa agree to take a break from each other by going for ice cream at PQB's. The break does not resolve their conflict, so they agree to take several more breaks over the next few days at the same place. Meanwhile, the charity's board promotes Lisa to "Founder Emeritus," a title she recognizes as a polite way of being fired.

Homer helps Lisa process her firing by guiding her through the "Five Stages of Getting Fired," which include righteous anger, pretending to still have a job, misdirected anger, glowering without showering, and finally reluctant acceptance. Lisa apologizes to Marge for criticizing her despite Marge's hard work in making the charity successful. Lisa promises to attend the opening of the foundation's new headquarters that evening.

At the opening event, Lisa notices many homeless people, including Gil, who has returned to skid row because the low-income housing he was living in was demolished to build the Lisa M. Simpson Foundation Headquarters. Marge arrives angrily and confronts the audience, accusing them of pretending to care about homelessness. She points out that the foundation, which started to help the homeless, has ironically contributed to creating more homelessness.

Bernice, a board member, defends the situation by claiming that more homeless people mean more awareness. Marge rejects this justification, stating she is done with awareness campaigns and fundraising. She hands over leadership of the foundation to Lisa.

Lisa then declares that the foundation headquarters will be converted into a shelter for the unhoused. As homeless people enter the building and begin to enjoy the fancy food prepared for the event, the upper-class attendees are shocked. Mr. Burns raises his voice in protest, but the episode ends with the homeless taking over the space, symbolizing a return to the charity's original purpose.

Question 2

What is the ending?

Marcus Rodriguez · Accepted Answer

At the end of "Write Off This Episode," Lisa takes control of the Lisa M. Simpson Foundation and transforms its headquarters into a homeless shelter, opening the doors to the unhoused of Springfield. Marge and Lisa joyfully work together to clean clothes for the homeless, celebrating their genuine impact, while the wealthy donors leave disappointed that the charity is no longer a performative tax write-off. The episode closes on a hopeful note with Lisa and Marge united in their hands-on charity work.

Expanded narrative of the ending scene by scene:

The final act begins with Marge confronting the reality behind the charity she and Lisa started. The Lisa M. Simpson Foundation headquarters, initially a symbol of fundraising success and social prestige, has ironically contributed to homelessness by displacing low-income residents like Gil. Marge, frustrated and disillusioned, calls out the performative nature of the charity and the superficial concern of the wealthy donors who attend the gala.

Bernice, a charity insider, defends the situation by claiming that increased homelessness raises awareness, but Marge rejects this cynical justification. She decides to step away from the performative fundraising and hands leadership of the foundation over to Lisa.

Lisa immediately announces a radical change: the foundation’s headquarters will be converted into a shelter for the unhoused. This decision shocks the upper-class attendees, who had come expecting a glamorous event. As the unhoused people, including Gil, enter the building, they are welcomed with genuine care and even served fancy food, much to the discomfort of the elite guests.

Mr. Burns voices his disdain, arguing that the rich are not there to help the less fortunate but to enjoy their own wealth, and that real help should come from paying taxes and government action. The wealthy donors begin to leave, disillusioned by the foundation’s new direction.

Meanwhile, the Rich Texan’s accountant notarizes the official declaration converting the building into a homeless shelter, making the change legally binding.

The episode closes with a warm, uplifting scene of Marge and Lisa working side by side, cleaning clothes for the homeless using Marge’s special method. They share a joyful "Yeehaw!" as they shake the pillowcases filled with cleaning ingredients, symbolizing their hands-on commitment to making a real difference rather than just raising money or awareness.

Homer’s subplot, involving his skunk spray incident and Marge’s cleaning trick, bookends the episode with humor and ties into the theme of practical help versus superficial solutions.

In terms of character fate at the end:

- Lisa embraces her idealism and takes active leadership in helping the homeless directly.
- Marge supports Lisa’s vision and returns to practical charity work, rejecting performative fundraising.
- The wealthy donors, including Mr. Burns and the Rich Texan, are left outside the new shelter, symbolizing their detachment from genuine charity.
- Homer ends the episode recovering from his skunk spray ordeal, a humorous counterpoint to the serious themes.

This ending highlights the contrast between performative charity and meaningful action, showing Lisa and Marge choosing substance over spectacle.

Question 3

Is there a post-credit scene?

Marcus Rodriguez · Accepted Answer

The Simpsons Season 34, Episode 19 titled "Write Off This Episode" does not have any widely reported or notable post-credit scene. The available detailed episode summaries, reviews, and recaps do not mention a post-credit scene or tag following the main episode content[1][2][3][5][6].

The episode focuses on Marge and Lisa starting a charity and Marge becoming seduced by the prestige and money of big charity fundraising, with the story concluding without an additional scene after the credits. If there were a post-credit scene, it would likely be noted in episode recaps or reviews, but none of the sources indicate one exists for this episode.

Question 4

What causes Homer to get sprayed by skunks in the episode?

Marcus Rodriguez · Accepted Answer

Homer drops his lucky wedding ring down between the floorboards and into the crawlspace under the house. When he crawls into the crawlspace to retrieve it, he encounters skunks living there and gets sprayed by them.

Question 5

How does Marge clean Homer's skunk-sprayed clothes without a washing machine?

Marcus Rodriguez · Accepted Answer

Marge uses a tried-and-true trick involving pouring a combination of ingredients into a pillowcase, then inserting the clothes and shaking the mixture until the clothes come out looking and smelling like new.

Question 6

What motivates Marge and Lisa to start their charity, and what is its initial focus?

Marcus Rodriguez · Accepted Answer

After seeing the homeless people in Springfield and considering those without washing machines, Marge and Lisa start a charity to distribute bags of cleaning ingredients to the homeless, aiming to help improve their lives.

Question 7

How does the charity evolve and what conflict arises between Marge and Lisa?

Marcus Rodriguez · Accepted Answer

The charity becomes more performative and focused on raising awareness rather than direct help, influenced by Marge and Bernice. Lisa objects to this change, leading to arguments between her and Marge about the charity's direction.

Question 8

What happens to the Lisa M. Simpson Foundation headquarters and how does the episode end regarding the homeless?

Marcus Rodriguez · Accepted Answer

The low-income housing where Gil lived is demolished to build the Lisa M. Simpson Foundation headquarters. Marge becomes angry when she sees more homelessness caused by the foundation's actions. Leadership is turned over to Lisa, who converts the headquarters into a shelter for the unhoused. The episode ends with Lisa and Marge joyfully cleaning clothes together in the bags.

Question 9

Is this family friendly?

Marcus Rodriguez · Accepted Answer

The Simpsons Season 34, Episode 19 titled "Write Off This Episode" is generally family-friendly with no reports of severe violence, gore, or explicit content typical of the Halloween-themed episodes. However, as with most Simpsons episodes, there may be mild language and some thematic elements that could be sensitive for very young children or highly sensitive viewers.

Specifically for this episode, there are no detailed parental guides indicating objectionable or upsetting scenes such as severe violence, intense frightening scenes, or explicit content. The episode centers on Marge and Lisa creating a charity, which suggests a more grounded and less intense storyline compared to episodes like the "Treehouse of Horror" specials known for severe violence and gore[3][1].

In general, The Simpsons often includes mild profanity (such as "hell," "damn," or "ass"), mild alcohol references, and some satirical or dark humor that might be confusing or mildly upsetting to very young or sensitive children, but nothing extreme in this particular episode[1].

Therefore, "Write Off This Episode" can be considered suitable for family viewing with typical mild Simpsons humor and themes, but parents of very young or sensitive children might want to be aware of mild language and thematic content.

The Simpsons: Season 34, Episode 19 - Write Off This Episode (2023)

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