Bart resents Milhouse's new girlfriend; Homer gets the wrong subliminal tape, which has him gaining vocabulary, not losing weight.
Sixty rapid-fire jokes sustain an 80+ score despite modest individual impact.
Directed by Jim Reardon · Written by Jay Kogen, Wallace Wolodarsky
WAR
51.9
Wins Above Replacement
“Barts Friend Falls In Love” ranks #183 of 552 The Simpsons episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 80.5 — Elite. The episode packs 60 scored jokes at 3.6 per minute, averaging 7.1 on craft and 6.6 on impact, with Bart landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Milhouse: We started out like Romeo and Juliet but it ended up in tragedy.
Milhouse Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Troy McClure: Hello. I'm actor Troy McClure. You kids might remember me from such educational films as Lead Paint:: Delicious But Deadly and Here Comes The Metric System.
Homer: Lamentably, no. My gastronomic rapacity knows no satiety.
Homer Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback Bart: Eww! She's faking it.
Bart Dark/Subversive Observational ★ Rewatch Troy McClure: Nine months later Fluffy gave birth to 14 beautiful bunnies. Eight survive.
All Jokes — 60 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Milhouse: Cool-- An oversize novelty billiard ball. You shake it up and it tells the future.
Milhouse: Will I pass my English test? ''Outlook not so good.'' Wow, it does work!
Milhouse Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Bart: Will... I get beat up today? ''All signs point to yes.'' That ball knows everything.
Bart Escalation Character Comedy Bart: Will Milhouse and I be friends when we're high school dropouts living off Uncle Sucker?
Bart Dark/Subversive Escalation Principal Skinner: Yeah, sure, and they told me I'd get a big parade when I got back from 'Nam. Instead, they spat on me. I can still feel it searing.
Principal Skinner: I can still feel it searing.
Principal Skinner: I see you beat that bed-wetting problem. Don't worry. They'll forget... just like they forgot about me in that tiger cage for 18 agonizing months.
Principal Skinner: Every night I wake up screaming. Well, let's meet your classmates.
Mrs. Krabappel: Great.Just keep packing them in, Seymour. We should discuss this later.
Principal Skinner: Please say a big elementary school hello to Samantha Stinky. Stanky. Oh, right. How embarrassing for you. Well, good-bye.
Samantha: He came here because of the high crime rate and lackluster police force.
Samantha · Mrs. Krabappel: All my friends are back in Phoenix and this town has a weird smell that you're all probably used to but I'm not. It takes about six weeks.
Jimbo: When I find out who hit me with ball I'm going to tear them a new..!
Jimbo Misdirection Visual Gag Troy McClure: Hello. I'm actor Troy McClure. You kids might remember me from such educational films as Lead Paint:: Delicious But Deadly and Here Comes The Metric System.
Bart Reaction Beat Character Comedy Bart: Eww! She's faking it.
Bart Dark/Subversive Observational ★ Rewatch Troy McClure: Nine months later Fluffy gave birth to 14 beautiful bunnies. Eight survive.
Mrs. Krabappel: Because Mr. Krabappel chased something fluffy down a rabbit hole.
Mrs. Krabappel: Most of you will never fall in love and marry out of fear of dying alone.
Ralph: God, shmod-- I want my monkey man.
Ralph Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Martin: God, shmod-- I want my monkey man.
Martin Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Otto: My girlfriend's dancing topless at the airport bar from 4:15 to 4:20.
Otto Character Comedy Observational Samantha: Got any girl comics like Bonnie Crane, Girl Attorney Punkin and Dunkin, the Twinkle Twins or Li'l Knee Socks?
Bart: No, but my sister's got a wide selection of crappy comics.
Bart Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Kent Brockman: That excess blubber could fill two-fifths of the Grand Canyon. That may not sound impressive but keep in mind, it is a very big canyon.
Kent Brockman: But in real life Santa would be suffering from gall stones hypertension, impotence, and diabetes.
Homer: I wish they had never invented fried cheese.
Homer Character Comedy Reaction Beat TV Announcer: We call it the Good Morning Burger.
Bart: Next, your Mickey Mantle for my picture of Homer on the couch.
Bart Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Milhouse: Well, you kind of sort of are.
Milhouse: Well, you kind of sort of are.
Milhouse: You know, like when you open an Eskimo Pie and you wait just a little for it to melt? But she doesn't melt. Oh, yes, she does.
Milhouse Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Homer · Lisa: What do you say to that? Give me the weight loss tape.
Phone operator · Marge: Would he like to lose weight, stop smoking learn the state capitals, master hostage negotiations..? Hmm... hostage negotiations.
Store Employee: We're out of ''Subliminally Slim.'' Uh... send them the vocabulary builder.
Homer: Lamentably, no. My gastronomic rapacity knows no satiety.
Homer Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback Martin: No one has sat next to me since I successfully lobbied to have the school day extended by 20 minutes.
Martin Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Homer: Forbearance is the watchword. That triumvirate of twinkies overwhelmed my resolve.
Homer Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Callback Homer: Here in the boudoir the gourmand metamorphosizes into... the voluptuary!
Homer Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Callback Homer: Here in the boudoir the gourmand metamorphosizes into... the voluptuary!
Homer Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Callback Marge: What in God's name are you talking about?
Marge Reaction Beat Character Comedy Martin: Listen, Bart, there's such a thing as spending too much time together.
Martin Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Bart: Samantha and Milhouse sitting in a tree About to lose their privacy
Bart Wordplay/Pun Setup/Punchline Homer: Now there's a Machiavellian countenance. Ooh, a sextet of ale!
Homer Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Callback Bart: Let's just say I'm concerned prude with lot of time on his hands.
Bart Character Comedy Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Bart: Well, 'tis better to have loved and lost... yatta, yatta, yatta.
Bart Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Milhouse: We started out like Romeo and Juliet but it ended up in tragedy.
Milhouse Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Milhouse: We started out like Romeo and Juliet but it ended up in tragedy.
Milhouse Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Homer: Disingenuous mountebanks with their subliminal chicanery-- A pox on them!
Homer Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Bart: Five fingers? Ooh-- Freak show!
Bart Observational Absurdist Bart: You cry when they're out of chocolate milk. You cry when you're doing long division and you have a remainder left over.
Bart Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Bart: You cry when they're out of chocolate milk. You cry when you're doing long division and you have a remainder left over.
Bart Escalation Character Comedy Homer: Milhouse is out bed and full beans.
Homer Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Homer · Marge: Marge... where's that... metal dealie... you use to... dig... food? You mean, a spoon?
Homer Marge Character Comedy Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Callback Homer · Marge: You mean, a spoon? Yeah, yeah, yeah!
French Canadian Nun: Samantha, ne pas des boys.
Samantha: It's 50 rosaries a kiss.
Samantha: It's 50 rosaries a kiss. Oh, what the heck.
Bart: They all look alike to me. Now, let's go whip donuts at old people.
Bart Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Top Episodes — The Simpsons