A Totally Fun Thing Bart Will Never Do Again

He manages to do this with the help of a large television screen, on which he displays a scene from the film The Pandora Strain that features a general named William Sullivan warning humanity about a deadly virus.

After another boring week in his life, Bart sees a commercial on television for a fun cruise and begs Homer and Marge for a family vacation.

Later, a huge onboard television screen displays an emergency message from a military officer, warning the crew and passengers about a deadly virus that has started to spread on the mainland.

Eventually, the cruise turns into something similar to a post-apocalyptic civilization with gladiator arenas, marauders, capital punishment, and Priddis claiming kingship over the passengers.

They notice a group of penguins and Lisa is fascinated by the chance to see them up close, but Bart thinks that their lives are boring and says that the ice slide they are riding down is just one isolated moment of fun.

Lisa tells him that aside from all the things that happen throughout your life, capturing and enjoying the best moments of it can make it fun and Bart realizes she is right after Homer pushes him down the ice slide with the whole family joining in.

The final scene is a flash-forward to an elderly Bart in a retirement home, fondly looking back at various photos of fun moments throughout his life.

The title and parts of the plot are a reference to the 1996 essay "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again" by American writer David Foster Wallace that describes his experiences on a cruise.

[7][8] When the Simpsons go down the penguins' ice slide at the end of the episode, "Winter's Love" by American neo-psychedelia band Animal Collective is heard.

[4] Russian composer Mikhail Glinka's overture from his Ruslan and Lyudmila opera is played over a montage that shows Bart taking part in the fun activities on the cruise.

It was watched by approximately five million people during this broadcast, and in the demographic for adults aged 18–49, the episode received a 2.3 Nielsen rating and a seven percent share.

"[1] Sepinwall concluded that he is "always a fan of single-story Simpsons episodes, as well as ones built around an emotional issue facing a member of the family, and this has both – in addition to being funny and sweet and clever in its depiction of the Best Cruise Ever.