Blood Feud (The Simpsons)

"Blood Feud" is the twenty-second and final episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons.

Homer discovers Bart has Burns' rare blood type and urges him to donate, thinking the Simpsons will be handsomely rewarded.

Marge convinces Homer not to send an insulting reply to his boss, but when Bart mails the letter anyway, Burns is livid.

Executive producer Sam Simon and writers Al Jean and Mike Reiss came up with the idea for the episode.

The episode includes the debut of the Olmec head Xtapolapocetl, which would become a common background prop in the Simpson home.

It was originally broadcast on July 11, 1991, as part of "premiere week", the Fox Network's attempt to expand the typical 30-week prime time season and gain new viewers for the fall.

Burns' search for a donor finds that none of the employees at Springfield Nuclear Power Plant share his rare blood type, double O negative.

Although Bart has second thoughts on donating blood, Homer urges him to, promising that Burns will reward the Simpsons handsomely.

Furious, Burns demands that Homer be beaten by thugs, but Smithers protests, insisting it is no way to return the favor the Simpsons performed for him.

[3] Executive producer Sam Simon and writers Al Jean and Mike Reiss came up with the idea for the episode while they were trying to fill up the rest of the production run.

The producers were going to end the act with Mr. Burns feeling better, but decided to extend it to show how the Simpson family was affected.

[4] In his book Planet Simpson, Chris Turner writes that the ending is meant to openly mock the "notion of the tidy sitcom-style moral" and the "formulaic plots of sitcoms".

Fox aired new episodes of several of its top shows, including The Simpsons and Beverly Hills, 90210, in hopes of expanding the normal 30 week prime time season and gaining new viewers for the fall.

Not only did it resemble parts of 'Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish', but Homer's attempts to regain the letter before Burns reads it appears reminiscent of an episode of The Flintstones.

The program packed in a slew of hilarious moments, from Homer's description of a Bible story to his visit to the post office.

"[12] Ben Rayner of The Toronto Star included "Blood Feud" in his list of the top ten episodes of The Simpsons, noting that "Homer's efforts to thwart the mail service still kill me 15 years later.