Two Bad Neighbors
"Two Bad Neighbors" is the thirteenth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons.
It was written by Ken Keeler, directed by Wes Archer and inspired by the animosity toward the series' earlier run from the Bush family.
In the episode, George H. W. Bush, a former President of the United States (voiced by Harry Shearer),[2] moves across the street from the Simpsons.
[6] Keeler, Oakley, and Weinstein participated in the DVD's audio commentary, alongside Matt Groening and the director of the episode, Wes Archer.
They settle on Springfield, the city with the lowest voter turnout in America, and move into the house opposite the Simpsons.
Homer and George begin brawling and only stop when Mikhail Gorbachev arrives to deliver a housewarming present.
Bill Oakley, who was a writer on The Simpsons at the time, came up with the idea for "Two Bad Neighbors" two years before production began.
[3] Oakley said that Bill Clinton had been President of the United States for two years at the point when the episode went into production, so the feud had "faded off into oblivion".
Even the crazy high-concept ones like 'Two Bad Neighbors' and 'Homer's Enemy' we managed to put on the air because honestly there were no network execs there to stop us.
[13] Keeler's first draft also included a musical number in the style of Tom Lehrer's satirical recordings, although this ended up being cut.
Stu was originally designed as a withered, old, John Travolta-esque figure and was to be voiced by repeat guest star Phil Hartman.
[13] There are numerous references to events in George H. W. Bush's presidency, such as the vomiting incident at a Japanese banquet, the invasion of Panama to depose Manuel Noriega and the broken pledge not to raise taxes.
[1] When Homer and Bart hand out fliers for the upcoming garage sale, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is seen washing his car while singing Cheap Trick's 1979 song "Dream Police".
"[1] Dave Foster of DVD Times said: "Once again showing the mischievous relationship Bart and Homer share their pranks and the inevitable confrontations with George Bush Senior are as hilarious as they are implausible and frequent, but there is much to love about this episode in which the writers think out loud and paint The Simpsons and its characters as Bush once did.
