The Simpsons - Bart fails his test

S2E1

[jomac]

“This is as good as I can do and I still failed.” Gets me every time. :(

[pyjamadan]

Not gonna lie, I actually cried when he started crying

[sxeetnie]

The way Bart starting crying and Mrs Krappabel actually comforted him always hits the feels

[thomasbutter]

Shit. Bart did really tried and him failing made me feel bad.

[NintendoTV]

Anyone who's ever gotten a low score on a test can relate with Bart here. Trust me, I know.

[Mangosten]

You can tell that Mrs. Krabappel didn't ever expect a reaction like that out of someone like Bart.

[AngryNerdBird]

"This is as good as I can do, and I still failed"

God damn, I felt that.

[angelikajoy]

i cried when i watched this on tv the first time, he really did try

[angelloderrico]

i feel like bart every time fail a test . you try your best and always fail that a truth in life

[micahgoldson]

This is the problem with our education system. We teach kids that failure is bad, and should be avoided at all costs. But failure is important for learning - you don’t learn anything from success. It teaches you to change, to grow, and to understand what you can do better.

Rather than punish kids for doing badly, we should be helping them to understand what they missed. We should be rewarding them for what they got right. And we should be reminding them every single person makes mistakes, because NO ONE is perfect.

[connerreviews]

This is easily the saddest moment in The Simpsons. Throughout the show, Bart is a usual prankster/slacker. But, to really see him try yet still fail, is heart breaking.

[Jimbob]

Bart's reaction in this clip is so realistic. Imagine for a second you have worked your ass off to try to understand something you find difficult, boring etc; it is exceptionally mind numbing if you are disinterested. And when it comes to disabilities such as ADHD (which Bart is often quoted to have), not understanding something goes hand in hand with disinterest and apathy to the topic. In the episode, Bart displays major disinterest in the history lesson, and when studying struggles to read the textbook without daydreaming.

Thus his response to being told if he fails the make-up test he will be held back a year makes him commit to studying the text to pass the test. This is all he does for the remainder of the episode - study. And in the end, even though it is one of his best scores, it still isn't enough to overcome the dreaded "F". His reaction to yet another F is what sells it. He has done everything he can, everything he can think of to do what is expected of him, and he still failed. And the thought of never being able to succeed on his own terms crushes him. He can do so many different things; play sports, skateboard, come up with elaborate and convoluted schemes and pranks. He is by no means dumb, but he just doesn't get school as an institution. As a result he is labeled an underachiever and a slacker, when he just doesn't get school like others do.

His breakdown is not played for laughs, comedy or even for a bit gag from earlier in the episode, it is 100% drama: he is crushed by the fact he can never be as good as the other students and perform as the school expects him to, and Krabapple's reaction is one of genuine concern. Originally full of sarcasm over having to spend another year teaching him, she quickly switches to a caring authority figure trying to comfort him. And once he demonstrates his applied knowledge on George Washington, she realizes just what the issue is; it's not him, but the school and education in general. He doesn't learn like everyone else, but has his own methods. And because SHE failed him and not the other way around, by not figuring it out sooner, she gives him extra credit because he has the knowledge, he just doesn't test well.

And ultimately, this is the whole issue with the education system, all the way back in 1990! Over 30 years ago they were saying that tests don't work for everyone, ultimately some people learn in unorthodox ways. The ultimate moral here is not for students to constantly try to succeed in schoolwork for the purpose of testing, but rather succeed in school for the purpose of learning material. A student demonstrating their abilities is far more worthwhile than a test paper.

[brendenmoore]

I remember being in his shoes when I was in elementary. I never failed any subjects, but I got a D two or three times. My parents would hound me though, and I remember feeling so terrible about myself. I was told "I didn't care", and that's what hurt the most. I feel Bart's pain in this because he really did try. He really did care.

[PK-cgej]

Always find this scene very realistically harrowing. That feeling of trying your absolute best and it still not being good enough is crushing... that no matter what you do you can't get any better because you've hit your ceiling. I'm glad they let Bart get this one in the end, he deserved that D-

[JamieBoy-ijri]

It’s strange how out of everyone is around when Bart is jumping with joy Nelson (who normally bullies) is the only one who seems to congratulate Bart by giving him a 👍

[JustHayden]

This scene is the PERFECT embodiment of why The Simpsons was golden back then! The perfect balance of emotions. We go from feeling sad that Bart failed, being happy that Krabappel actually let him pass, and then laughing at his realization he kissed her. It's that balance that Simpsons needs to achieve again.

[uobbcup]

“Who am I kidding, I really am a failure”

*i felt that on a personal level*

[giuseppedurante]

one of the most touching episode ever. the old school’ simpsons. I miss them. 😔

[JustSomePenguin]

“Do you think you could grade it now please?”
I felt that

[cluumsy]

I feel like that actor when he played as Bart actually cried in the recording booth