To Love and Die in Dixie (Simpsons)

To Love and Die in Dixie is the 12th episode of the third season of the animated comedy series Simpsons. Country music singer Waylon Jennings, who died three months after the episode aired on television in the United States, guest-stars in his last ever appearance on the show. Dakota Fanning also guest starred on the episode. The title is a reference to a line in the traditional Southern song "Dixie". The episode was written by future showrunner Steve Callaghan, and was directed by Dan Povenmire. It features the first appearance of the recurring character Mr. Herbert.

Plot
The episode begins with Bart being invited to his fellow classmate Barbara with long hair in pigtails at her birthday party. He decides to get a job so as to be able to afford a gift, and becomes a paper boy. Herbert, an elderly man who lives at Evergreen Terrace is on Bart's paper route, and tries to become friends with him, while making many sexual innuendos, but Bart does not understand them. Bart makes a fool of himself at Barbara's party when he sprays the perfume in Barbara's eyes and concludes that he is clumsy around girls.

When Bart is witness to a robbery at the Kwik-E Mart, he's brought in to finger the criminal. Homer comes in, looking for his son, and mistakenly shows a picture of Bart to the criminals in the lineup. When the robber escapes, he declares that he plans to kill Bart.

The FBI decides to relocate the Simpsons family to Bumblescum in the deep South, where each member of the family finds their own challenges fitting in with Southern society. Lisa blames this on Bart despite the fact it was really Homer's fault. When they get there and see their house, Lisa complains about it, and Marge says that "If we fix it up a bit it could be a piece of crap." While there, Homer becomes sheriff with Brian as his deputy. Stewie joins a hillbilly jug band, Lisa becomes popular with her classmates, and Bart meets a new friend named Sam Foxworthy, until Homer insults the South for questioning their own version of re-enacting the Civil War, and Sam's father, Jeff, orders them not to spend time together. Not knowing of this, Sam unexpectedly kisses Bart, and Bart assumes Sam is gay. As Bart writes in a journal about what happened with Sam, Brian hears the story (as Bart was speaking out what he wrote), and he explains that kissing Sam seemingly felt right.

When the two meet again, Bart explains to Sam that even though he is flattered that Sam likes him, he is not interested in a romantic relationship and feels that they are probably better off as just friends. Just before the two go swimming, Bart realizes that Sam is a girl. Due to his bad experiences around girls, Bart now feels awkward around Sam. At a party that is held that night, Sam explains to Bart that he had no problem talking to her, when he thought she was a guy, so she tells Bart to think of her as a boy who he can make out with.

After the FBI agents who were hired to look over the Simpsons home in Quahog accidentally reveal the location of the family (telling the criminal where Lisa was, but not Bart), the criminal tracks the family down in Bumblescum, and attempts to kill Bart. During the confrontation, however, the criminal is shot and killed by Sam's father.

The family returns to Quahog, causing a bit of heartbreak for Bart and Sam. The Simpsons return to discover 113 messages on their answering machine, all from Herbert, who wants to know what happened to the paper boy.

Voice cast

 * Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson, Oinkie
 * Julie Kavner as Marge Simpson
 * Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson
 * Yeardley Smith as Lisa Simpson
 * Seth MacFarlane as Stewie Simpson, Brian Simpson, Glenn Quagmire
 * Hank Azaria as Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Mass Media Murderer
 * Mike Henry as Mr. John Herbert

Guest stars

 * Waylon Jennings as Himself
 * Kathleen Wilhoite as Sam Foxworthy
 * Ralph Garman as Jeff Foxworthy
 * Brian Dunkleman as Southerner
 * Dakota Fanning as Little Girl
 * Rachel MacFarlane as Barbara

Production
Dan Povenmire, who directed the episode, was granted substantial creative freedom by series creator and executive producers Matt Groening and Seth MacFarlane. Povenmire recalled that they would tell him "We've got two minutes to fill. Give me some visual gags. Do whatever you want. I trust you." Povenmire praised this management style for letting him "have fun." Povenmire brought realism, and material from his own experiences, to the visual direction of Simpsons.

For this episode, Povenmire drew inspiration from his own childhood in the deep south for a sequence for a background scene where a "redneck" character nonchalantly kicks a corpse into the nearby river. Also, there was a running gag of raccoons jumping out of things and scratching Homer in the face.

In addition to the regular cast, actors Brian Dunkleman and Kathleen Wilhoite, Dakota Fanning, voice actors Ralph Garman, and Rachel MacFarlane, and singer Waylon Jennings, guest starred in the episode. Recurring guest voice actors and writers Mike Henry and Danny Smith made minor appearances.

Source

 * 1
 * 2