The Crepes of Wrath facts for kids

"The Crepes of Wrath" is an episode from the first season of The Simpsons. It was the eleventh episode to air and first came out on April 15, 1990. The story was written by George Meyer, Sam Simon, John Swartzwelder, and Jon Vitti. Wes Archer and Milton Gray directed the episode.

In this episode, Bart Simpson goes on a student exchange trip to France. An exchange trip means he lives with a family in another country for a while. But Bart's host family in France treats him very badly, almost like a servant. Meanwhile, an Albanian student comes to live with the Simpsons family in Bart's place. This student is very interested in Homer's job at the nuclear power plant.

Episode Story

This episode starts with Bart playing a prank on Homer. He drops a bucket of glue on Homer's head. This makes Homer very angry. Marge suggests that Bart should go on a student exchange program. This way, he can learn some manners. Bart is sent to France, and an Albanian boy named Adil comes to live with the Simpsons.

Bart's Trip to France

Bart arrives in France and is picked up by his new host family, the D'ohs. They own a vineyard, which is a farm where grapes are grown to make wine. The D'ohs are very mean to Bart. They make him work hard all day, doing chores like crushing grapes with his feet. They also feed him only old, rotten food. Bart is not allowed to go to school or explore France. He feels very lonely and sad.

One day, Bart is sent to buy anti-freeze. He accidentally overhears the D'ohs talking in French. He realizes they are putting anti-freeze into their wine. This is a very dangerous and illegal thing to do! Bart knows he has to tell someone. He finds a local police officer, a gendarme, and tells him what the D'ohs are doing. The gendarme arrests the D'ohs, and Bart is finally free to go home.

Adil's Stay with the Simpsons

While Bart is in France, Adil, the Albanian exchange student, lives with the Simpsons. Adil seems like a polite and quiet boy at first. However, he is secretly a spy for Albania. He is very interested in Homer's work at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. Adil often asks Homer many questions about the plant. He even takes pictures of the power plant's blueprints, which are like maps of the building.

Homer doesn't notice anything strange about Adil's behavior. He thinks Adil is just a curious student. Adil sends secret messages back to Albania using a special radio. When Bart returns home, Adil is sent back to Albania. The Simpsons never find out that Adil was a spy.

Episode Reception

"The Crepes of Wrath" was generally well-liked by people who watched it. Many critics gave it good reviews. In 1997, a TV Guide writer named David Bauder said this episode was the best Simpsons episode ever. He also called it the 17th greatest episode of any TV show of all time. This shows how popular and well-made the episode was considered.