Where Did THAT Come From – Level 56 Daredevil Edition

Hey hey friends! In our silly lil game, we sometimes see things pop in that we have no clue as to their Origin. They seem familiar, but we just can’t pinpoint from where. So that is why we decided to make a fun lil reminder out of it. To let you know just Where did THAT Come From?

Wow and wow. Did the stunts in TSTO just get dangerous or what?  Level 56 dropped into our silly games and with it came a lot of awesomeness.  I mean… who doesn’t love Captain Lance Murdock and the Springfield Gorge? Of course, not every tapper is as well versed in all things Simpsons as some of us so I get the privilege of writing about where all the new stuff comes from. Strap on your helmet, grap a seat on my originbike and let’s fly off the ramp to see where in the Best. Show. Ever. these items come from.

So Lance Murdock, the Stunt Bike, Daredevil Bart, Springfield Gorge and the Danger Pool actually all come from the same episode so I decided to lump them in one giant origin-palooza.  Let’s check out this iconic Simpsons episode, “Bart the Daredevil” (S2:E8).

At the Monster Truck Rally, our favorite family gets up close and personal with Truckasaurus, see a female mud pull driver and “the world’s greatest daredevil, the man who’s no stranger to danger. If he’s not in action, he’s in traction… Captain Lance Murdock.” His most dangerous stunt ever entails death defying both nature and gravity by jumping over a pool of water filled with man-eating great white sharks, deadly electric eels, ravenous piranhas, bone-crushing alligators and a ferocious lion. To add an element of danger, he adds one drop of human blood.  Much bigger than our TSTO incarnation but definitely the danger pool.

Lance makes the jump on the stunt bike but then falls into the danger pool. Too funny when the lion pulls him back in as he’s trying to escape.

Anywho… Bart is inspired to become a daredevil and begins doing stunts. After hurting himself, Dr. Hibbert tries to discourage him by showing all the injuries from kids copying what they see on TV. No surprise that it goes right over Bart’s head. Bart becomes quite the sensation with the Springfield children by jumping over tons of things. Bart decides that the only challenge worthy of him is leaping over Springfield Gorge.

Lisa learns about Bart’s jump and arranges for Bart to meet Lance Murdock. Hibbert helps to stem the tide of entertainment related injuries. It doesn’t turn out as Lisa liked… Lance only encourages Bart’s interest in danger. “Bones heal, chicks dig cars and the United States of America has the best doctor to daredevil ratio in the world.”

Lisa tells their parents and Bart is grounded but sneaks off for his jump. I’m so stoked the gorge came in our game with Bart’s daredevil costume.

Of course, this episode has the classic Homer jumping Springfield Gorge ending. Him falling down into the chasm might just be the funniest. Sequence. EVER. The last line of the episode is one of my favorites as Homer lays in the hospital right next to Lance. “You think you’ve got guts, try raising my kids.”

Other gorge appearances include “Brother From the Same Planet” (S4:E14). Homer forgets to pick up Bart from soccer practice and Bart decides to get a new one at the Bigger Brothers Agency. His new dad Tom is super cool too. He rides a motorcycle, takes Bart to baseball games, hang-gliding and apparently is an F-14 fighter pilot. Homer ends up fighting with Tom and one of the places they ruckus in is the Springfield Gorge. It’s here we learn it’s the third most beautiful gorge in whatever state the Simpsons live in.

The Gorge is also in “Treehouse of Horror XIII” (S14:E1). The “Send in the Clones Clones Clones” segment is fun with Homer’s magic hammock and mindless clones. When Homer’s clones threaten to take over the country, the solution is to lead them all to their deaths by having them plunge into Springfield Gorge like lemmings. All it takes is giant donuts suspended from helicopters.

In what I think is the best appearance of the Gorge, we have to turn to “The Simpsons Movie” (released between Season 18 and 19). There’s lots of goodness in the movie but I was super stoked to see Springfield Gorge at the end when Bart and Homer are attempting to save Springfield. I also thought it was cool to see in the Robot Chicken couch gag in “The Fabulous Faker Boy” (S24:E20). Maybe I like both so much because they actually make it over the Gorge.

But enough about Springfield Gorge, you didn’t come hear to discuss rocky chasms or take them for granite. I know, my sediments exactly. Of quartz, I do these posts even though some say igneous is blitz. I’ll be a bit boulder as I continue but I think this post is rock solid, marble-ous even. Just don’t tell me I’m full of schist. It’s always better to be gneiss.  So….. Captain Lance Murdock has more appearances than just one episode. In “I Married Marge” (S3:E12) when Homer finds out he got Marge pregnant and exclaims a resounding “Doh!”, a patient in the hospital in a full body cast, possibly Captain Lance Murdock, hears it and says “poor guy.” Probably a leap to mark every person in a body cast as our stuntman, but he definitely appeared in “Radio Bart” (S3:E13). He’s among the celebrities that sang “We’re Sending Our Love Down the Well”.

My favorite Captain Lance Murdock appearance is in “Selma’s Choice” (S4:E13) advertising Duff Gardens. Whenever I think of him, this is the episode. He jumps sixteen blazing schoolbuses on the stunt bike and the only thing to do after that is go to Duff Gardens. The Whiplash roller coaster and washing machine ride definitely look about as dangerous as Murdock’s stunts.

In “Viva Ned Flanders” (S10:E10), stinky pants Simpson gives fun lessons to flawless Flanders. Homer takes Ned to Vegas for the fun. In Sin City, the Cap is back performing a stunt when the duo arrive at Nero’s Palace.

Murdock is to attempt to jump his SuiCycle over an audience member while wearing a locked safe on his head. The jump includes going through a ring of fire, a ring of ice, over some dog doo and then over Homer who volunteered to stand on the bloody X. At the same time, Murdock is picking the lock on the safe so he can actually see… pretty crazy.

Of course, like Lance’s other stunts, he gets hurt. Homer messes him up and Murdock crash lands and goes flying into a wall. Luckily EMTs quickly defibrillate him. The announcer says he’s ok but it certainly doesn’t look like it… aya carumba.

Have no fears though friends. We know he made it through that injury because he’s back in “Today I Am a Clown” (S15:E6) performing another stunt on TV. He’s also among the celebrities that meet to get back at Homer for photographing them in “Homerazzi” (S18:E16).

That’s basically it for Captain Lance Murdock appearances unless you watch the very beginning of a few recent episodes. He flies across the title screen in “American History X-cellent” (S21:E17) and “Hardly Kirk-ing” (S24:E13) and was in the couch gag of “Lisa Simpson, This Isn’t Your Life” (S22:E5).

So we know Lance has broken every bone in his body and isn’t the best daredevil in the world but he’s ours. I’m thrilled to have him added to the game as a freemium character. The Gorge may have been pricey but at least it came with a premium character skin. Of everything, the stunt bike was the least exciting for me but thankfully Lance’s 4 hr dangerous stunt task has the bike too. That’s really about it. Hope you liked all the origin stuff and stay classy my friends.

TTFN… Wookiee out!