The Way of the Dog
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- "Please. My dog is having a breakdown. So if these tears mean nothing to you... ...help our dog, or let's do this!"
- ―Lisa Simpson
"The Way of the Dog"
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Episode Information
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"The Way of the Dog" is the twenty-second and final episode of broadcast season 31 of The Simpsons and the six hundred eighty-fourth episode overall. It originally aired on May 17, 2020. The episode was written by Carolyn Omine and directed by Matthew Faughnan. It guest stars Cate Blanchett as Elaine Wolff and Michael York as Clayton.
"The Way of the Dog" was dedicated in memory of Little Richard, who died on May 9.
Contents
Synopsis[edit]
- "After Santa's Little Helper bites Marge when she tries to put a Santa hat on him, they take him to dog psychologist Elaine Wolff. Elaine and the Simpsons dig into the dog's past to figure out why he has trauma surrounding the hat."
Plot[edit]
Santa's Little Helper dreams at the Simpson house, watching Ralph reaching for popcorn. He wakes up to the smell of popcorn prepared by Marge so Bart and Lisa can make a string to hang on the Christmas tree.
When Marge tries to put a Santa hat on Santa's Little Helper, he becomes afraid, experiences flashbacks from his past, and resists them putting it on for a photo for the family's Christmas card.
When the family returns from shopping for presents, they find the couch shredded by the dog and Santa's Little Helper lying in a depressed state. Lisa proposes taking him to a psychologist, Elaine Wolff.
They bring him to Springfield Knowledge College, where Elaine is giving a lecture that is interrupted by her lover Clayton, who informs her that he has left his ex. After the lecture, she refuses to help them. Back at home, when Marge tries to take the Santa hat to clean it, the dog bites her, so they take him to a pet doctor who proposes putting him down, but they refuse.
As they make unsuccessful arrangements to keep the dog outside, Chief Wiggum arrives to inform them that animal control is coming to take him away. However, Elaine arrives before them and takes him to the Dognitive Behavioral Therapy Institute.
At the institute, Santa's Little Helper dreams of his mother, remembering when his previous owner took him away from her. Elaine gives him a pill to help him sleep. Meanwhile, in Bart's room, Bart asks Homer when the dog will return. They begin praying, and Lisa and Marge join in. Homer then says the dog may be lost forever, causing Bart to cry. The next day, Elaine asks the dog how he feels about the family, but is interrupted by Clayton proposing to her, which she refuses.
Immediately after, Santa's Little Helper attacks another dog in the chest. Elaine discovers that he hid the Santa hat there, which is the source of his behavioral issues. She brings him home, and Bart recognizes the hat as the one he was wearing the night they got Santa's Little Helper in "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". Elaine says he must confront his previous owner, as he suffers from PTSD related to him.
At his former owner's home, the man recounts how he took Santa's Little Helper from his mother after realizing how fast he was. Each member of the family takes a turn slapping him for his actions until the dog finally reunites with his mother, She Biscuit. In the end, the family brings She Biscuit home with them, resolving the dog's trauma, while Snowball signals their fish that she plans to eat it.
Production[edit]
Gallery[edit]
Promo videos[edit]
Lisa Wants To Understand Santa's Little Helper at YouTube
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