Original artwork, not a still
Do you promise to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
— The Simpsons · 1989
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The oath is the courtroom's standard ritual, and the Simpsons turn it into a trap: the one witness who will actually obey it is the one the family needs to keep quiet. Marge's honesty drives the episode's swing from money-grab to guilty conscience. People quote the bailiff's wording whenever someone is sworn in, and it is a cheap, reliable setup for any courtroom gag.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The SimpsonsShow the scene
In "Bart Gets Hit by a Car" (season 2, aired 10 January 1991) Mr. Burns's car knocks Bart off his skateboard, and the Simpsons, egged on by ambulance-chasing lawyer Lionel Hutz and Dr. Nick, sue Burns. At the trial, Burns's blue-haired lawyer calls Marge to the stand. The bailiff swears her in, and Marge answers the oath so sincerely that Hutz remarks on it and Homer cringes, because the truth is the last thing their case needs. The episode introduced Hutz, Dr. Nick and the Blue-Haired Lawyer.
Sources (2)
- Wikiquote: The Simpsons, Season 2'Bart Gets Hit by a Car' sectionReference checked
- Wikipedia: Bart Gets Hit by a Carlead and plotReference checked
Context reviewed
