Bart the Mother

Phil Hartman as Troy McClure

"Bart the Mother" is the third episode of The Simpsons' tenth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 27, 1998. In the episode, Bart accidentally kills a mother bird with a BB gun, and decides to hatch and take care of the two eggs he found in the bird's nest.

"Bart the Mother" was written by David X. Cohen and directed by Steven Dean Moore; it was the last full-length episode Cohen wrote for The Simpsons before leaving to work on Futurama. The original idea for the episode was intended to be a B story, but because it was too difficult to work into other episodes, it eventually became a primary plot. The episode features the final appearance of character Troy McClure and was dedicated to the character's voice actor, Phil Hartman, who was murdered by his wife on May 28, 1998, four months before the episode aired.

In its original American broadcast, "Bart the Mother" finished 58th in ratings for the week of September 21–27, 1998, with a Nielsen rating of 7.4, translating to 7,355,600 households. The episode received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised Bart's moral dilemma and soul searching moments. Nancy Cartwright, the voice actress of Bart, described the episode as one of her favorites.

When Marge takes the family to the Family Fun Center, she notices Nelson acting like a bully, especially when he knocks Milhouse off the track and wins a BB gun from stolen prize tickets. Bart and Nelson attempt to be friends, but Marge forbids Bart to hang out with Nelson. Bart goes to Nelson’s house anyway and starts using Nelson's new BB gun. When Nelson pressures Bart to shoot a bird in a nest, Bart accidentally kills the bird. Marge is furious that Bart killed an animal, but instead of punishing him, she refuses to have anything to do with his destructive ways.